Private Message to Draco and Pansy

[alt_lucius]

Good to see you both this after-noon. Must admit the social hour before and following did put our other tasks behind, a bit, and returning from those, naturally, found the day's correspondence grown to mountainous proportion. Still have a personal note or two if to-morrow is not to begin already behind.


Trust you both found to-day's (yesterday's, one should say!) educational presentation edifying. Harry looked a bit tense, during the bout. Draco, is he all right? Glad to see you appreciated the display for all it was, and led the others in a properly jovial, but respectful, light.

Antonin Nikolaevich tells me you are both showing great promise, already. Not surprising, but good to hear his professional assessment, nonetheless.

He has his eye on a few others, as well, who were much more ... unexpected. But that is his way.

Be careful, however: He is incorrigible. If you let him he shall ply you with all manner of temptations, suited to your particular interests, in order to bend you to his will. No doubt soon enough he shall supplant even your favourite professors as your tutor of choice.


Speaking of favourites, did not have much of a chance to speak to either of you privately. Wished to ask you: How has the CCF programme been thus far, under Madam Umbridge? (Be honest, both of you; should expect you both might feel any positive comments are disloyal to its previous mentor. Have no fear of your opinions generating unwanted repercussions.)


Well. It is late. Though you shall doubtless not see this before morning, should observe brevity and proceed through my other notes, in order to sleep, as well.

Comments

[alt_draco]

Good to see you as well, Father. It was a brilliant demonstration, wasn't it? Do the Council Members ever do something similar at Ouroboros? I should like to see it sometime, if so.

I can't imagine how Professor Dolohov would tempt me, since there's nothing I want for that he could possibly deliver. Still, I think I gather your meaning; he seems to have drawn a few to him that I wouldn't have thought susceptible to any shape or form of the Arts.

And I hope Raz can trust him as much as he seems to.

CCF is demanding but I've no major concerns thus far, unless you count the fact that Madam Umbridge insists on calling us "boys and girls" and talking to us as if we're all just out of our nursery cots.

-Draco

[alt_lucius]

Still awake, son?

Keeping my hours. Not a good sign.

It was an impressive display, yes. And yes, we have similar opportunities, at Ouroboros and the Elysian both - though again, as we told your schoolmates, the point of to-day's demonstration was just that - to demonstrate. Your uncle and Antonin both prolonged the fight as long as possible; in the field, of course, one desires the opposite. However, it is a useful skill to spar as they were doing and to improve one's endurance. Perhaps over the Christmas holidays, we might go together on a day and you may see for yourself.

Well, in your case, no, don't imagine that he need do much to entice your interest. I daresay to-day would have been more than enough, if he had not already captured you as a willing pupil! But for Pansy, she ought to take care: He shares her bibliophilic tendencies (as you may remember from previous conversation on the subject of antiquarian bookshops) and thus, I fear, we might well lose her to the call of tomes and monographs hitherto unseen by any of your generation.

What do you mean, you hope he can be trusted? Is there .... Has there been any question on that point?

As for Madam Umbridge - yes, she can be grating. Having never had children of her own it does not much surprise me that she has no sense of your maturity. But at least the activities in her charge have not suffered for her assumption of the programme? Would advise you both - as you know - to stay in good standing with her. If only because to do otherwise would smack of disrespect. And naturally one would not wish to disdain a former Minister for Magic, hm?

[alt_draco]

Yes, it was clear that this duel wouldn't be at all practical if facing down a real enemy, which is why it was a bit amusing that a number of students seemed to think it was real somehow - real in the sense that they were trying to hurt each other.

As for trust, well, there may not be anything to it, but Professor Dolohov's come on awfully chummy with Professor Siz in an exceptionally short amount of time. Raz doesn't seem bothered, so perhaps they just genuinely hit it off, but you know how it is, with some men turning a blind eye while their wife or girlfriend steps out with one of their best mates, right under their nose.

I've made it clear to Professor Umbridge that I want to provide any assistance I can on her development of the programme, so you've no worries there.

