Hannah offers to meet up with Matt after his arrival to help him get the lay of the
land.
⚠
N/A
If there was one thing that was true about Hannah Abbott, it was that she always wanted to take care of others. There was something in her DNA that attributed to her maternal instincts, even though she had no children of her own (and wasn’t sure that she wanted any), and it had been not too long after the Battle at Hogwarts that she decided to put those instincts to use and start studying to become a magical healer.
Of course, winding up in Vallo had temporarily upended that because it meant having to replenish stock, find books, etc. The magic here wasn’t the same as the magic at home, so she’d had to learn to adjust. So needless to say, when Matt arrived but without his vision? Hannah took pity, in a way. There was no sense in letting someone who didn’t know Vallo at all try and sort out their own way. So she’d offered to help him and, of course, feed him. Because wasn’t everyone just absolutely famished when they first arrived in Vallo? Or at least after the whole debriefing at the DOA.
“Matthew?” she inquired as she walked up to meet him. He wasn’t hard to miss at all and the resemblance he bore to Neville was… uncanny, really. That made her heart ache momentarily, but she smiled and pressed on. “Hi, sorry, it’s Hannah. I hope I didn’t keep you too long. I know it’s a bit brisk out here, innit?”
Matt was a little overwhelmed by the idea of other dimensions, other worlds, and magic– but if aliens can invade New York and a man can survive being frozen in ice for years, then maybe some of this is possible.
It wasn’t long after he left Josie’s with Foggy and Karen. He remembers going home and climbing into bed, and the next thing he knew, he was in Vallo. Hannah offering food made his stomach grumble, and no one else had offered. The sound of her voice made him smile, it was a good voice.
“You can call me Matt if you’d like, Matthew is for when I’m in trouble.” He laughed lightly. “I’m used to winter in New York, I can be a little cold– do you mind if I hold your elbow as we walk?”
Hannah couldn’t help returning the smile. Even if he couldn’t see it, she was sure he could at least hear it in her voice when she spoke. “Matt, then. I’ll be sure to save the ‘Matthew’ for when I inevitably scold you for something or other – I have a tendency to do that when things get mental around here.” Which was, unfortunately, more often than she’d like.
She reached over, briefly touching his own arm before reaching for his free hand and guiding it to her elbow, which she kept slightly cocked at her side. “I don’t mind at all. Since you came through one of the Waypoints – those are the crystals you mentioned – would you prefer using one again or get around the quasi old fashioned way? We can walk, get an Uber… I think I’ve a bit of floo powder on me, too. We’d have to find a fireplace for that though.”
The accent was pleasant too. The air was dry and cold, making it easy for his nose to lead him around. But her touch was helpful, and he could feel the heat of her body through her clothes. It was comforting, to be grounded by someone. Especially when you’re in a new place and it’s sensory overload.
“I think we should walk, it’ll be easier for me to acquaint myself with the layout.”
“Walk it is then,” she added, her voice still light and pleasant. She was careful to keep their speed at something reasonable — she’d never walked with someone who was blind before, but she figured it was better safe than sorry. “We may end up having to take a Waypoint eventually just to get back to my pub, but that can wait. Would you like me to take you to Morningside to get accommodations? Free flats and all, hard to pass up, if you ask me. Or we can just wander a bit first. I’m happy to do whatever you want first.”
“Let’s eat first, then I can get a place to stay. Not much to move with.” He shrugs a little, and his smile is just a quirk of his lips. He shakes his cane. “And this moderately priced suit.”
His hand on her elbow is feather light, he tries not to be too invasive to someone helping him. The new area is a little off putting, but it’s slowly becoming a picture. He can feel air move around objects as he gets too close to them.
“So what do you do here, Hannah?”
She’d intended on taking him back to The Leaky Cauldron in order to have some lunch, but if he was more keen to eat first, walk later, well – that was fine by her. A soft laugh escaped her at the comment on his suit and she playfully rolled her eyes. “The suit is very nice. Though I suppose that’s not much of a surprise for a lawyer, hm?”
Hannah guided them down the sidewalk and then turned left toward a street where she knew there were at least a few options for food. “Firstly, what’re you hungry for? That will help me figure out where to take you. Secondly, I run a pub called The Leaky Cauldron. Some folks have heard of it because of where I’m from, some haven’t. But it’s cozy… I have a few people working for me and there are vacant rooms upstairs above the pub, though I keep the one adjacent to my own room for medical purposes.”
