"And I appreciate it," she tells him. "Though all things considered, I highly doubt I'm among the rudest of the foreigners here. I try to be mindful of what I say and apologize when I'm not."

Silent for a moment to allow herself to school her features, Hermione softly responds, "I did. A great deal. It was a great shock when he passed away." Apparently, constant vigilance can't always prepare you for the cowardice of someone who was supposed to fight by your side.

She's glad to answer his questions, since not thinking about the war is quickly becoming one of her favorite pastimes. "We don't have the Fade, no. I'm assuming we would have found out about it, if we did. Magic is just energy, very old and very primal, something that fewer people are born with the ability to use every generation, it seems. But it seems as though that energy is... dampened here. Or that the Fade may be directly interfering with it. Or that my wand might have suffered from unseen damage when I'd arrived here. Either way, things aren't coming out quite right, so I've been practicing with it on my own every so often to try and get it back to where it's supposed to be. I haven't had great success."