A few upcoming reminders
Oct. 17th, 2012 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alt_sinistra2nd years: I’m seeing some persistent difficulties and confusions in the chartwork the Gryffindors and Slytherins turned in on Monday. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws: please do the best you can with the assignment due Friday, but come to the midnight session Thursday night prepared to discuss your questions and turn your work in (since there’s no real time for you to any more work on it before our lecture Friday morning.)
I won’t count this assignment toward your end of term marks as long as you make a good faith effort at it. We’ll sort the confusion out and try again with the next one.
Meteors: The Orionids peak this Saturday for those who need to do observing. I’ll have the tower open Thursday evening until midnight class, Sunday evening until curfew and Monday evening until midnight class. If you’d like to be on the permission lists to be out after curfew, please let me know which day as soon as possible.
I have other commitments between supper and class on Friday night, and on Saturday, but several of my 7th years have kindly offered to open up the top of the tower until curfew if the weather’s clear. They’ll post a note in the usual places if it isn’t.
One schedule change: Due to the quarterly Astronomy guild meeting, I will not have office hours on Monday, the 29th. I will instead be available Tuesday afternoon (the 30th) from 1-3, and again from 7-9.
6th, and 7th years: Related to the above, this meeting is an excellent time for me to start talking to other astronomers about summer internships and upcoming positions. If you’re potentially interested, do talk to me by the 28th so I’m up to date on your likely availability and interests, and can remind myself of your other NEWT subjects.
I won’t count this assignment toward your end of term marks as long as you make a good faith effort at it. We’ll sort the confusion out and try again with the next one.
Meteors: The Orionids peak this Saturday for those who need to do observing. I’ll have the tower open Thursday evening until midnight class, Sunday evening until curfew and Monday evening until midnight class. If you’d like to be on the permission lists to be out after curfew, please let me know which day as soon as possible.
I have other commitments between supper and class on Friday night, and on Saturday, but several of my 7th years have kindly offered to open up the top of the tower until curfew if the weather’s clear. They’ll post a note in the usual places if it isn’t.
One schedule change: Due to the quarterly Astronomy guild meeting, I will not have office hours on Monday, the 29th. I will instead be available Tuesday afternoon (the 30th) from 1-3, and again from 7-9.
6th, and 7th years: Related to the above, this meeting is an excellent time for me to start talking to other astronomers about summer internships and upcoming positions. If you’re potentially interested, do talk to me by the 28th so I’m up to date on your likely availability and interests, and can remind myself of your other NEWT subjects.
Private message to Raz
Date: 2012-10-17 03:23 pm (UTC)1) Do you want to go in with me and the rest of my siblings on our present to Dad, or would that feel too odd? Truly your choice: either would be fine by the rest of us. Storm’s working on a new desk and filing cabinet for his study: the rest of us are chipping in for materials, a comfortable desk chair, maybe a new side chair, and a few other things.
Mum insists he isn’t expecting presents, but, well. Dad. And we love him and want to remind him of that fact.
2) I had a very brief conversation yesterday with Tamsin Overby - she runs the Archetype - about whether I would consider buying into a share of the owning collective. It’d be out of my savings and I’m all right with the number she named, but I
sort of feel like Iwant to talk it through with you. Obviously, not going to make any sort of decision without looking at the details thoroughly. (I am Dad’s daughter.)3) Toshenka nudged me a few weeks ago to consider licensing the projection process: I haven’t followed up, but I keep coming back to thinking about it.
Otherwise - you thought about what you want to do Saturday night and Sunday? Much more pleasant subject, that! (Mostly, I care about what robes I should pack - whatever we do together will be lovely.) We’re all set for the actual appointments Saturday, too.
Won't be at lunch, but I'll see you at supper and the staff meeting. I’m going to need to peel off up here after, though - the 2nd years have gotten totally turned around, and I want to spread the charts out and see if I can track down all the seeds of the problem. You’re welcome to come up if you want, though.
Re: Private message to Raz
Date: 2012-10-18 06:46 pm (UTC)Apparently, Irma's found an interesting reference to a chastity charm that backfired badly (cast on a female student, by her parents, without her consent), which lead to some rather troubling results (they couldn't be even a foot apart, had to leave school entirely.) I'll get more of the details out of Irma, anyway.
I mention for the obvious reasons, in case you need a little persuasion for your brother about the complexities of some kinds of interactions with the castle magics.
