A reminder

[alt_sinistra]

Tonight, I'll have my office open for anyone who wishes to spend part of the evening in conversation. No obligation to attend, of course, but there are refreshments from my favourite bakery to reward a climb up the stairs. No particular topic in mind, but I'll take suggestions for next week.

Tomorrow afternoon and evening, anyone who has concerns about a telescope is welcome to come up. Gilly Chadwick will be here to help me with a few adjustments to the school telescopes, and she has let me know she'll be glad to look at student questions as well. (Any of you who have an interest in magical item construction might also find it interesting.)

Comments

Order Only

[alt_sinistra]

Tosha and I picked up our usual Friday evening conversation last night. I got him to talk a bit more about why he picked Lana (more what I hoped - that he thought she'd be easier to manage than most of the other prospects.)

And then I got him talking about some of his diplomacy, partly because they're good stories, and safe enough, and partly because I thought it might be useful.

Do you know if there've been changes in the Department of Magical Affairs in America in the last few years? (Or their Secretary of Magic?) If not, I took some notes after he left - he doesn't always mention names, but often there's descriptions of someone, that I don't know, might be useful down the road. Or if there's other places - he's been in quite a few, obviously.

Order Only - Private message to Harry

[alt_sinistra]

You doing all right, first week back?

Mum's decided that you deserve your own care package. Welcome to collect it whenever, or I can ask an elf to bring it down.

Re: Order Only - Private message to Harry

[alt_harry]

I'll come up, yeah?

It's okay. The dorm is weird. And I'm not sure what I think about Desai yet either.

Re: Order Only - Private message to Harry

[alt_sinistra]

When you like. The dorm would be, yeah. And you don't need to make up your mind about Desai yet. She does know her field. And you can learn things from her. You can learn things from anyone.

She started teaching right after I left school, and of course I asked my younger sisters and brother about her, when I started teaching. Sage didn't go past the OWL in Defence, but Temp and Theo both had her. Theo was all over himself wanting to please her, get one of those smiles or a bit of praise. He is such an overgrown puppy.

Temp's more savvy. She said how everyone went on about how glorious it was to go out and fight with her. But no one really talked about the people who died - students, younger than you now. Or about how she treated the people who didn't go, or who aren't made for fighting or just weren't good enough for her to pay attention to.

The school used to be a lot more Gryffindor than it is now. In what people valued and talked about, even those first years of the war. She used that, to shape things the way she wanted. Not sure what that means for now.

Re: Order Only - Private message to Harry

[alt_harry]

Good to know.

I'll keep an eye.

And yeah, she knows her stuff. So I plan on learning as much as I can from her.

Order Only - Private message to Mum

[alt_sinistra]

Note to you and Dad coming (Nashira should be there later today.) It's very hard, being back. Even with changing things around so it doesn't look so much the same.

Still can't think straight most of the time, and I'm so scared I'm going to slip and give something away because I'm stupid and slow and my head isn't working right.

Mostly managed last night by asking questions and listening (and well, the American Witches books give a perfectly good excuse). And Gilly's coming tomorrow, partly to walk through classes for the next week or two with me and make sure I haven't forgotten anything (and partly to check the telescopes, because I tried, but I'm sure I missed half a dozen things).

Storm told me he and Dittany had told you and Dad this week. Don't fuss - they told me as soon as they knew Hyssop'd have a brother or sister, so I'd have time. (This is Storm, remember? Thinks ahead like that.) Life goes on, yeah? Has to, or what's the point? And I feel - well, all sorts of things these days, but I don't want to be that kind of bitter and selfish. Trying very hard not to be. I'll go see them when I can manage the apparition to Yorkshire again.