"You're welcome. Let me know if I should ask Nnenne. And if you want to learn French I'll introduce you to Minor."

"That's your boyfriend? Someone pointed him out to me."

"Yup. He loves languages."

"Once I feel like I'm adequately caught up on things I will see if I have any knack for French."

"Good luck."

"Thanks." And off she goes.

Miranda resumes her alchemy homework.

Fawley gets on well with her dormmates. She is hard of hearing in one ear - "playing with Mum's wand when I was four" - and occasional confusions result but are always cleared up.

What a good pet firstie. (Shut up, Cricket.)

Fawley seems to have directed all of her contempt for everyone who would hate her at Cricket and cheerfully loathes him right back.

Cheerful loathing is such fun!

Well, she bets Cricket has never changed his name and shown up on the doorstep of strangers to beg them to let her lie about being their daughter, so possibly he does not understand what people loathing you for things you can't change is much like. But that's okay, she'll do her best.

Minor finds a showing of The Tempest and extends Miranda an invitation.

Eee! She would love to go.

Oh good!! Muggle theatre's not bad considering the constraints they're working under.

His Miranda's not a princess but she's smarter and has better priorities.

This is true. "The plot is kind of weird, some of Shakespeare makes more sense."

"I really really like the wordplay."

"All the plays have that!"

"I guess we'll have to see some more of them!"

The holidays sneak up on them; so does a ridiculous snowstorm.

Is the train running anyway?

Delayed.

Drat. Well, maybe it will be an abbreviated holiday but she can probably still fit in the Ways and both parents; it's not like the storm covers Scotland and also England, right?