Private message to Poppy Pomfrey
Date: 2012-10-17 03:35 pm (UTC)I’ve had another note from the Wizarding Repopulation Office, urging me to come in - do you think we’d have time to go through their intake form together before next Tuesday? (I can’t schedule them the week after, and I’m afraid if I put if off too much longer, they’ll take to bothering Raz too. No reason to give them the excuse. Plus, I start running into other necessary appointments and errands for the holidays.)
Raz and I are gone Saturday into Sunday, but I could come by and see you Friday between 3 and supper again. Or Monday, same time.
The form’s a rather ghastly 15 pages, and I’d love your help being as unhelpful with details as I can manage. Looking through, I think I've got everything I need to answer it.
On a mostly more cheerful note, I’d like to talk through more of what Irma found, too - still thinking about bits of it. Curious, really, the history of married couples in the castle. (And that long string of women leaving once they got married. Almost makes me understand why people assume I will.)
Also curious how few actually raised children here, though clearly it’s possible - and maybe even desireable, given that couple in the 18th century. Did she mention if she’d tracked down information on any of the odder rumours? I’ve not had a chance to catch up with her in private this week. I’ve a few questions for Tosha about the theory, but we didn’t get to that last week: it’s on my list for this Friday.
Won't be at lunch - I'm trying to sort through my mail and some other necessary things - but will be at supper.
Re: Private message to Poppy Pomfrey
Date: 2012-10-18 04:56 pm (UTC)Irma popped in here last evening--which is only one of the reasons I'm writing you this morning instead of last night, but that's a wholly other tale--and we got to talking over the marital mysteries of the castle (as you do). She's been reading further in the early correspondence archives, attempting to follow up that line in GG's letter to SS agreeing something about their instructions to the stone cutters and the rune carver. She's surer than ever there was an explicit bias against marriage woven in at the foundations. One wonders whether they conferred with RR and HH on this point or whether this particular business was a gentlewizards' agreement worked without the women's input. Irma hasn't yet found anything in HH's archive to document her contributions to the warding, but she says she has no doubt that House tradition is correct on that point.
In any case, Irma's found another three or four references in SS's or GG's hand, none of them robustly explicit, however, and she's not turned up anything like a complete description of the foundational magic. I suspect she's quite right that it was never committed to parchment. And, of course, we know that the castle's magic has been modified over the years--sometimes deliberately rewoven or overwritten, and sometimes merely jiggered, bolloxed, or patched.
We hit on an hypothesis last night that married couples cohabiting here may produce something like an allergic reaction in the castle's blanket magic.
You'll understand how that metaphor occurred to us, of course, and it may or may not be a helpful way of framing an explanation (or for anticipating what you may experience once you and Rabastan have changed your status).
And, honestly, it may be that we're fussing for no reason and that there will be no particular difficulty with your settling in here after you marry. After all, we saw for ourselves that there were periods when whole families lived in for years, so I should like to think that this old pile of stones is spun round with magic flexible enough to accommodate such things.
Re: Private message to Poppy Pomfrey
Date: 2012-10-18 05:33 pm (UTC)There's - let me break this down. We know Helga had at least one child: family tradition (and varied documents) are very clear on her passing things down to descendants. Slytherin, as well, yes? And there's something about Rowena's daughter attending school, though if I remember right, Dr Deller looked for details for his book a few years ago and didn't have much luck finding out more about her. But you're right, it's most curious, given that, that there's no mention of spouses I can think of, for any of them.
You're quite right, too, that we may be fussing for no particular reason. You know my - well, it's whimsical, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong - thing about the castle helping people it likes? I've certainly seen no reason to think it dislikes my being with Raz, and more than a couple of hints that it approves. If I am not attributing more to a partially sentient structure than I ought.
I admit, I'm almost more intrigued by some of the odder rumours Irma dug up. That one from the 15th century, about that Charms professor and the young woman whose father was so furious, and the professor claiming that some of the magics flat-out forbade bound couples to live there. It makes a lovely ballad, but what a miserable outcome, the poor woman.
Logically, the later examples seem to imply that isn't true, but I suppose we can't say that for sure without knowing what binding charms they used. I keep finding comments about the differences between the blood charms and the non-blood charms, much as I still think I really want the former. I suppose that's another line for future research (and I'll ask Tosha about it tomorrow, too, now I've got a slightly better grasp on the theory and correct terms.)
And all those stories about mistresses and lovers living outside the walls in Hogsmeade, and which of the cottages were traditionally used for the purpose, and so on. Again, makes an interesting story, but I'd not want to live it.
