Thanks, Christina.  Glad to have you aboard.  I do try to provide expanations for readers who haven't read or completed the previous book, so I don't think you'll have trouble following the plot of book 2. 

Ha-ha--yes, Suze will seem a bit air-headed, but she knows how to use magic to keep irritating boys at bay.

And Minerva will continue to advance in her favorite subject.  In fact she uses it almost exclusively in a contest that comes up in 'twa-three' chapters.

Thanks, Tricia.  I loved it when Jo R. introduced us to Slughorn.  He reminds us that Dumbledore actually was a young wizard once, and had friends he hung out with.   

Few readers realize that Min and Tom were at Hogwarts together, or that Hagrid was in that group as well.  The possibilities of their relationships makes such great grist for writing, I'm always surprised that so few writers have chosen to explore them:  Minerva being so righteous and intelligent, Tom so intelligent and sly, and Hagrid so bluff and well-meaning.

The war will loom large later in the book when Britain declares against Germany.  The Battle of Britain in particular will have a great influence on Minerva and several of her friends.