[For Galatea]

Linden did not like to consider himself a coward, but he imagined that the sorting hat had placed him in Hufflepuff--rather than Gryffindor--for more than the most superficial of reasons. The members of his House demonstrated fierce loyalty and steadfast bravery, but they also tended not to rush headlong into destruction for the sake of boldness alone. Now and then, circumstances dictated the wisdom of a little caution, and despite his unquestionably wayward personality, Linden could guess the moments when mindfulness would save him some grief.

For that reason, he was perched on a chair outside the ice cream shop at precisely one o'clock, all his usual disrespect for deadlines aside. Galatea Merrythought was simply not the sort of woman that one kept needlessly waiting, and if Linden was more than a little intimidated by her even after teaching alongside her for three full years... He liked to think that was simply unavoidable common sense.