Did Irma say if she'd had any luck tracking down some of the notes our family documents refer to? If she can't lay hands on them, I can ask Chimera. Or see about getting Mum to call on family connections with the Smiths, though that might be a little tedious.
Re: Private message to Poppy Pomfrey
Date: 2012-10-18 06:28 pm (UTC)And the founders are not among those. I suppose they were well in age by the time they set about this project. All had staked their claims professionally and established their reputations. Slytherin and Gryffindor, certainly, and Helga Hufflepuff, as well. But you're right, the stories are that Rowena Ravenclaw brought up her daughter here. And that, as you say, is quite the point: none of them had a spouse whose name comes trippingly to the tongue. Salazar and Sophonisba, it is not. Nor Godric and Griselle. Nor... Hm.
I've not read Deller's book. I suppose I ought, but to be frank, it's not something I've been yearning to do. When I finish this long study of Hypatia, perhaps. Though by then, I'll want nothing more challenging than the next of those Magdalena Wright mysteries.
Entertaining that this research of ours is turning up such a lot of titillating stories. Irma had another last evening--about a student, a young witch, who allowed herself to be seduced by a roguish older lad only to learn that her family had placed her under a surreptitious chastity charm that exceeded its brief by quite a severe degree.
The families involved and the Headmaster all concluded it was a matter of the charm's having been amplified by some aspect of the castle's magic, but the upshot was the unfortunate young people found themselves joined by a life bond so restrictive they could not ever be parted by so much as a foot of space. Of course, they were forced to leave school since there was no provision for students to live under such conditions, and no one wished to trip the charm by forcing them to attend their separate lessons or sleep in separate dormitories or... well, the requirements of the spell were rather more compromising than that and were quite beyond the scope of the school's accommodations.
I suppose someone probably has written a novel with that pretext, or I'd be tempted myself.
Oh. No, Irma didn't mention one way or the other about her research into your family's traditional rites. I feel certain she'd have said if her search had come to naught, so perhaps she's still tracking those questions. I'll ask if I see her later, but I shouldn't think it worth pestering your family yet. You will need to call on them for so many other favours in the months ahead.
Re: Private message to Poppy Pomfrey
Date: 2012-10-18 06:42 pm (UTC)And you're quite right on the Founders. Now I think about it, there's very little comment on any of their personal lives. Their connections with the other Founders, of course (there's a shelf or more of titles on the various combinations of friendships). Their professional lives. Their magics.
As to Deller's book, I have a copy - from when he spoke to the YPL, a few years ago. It's not bad, though there are places, as with that, where one wishes he'd turned his focus a little more intently to parts of his research. He's quite good on the chronology, and spends near half the book on Salazar's growing disapproval and departure "holding tightly to his principles", which gives you an idea of the rest of his thesis.
(On your other reading: I've not started the Wright yet, but plan to bring it with me this weekend. And I'm near done with the Hypatia. I'd no idea you were reading it too, but I'm quite loving it, and the details on her teaching methods are, of course, a particular interest. I've dipped my nose into Who Rules Florence Must Be Strong, which looks fascinating, but I want something lighter before I dive into it. Wright first.)
That chastity charm bit sounds.. well. I'll have to ask Irma for the details on that one. I've heard, from time to time, of parents trying such things, and it might be nice to have evidence of why it's a poor idea. You're right it'd make a fascinating novel (and I don't think I've seen anything quite like it.)
I admit I'm still hoping that she'll dig out more details about the Bythseas, that couple who were here in the 1700s. (50 years teaching together!) Whatever they did seemed to work right, but it's not a family name I recognise at all, which - well, maybe that's something to put both my Auntie Gera and Chimera onto, since Gera does family history work, and Chimera does near any other topic.
Private message to Cedric Diggory
Date: 2012-10-17 03:44 pm (UTC)Just wanted to check in. (I do hear gossip, you know.) You all right there?
I know your question about budget for the feast decorations made it into the staff agenda for tonight, though really, no idea how the conversation will go. Professor Vector’s been very cautious with funding decisions this year.
And thanks for volunteering for Friday and Saturday - but seriously, if you need the time elsewhere, we’ll cover it other ways. Not that I expect there to be problems: it’s really just opening things up, closing down at curfew, and letting people count meteors.
Friday, I’ll be in the castle, just have some research and related topics to talk through with Professor Dolohov, but if there’s a real problem, I’ll come up. Saturday, Professor Vector’s said she’d be available, if you need a staff member for some reason.
