Private message to Poppy Pomfrey

[alt_sinistra]

Poppy -

Thanks again for meeting me Friday. It's such a pleasure to relax with a friend.

I wish I could manage to get away this week, but now that we're traipsing all over New London, it's unlikely. This group is all settled into their rooms, and into the afternoon activities now, though, so at least I've a moment to catch my breath. (And Madam Umbridge did appear this morning, but had a meeting this afternoon, so even she's gone for a bit.)

I don't suppose you've anything else on the Stint front? I've discussed it thoroughly with Raz (for obvious reasons) but anything you might happen to overhear, even just if you see him talking to someone, would be tremendously helpful. I feel like it's all fog and mist, and nothing certain. And it's hard for us to take it further without somewhere to start. "There's this thing, and it's very vague, but I swear he's up to something" seems most unlikely to convince anyone at MLE, especially given the history. I feel foolish saying it even to you, and I know you believe me.

I'm also still holding out hope for an actual vacation at some point, but I admit that's looking harder and harder to manage. How are there so few weeks in the summer?

I hope this week's course treats you a bit better than the previous. And I think Mum may have something to pass along to you, too, next I see her.

Comments

[alt_poppy]

Not to worry about this week. I shall be sorry to miss seeing you, but I quite understand.

It's funny you should ask about Stint. I would have written you yesterday, but it would have drawn his attention, and I was feeling very uneasy about that.

I did precisely what you imagine: I stumbled upon him having an apparently furtive conversation with two other wizards (neither of them St Mungo's folk). One was Auror Fulton; I didn't know the other. Unfortunately, I didn't hear a word they were saying. I merely stepped out of the Dai Llewellyn ward and took them by surprise. They couldn't possibly have looked more displeased to see me. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I have to tell you that Stint looked downright murderous at the interruption.

But that's all I can tell you. I've not been able to sort out who the third wizard was, though I have probed delicately, and I can't begin to guess what they were discussing.

I do hope you'll have a smooth and satisfying week showing off New London's charms. I've got one final week of 'Protocols and Professionalism' with this cohort of beginning Healers, and then I'm off to the Firth of Moray for the next of my summer commitments.

[alt_sinistra]

Goodness. I don't blame you for being uneasy. Do watch yourself, please. Stint's nasty enough, but some of Fulton's just as sharp (and with less reason for restraint, I'd think.)

I do hope this week goes smoothly. Our counsellors seem to be doing well enough, the security (for our Mr Marvolo) is going nicely, though he seems to have accumulated rather the fan club. And you're right that there's a lot to enjoy this trip when everything's going well.

And at least if the weather's bad, we're mostly inside anyway, or can be. I keep thinking about doing a short walking tour if Raz and I can't get away at the same time, and then I realise I've had entirely too much of a damp outdoors already this summer.

Beyond that, it's trying to wedge in other social events between the commitments (otherwise, I'd try and see if you were free Friday evening, between the two trips, but I'm busy then, and Raz is insisting I keep the 25th free as well.)

[alt_poppy]

I don't know much about Fulton, save for the fact that he was involved in January with that YPL business. That he's an Auror is enough of a caution for me.

I suppose security is your worst headache for all these events. Especially the ones that include Mr Marvolo. Bless.

Is there something special about the 25th, then? That's not the start of Freedom 'Day', is it? (I'm sure I shouldn't care if people wish a holiday in summer, but it does seem that those festivities have ballooned over time, and what was once a single day affair has spread rather. But surely it's not grown to be a whole week's entertainment, has it?)

[alt_sinistra]

There are Aurors I quite like. Well, at least one. (Campanella, that would be.) But caution definitely indicated as a rule, I agree. And around Fulton in particular.

And yes, security's quite the complication, though it's easier to manage here in many ways than camping would have been. Thankfully, Marvolo himself is very easy to deal with about it as a rule.

As to the 25th - special only in that it's one of my two days off between the New London trips and the CCF weeks. For values of 'off' that still seem to involve a lot of last minute detail checking. So something pleasant I don't have to arrange seems like quite the thing in there.

On Freedom Day - the bits I've heard suggest that the stalls will be up a bit earlier, but I'm more involved in the CCF parts. They plan to have the students march in a parade (in new uniforms and with synchronised charm work, no less), so there will be lots of practicing between their arrival on the 27th and the day itself. Jamming that into the schedule took a little doing, but they're all bright enough it should go well.

[alt_poppy]

Marching in uniform?

Oh, my. Well, I expect it will be quite a spectacle. Imagine in several years' time when there are more years involved!

I agree that it sounds a tight fit for scheduling, though. I'd thought you had quite a full slate of activities already.

[alt_sinistra]

There are some arguments I was clearly not going to win this year. Actually, I'm surprised we've managed to hold off on uniforms and marching and patriotic songs this long.

(And our dear Madam Umbridge is so very excited about all that. I'm just gritting my teeth politely.)

On the scheduling, quite. It's a completely full three weeks, really. There's what we did last year - four core areas, plus a specialty. There's various physical challenges and group exercises to develop leadership (and a couple of those are going to be quite demanding in more than one way). There's the fact the whole thing's centering around the battle of Leicester (and they're also touring Nottingham) with various lectures and exercises and projects. And there's a whole bit about cryptography and message analysis that got put in.

And then you add in that some of them swim far better than others (and there's a number of water activities), and a few things I can't talk about yet, and. Well. Yes.

[alt_poppy]

(I take it that she's rather given to enthusiasm. Have I ever mentioned Poole's Jelly Gums to you? They're not only quite pleasant but have a gentle relaxant that works wonders for tooth grinders and jaw clenchers. Herbs and fruit. Nothing transfigured in them. I quite prefer them to anything else I've tried.)

I think the cryptography sounds most interesting, though I quite understand why it was difficult to shoe horn in amongst all the rest. I remember you mentioning that there was particularly keen student interest in doing it, though. Were you able to find someone interesting to serve as the instructor?

[alt_sinistra]

Enthusiasm. Advice. Suggestions. And all with that edge of "Of course I know best."

I've had it made quite clear to me that she's to be given every courtesy, but she will keep trying to be friendly on top of everything else.

Thanks for the recommendation, anyway: I'll see if I can pop out to the apothecary this afternoon.

The cryptography is interesting, though it took a lot of sorting to figure out something that wouldn't cause more trouble down the road. But Marlagosia Starling came out in favour of it (she's head of the Anti-Fomentation team, and their head communications analyst as well), and she'll be doing the initial lecture, and then several of her staff are running various practical exercises.

And yes, on the student interest - Padma Patil, that one.