[He grins, thin and a little lopsided. Ferdinand’s hair neatly divided, he begins the process of braiding it.]

And if someone had told me the same, I would have called them uselessly stupid.

[He cannot decide if centering the subject around their friendship is counterintuitive or just the opposite, but it is better than letting the both of them sit in silence as he fights back the awareness of touching his hair. So he follows the conversation's flow, curious to where it may lead.]

I could not stand to be in your presence. When the Professor forced us into weekly tasks together, I had considered more than once flinging dark magic into your face and watching the consequences unfold.

[You know, as you do. Hubert hums in a held-back chuckle because… Hubert.]