Wands and Warframes

Deal or no Deal

"Cy," Harry says, "Move yourself to the lander and disable the void shields on the railjack."

"Captain..."

"Cy, we will be fine, and the ship will be fine too. If it isn't you have the lander to get help."

"Yes captain."

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"This is interesting, so many of you here?" – A circle rapidly appears around the man in the wall as he steps out of a wall – "What could possibly cause so many of you to abandon your superstition?"

Hermione nervously walks forward and looks the man up and down, "Then came to support me while I say 'I accept'."

"You accept what?"

"Whatever deal you propose that keeps me with my found family. Mum and Dad have even joined me here, and I won't have to watch them die thanks to Aunty Natah."

"Even if I take your magic?"

"Yes."

"How about your parents?"

Hermione cocks her head, "I don't think you can. I've read a midsummers nights dream, I've read the original Grimms fairy tales. I've read 1001 Arabian nights. I think that if you could you'd have already offered it as a trade."

"You will owe me a favour for not reclaiming what is mine by right."

"As long as it doesn't involve me turning on or sacrificing my family or friends."

"What say we shake on it?" – she takes his hand and shakes it – "Done and done."

Luna pulls herself out of Kitty's grasp and moves into the circle, "I don't think I'm ready. I don't think I'll ever be ready." – she looks back at Kitty before holding out her own hand – "However, I will lose what I want if I wait until I am. So I accept too."

The man turns his head 90 degrees to the side before taking her hand, "Interesting, well a deal is a deal. Here you go."

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Natah watches as her Tenno form a circle and Hermione steps into the circle. She looks around and somehow falls sideways as the world loses a little colour. As she rights herself she notices a mirror image of herself floating beside her. The other her points behind her and as she turns, she can see her chassis, still cradling Harry, her soul now visible as it's straining under the pressure of the void energy swirling through the railjack, eroding away at her chassis and mind unnoticed. Hermione talking to something in the middle of a circle of Tenno.

"This is happening right now, I can't stop it, and it will be gone too far for you to survive by the time we finish. It seems like your theory about a soul was only half right. What I can do is give you the power to survive it, and protect your children into the future. What say you?"

"My sensors aren't reading anything where you are."

"Oh, they wouldn't. Your chassis is down there right now. I just popped your soul out for a moment so that we could have a little chat, and to make you aware of what's happening to you right now."

"Why?"

"Because I can? Because I happen to like the world? Because I've got other things going on? Because, because, because? What matters is that you have a choice. Both of them have consequences, and I'm sure that you've already verified what I just said about your soul, and being half right."

She gasps, "It would have worked, but we're designed to be vulnerable to the void."

"Got it in one."

"How will this help?"