"Wonder if I could learn dragon... Also wonder if that means you're actually a proto-dragon dinosaur. Which suggests cool things about dragon evolution."

"The Horntail was worried about my 'deformed wings' and how I was going to get away from predators."

She laughs, loud and long. 

"Which does mean she thinks you are a dragon, just an odd one."

"I'm also supposed to inform you not to let me wander so far," she says to Professor Reynolds.

She smiles, squeezing Ellie. "I can be more cautious. But you do seem mature enough to stray from the nest - a little bit."

"Yeah, I think she was operating under slightly mistaken assumptions about my capabilities."

"You're quite competent."

Hee.

"I do want to work on wings, though."

"I've been bugging that colleague I mentioned some, actually, I have a new monograph on that for you..."

Grabby hands.

She laughs and goes to fetch it.

Yay!

She's gonna share, right? (Sometimes being a winged tiger does sound pretty cool, even if Anathema's not as driven to it as Ellie.)

If she asks nicely.

Please, pretty please, best Ellie who is definitely very generous -

Hmmmmmm she'll think about it.

She flops on Ellie, turning pleading eyes on her. "Please, you're so smart and lovely and wonderful, surely you'll indulge me." Wibbly lip. "Reward me for being such a good researcher for you, even. Please, Ellie?"

She laughs.

"Well if you put it like that... Okay."

Heee. "Thank you!"

Smile.

(Of course, she'll let Ellie read the monograph first, but, well. It's important to establish that she gets it next.)

"Oh - I know the Second Task isn't until February... But we should poke at the egg. See if we can't get a head start."

"And think about the Yule Ball, some - that's less than a month away." She ruffles Anathema's hair. "Though I know magic's more exciting than dancing."

She scrunches up her face some - still amused, though. "I'm gonna go on my own and get random people to dance with me. Already decided. No other need to plan."

"Yeah, it's not like we're managing the party. And we've already got dress clothes and everything."