“Oh, a pub owner and a medical professional?” He laughs lightly, then tilts his head a little. He’s listening to all the new sounds in this place. Not too different from New York.
“Do you have Mexican food here? I can always eat Mexican food.”
“Well, professional in training, I suppose. I’ve been studying to become a magical healer for the last few years, but since arriving here, I’ve been able to help out… so I suppose in a way I have my own little practice? But nothing that I advertise or charge for services since I’m not officially licensed or anything. Not yet, anyways.”
Hannah giggled a bit and nodded. “Mm, yes, I’m fairly certain there’s Mexican here. Or something very akin to it. You see – this place? Because it is inherently magical, the locals here don’t really know much about Earth cuisine, so Outlanders have opened their own shops or – things have arrived from home, such as with the Leaky. But yes. There’s Mexican. I couldn’t tell you how good it is by comparison though, Indian food is far more popular in London.”
“Professional in training– hey, it’s not bad.” He almost started to share an anecdote about how Claire was a nurse and was just as good as any doctor. But then he’d have to explain why she was always patching him up.
Was a secret identity a good idea here?
“So this isn’t an alternate version of Earth, it’s … another planet?”
“Quasi-professional. There are at least a few people here who like to come to me when they need it, at least. Though one of them is from my world and has a tendency to get himself into situations that require magical mending.” Her tone was a bit annoyed as she said it, and she let out a quiet huff, but pressed on.
“Mm. No, not an alternate Earth. It’s… I’m not sure. Possibly another planet? As far as any of us know, it’s just… an incredibly large island with smaller outlier islands in the middle of… nothing, I think. But it seems it’s also a place where universes collide at times. Some of us are from the same worlds but different times, most of us are from completely different worlds. I’ve heard it referred to as the multiverse?”
“The multiverse. That’s wild.” He let out a low whistle, eyebrows raising above his glasses. He let Hannah guide them– but she might notice that he was incredibly light on his feet. A confident walk!
For a second, he stopped speaking because he was listening to all the heartbeats, trying to narrow down which one was Hannah’s. Of course she was closer, but sometimes everything is deafening.
“What exactly is magical mending? Just floating a bandage on?” Kidding kidding!
She snorted softly, amused at his question. “Well, no, though I have done that before. I use magic to do what non-magical medical professionals do. It’s always a bit quicker; wounds are less likely to scar, there’s no need for a cast if you break a bone, and so on. Does that make sense?”
Matt nodded, almost enthusiastically. “I’ll probably get a lots of bumps and bruises, I’m far too confident. So if you hear someone fall down the stairs, it’s me.”
His grin is a little sheepish, but also a little sharp.
Hannah raised an eyebrow slightly at him, though there was laughter in her voice when she spoke. “Well, please don’t go falling down any stairs. At least not where I can’t patch you up after, hmm?”
That thought made her pause for a moment. She liked how easy it seemed to make conversation with him, how gentle his touch was, and how much he smiled. It made her lean just a hair more into his touch as they walked. “Do you mind me asking about your eyesight? Have you always been blind?”
“I don’t mind, no. I was in an accident when I was nine. Chemicals from a truck that nearly hit me splashed into my eyes, and poof, gone forever.” He shrugged, just a little lift of his shoulders.
“I had a blind teacher, taught me to get around easier.” And taught him to fight and use his super senses, but he’s omitting that for now.
“When you were nine? Blimey, that’s… a bit heartbreaking, I suppose, innit? Though thank Merlin for your teacher.” Hannah spoke gently; there was a distinct tone of sympathy to her voice, but she shook it off. “Nevermind all that. You seem to get around more than well enough, hm? And you’re from New York? This’ll probably feel close enough like home in no time, I reckon.”
Being blind, you can’t just look at someone’s face and say they’re beautiful. But voices, oh voices, he loves those. Her accent and her tone make him smile whether he wants to or not.
“My dad was there for me, too. Battlin’ Jack Murdock, a boxer. A damn good one, too.” So violence started early in his life. If Hannah knew this gentle man could cause so much pain, well, she might not be standing so close.
Hannah smiled, intrigued. “A boxer? Really? That’s kind of fascinating. I only know the general idea of it. Hand to hand sports like that aren’t exactly common in the wizarding part of the world where I grew up. We use wands and magic instead, you know? Well, I suppose you wouldn’t know, actually. But I do know that there’s a fight club here that some of the Outlanders participate in, though I’ve never been.”
