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

First YPL event
As you all know, our first YPL event of the year will be on October 22nd, and we will welcome both our foreign guests with an orienteering scavenger hunt of the Hogwarts buildings and grounds that will test your navigation skills, charms, puzzle solving abilities, and more. There will be small prizes for the winning team on each path (there are four), and small tokens for everyone who makes a sincere attempt to complete the course.

I want to first thank Mr Ronald Weasley and Miss Katrina Bundy for a proposal that has been most helpful in planning this event - well done, and good initiative!

Everyone else is welcome to sign up to participate, and should expect to form groups of 3-5 students, including our foreign guests in your groups. You might want to think now about how to arrange that.

For those who participate, all the puzzles and challenges of the course can be solved with magic no more complicated than our students learn at the end of 3rd year. However, in many cases, multiple solutions are possible, and any method that does not damage other students, property, or beings is permitted. CCF and YPL counsellors will be available if you have any concerns.

CCF members and YPL counsellors
You will be needed to help staff the various positions, and of course set up elements of the hunt in advance.

Please sign up on my office door for a prep shift (either Friday night, the 21st, or Saturday, the 22nd), and plan to be available from 2pm to 5pm for the actual event. (A special tea will follow for participants). I may also be adding one more addition to your Saturday morning (a pleasant one, if the scheduling works out) so plan your study time accordingly.

Other notes
Tuesday evening class: I will be in New London for last minute planning with the YPL committee on Tuesday afternoon, and it is likely the meeting will stretch into the evening. Therefore, I am cancelling Tuesday observing classes, but have asked a couple of my NEWT students to be available from full dark until curfew if you need to get caught up on any assignments.

I will also not be available for questions during that time, obviously, so if you have questions for assignments due Wednesday, ask them by Monday.

Poppy: I'd love a chance to consult with you about a few specific considerations. Are you free tomorrow afternoon, or perhaps Monday afternoon? If not, can we chat in private message here?

For those students who have worked long and hard to bring the play to fruition, well done! Standing in the hall as our guests were leaving, I saw many smiles, and heard many compliments for how well, on the whole, everyone worked together to make something greater than themselves.

I know there have been some long nights recently: for students with roles in the play, you are welcome to a week's extension on assignments for my classes due this week if needed - just let me know that you'd appreciate the extra time.

I've a few treats to drop off for the cast party, and I'll be nearby in case anyone wants a walk back to their own house door before the party fully breaks up, since I'd like to give the prefects involved in the production the same chance to relax and enjoy your triumph.

Again, well done!

First, a note for students: It's possible we'll have a guest observing our classes some day this week. I know you'd all behave well, but a little notice sometimes makes it easier to concentrate (and those of you preparing for OWLS or NEWTS can't afford to waste a day of class, hmm?)

After the hustle and bustle of last week's excitements, it took a while to settle down to work again. And of course, there's the regular grading of papers and star charts to get through - especially for the older students who need a lot of feedback as we get closer to exams so they know where to focus.

I did get time for my weekly chat with Poppy. She admits she's gotten quite interested in my specialty from our conversations, and I've offered to loan her my personal telescope. (As some of you might remember, it was a gift from my parents when I got this position, so I'd have something to work with when I was on holiday or home visiting.) I obviously don't use it much during term time, since we have much more elaborate telescopes to work with here, and Poppy is so careful of her equipment I have no fears of loaning it.

I had quite a good time this morning selecting some introductory books and simple star charts to take down to her for use as a guide, too. It's easy to get into the habit of using our textbook (which is fine, and well-suited to what students need to learn), but there are also good introductory texts out there, and I don't always remember to review them as often as I should.

Found quite a good description of the myths behind the Orion constellation in one, and a really interesting discussion of the Pleiades in another. Both are visible to the naked eye, of course, but there are details that you can only really see with a good telescope, even my portable one.