Cressida and Leon
The question as to how John was doing could be returned with a lie, but Cressida respected Leon entirely too much to give him that. Leon could give her insight into John. While they only met a bit over a year prior, they seemed to have a bond that they were naturally inclined to create. She sometimes desired a sibling for that, but she had a cousin that she was particularly close to. Not in the same way though. They now had an ocean between them and had pursued their own interests with only an occasional check-in.
"In his magic-focused courses, he's succeeding," Cressida said, "He's a talented witch. Has he told you anything about next year yet?" She didn't want to repeat information. She didn't know how close they were and if John shared with Leon that he was being held back a year. Maybe he didn't want to sour the evening.
Then again, Leon would have mentioned it. Cressida's smile turned more serious, "You will want to speak with John after the night is done and before you depart. It's a conversation better done face to face."