Private Message to Draco

[alt_lucius]

Indeed. By my count, Razzer had Antoshenka on the ropes at least a dozen times before giving him a chance to recover and Tosha pressed Razzer to advantage perhaps another half-dozen above that but they were not holding anything back in terms of speed or force. Apart from refraining from the most damaging spells, of course. Which ought to be appreciated in itself; there is a muscle-memory that comes from years of experience and it can be just as difficult not to strike the telling hex as it is to land it successfully. In fact, I would have said that half the instances either of them hesitated it was in their need to fight their own instinct.

Jealousy on Razzer's behalf is entirely unnecessary, son, though am sure he would appreciate the sentiment and the concern. Tosha considers himself wholly married to his work. Admit am not entirely as enchanted with your Astronomy professor as others seem to be but Anotonin Nikolaevich says they have connected on a number of intellectual levels (the researcher in them both, among other things). Too, Tosha has always found Hufflepuffs to be of paramount utility in their willingness to, ah, do one's dirty jobs, as it were. (Agree with him, though not to exclusion. Gryffindors and Ravenclaws can be just as easily pointed toward one's goals and, if convinced of the sincerity of those aims, shall apply themselves tirelessly as well.)

But in any case, those who know him fear no interloper. As for others turning blind eyes, you seemed to be getting on with Weasley well enough, if yesterday was any indication. All's well with Pansy, though, I take it? Are you concerned about anyone else, then? My advice is not to interfere in someone else's affairs, unless one is certain of the circumstances. One cannot know all the reasons witches pay their attentions where they will; and not all of them do it out of malice, caprice or betrayal.

Re: Private Message to Draco

[alt_draco]

So you're saying it's in their instinct to kill each other? Or, rather, the person they're engaged with?

Somehow I don't think that can actually be taught in the classroom.

And I'm not particularly concerned, just very observant. Razzer is as well, as is evident from yesterday's show, but he did have some kind of fling with Professor Acton a while back so his judgment obviously has its failings.

I'm not worried about Weasley much. Did compliment him on the scorecards he put together for the duel, thinking that it might make him more open to putting together similar for the quidditch teams, now that he's on the Gryffindor side.

In any case, it could be said that the bloke who feigns blindness has all the more opportunity to look around him, if he chooses to do so. Right?

Re: Private Message to Draco

[alt_lucius]

Well, let us say that one becomes trained and accustomed in life-and-death conditions to patterns of casting that lead naturally from one spell to the next. For example, Professor Dolohov favours an off-side limb-locking curse to follow the headcold hex, which is always aimed straight-on. Yesterday, he did not follow the hex with the limb-lock, knowing it would have debilitated Razzer too heavily. In the moment it took Tosha to catch himself, Raz was able to regain his composure and press his advantage again.

Observation is essential, correct. An astute point, son.

[alt_pansy]

Naturally, Lucius. One wouldn't want to appear disrespectful.

[alt_pansy]

It was lovely to see you as well, Lucius. And the duel was so very thrilling! It really was like seeing a work of art.

Adjusting to Madame Umbridge has been interesting. I'll try to be as even-handed as possible; she can be a bit overbearing, but I can see how what she does has all the best intentions. The CCF programme she has in mind is certainly ambitious, and all the things she wants us to work on may be ultimately useful, but it's a challenge balancing the additional requirements on top of studies. I think having someone who isn't a professor in charge certainly gives her much more time to devote to the programme, and it really is a great deal of work, so I think that was needed. I do think that sometimes she forgets we're also in school, though, because as she's not a professor, she's not as aware of the work we have to do outside of the CCF.

I also think that school this term is a great deal more of work for people in my year because of OWLs and the additional course that some of us are having to catch up on, so that's probably colouring a great deal of my concerns.

The younger students do seem quite eager to be involved, and I do think that it's given several of the fifth years and up the opportunity to demonstrate leadership in a way they couldn't otherwise.

He is quite charming, isn't he? I'm glad to hear we've given appropriate impressions so far. You're right, he sorted out my weakness for books right away. I think he has a natural step up just by virtue of the fact that he is not a Carrow, but I've truly enjoyed his class so far. Rest assured, I shall do my best to stay strong in the face of so many lovely volumes (I'd never heard of Edgar Allen Poe before! I'm halfway through the Fall of the House of Usher, and it is delightfully frightening) and witty conversation.