"I use her for experimental spellwork."

"Aww, do you have strong feelings about animal welfare?" asks Miranda, petting the kitten. "Is it a boy or a girl I don't know that I could be confident about it on a cat -"

"I think he's a boy. I didn't name him, that's all yours."

"Cricket."

"Why Cricket?"

"Cats jump a lot? And I like the sound of it."

"Hi, Cricket."

"Mew!"

"Is he soft?"

"He is!"

"And doesn't hate anyone else?"

"Do you hate anybody else?" she asks Cricket.

"Mrr."

"Maybe he's reserving judgment. You like me, though?"

Purrrrrr.

"Awwww. Anyone want to have a snowball fight, casting only allowed on the snow -"

"Can I be on a broom?"

"Why not?"

"Because I'll be faster than anybody who's not and you'll be buried in snow?"

"We can all take brooms, then. Unless Timothy has picked up unaided flight by now -"

"Why would I've been working on that?"

"Dramatic and intimidating."

"If I decide to be dramatic and intimidating I will make Michael do all the aesthetic planning, it's really not my strength at all."

"Should I be designing Dark Lord Timothy outfits, I was not informed of this."

"Outfits seem like an even lower priority than dramatic flight spells."