"They can't find anyone who'll have them sober and have to resort to tactics any wizard would have seen coming."

Nod. "Do you think that's true?"

"Probably, I don't see how else it would happen, who wakes up one morning thinking I've simply got to have halfblood children and a spouse who can't boil water on their own."

"I mean, do you think that if we went and checked Corner'd be drugging his wife. We could, you know, slip her an antidote and see if anything changes. Do you expect she'd go 'my god, I've been deceived for two decades?' It'd surprise me."

"Oh, once they're married they can probably stop, I suppose."

"It is a very important skill to say things like that only when they're true. And to say exactly what you mean, when you say them."

"I'm pretty sure he still would've punched me if I'd been more specific."

"I think that's because you'd have been wrong."

"Then he should've said that."

"Oh, absolutely. But I didn't happen to run across him in the hallway when I had two hours of stocking to do and a girl to meet in an hour."

Disdainful sniff.

"And if you set yourself up so you only get what you want if everyone else behaves, you'll never get what you want."

"I want everyone to behave."

"And that you can get! What you can't get is everyone to behave while you say false provocative things about their parents."

"I was talking to Phelps, I know she's a pureblood."

"In mixed company you will have to avoid saying false provocative things about anyone's parents."

Exasperated potion-putting.

So many potions.

Taciturn Ares Trembley.

"If I were you I'd apologize. Not because he merits one, because it'll get him better-behaved in the future and that's what you said you want."

"He's a terrible Ravenclaw, he ought to have argued instead. But he still sorted there so he might be bright enough to notice I'm not a bit sorry."

"Saying false provocative things is beneath you and saying them in mixed company is stupid."

"If it's not true he should've said, I would've listened if he'd said."

"Would you regret saying it if it weren't true?"

"No! You have to say things to find out how they're not true!"