"Transfiguration."

"Matchsticks into needles or've you gotten past that by now -"

"Paper into parchment. I mostly just like the professor."

"What about him?"

"He notices when people are being gits to each other even if they're subtle and doesn't let them do it in class."

"...I can see how that might appeal. Do you really want to spend your whole school career punching Trembley and everyone who thinks like him or is it more that you can't think of a better way to fix it?"

"He deserves it."

"I didn't ask what he deserved, I asked what you wanted."

"I want anybody else to notice he deserves it and beat me to it but I'll settle for making him regret it."

"I don't think you're achieving that."

"Then maybe I'd better hit him harder."

"He thinks you're hitting him because you can't win an argument. Which is obviously nonsense, because he has appallingly bad arguments. Hitting him harder doesn't solve that problem, it gets you detention or a caning and it gets him to write his big sister about how Ravenclaw's full of Muggle dueling."

"He can think that if he wants."

"Sure, but he could also stop thinking that. Pretty much did, after half an hour of talking about it. And that seems like an improvement, honestly."

"I am not going to have half-hour arguments about that when I could just sock him and go practice wandwork."

"You could just not sock him and go practice wandwork."

"It doesn't take very long."

"Detention takes a long time. Escalating fights with your roommates takes a lot of your time, even if each particular incident doesn't. And if you're hanging around waiting for him to look at you funny I have a hard time believing you're using that time well either."

"I wasn't waiting."

"Corner, stop punching your classmates. The world is full of people who have it coming."

Mulish look. "Thanks for the tip on the kitchen."

"My pleasure. If I see you in detention I'm going to be deeply unimpressed."

"I don't live to impress you."

"Kiddo, if you go around loudly declaring that soft social disincentives will not move you then they'll just cane you."

"May I go."