alt_sinistra: (cautious)
Minerva - I'm sorry it's taken this long to follow up, but I realised we really ought to do so.

First, I am sorry we ended up surprising you with it, but we both weren't at all sure what the answer would be, and had no idea Our Lord would ask for your presence. I do know it does complicate things for you, and I'm sorry for that.

But we really should talk, perhaps in person, about the practical implications, as they'll affect some of our choices. We're thinking perhaps a wedding over Easter holidays, which simplifies some things, but does mean we'd want to make a more lasting shift in rooms mid-year. And while I hope you've no undue concern about our behaviour around students, I'd rather talk about that now than have it be a discomfort later.

Beyond that, though, I presume the YPL oversight committee has already been in touch? They've required I not discuss their choices before the public announcement, but at this point, I do not want to be responsible for laying one more surprise at your feet, so if they haven't, I'd rather explain.

I am still tied to Leicester for much of this week, and Raz has commitments for some of the next, but I can get free for an hour or two somewhere here if needed.
alt_sinistra: woman looking down, away from the camera, hair in her face. (did I mention I'm busy?)
..how amazingly chaotic this time of year is? And of course, it’s much more this year, both due to the Ball and various other commitments. I can see the end of the worst of it in sight, though I do need to catch up on some marking.

I think I’ve finally sorted out my holiday invitations, though I’ve had to decline quite a few due to other commitments. (Now I’m getting the post-holiday ones, including the next Astronomer’s Guild quarterly meeting. Georg: delighted, thanks, details to follow in a day or two.)

I am also very glad I got my holiday gifts arranged early, given the way the past few weeks have gone. Now to get a variety of necessary notes out.
alt_sinistra: (watching more than the skies)
Raz -

There’s another one.

I’ve been up in office hours, working with some of my newts. When I went down to my classroom to fetch the next round of marking, I checked for anything hexed (that is a most useful charm you taught me, even if I am near saying it in my sleep now) and one of the blameless-looking essays from my 2nd years glowed.

Same pink parchment, same hand. It looks like it had been glamoured to look more like an ordinary essay, but the glamour had started fading - that pile came in Monday, and they’ve been stacked on one of my shelves since then. (So, how did it get in there? Because both the hex and the concealment is well beyond a 2nd year.)

The intention of the runes for the hex, based on something in the letter, would be unpleasant. But the more I look at it, there’s something in the design that makes me think it could have ended up being quite a bit worse - whoever set it was a bit too emphatic.

When I came back upstairs, Vesta Chambers took one look at me and immediately got the others to agree to stay longer. I’m glad of the company, and they’re being dears. They’re currently explaining basic chart skills to a couple of second years who came for help, saving me the trouble, and Maxine O’Flaherty has tried twice to get me to drink more tea.

What I really want is a stiff drink or three, but not with two classes still tonight. Later, I suppose.

I am being very cautious. Promise.
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
Is it morning already? Ugh. But I have parchments calling my name at the moment, to finalise the schedule for the 3rd, and Felix really wants them before noon so he can smooth ruffled feathers.

Wanted to check in, since we’ve both been busy, and it doesn’t look like the weekend will be much better. (Not that I don’t want to see you, because I do, but I’m assuming Harry may want to find you at odd times with questions until Saturday. At least potentially. And who knows how Saturday will go.)

On Cedric: I did pass along our agreed cryptic message and when I saw him in the hall yesterday, he was heading for the library, looking determined. It does seem like the interviews on Tuesday stirred up some nastiness again, from what I heard in class yesterday morning from the 3rd years (that class is Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, and it’s becoming my barometer for mood) and last night from my 6th year NEWTs.

(Speaking of which. I feel sorry for all four of the champions, really: those interviews looked rather miserable.)

How're things with you?
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
Minerva:

You know I hate to have YPL matters intrude on teaching, but I’m afraid I’m a bit stuck.

We absolutely must meet for two days, sometime in December (the TriWizard Tournament did havoc to our original plans, and we’ve been scrambling to rearrange ever since.) To make things worse, both of the new committee members have significant plans over our Christmas break, when I’d normally schedule our meetings. The committee has (grudgingly) agreed to meet on a weekend day, but we need at least one day during the workweek for conversations with various Ministry staff.

Would it be all right with you if I planned to miss either the 2nd or 3rd Monday in December? (3 classes: the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw 3rd years, and the 2nd year class and observing time, since I doubt I’ll be up for a midnight class after two days of meetings.) The other option would be either of those Fridays. But that would mean the 5th years missing both class and observing, and the 7th years missing observing and I hate to lose any class time for students in OWL and NEWT years.

Whichever day, I’m glad to either assign them something to work on, or arrange alternate time to make up. Any other ideas most welcome, of course.
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who's worked hard to make the CCF trials this week work as smoothly as they have.

