She can see the emotion flashing across his face, and it's a little startling. Hermione's met several mages here, and while they'd all more or less confirmed that mages get something of a poor deal, she hasn't yet seen anything to make her think they have it quite that bad here.

"A Circle," she echoes. She's heard the word and has come across it in her readings more than once, but she's never heard it described like this. It sounds like a prison. At least, that's how it certainly sounds coming from Detlef, given how eager he is to make use of the freedom she's taken for granted most of her life.

"I-...." She trails off, not knowing how to continue. She's startled by the implication that she has any bearing whatsoever on what sounds like a heated political climate in a world she's just barely beginning to understand. How does one even respond to that?

"I don't know what I'd be able to say," she answers honestly. "But if there's any way I can help, I'll do what I can. Everyone deserves the freedom to be who they are - so long as who they are isn't, you know, dangerously insane or anything, and even then, insanity shouldn't strip them of all their basic rights." Smiling a little uncertainly, she adds, "I just don't know how you expect anyone to listen to someone who'd just tripped her way into this world while dreaming. I'm hardly a reputable authority on these matters."