I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

Those who need to complete the meteor observation project (fifth, sixth, or seventh years), this weekend is your last chance. Remember your analysis will be due in your daytime class meeting the week of the 19th.

The Leonids are most visible between midnight and dawn: you are welcome on the tower during class times on Thursday and Friday evening as long as you don’t disrupt class, or you can use any other suitably dark spot. If you need a note for permission to be out after curfew, please arrange it with me no later than tomorrow evening.

I am around this afternoon and evening should anyone have questions about this or other assignments.

Good evening, everyone. I'm sorry to be later with our announcement of the YPL counsellor selections than I'd hoped, but we had some extremely difficult choices to make this year. All our applicants turned in thoughful and interesting applications, and in many cases it came down to final details in our interviews.

We also deeply appreciate an anonymous donation that allowed us to take on one extra counsellor and solve a challenging decision among the selection committee.

For those of you selected, please stop by during my office hours to discuss the possible schedule, and there will be a brief meeting of YPL counsellors from all years to discuss summer plans at 4:15pm on Wednesday, May 30th.

Many congratulations to our new additions to the YPL counselling staff.

Susan Bones
Katrina Bundy
Michael Corner
Ernie MacMillan
Draco Malfoy
Harry Marvolo
Pansy Parkinson
Padma Patil
Sally-Anne Perks
Dean Thomas
Ron Weasley

And of course, the best of wishes to our NEWT students as they begin their exams.

Minerva, Septima -

Horace, Pomona and I had quite the conversation last night after the meeting via journal, but in principle, we think we have something like a plan regarding Mr Capper. (Or rather, I dug in, and they seem to have come round.)

It relies on you, Septima, to convince him to buckle down and truly work from now through exams (and over the holidays, especially). If he’ll follow through, I believe we’ve enough staff willing to work with him to ensure he can pass enough OWLs to remain at school.

I am (and I still owe you that favour, besides), Brutka seemed at least open to the idea. Horace and Pomona are - grudgingly - if he can be persuaded not to waste their time. And perhaps he can either be convinced to the more Arithmantic side of Divination, or to the sheer blunt memorisation for History. (I rather agree that Charms is a dead loss, and Defence not much better.)

The other suggestion, was, perhaps arranging conversations with those in his position who both made good choices about having a variety of skills and who haven’t. Tracking down someone who’d be willing for the latter might be harder, but I can put a feeler or two out if needed - the YPL gets letters from some of them, asking for whatever advice we can offer.

Are there other students, who might benefit from that, as well, even if they’re not so badly off as Capper?

If you don’t think you can talk him round, Septima, then - well, I’m as busy as Horace and Pomona are, or more. But as long as there’s any hope, I’ll sleep better at night knowing I’ve tried, personally.

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?

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.