What if she promises not to let on she knows.

It involves a stick? They've been asking older students for lots of help?

Well that's not very informative, hmmm.

The Slytherins are by contrast mostly talking about the eldest Way who has finally started courting someone - what is it about Palatua - maybe it's just that Michael hasn't been in any respect involved with her - maybe people who want to land Timothy should avoid having a fling with Michael - 

- maybe Palatua secretly knows lots of dark magic -

- maybe she's drugging him - (this gets scoffed at; like Timothy wouldn't notice?)

Palatua leverages her air of vaguely sinister mystery to attract the attention of Eridanus Black and delicately dumps Timothy for him.

Good for her. 

"Do you need help or something."

"I think we have different romantic priorities."

"We obviously have immensely different romantic priorities but still, I don't think you're doing very well at yours, which is super weird."

"I have a plan for once I meet the right person."

"Is it a stupidly convoluted plan?"

"Well, I don't think so."

"Hmmph."

They get Miranda's demonstrative stick working!!!

Oh wow what a fantastic stick. Maybe if her notation catches on they can market demonstrative sticks?

They're more useful than textbook diagrams by far! It's not stable enough that you could put your hand on it and get used to the motions but they might be able to make it that way eventually.

What a good stick. What good friends.

And as a bonus it was good practice for picking up more wandlore!

"Is that going to be your thing, you think?"

"I don't know if I could break into Ollivander's market so I don't know if I'll have it as a career but it's so interesting they're just these little sticks we buy when we're eleven but they have opinions and we carry them everywhere and do practically all our magic with them so I want to know how they work!"

"Your thing doesn't have to be your career, Father's sure isn't broomsticks. How much would you need to know to make a wand -"

"I could probably make a terrible one that didn't like anybody now. Well, I'd need a wood turner."

"Seriously? Wow. I don't think I realized second-years could do it at all."

"It's a little more like potions than like spellcasting, it's - putting stuff together. It would be a really terrible wand though."

"But you'll get better from there!"