"You've been doing the same thing for pretty much the same underlying reason - "

"Um?"

"At least I assume it's the same reason? I guess it's also possible you thought I was really invested in enforcing the purity of the Slytherin common room and didn't tell me for that reason but it seems likelier it was just - it can only get out once and that's everything lost if it does -"

"You're right, I should certainly have told you that time you read my correspondence and asked me about it, or the time you ran into me on Christmas Day wearing Muggle clothes -"

"You, uh, also didn't share it when it was in fact super highly relevant. I'm not saying you should have, I'm just saying the feeling can't be unfamiliar."

"With Minor? I told him why I wasn't sure, if it'd come up under the same circumstances with you I would've told you."

"He didn't mention. Why weren't you sure of him -"

"I said something like 'how could I have got the idea that you care who people's grandparents are' -"

"My father's grievance with his half-siblings isn't really about blood. Though I can imagine Minor not explaining it."

"He really didn't. But you've always been fine about your cousins, so."

"I care very much who inherits the Wizengamot seat but am better than Minor at having interpersonal relationships advance my goals."

Nod.

"Anyway. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sigh. "Poor Karen."

"Yeah. 's not much fun."

"I don't mean in general so much as - I really upset her."

"Because she was hoping you'd be the same?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Make her glad she told me."

He nods.

"That's all."

Off she goes.

And Michael doesn't want to make an announcement of it but he does say at dinner that he met Rebecca a week before he took her away with him.

"- um -"

"Didn't bother telling everybody because they wouldn't believe me anyway. And it felt - narratively wrong - to spend the week after adopting Catherine going around making sure people were informed I wasn't her father -"