Of course, my thanks must begin with our Headmistress and other staff (including Madam Pomfrey, who's been kept quite busy this week) for rearranging plans and space on short notice, and likewise to the various examiners and Ministry staff who have assisted in testing. My thanks also go to our students, who've met the challenges of this week with remarkably good grace.

This testing has also given the opportunity for various Ministry departments to give a trial run to new methods of guiding people towards the roles in which they can best serve the Protectorate, and I believe the results of these trials will benefit all of us in years to come.

I know that parents may have some questions as students return home, about the decision-making process. While some material has been delivered by owl, I or the CCF programme coordinators (listed in the material sent home) are also available for additional questions.

(For myself: I'll be at Hogwarts for a day or two, and then am taking a quick few days to visit with family, before we dive into the summer YPL programme planning for the younger students. My journal is likely a better way to reach me than owl.)
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
Oh, Mum, it's been awful.

Thank you for the owl with the tonic potion - it's helped a bit. But all I could think about last night is that I should have spent the day reviewing with students, and then marking papers and drinking with Raz.

And instead, one of my students, a sweet girl - and from my own house - is dead, and Raz injured, and everything as strange and chaotic and unpredictable as my final years of school were. Those times when people would disappear, or their parents die, or mysterious things happen that you only half-heard in gossip. And then there are all those affected most closely - Percy Weasley's barely been seen in public spaces, and I'm sure Miss Lestrange is not much better off. The visitation last night was horrible - all her friends missing her so much - but of course, I had to be there.

Of course, even if I had news, I couldn't pass it on, but truly, I don't know much beyond the public announcements you'll have seen. I stop by the infirmary twice a day, as much to see if Poppy needs an errand run as anything else, but other than that, it's been marking that still has to be done, and finding things for students (and me) to do that fill their hands without requiring too much of their minds. (My telescopes are cleaner and my office and classroom are better organized than they've been in years.)

In between, there's been meetings of all kinds - staff talking about how to go forward with exams, getting called in for conversations with the Board and the MLE who are investigating various pieces of events. And of course, the three people I'd normally want time with - Poppy, Pomona, and Raz - are all far busier than I or unavailable. (Pomona's been hit doubly hard: not only was Hannah in her house, but she was showing quite some promise in Herbology.)

I do still plan to take a few days with you when school's out for the summer, but then I'll need to throw myself back into YPL planning. Is there any chance you could keep most of the family away, though? I really do need a few days of peace and quiet somewhere. If you think that's too complicated, I might do a short walking tour instead, and then commute with you to New London for the YPL meetings so we'd still get some time together.

My love to the family,
A.
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
I'm sure you're both terribly busy, so please ignore this until you've a moment to spare, but a few things that have come up.

I'm in the Hufflepuff common room - I relieved Pomona, so she could focus on poor Hannah and whatever else needs to be done - but the entire House is obviously extremely upset.

Whatever concrete information can be shared would be helpful - they've worked themselves up into quite a fit of fear and speculation (the ones who aren't just in tears). Pomona did tell me the horrible details of what happened, but until I know what's to be shared with students, I won't say anything, of course.

Poppy -

More than a few of them are likely to have trouble sleeping. I know you've opinions about the use of Dreamless Sleep potion, but is there something else that might, well, soften the edges a little? Some of them - especially the second and third years - are so worked up.

If an extra pair of hands would be helpful to you, I think I've also done as much here as I can directly, though of course I'm glad to stay here as long as it's useful. The prefects are helping wonderfully, as much as they can.

And... is there anything I can do for Raz? Or any news you can share?

- A.S.
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
I hope today is treating both of you better than yesterday. I wanted to follow up on yesterday evening, in hopes of helping you make your case more strongly, Minerva, that the Carrows have no business teaching here.

As I told Poppy, Ptolemy Baddock had come looking for me for help with a NEWT question, and we were walking back up towards the astronomy classroom, when we heard quite the commotion from Alecto Carrow's room. By the time we got there, Lucius Malfoy had obviously just gotten the better hand, and given a moment to compose himself, seemed well enough given the circumstances. (I did, of course, carefully ask if he needed assistance of any kind.)

Alecto was in not nearly as good a state: Ptolemy helped me get her to Poppy's care, but she was quite vile in her language as we did so.

By the time I came back, Mr Malfoy had left. I understand that he paused briefly by the Slytherin common room to wish Miss Parkinson a happy birthday, and to speak briefly to both his son and Mr Marvolo, and then went off with Raz for a drink in Hogsmeade.

