Retreating her hand once Piper had chosen her cookie, Daphne gingerly picked one up and brought it to her lips for a nibble; and as she nibbled, Miss Hopton tried not to stare too much at the girls, more than one with sadness evident in their eyes. There was an uneasy air around her and the nagging sensation to make it all better.

Taking a few more bites (forgetting all about being delicate) as she fought a war with her conscious, Daphne grimaced at her inner conflict.

Amphibians! You can't even stand the sight of them! This idea is madness.

But Miss Jillian is clearly upset, besides. Once home Davis can take care of it.

Horrible idea!

Oh, Codswallop!

"Incorrect!" Declared Daphne loudly as she jumped off the window ledge, folding the napkins around the cookies and slipping it into her robes pocket that her asthma pump resided in, her other hand still busy with the Shakespearean play she had been reading before everyone arrived. "I do believe there's a frog hunt planned. Haven't you heard? There's a frog down by the lake with Miss Jillian's name on it, we can't keep him waiting, now can we?"

Next time she'd make sure not to pick out the unfashionable rain boots from her trunk. They were, if anything, useful for hunting amphibian royalty. Leaning towards Jill, she clapped her back with the pretense of adjusting the girl's posture. "Stand up straight, Jillian! You can take care of the frog while we're at Hogwarts and I'll take it with me over the summer. Mum and Pop are never home anyways. The manor as good as mine during the summer."

Tugging at her school tie as the girls chattered on about Quidditch (such a barbaric sport) and America, Daphne grinned. "I visited once when I was seven. I don't really recall much about it except that they talked quite funny."