Anders is unnaturally good at soothing over her concerns, and Hermione wonders if that's really that much of a comfort or if it just makes him more dangerous. She's forgiven him for what she'd learned about him, as much as it was in her power to forgive him, since that had all happened long before she'd ever even heard of Circles or the Chantry. And she doesn't think he's a violent man by nature - he's a healer, after all. But at the same time, she's come to respect him much more than she really should, considering the murkiness of his past.

But then, Sirius had had an awful reputation, too, and Harry had had literal propaganda routinely printed up about him, so Hermione clearly has a penchant for ignoring public opinion and acting off of what she sees of a person's character. And for all his flaws... well, Anders strikes her as a generally decent sort of person, which she appreciates more than she knows how to say, by all accounts.

Taking a deep breath, she murmurs, "It's not about back-up or about not feeling comfortable with you, Anders. I just don't usually do things without researching them first, so I can be aware of the risks and know how to handle them. I've gotten better with that over the years, but... there are still a lot of variables to this, and the thought of anyone getting hurt just because you were trying to help me...."

She lets out a dry, mirthless sort of chuckle before shaking her head. "It sounds very melodramatic of me, especially when the world isn't likely to explode just because I've touched your staff." And then, after a pause, she looks up at him uncertainly. "It isn't, is it?"