To Arthur’s relief, Sisse did not seem irritated or upset. She even said it was alright. Which could be just good manners, of course, but Arthur took it at face value. He didn’t find what to reply at first, the question was unexpected. So he took the scroll in silence, trying to collect his thoughts.

“No. No good reason, just me being clumsy,” Arthur replied, taking the question very seriously. Momentary silence fell, which was almost immediately broken by the rustling of parchment Arthur got under his arm. When nervous, people often don’t know what to do with their hands, and it was exactly Arthur’s case,
as he relocated the scroll under the other arm.

To shift the focus from from tossing to homework, hopefully easing the conversation, Arthur added, “It’s an essay on Shrivelfigs. On their size distribution.” He smiled, for the first time since the accidental parchment drop. "Or rather, it will become an essay, soon. It's just a paper with a title now."