Lucius S Malfoy

Too many for private messages.

• Hogwarts: Minerva, since you have been incapable of bringing to the Board of Governors an acceptable candidate to undertake instruction in Dark Arts, Our Lord has seen fit to resolve the vacancy on your behalf. Understand that he shall present his credentials and portfolio to you this week; note that there are other changes to the timetable which Our Lord deems appropriate (and half the Governors have already concurred), which must be accommodated before start of term. Trust you will see to the letters and revised book lists for the students.



• NRBC: Cumulus, have reviewed the statement of accounts from Monday's meeting and find it unfathomable that additional savings cannot be achieved. Presume this is down to your commitment to avoid staff cuts; advise you and your brother to re-evaluate said position.



• Weasley: There are three manuscripts from Charles here. Two of them irrelevant; third can be taken to the address affixed. Suspect the recipient will welcome the chance to review the material and provide his notes on the subject. Would appreciate if you delivered it to-night or to-morrow, if you please. Also note the addendum to Monday's schedule regarding the inspection of the Battersea Park project. Finally, require the revisions to the Commerce Committee's minutes before end of day. MacMillan's clerk was supposed to send them over. Kindly track them down, will you; I'd like to sign off before leaving.



• LB: Expect an owl from me. Sending you some reading for your time at Gloss. Trust it will make the days pass more pleasantly.



• Narcissa: Trust you are settled? Did not hear from you this morning. Did hear from Yvaine, hoping to find you. Told her 'holiday' meant you were likely not tied to your journal. (Seem to recall something about not carrying them everywhere this holiday; that was the plan, was it not?) Heard from a few others as well, all hoping for your opinion about something. You might wish to contact Miss Poddington as it seems she received a handful of messages as well.

Oh, and Weasley, come in when you have a moment; there are some other matters to attend arising from Court, which cannot be entrusted to the journal.

Been thinking about our conversation yesterday. Should be interested to see what evidence you think this young assistant may have gleaned from her employer. Come in later this week or early next and we can review it.


Glad to hear that you have started seeing someone new. Sure that Miss Gilmour is superiour to Miss Kirke in every respect. Trust that your newer responsibilities are more conducive to a relationship - both for her and for you. Still, as you know, it is wise to ensure that you meet your obligations and set limits if necessary to ensure that you are able to manage a partner's expectations on your time. Have also found it advantageous to maintain some independence even from one with whom one is intimately involved. Mrs Malfoy and I, for example, or Mr and Auror Lestrange - we all of us value a certain measure of privacy and most markedly respect boundaries with one another to preserve our own domestic bliss.

But that is a discussion for later, once perhaps you have discovered the right mate. You are still of an age where it is more important to test compatibility with many partners than to settle too quickly on one. Not that one pays much attention to these things, but heard that you and Miss Robins had also escorted one another on occasion. Not to your liking, then? But then I hear from Fudge that she has many admirers. Before a few weeks ago, still thought she and Mr Cameron were an item. Impossible to care, at any rate: Find the landscape changes far too quickly to bother about it.


Thinking, too, about your assessment of Weasley. You had not previously told me of your conversation with him last summer, regarding the measures to which we must sometimes resort when addressing difficult situations and people clamouring for calendar time. Seems he did take the lessons to heart - at least, to some extent. Certainly has cultivated some applications better than others. Did I tell you he used his association with me to gain admittance to Mrs Malfoy's gardens when he was about to be turned away? Something about the queue being over-long and the security personnel unwilling to admit more than a certain number at a time. Wrote to thank me and Mrs Malfoy for our hospitality afterward. Resourcefulness like that is promising. Too bad his parents will always be an embarrassment to him. But then, you know the eldest, Bill, correct? He has certainly done his best to rise above his father's reputation.

In any event, must do something about Hooper. Offering him to Nagini looks more and more like a viable option.


Have you an interest in any of the Board appointments we discussed? Shall be stepping down from Nimbus and Presto, certainly, by end of summer. Likely Obscurus as well, though Charles is adamant that I stay. Should like to give up WWN but currently impossible. Naturally the final decision would rest with the remaining committee but a solid recommendation would rather tip the balance, I should expect. And your request to come to Court: Not a good time at present, as I said. But perhaps by year's end there will be an occasion to make sure you are properly introduced. Meanwhile you might tell Hooper to arrange drinks at the Elysian for the two of us - next month? - and there I can introduce you socially to warlocks of your acquaintance while clerking for me. The distinction shall not be lost on them.

Now why do you suppose Dolores Umbridge thinks she has an appointment with me at four o'clock to-day?

Don't cancel at this point. But kindly send me a private message, of any length, no later than quarter past four.


Also provide Selwyn with the list that Dideron supplied and get his list from Igor. Need Dawlish's answers regarding accommodations. Heard from Fudge this morning that there is another discussion on the books early next week regarding the summer; find out who is hosting and why it is not on the calendar - particularly if any of the foreign embassies are involved.

Has Clarriker re-filled his larders using the newly-acquired licence? Check with him and with Miss Poddington regarding Mrs Malfoy's requirements for Kensington next week. And make sure she has what she intended to bring to the children over the week-end.


If you've the time, you might also fetch the galleys back to Charles; they're completed. WWN's latest report is also ready with my comments annotated; this time, remember to keep a copy before forwarding it!


And before you leave this evening I shall need MLE's reports on the DogStar interrogations so I've time to review them before Court. Ned should be able to get them for you if Braithewaite poses any difficulty.

Kindly make sure that the draft of the Minister's address is on my desk first-thing in the morning. I shall want to read it over again before meeting with him. Also, compare the numbers from the MBL committee report to the pertinent section in his speech and note any disagreement.

Also confirm Monday's arrangements - the flowers, the table at Portico and of course the concert. Make sure Hatton Garden have set the bracelet properly and know to deliver to the Witch Weekly office.

Third, guest list for the 26th. Hold off on sending that; Mrs Malfoy is up to something, I think. She hasn't told me what. Continue to have the Wolsley hold their function room until further notice.

Next I still need the galleys from Charles, so follow-up on that if you would.

Next I have several records which may be filed - some of them require a duplication spell and the copy owled to the appropriate office at the Ministry. I left them on the corner of the desk this evening.

Also, if you please, obtain a copy of the progress report on the Macnair sighting of last week.

Finally, the diary shows a fitting for Saturday's fancy dress ball on Friday morning. I shall need to move that to after-noon. Switch Clarriker to mid-week next week. Under no circumstances tell him why.

I should be in no later than half-eight to-morrow.