Private message to Raz

[alt_sinistra]

Love -

Writing things down so they don't fall out of my head. (Which is full of other people's exams.)

First, an owl came for you when I was still having breakfast this morning. It looked like it might be related to whatever it is you said you were plotting, so I didn't open it and just left it on your desk. (Nashira's handy if you want to send a reply, and I won't need her for a few days.)

Second, can we practice those chained charms some more before we do another demonstration round for Harry? I've got the beginning of the sequence down - I like that variant of the shielding charm, quite a lot, actually. But when I get to the Deprehensio variant, I keep getting stuck, because I'm not sure what to do next. (I mean, I know it detects magical effects, it's figuring out what to do with what it detects that confuses me.) I might think faster on my feet than I used to, but there are times it's by a very small amount indeed.

Anyway. I'd rather not look a fool.

Third, Mum and Dad want to know if we'd come to supper once we're done here. I thought maybe not the first week we're off, since there's all the unpacking and things, but maybe the week after that? Mum thought Storm and Dittany and us, and that's it. (I think she sort of wants to talk about what to do about Theo, but I might be wrong.)

Fourth, Poppy

Going to try to get through as much of the exam marking as I can this afternoon, and I need to set up early again, but I'll be down for supper at the very least.

Comments

[alt_rabastan]

Ah yes. Just leave that owl alone. I'll deal with it later.

I'm always happy to practice whatever you need. I'm going back over some of my books on the sequences so I can talk about them rather than just do them. You have not looked the fool and I would never set you up for that sort of fall.

Deprehnsio is odd. It complicates the sequence and can be overwhelming. Many trainees try to drop it out because of that. However, once you get used to the visual assault it provides it's completely invaluable. Antosha, Barty and I all try to weave it in wherever we can. Bella and our Lord use other means of getting to the same end. One of the surest ways of figuring out if an author is going to be teach rote sequences or an adaptive style is how they suggest using Deprehnsio and it's companions. It's also worse here at Hogwarts. Some night this summer we'll go out to one of the old muggle places with no lingering magic of any kind, miles from a ley line and you'll be able to see just the individual spells and their lingering effects from the duel, rather than picking up ever ghost trail and long withered ward that's crossed your line of sight here at Hogwarts. That's the sort of arena where the right caster, with enough luck can sometimes even see where the next spell is going to land, like lightning traces before it connects. Maybe we can sit and watch the stars afterwards and make a night of it.

When we're setting up on Sunday cast Deprehnsio a few times to get a feel for what the room looks like before we've started throwing all those hexes around. You can also watch others dueling with it up to get used to what you see that's useful and what's just rubbish.

Sometime that second week sounds good. Maybe the 25th or the 26th? We should also schedule the first time for Harry's group to come by Spence. I want to finalize the bit with the wards.

[alt_sinistra]

I know you wouldn't set me up to look bad, love. It's one of the things I particularly love about you, how you want me me to show my best. But there's nothing like a small horde of very intent teenagers to make one feel entirely self-conscious, really.

It makes sense the Deprehensio would be so much harder here. I might go and try it out on the grounds, see if that helps a bit, where there's at least less going on. I do like your idea of a nice magically inert hillside, a bottle of wine, some stars, and thou, though. Rather a lot.

I'll tell Mum either of those days, then, and you're right, that'd give us plenty of time to sort out the wards properly and whatever else we need to do.

Poppy might want to catch me tonight for a chat, but if she doesn't manage it, you want to try practicing for a little? Might do us both some good to have a break from marking exams.

[alt_rabastan]

The bottle of wine does sound like a nice extra. We'll have to make plans, maybe for the Perseids?

What does Poppy want to talk about? I'd be happy to practice this evening before diving into the endless marking. After glancing through what the booklets from today's second years, I'm already regretting a few of the questions I asked. Incendio and Incarcero are so obviously different spells with completely different uses. Of the top fire exams on the stack, three of them picked the wrong one.

[alt_sinistra]

Bottles of wine are often a very pleasant addition to plans. (Speaking of, Mum sent some stout she thought you'd like. It being marking season. Also some cider she thought I'd like, and you're welcome to try.) We needn't wait for August, mind, though meteor showers do make delightfully uncomplicated viewing, don't they?

My first years have some hilariously funny but rather depressing misunderstandings of the cosmos. (There's at least three who cannot get geocentric separate from heliocentric, for some reason.) The sixth years are better than I thought they might be (especially with fewer of them having the arithmancy), but there's a couple of gaping holes that need fixing for some of them if they're to manage the NEWT in good form.

Poppy, oh, I told you I was working up the nerve to talk to her about next fall, because really, there's quite a few relevant bits. (I mean, I suppose that Lizzie Stevens means she's better up on that line of care than she might be some years, but I don't know if she'd want to take it on, or ask.) And really it's kinder to give her the summer to think about it, never mind the fact that I'd like to ask her a couple of specific things.

Anyway, I went down late Monday night, but she was deeply in the midst of something. (Had quite the list of calamities for me when I checked in on Tuesday.) But of course, now she knows I wanted to talk, and she's like a terrier sometimes. I don't want her to fuss, but it's also not a topic I want to discuss with a stream of students in and out. One bit. Time enough to be a topic of gossip when we have to, and not a moment sooner.

Practice right after supper, and I'll tell her I'll come talk after curfew and before the exam?