Private message to Mr Finch-Fletchley

[alt_antonin]

In a perfect storm of setbacks, all three of my morning appointments have cancelled on me. Would you care for a run at the Ourobouros? If you are not yet tired of me monopolising your time this summer, of course, and if Pontner has not been giving you trouble about all the time I have claimed you for.

Comments

[alt_justin]

Headm Prof Antonin,

Oh, I say, that would be splendid. I'm certain Mr Pontner won't object; the only excitement here this week has been a communiqué from أغادير and our well feeble attempts to translate it. I daresay the lads will be relieved if I brought along my working copy and returned with an idiomatic rendition, what.

I've also been fascinated by the palimpsest you recommended from the Aqaba dig. The section on family lines and transfer of patriarchal wards had me thinking of the Weasleys rather a lot. I had a question regarding one of the blood-bond terms, however, as I'm not sure it's the original text or the overlaid one that has been the subject of so much review. I had planned to wait until Thursday to ask but perhaps one could resolve the matter this morning, if there's time.

-Finch-Fletchley

[alt_antonin]

I must say, your handwriting is improving in leaps and bounds. أحسنت صنعا -- and yes, of course I will help with your translation. (Particularly since if they are writing in Arabic it is undoubtedly an attempt to sneak something by you; I know full well that everyone in that office speaks and writes English perfectly fluently.)

And if I am to be your office's secret weapon and your magister as well, I'll reserve our usual table for lunch afterwards, then -- bring the text, if you have it readily to hand; I have not read it recently enough to be able to call the exact phrasings to mind. And I did remember the reference I was thinking of on Sunday -- I'll bring that as well.

[alt_justin]

Thank you; I've been working through the exercise books every day. One would think good penmanship an advantage but there are certain strokes one must almost unlearn for the proper flourishes. It's dashed bewildering.

Yes, I've got the palimpsest with me. I confess I keep puzzling over it and wishing I had access to the original. Pity that a research expedition to العقبة is well unlikely, what.

Lunch would be most kind. I'm well willing to forgo the canteen, particularly as Derrick just dropped by to mention that the special today is some sort of casserole.

Right, I'll just pop home for a change of robes and I shall see you in a moment.

-F-F

[alt_antonin]

You may always feel free to inquire about lunch when the alternative would be eating in the Ministry canteen. As far as I am concerned, that is cruel and unusual torture.

(In all seriousness: as the beginning of the academic year approaches, I am spending most days at Hogwarts, and I am certain the elves would be happy to feed you as well. A pleasant hour's lunch and discussion of your studies would be an anodyne to some of the more tedious details of the Headmaster's role. I am otherwise spoken for on Fridays, but aside from that, you may feel free to invite yourself at any time; I will not need more than an hour's notice or so.)

And I keep meaning to mention -- while I will happily stand as your sponsor at Ourobouros in a year or two, doing so now would bring even more attention in your direction, and that sort of attention would not be the respect you have already earned with your skill, if you follow my meaning. Still: as a member I am entitled to more space in the changing-rooms than I am using, if you would like to store some of your things there and save yourself the trouble of a trip back to your apartment in the middle of the day.

[alt_justin]

Sir,

I thought you might like to know that Mr Pontner's quite pleased with the translation. He even mentioned it was well worth releasing me for half the day with these results, what.

I do hope Mr Rowle was satisfied by the second run. I say, it crossed my mind to let him go ahead at the hairpin turning on the theory that he might take the full brunt of the Limbo Mist. I'd quite expected him to try the same tactic, what, so it was well surprising that he cast a flashpoint hex just at that moment. But after that, one could hardly loiter about nor pause to ascertain his status without giving a different sort of offence.

All of which merely reinforces your assessment, of course, that one needs no further notoriety at this time. Given Mr Rowle's position at the Ministry, however, one wonders why he wasn't himself more familiar with the layout of that particular course. Perhaps someone in a position of more equality could suggest that he ought to have chosen a different strategy?

Thank you again for lunch, and the offer to employ the elves in future. I must say it will be a welcome relief to both stomach and stipend. I trust that your preparations for Hogwarts will not be disrupted by my presence. Might one inquire as to your progress?

-F-F

[alt_antonin]

Oh, excellent. And I am glad you brought it to me: as I suspected, that section about the proposed tariffs was just idiomatic enough that if you'd relied on dictionary translation or upon someone who is not fluent, you would have arrived at an incorrect sense of the meaning. Quite deliberately so, one supposes; I trust Pontner is taking that into account.

There is, I'm afraid, no telling Rowle anything; he will do what he will do. (Although I cannot imagine what he was thinking either; I can only assume he is more accustomed to the Aurors' training course, and did not anticipate the obstacle.) That was good thinking on your part, though; your tactical thinking has grown quite sophisticated. It's good for all of us to have unfamiliar opponents occasionally -- prevents us from growing too complacent.

And having you join me at Hogwarts for lunch would be a good excuse to remember to eat lunch myself, not an imposition. The elves do remind me, but their tendency towards deference does keep them from insisting. Things are well in hand for the beginning of the year, but there are dreadfully so many details to see to. I am at least comforted that you all will give me a bit of leeway if things are a bit chaotic for the first few weeks of term!

Speaking of term, however: I did not remember to bring this up with you in person, but I would like to discuss your work in class. Which is uniformly excellent, do not get me wrong, but I know we have spoken about your group work, and the percentage of it you were responsible for. We will spend part of the year working collectively again -- the first major module of the year will be on formal ritual magics and cooperative casting -- and if it were not necessary to have at least two people working in concert for most of the techniques we will be studying, I would suggest that you work alone so that you would not need to either hold yourself back to the pace of the rest of the group or feel the need to complete the lion's share of the work yourself.

Still: I must ask you to hold back your natural perfectionist tendencies and allow the remainder of your group, whether you continue working with Miss Patil and Messrs Finnigan and Zabini or form a new working group, to stand or fall on their own merits. It did not escape me how much of your group's final project you completed, and while the work was excellent and the other members of your group had the distraction of the competition for Our Lord's favour to consider, I would rather see matters distributed more equitably next year. (Your own marks will not suffer for it; that much I can promise you.)