"Oh, certainly," Severus assures him; "it doesn't matter in the least." Between the classroom and spywork, his habit is to have rotating wards up all the time on his person and rooms and clothes, and that's not one of the classroom habits he's intended to relax.
"Yes," he agrees grimly, "but being sure what was and wasn't real can help in retrospect. In combination with the nightmare trap."
"I don't think Ollivander kills them himself. I mean, he has that whole store stocked floor to ceiling with wands of only three cores, and dragons are the only creatures you have to kill for core material, and phoenixes are both rare and remarkably hard harvest from. So, if you only realize, his reputation is one of snootiness over offering 90% or so of wizards a choice of two cores, and I really think that more students show up with dragon's heartstring cores than unicorn hair."
"Thus the small shop rather than the commercial brewing firm. Also thus having my assistant answer certain letters, as he can manage a far more patient style."
"Ah," he quarter-smiles, and then looks puzzled. "Why would they send someone after us now?" he asks, pulling his wand out carefully and giving it a few careful flicks shielded by his body. A quite large sphere of hypnotic influence forms around them, glowing a very pale, silvery green before half a heartbeat before going invisible. "We don't have any of their money at this point. I was talking about that pub we had supper at; you probably know the way better." He has his coat on: personal temperature regulation makes it irrelevant except that it's his toolbelt and armor. And billows nicely.
But it may have been swallowed by the shadow of the pepperpot. Yes, but you have to tuck in the blankets yourself. ;) Yeah. And Sandman. But his regular stuff is all terribly terribly dry-ice and shadow-pictures. The American Gods duo was very good, but I still don't know that I'd want to read it again anytime soon. Ok, ok. (G) Sugar, unbleached enriched flour, eggs, apples, organic soybean oil, dried cranberries (top), crystalized ginger (top), sulpher dioxide (ok, missed that one), butter, palm fruit oil, baking powder (so not even cornstarch separately), cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cardamom, ground ginger, white pepper, 'natural flavor,' ground cloves. It doesn't distinguish between the batter and the frosting.