"She's very good."

Lean. "Yeah."

"...I think I'd be okay with being truthful with you? And - I think lying to you bothers me most. I don't like deceiving anyone because lies are - itchy - but you're good so lying to you's extra itchy. And... Some of the things about truth stuff are - safety, kinda? And... Maybe I'd be fine with Professor Reynolds knowing them, once I know her better?"

"Okay."

Snuggle. She - seems to be struggling, a bit, then:

"...I'm not muggleborn."

"...I kind of guessed that."

"...I'm a really bad liar, aren't I."

"Nnnnot the best?"

...She giggles. A bit hysterically, but.

"I've been trying to read books about muggles so I can pretend better but they're all kinda confusing."

"Most wizards don't have a very clear picture of what muggles are actually like."

"I've been noticing!" Soft laugh.

"I could give you tips, maybe?"

"I'd like that. Thanks."

"No problem."

Snuggle. "Passing as muggleborn is - a thing that worries me a lot. 'Cause... Tonks said CPS won't return me, right? But that's cause they're twisting a rule that says they can't interfere with - mostly just rich pureblood - internal family affairs. So they wouldn't remove me if I - got caught again." She pauses. "And... I was living with my aunt, and she didn't want me in the first place, and I think most of her friends all kinda forgot she even ended up with me which she preferred... So I don't think she'll come looking ever or that anyone but her will know I'm missing. But if someone here knows, and they tell their parents, and their parents go to her like 'I heard your niece is pretending to be a homeless mudblood, how embarrassing,' she'd force me back to avoid that - scandal, kinda."

Curl. "And even if no one ever tells her, there's - stuff that's kinda scary with... People maybe knowing about my family."

Ellie frowns.

"That's terrible."

She presses her face into Ellie's shoulder. "Is."

"I..."

"I wasn't with her 'cause my parents are dead. They aren't."

She shuffles.

"...They're in Azkaban."

"Oh."

Huff.

"They were Death Eaters. 's why I know Snape's one. 'Cause my aunt wasn't involved enough to get convicted even though her husband was, but she like knew everyone and she'd talk about them."

"I see."

Mm.

She sighs. "I - you wouldn't know any of the names."

"But mom was Bellatrix Lestrange. She was - Voldemort's favorite. Aunt used to claim that if she wanted to get rid of me she could just make up anything and everyone'd believe her and I'd be thrown in Azkaban, 'cause everyone knows my mom's crazy and blood will out."

"That's stupid." Sigh. "But it's a wizard kind of stupid."

She giggles, a bit helplessly.

"I bet Professor Reynolds would still help you. If you told her."

Nod. "Maybe? And - you know her better than me."

"But..."

"Maybe not yet? Just - I guess if it becomes relevant..."

"I won't tell her."