Fight club? Matt doesn’t like to fight, he does it because certain people need to be punished (which is a whole ‘nother story). He also doesn’t know much about the Wizarding world, so now is his time to ask questions!
“Yeah, he was a good boxer too.” Until he was MURDERED. “Do you have a wand on you at all times? That must be terrible, I can’t even stand to have a pen in my pocket.”
“Bold of you to assume I’d keep it in my pocket,” she said with a giggle. “Besides, that’d be too dangerous. No, it has a holster, but I’m well versed enough in wandless magic at this point that I don’t always need it. Some magic requires it simply because the magic is stronger if the wand is used, if that makes sense? Or rather, it comes easier when the wand is used. So… yes, I do keep it on me, but no, I don’t always use it.”
He feels bad for lying, and if other people here are magical, why can’t he allow people to know about his powers? Foggy and Karen knew, and it made everything better.
Matt is quiet for a moment. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Hannah. When I was splashed with those chemicals, they fine tuned my other senses. I can … see without actually seeing…” Well, that secret didn’t last long.
Well, that was a bit confusing. She knew that being blind didn’t always mean seeing nothing, but between his glasses and the walking stick, she figured that his vision was more or less non-existent.
“You might have to clarify that for me. You can see but not see? Oh, you mean like… you can hear and smell better than you used to before the accident?” As far as she was aware, that was fairly normal. When you lose one sense, your others are heightened to make up for the difference in a way.
“I can hear your heartbeat. I’m a good lawyer because I can tell when someone is lying– and well, I went to school for so long.” He chuckles. “I can tell you work around firewood and sweet things. I can hear the birds, I can hear whispers. It’s … more than just a little heightened.”
He feels a weight come off his chest. Why couldn’t he do this at home?
“I should hope having to go to school for so long has something to do with being a good lawyer,” she replied, giggling a bit to herself. Hannah couldn’t help but be impressed at what he said, though she did turn her head into her coat briefly to sniff. “I suppose the smell of the fireplace at the pub does stick, eh? Still, that’s rather impressive, honestly. To be able to hear whispers, even? Can’t keep a secret from you.”
She grinned then and playfully nudged his side as they walked. “So then in order to, I suppose, ‘see’ how someone looks, you do have to touch their face and such?”
Matt shook his head, “No, no, I only touch people’s faces when I kiss them. I mostly use my imagination.” He was all grins, toothy and happy and infectious. It felt nice to not have to lie. “People love to hear what I think they look like.”
Oh. She blushed just a little but tried to play it off. “Mm, all right, go on then. What do you think I look like?”
Matt laughed again, because he knew it. People love this shit. “I picture you as a blonde. I have a feeling you used to wear your hair in braids? Really long hair… rosy cheeks, cute nose.”
Was he flirting? Maybe.
“You have a feeling?” she asked with a laugh. “Blimey, didn’t realise you could see into the past as well!” She was teasing, but smiling. “Hair’s shorter now, but yeah, blonde’s right. Dunno about the nose though.” She wasn’t sure she’d ever call her nose cute, truthfully. “Maybe it was just a really lucky guess, hmm?”
“No, not a look into the past, but just this … general aura around it. It’s not a part of my powers, it’s my imagination.” Matt suddenly stops, tilting his head oddly. “I hear something I want to investigate…”
“Your powers?” She had considered his heightened (albeit maybe more than normal) senses to be a power, but she supposed that in a way, they were. Hannah paused when he did and raised an eyebrow. “Alright, well… lead the way, yeah? Otherwise I’m tempted to just pop us back to the Leaky and order in Mexican for us instead of going somewhere,” she admitted with another giggle.
“Someone over here said that they were eating the best eclair they’ve ever had– live a little, Hannah.” He smirked as he turned them– without putting too much pressure on her arm, she could move away if she wanted.
Her eyes rolled, playfully, but she allowed herself to be guided toward a little bakery. “Fine, fine. I can live a little,” she said with a laugh as they made their way inside. “Not that an eclair is exactly the best thing to have for lunch, but when in – erm, Rome, I suppose? Maybe we can have Mexican for dinner tonight instead, hm?”
“That would be great.” Matt had a finality to his voice when he spoke those words. He let them walk in a comfortable silence to the bakery.