Lezard had been sorted now. Severus was curious, now that he was free. He had heard he had been given detention already and Severus smiled at his politeness, which was likely cleverness, and his evident interest in the important subjects. This was likely not flattery, for he thought he had detected genuine desire for knowledge. The boy's questions had not been thoughtless nor superficial.
And Severus was very interested himself in Albus' reaction to Lezard. What would he make of him? He was not sure of his own reaction yet, needed more information, more interaction. The boy's powers seemed phenomenal, and his confidence all-consuming, and yet there were the probable delusions. And Lezard had enough respect that he felt a need to at least make a show of possessing it. Severus was intrigued.
And there was Albus' hand. He genuinely hoped for the miracle, though there was a shadow of concern within him that it might be folly to experiment with something so serious that had been so dire. He dipped his quill in the ink for the first owl. Green.
( cut for length )