alt_sinistra | Stars and conversations

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Stars and conversations

A surprisingly pleasant afternoon in New London yesterday. I handled a variety of errands both personal and professional, had a chance to catch up with my mother over tea, and enjoyed dinner with a couple of astronomer friends.

(Students: I’m working on arranging a visit from one of them, likely in March, to talk about the new telescope designs and related charms. I promise she’s a lot more interesting than that description sounds, and she has some very funny - in hindsight, anyway - stories about ways the charms went wrong in testing.)

I came back to find a draft article waiting for my comments, too. Those of you who’ve helped with data collection for the royal star project may want to have a look, as it talks about the process to date and some of the early results. Copy will be up in my office, of course.

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Poppy -

Much better day in New London this week. Mum insisted on meeting up with me in between the other errands and tasks - and she passed on a book she thought you might like. Friday, for tea? (I’m sure it was an excuse for her to see that I’m taking care of myself.)

Also, more than a little interesting gossip. First, I’m certainly not the only person under much closer scrutiny at the moment at the Ministry, and I can’t decide if that’s encouraging or disturbing. Second, there’s also this - well, you heard about the gladiatorial games as part of the Frost Faire?

Mum said that Theo and a number of his set have been encouraged to sign up, though he’s scarcely kept his hand in that kind of thing (even less than I have). And I heard more of the same from various people at the Ministry, and from both Dai and Gilly at dinner tonight. Varying incentives and reasoning, depending on who’s being asked, too.

I can’t help but wonder what the goal is of drawing in so many people, a number of whom will clearly have less experience than those they’re facing. I’m sure it’ll keep your colleagues at St. Mungo’s on their professional toes, mind.

(And I suppose I’ll see for myself: Raz obviously has something of a professional interest, and the last night is one of the highlight events of the Faire, so I suspect we'll be there.)

So very glad to hear it was a more pleasant trip down.

Your mother is very kind and has an eye for books filled with useful remedies and forgotten applications for common ingredients. I've learned much from the books she's sent my way.

Yes! to Friday tea.

There are other investigations going? By which, I take you to mean others similar to yours rather than of a criminal nature. (One senses that MLE keep a full slate of investigations going into all manner of things.)

As for this gladatorial business, I read something about there being exhibitions of a semi-professional sort. (Almost anything would be more interesting to me than poorly re-enacted Roman duelling, but then I suppose mine is a minority opinion.) Is there to be a purse for amateurs, then, as well? I suspect you've the right of it when you say that will keep St Mungo's busy.

(Surely you could find something else to do in all the Faire if he really feels a professional need to attend. If it were a joust, I could understand the appeal. As it is, I believe I'd much rather suffer through an afternoon's tea--or worse, another waltz--with Mr Milland than attend that event.)

Mum's glad to have someone to share them with, honestly. She hates passing up treasures from the used book stalls.

On the other investigations: no idea what about, but I heard about people getting called in last week, and more this week.

As to the gladiatorial games - apparently, some of both. Must be, if Theo and his lot are getting asked, as they're certainly barely professional at anything. (I love my youngest brother, but I do wish he'd settle to something.)

Honestly, I do find Raz's commentary makes things more enjoyable. Certainly worked a treat on Sunday. I'd say it was purely the attraction of spending more time with him (which is certainly a piece of it, mind), but I've found looking at something with different eyes quite intriguing, at least as a break.

Can't say it's the thing I'd pick out of everything in the Protectorate one might do on a Saturday. But there's a certain amount of needing to make a social appearance, and so on. And I might as well make the best of it.

I'm glad to hear your time in New London was pleasant, and your upcoming speaker sounds quite intriguing--perhaps more to the scholarly sort of student than the dueling/orienteering/Quidditching sort, but some balance is all to the good.

I've been trying to remember if you'd recall her. Gilly Chadwick, two years ahead of me, but a Ravenclaw. Though I'd suspect she'd not have spent much more time in the greenhouses than I did.

She's utterly brilliant at some of the design charms, but she's also quite funny, talking about them. And, as I told her, round about March pretty much anything starts looking good as a distraction from fog and mud.

We'd gotten to be good friends - oh, eight years ago now, when she and I were configuring the then-new telescope at the country guildhall, but I'd lost touch with her for a while. We picked up at the January guild meeting like no time had passed. Rather reassuring, somehow.

Miss Chadwick! Now that you mention, I do recall her--and you are quite right that she was not a devotee of Herbology!

Do invite her to dinner, if she can stay; it's been ages since we've had intelligent Charms discussion at the faculty table. ~~Merlin, sometimes I miss F~~.

Thanks again for that most excellent tea, by the way. Your mother's scone-making skills are a veritable wonder.

I quite know what you mean about Charms, truly.
(Though if you can get Etienne Froissart going, he's quite interesting. Very different approach, mind.)

I will see if I can talk her into dinner, though, as you're right it'd be entertaining.

And yes, Mum rather outdid herself. I know she's been fretting - about Theo as well as me, really - but her baking gets even better when she's worried, I think. Always glad to share.

Thanks for the reassurance this afternoon on all fronts, too.

I'm always happy to assist in that regard. Truthfully, I feel that I receive from you quite as much of the same; quite simply, it's good to have a sounding board for all those major and minor issues that arise.

At the very least, I'm glad that I could set your mind at rest regarding Miss Midgen.

Quite right. And .. it's so easy sometimes, to feel isolated, or get off on one track, and forget there are, perhaps, other ways to look at something.

And yes. Still sorry for fouling that one up, really.

I still wish I'd any idea whether we could expect another round of teasing or worse, as the next task comes up, or whether this is just the quiet before the storm rolls in.

Well, life is often unfair through no fault of one's own; there are many people who might be inclined to teach Miss Midgen that lesson more harshly than yourself.

Speaking of unfairness, I do wish that so many students didn't feel the need to express their fervent support for Mr. Marvolo by denigrating Mr. Diggory.

I suppose we will simply have to be alert as the task draws closer.

True. But I ... well, I do hate when I do that kind of thing unintentionally.

And yes, quite, on the matter of Mister Diggory. Though honestly, I'm more proud of him every day for handling it as well as he is, and setting the example he is. (And especially since he's got nothing like the more overt support of the other champions.)

He's certainly not without supporters here in the sett, though they've been quieter about it than they might be otherwise.

It's been good to chat with you, my dear, but I fear my pile of parchments to mark may start to grow legs and devour my houseplants if I leave it any longer.

We might see about encouraging them gently. (Though I hate to expose any of them to more harassment, really.)

And you know I've been keeping an eye on him, as much as I can. He got a few treats from Mum's latest, too, mind.

Excellent to chat with you, as well, but I quite know the problem of the looming parchments.

(And goodness. Responding to Narcissa still ties my fingers in knots. At least it's a distraction from indexing all the YPL messages.)

Do have a wonderful night.

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