"Of course. Take care of yourself, all right?"

"- yeah? What do you mean -"

"Minor speaks very highly of you and Miranda very desperately wants you to be happy and I hope that's not too hard for you to achieve."

"...it's a little hard on and off but I'm working on it." Sigh. "It'd probably have been easier if I hadn't thought that maybe - I would've just never said anything, I just -"

"I can hardly imagine. I'm so sorry."

"Thanks."

"I think she wants things to work out better than if you hadn't ever said anything, even if they can't work out, uh, well."

"Miranda's really great."

"She really is."

Karen sighs and hugs herself. "Thanks for not being grossed out or anything."

"Of course. Go be reassuringly unmurdered."

She nods and goes and is that.

And he lets Miranda know that he asked Karen about her potential interest in husbands but did not mention any specific potential husbands - "wasn't relevant, she's not ready to marry yet -"

"Yeah. Seventeen next December eighth."

"In the meantime Minor needs to be snuck the information that some people like both, I don't know how to conveniently do that."

"...which I assume means you don't know any examples who don't mind it known?"

"I think they mostly just - do the thing that won't ruin their lives. Uh, a couple of Michael's girlfriends, but I don't know how cooperative they'd be with scheming and approaching them about it would be hard to do without coming across as -"

Nod. "He's never brought up Karen's thing as a conversation topic so I can't expect a way to segue even if I knew what to say."

"Yeah, don't know."

"I'll keep an ear out."

"Thank you."

She nods and goes to rejoin the mainstream festivities.

They're having a lovely time munching through the feast the house-elves made and drying off Catherine after she plunges into snowbanks and exchanging presents! Minor got Miranda a bookbag with an elaborate Recall Enchantment so things she puts in there will always be there no matter where she subsequently leaves them. Theodore got her a higher-quality set of dragon-skin Potions gloves. Aaron got her money.

Money. She's so surprised. She didn't find anything as on the nose as Wealth of Nations this year and has also gotten him money. Everybody else gets nifty, creative gifts this margin is too small to contain.

He's saving up for a house but this only slightly deters him from showering his wife in presents. He popped around London checking what all the richest Muggles had and duplicated it, that didn't even cost anything, and boxes and boxes of chocolates could be skimmed off his brother's carpet trade route, and magic toys for Catherine dug out of the cellars from when there were last young Ways around, and he's been making magic paired lockets at work and can easily make a set for home - "so you can open it up and call me if you need to" -