XJ → Harry Hook [1]✔

Suspects

I heard her blabbing even beyond the door. XJ's voice sounded, as it did each time Harry stepped into the hospital wing. Harry let loose a breath of relief; something that was a habit whenever he heard her voice nowadays.

"You don't say." Harry muttered under his breath.

"What?" Audrey asked, frowning at Harry as the door shut behind her.

"Nothing."

Audrey cast a quick glance at XJ's motionless body. "She's not waking up."

"Give it a couple of minutes, would you?" Harry scowled, sitting down at his usual wooden chair.

"I am wasting my precious time staring at what might as well be a potato." Audrey scoffed as she sat down in another chair, placing her handbag beside her. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"It's lunch and you aren't a part of any clubs or teams. You don't have anything to do anyway." Harry stated blankly.

"So?" He whispered out of the corner of his mouth to XJ.

There's not even a trace of magic.

"You don't sound disappointed."

"Why would I sound disappointed?" Audrey asked, looking at Harry funny.

Harry smiled grimly. "I'm talking to myself. It helps deal with...seeing her like that."

Audrey narrowed her eyes at him and mumbled something underneath her breath.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm not crazy."

"I never said you were."

Harry scoffed and turned back to look at XJ.

No, she doesn't even have magic in her signature. XJ decided. We can rule her out.

"Got it," Harry muttered under his breath. He stood up and sighed. "Nothing's happening. It didn't work."

Audrey huffed as she stood up briskly. "You don't say. I'm leaving now, thank you very much."

She strutted out of the hospital wing immediately, her handbag swaying. The second the door shut, Harry turned back to XJ and sat down. "Are you sure she doesn't have magic? It seems like she would."

No. I can't detect anything. She's perfectly normal. Maleficent's curse didn't do anything other than make her mother sleep for a little longer than usual.

"So then who's next?"

Lonnie. Bring her in. XJ demanded. How's my hawk doing?

"It's doing fine," Harry scowled at the thought of the bird. "I've tried to feed it bread, but it keeps refusing to eat. It keeps coming back with blood on its beak. Makes a mess."

Of course he refuses to eat bread. XJ snorted. He's a hawk, Hook. He's been eating rats, snakes and other tiny things.

"Why do you insist that I keep it around?" Harry sighed. "And why won't it stay with you instead of me?"

Why do you assume that I know how the inside of his head works?

"You speak bird - why wouldn't you?"

I speak hawk only and I give him orders. Unless he vocally communicates back, I don't know what he wants or what it's doing. I'm not psychic.

"You might as well be. Has it visited you yet?"

No, he hasn't.

"It's a bird."

And a bird still has a gender.