A new thing wafted towards him, and thus Clue looked upon Aleksei Nichols, a Hufflepuff from his year. Clue quirked a pale eyebrow — why was he eavesdropping? Thoughts were private, even when spoken aloud.

But he'd asked, and that was interesting enough, and so Clue replied: "for tactical reasons". The boy returned his gaze to the Black Lake. "If I were to hide I might not be found, and thus not taken home for the summer". The emphasis on the word home was enough to make clear that Clue disagreed with the definition.