Re: Private message to Cedric Diggory
Date: 2012-10-17 05:30 pm (UTC)Glad to hear about the money/supplies. I'll be talking with a couple partners soon, probably tonight.
I'll be using the tower for extra study time. I need to do some more work on my next Herbology essay and I think I've got all the books so I'll lug them up and just write when people don't need me.
Re: Private message to Cedric Diggory
Date: 2012-10-17 05:40 pm (UTC)And for the evenings - I can't leave the office open for you all, but I'll make sure the elves have some hot tea handy in the anteroom, so people can warm up when they need to. (Though, really, no one should have to be out that long, and if you older years can't manage warming charms by now, we're all doing something wrong.)
Actually, on your project - do you need space to work? I'd have to adjust the wards a bit (so I'd need to know who you're working with, and get a promise you'd be there yourself), but I could let you have some space in one of the astronomy tower storerooms for a week or two easily enough. There's a couple of old tables in the one just under my classroom.
And that way, you'd not have to worry other people could get in when you weren't there, or have to spend half your time setting up and cleaning up each time you worked on it.
Re: Private message to Cedric Diggory
Date: 2012-10-17 05:51 pm (UTC)I don't think we'll be doing anything that would need protective containment wards. Unless we want to keep the cloth warded against outside influences before we finish it, but that's easy enough to do with temporary wards.
Thanks for the offer of space and the tea against the cold!
Re: Private message to Cedric Diggory
Date: 2012-10-17 05:54 pm (UTC)And I wasn't thinking containment wards - though if you decide you need them and want a hand, I'm glad to help - but my own locking ones. (Well. We've been through the discussion of why I ward the tower these days. No point revisiting the unpleasant history.)
On the space and tea, well. No need to send Madam Pomfrey unnecessary work. For all sorts of reasons.
Re: Private message to Cedric Diggory
Date: 2012-10-18 12:18 pm (UTC)Harry didn't say but I guess his mudblood should also be included.
Thank you again for the room and bringing it to the staff.
Re: Private message to Cedric Diggory
Date: 2012-10-18 02:08 pm (UTC)I had a look at the room last night, and cleared some things into the corners: you've several good size tables to work with, a few old chairs, and there's an old blackboard in there, too. (If you all are up for it, an hour helping me rearrange it when you're done would be lovely - it'd be easier to sort through things with more than one wand available.)
On the wards, I was planning to use handwriting samples to set them, but I'd need something from Harry's Granger. (Just her name, in her own handwriting, is enough. I won't see him in class till next week, so do you want to ask him to send her up with something this evening?)
On the rest, let me just wake up a tad more, and then I'll go up to the classroom and dig out handwriting for the rest of you. We've class at 11 anyway, so can you come up beforehand, and I'll set everything up and show you how they work? Or we can take a couple of minutes before going down to lunch.
Re: Private message to Cedric Diggory
Date: 2012-10-18 02:07 am (UTC)We'd rather you didn't sell the outcome, but asking for donations would be a lovely thing. What we're glad to do is put up a reasonable sum for supplies, and to give you access to the school stores in moderation if you need some trial materials. (That said, don't deplete the stock of anything beyond the marked reorder levels without telling the appropriate person, and - well, all the rarer things are locked up anyway, but you can ask if there's something specific you'd like to try.)
For quantity, once you figure out what you want, Professor Vector's willing to arrange an order with our usual suppliers and handle the transfer of galleons. If she gives you money, she'll expect a fully detailed accounting. Talk to her when you're ready, either way.
Private message to Tallie Powell
Date: 2012-10-17 03:59 pm (UTC)Just confirming that we’re all set for Saturday. We’ll meet you at 1 at the Guildhall, and Temp’s confirmed she’ll meet us at 2 at the Festal Board, and we’ll go from there. Thanks again for arranging the second visit to the Guildhall - I just know Raz will feel more comfortable if he’s looked at the security implications for himself. And it’s by far my favourite of the lot.
We’re still thinking about your idea of Spence for the actual ceremony: there are some practical concerns (security on the day, but also having people coming and going to prepare.) And you’re right we could always use one of the Guildhall spaces if we decided we’d rather, though the Great Hall seems far too big, and one of the Crypts would mean resetting it for the evening. We can talk more about that on Saturday, anyway.
And while we’ve got all three of us handy, we should talk through the contract notes for vendors one more time - Raz had a couple of thoughts on the privacy clauses in particular.