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

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.