Raz stopped by later to check in with me. While he was circumspect about Mr Malfoy's thoughts about recent events, he did want to warn me to stay well out of the way of the Carrows - not that I had any intention of doing otherwise, naturally. But when I start to worry about my well-being with them... well, I feel particularly for the children in our care. As you both know, dueling of any kind has never been my strong point, and besides that, it seems so disruptive to the learning they should be doing.

Related to that, I know you've likely seen some of the comments about Brutka's Transfiguration classes, but I've heard even more comments about it today, as my own classes have been gathering. If the students who've been struggling most needed only to have a kind word or another explanation - especially in a topic as key as transfiguration - we're certainly not doing our duty by either our students, or the future needs of the Protectorate, surely?

I do also understand there's been a certain amount of conversation among the Slytherins about events in particular - Ptolemy mentioned it to me today as well. Perhaps Horace might have a word with them to remind them of appropriate topics for conversation and behavior?
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
At least that's what it feels like - at least half my family has sent me one asking for news of yesterday. First, the Prophet had quite a decent story, all things considered. (And yes, Mum, the students in those photos are both in my classes, though I won't teach them till tomorrow.) It was quite a lot of pageantry, though.

We gathered at 2pm in the castle entry, to walk all the students out to the Forbidden Forest. They'd cleared a pathway in, and set up pavillions and seats and it was all quite safe, though several students jumped a bit at some rustling in the underbrush. We all got settled (by house, which is just convenient, since the prefects know their housemates well), and the Lord Protector and the others with him all got there. Some students, of course, got to sit with their parents or guardians - always a treat to see each other during term-time.

Once everyone was quiet, Parvati came out wearing that beautiful dress. The crown was mostly flowers from Pomona's greenhouse (with a few herbs traditionally used for this hunt, so she said at breakfast) and a few very early buds from outside, I think. She sat, and we all waited - well, rather longer than people wished, maybe. It's still not exactly warm out, and our younger students do get a tad restless.

But then the unicorn appeared on the far side of the clearing, away from the seating, and walked very slowly over to her and knelt, and put its head in her lap. Really, there's a reason people make tapestries of it, as it's a beautiful sight, like nothing else on earth. She petted it a little, and then stood, and put a rope carefully around its neck, and led it off. (They'd built a little temporary stable for it on the grounds.)

We then all paraded back - I just had a moment to make my entry yesterday - and all went into feast. Very nice, I must say, with some special treats for the students, and of course, some quite extraordinary dishes for the high table including a gorgeous spun sugar and marzipan subtlety of a unicorn for the pudding course. They set up a number of tables on the dais, though of course I was well toward the back, as we were honoring the Lord Protector and his chosen guests.

At the end, everyone stood, and waited while the Lord Protector and his guests processed out, and then we sent everyone off to bed. I helped Pomona round up the stragglers, and get them all into the house common room at least, and then did a bit of walking the halls to make sure we had no strays before I came up to bed. Quite a long day, all told, especially given we had normal classes in the morning, even though I cancelled last night's observations.
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
Another week, and I don't know where it went - observations focused on the moon, the early part of the week, since the full moon does tend to obscure other items in the sky somewhat. The eclipse, of course, was not visible here, but we did talk briefly in several classes about why that is. We should have a nice view in August, but of course, that is not much help for class discussion, really.

I've seen discussion elsewhere on these journals about staff rooms. As students know (at least I hope they do!) I have an office in the astronomy tower. Most convenient when waiting for bad weather or clouds to clear, or when it's chilly. My desk, files, and the box of warm hats and gloves live there, but it's hardly where I want to spend all my time.

One of the things I do appreciate about Hogwarts - and did even as a student - is the space. Growing up with siblings, I was used to not having much privacy, and living with several other students was not particularly difficult. Since coming back to work, though, I've gotten to enjoy the luxury of having a door between me and the rest of the world. It's nice to have a space to retreat to and think, write, or read.
alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
January brings up such complex feelings. On the one hand, the night skies are so clear, especially around the new moon (as occurs on Monday). On the other, even I recognise the challenges of stargazing in northern climes in January.

Wool cloaks and jumpers and good gloves are all well and good - and necessary, this time of year. But a good simple warming charm is even better. It's a wonder Muggle astronomers ever got anything done, really.

Regrettably, the first years are not all up to that level of charms work yet (and to be honest, neither are some of the older students without rather a lot of time-wasting fussing), so I am here at my desk trying to decide on how to balance their observation time this week against Poppy's insistence that I deplete her stock of Pepper-Up potion more than necessary. There are some particular observations I'd like them to make this week, after all, if it's clear enough.

We did have a good conversation in class about the Great White Spot on Saturn, however. At least, I thought so. We'll see how much they retain for exams in the spring.

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alt_sinistra: black and white image of woman with short blond hair looking out of the image. (Default)
Aurora Sinistra

September 2015

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