"Woah, hey," Ben protested immediately. "It wasn't my fault. I never even met her father," he argued. He had gone through these arguments often in his head, because the truth was that he did feel guilty about the way everything had worked out with Miss Scrimgeour.

"Like, what— I'm just supposed to assume everyone's parents are going to fly off the damn handle any time they talk to a guy? Because normal families don't do that, Princess."