"That seems mean."

"Not if she's in on it."

"Okay, then it seems like it would have to be a really great plot to be worth literally their entire lives of being married for it."

"Yeah probably."

"I'm not sure my parents liked each other that much before they got married, they say you just sort of get used to each other?"

"I don't think most people from good families marry for love, who you love at 18 might not be who you want to raise a family with at 30 anyway so you might as well just pick someone you get along with? I don't want to do that. But I think lots of people do."

"To be honest I'm not totally sure about the raising a family part either but maybe that will come along with whenever I start liking boys."

"I want kids. And I don't, like, have any interest in kissing girls yet so they don't always go together. But probably for some people. Anyway I don't know if Timothy's planning on marrying for love, if you want to rule the world other stuff is probably more important."

"Well, I hope whoever he plots with gets good and used to him, I guess."

"Sounds kind of lonely but it's Timothy, he'll make it work."

"I guess."

James is in Hufflepuff and Samuel in Ravenclaw; they are mildly disappointed. There are several other Ways sorted; Minor pointedly pays them no attention. Timothy, as always, watches the Sorting as if it is the most important possible proceeding of a civilized society and perhaps also as if he wishes he were the Hat. There is a feast. There is a stern warning to stay away from the lake and not bother the merfolk.

Karen shows off her cool scar and reiterates this warning to the new Ravenclaws.

They are so impressed, she made a wand and escaped from the disgusting beasts all by herself before the Aurors could even get there?

"You aren't Gryffindors, so I was hoping you'd pay attention to the part where I almost died and the wand turned out to be unnecessary because somebody was coming to bring me warm things."

"But still, if you hadn't rescued yourself the Aurors would've had to do it -"

"I wish I had rescued myself by knowing Mermish, or by not getting knocked off my broom into the lake."

"Making your own wand's more impressive, though."

"And if you hadn't gotten knocked into the lake maybe someone else would've who couldn't fight back!"

"It was a terrible wand and I couldn't use my arm for two weeks. Leave the merfolk alone."

They are not at all planning to go pick off the remaining merfolk. 

Third years start learning proper duelling in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Ooh.

Ugh.

Varied unhelpful suggestions (dance? charms? shoes? better parentage?) are proposed to help Miranda with her footwork.

Look, if anybody has a charm for this she's all ears. Better parentage person gets a plectere to the head and will have to go around in rather tight silly pigtails.

Hexing fellow students is not allowed but he doesn't really suppose that counts; perhaps the victim shouldn't question people's parentage.

For Miranda's birthday he gets her an obscure book of charms with unusual wand movements and a set of potions tools that extend shelf life.