"So you haven't been to Hogwarts before? Are you skipping up a couple years or starting in first like us?"

"Iiiii am starting in first apart from some advanced tutoring. Education à la Mom had some gaps. I have never actually touched a cauldron, for instance. On the other hand, I can set people's lungs on fire nonverbally. So I've got that going for me, which is nice."

"Probably not."

"I basically only know the charms that Mum uses around the house, and by 'know' I mean 'can pronounce', I don't know if I can cast them. And she doesn't brew her own potions much so I've never touched a cauldron either."

"Ooh, household charms. If it turns out you can do them, can I crib some off of you? That's another gap of mine, and I think Hogwarts' curriculum is a bit light on the domestic stuff because they expect parental tutoring."

"Sure. If we assume I can do everything I've seen Mum do I can braid hair and clean things and sort books and pack and unpack and boil a kettle and that sort of thing but that's a big if. I'm definitely going to try rebraiding my hair in about a month when it needs redoing and I'm willing to point a wand at my head."

Sally raises a hand. "Could you teach me ma- maybe teach me too? Your braids are nice."

"Sure! The incantation is platare and," Miranda pulls a wand out of the knot at the back of her head, the pine one from Ollivander's, and describes a shape in the air. "Movement's like that. My mum can do my entire head in braids this small in about twenty minutes. I think it takes Muggles hours."

Sally nods. "I tried once and- just. Didn't. Awful."

"Tried doing your hair with - accidental magic?"

"No, no magic. Just with ties. It was n- a nightmare."

"Oh. Well, there's braids like I have but there's also potions and stuff, whatever. Mum just lets hers fluff everywhere because it amuses small children."

Sally giggles. (Hers is also fluffed, but most is contained in a puff behind her head. It is a large puff.)

"Mum's a wizarding primary school teacher. Five-year-olds," Miranda explains. "She does a lot of things because they amuse small children."

"Ice cream!" grins Miranda.

"I'll translate for the clerks if you like. Everybody knows a bit of English, but it's a bit of a task."

"And you'll have to tell us what all the flavors are."

"That too." He stands by to provide necessary assistance, getting for himself a scoop each of caramel, coffee, and Guinness Cream.

Miranda wants a scoop of cherry and one of chocolate.

Om nom.

"I do! I haven't stopped or anything," says Miranda, who has a spellbook propped open on her lap and her wands crossed in her hair; she has already changed into her school robes and her other belongings are in a trunk with her owl's cage on top of it.