"Of course."

Kiss.

Kiss!

Next is just getting ready, then - Anathema finds spellbooks and gets tips from professors on Ellie's behalf, and helps with organizing their time. She practices with Ellie, spots a few tricks Ellie misses. 

With Anathema's help, Ellie manages to get the Bubble-Head and the other charms she'll need down by a week before the second task. She spends the last few days practicing them all in concert. (The gillyweed's shown up too, so she sets that aside to bring with her the morning of.)

Practicing out in the lake might tip off the other champions, but the Chamber of Secrets actually has a lot of deep pools of water - and some openings out into the lake. They can combine exploring it more with swimming practice. 

And maybe throw names at the basilisk. How about Agatha?

Well, she's a Scottish snake - Anathema is really feeling something more like Caoimhe.

Or Gormlaith?

"Oh, I like that."

Does Miss Basilisk?

Miss Basilisk still thinks names are silly, but 'illustrious princess' isn't a bad one. 

Gormlaith it is, then. Only took them two years.

"Luckily we don't have to name people too often."

"We'd probably get a backlog worse than the city planning office."

"We might figure out how to speed up if it got that bad. Or just delegate everything."

"Ah yes, the good old 'make it somebody else's problem'."

"The true sign of a good ruler."

"So people who don't make any decisions are the best?"

"You make the most important decisions, which is what tasks to assign to which person."

"I think my preferred method of assigning tasks would be dartboard. Quick and clean, self-documenting, and then you can go back to inventing magic."

"Maybe we just shouldn't give you a nation to run. Simpler that way."

"But that would make a really good Christmas present..."

"Aw... And you should get everything you want... Maybe a nation with a trusted vizier who can do all the work for you."

She sticks her tongue out at Anathema.

Clearly an invitation for a kiss.