(no subject)

[alt_antonin]

Those for whom the information is useful -- as mentioned in the Prophet, I have returned to Our Lord's Protectorate in hopes I may be of service.

Those for whom the information is enticing -- I have finished unpacking and shall be holding informal salons over the next few days for those who are so inclined to come relieve me of the excess books that appear to have bred in my trunk while I wasn't looking. Inquire at the usual address.

Comments

Private Message to Minerva McGonagall

[alt_antonin]

Minerva --

I must apologize for taking so long to finalize the booklist -- I of all people know how inconvenient it is to have change thrust upon you. I have owled the final revision to your attention and it should arrive this morning. Do let me know when the student copies go out, as I'd like to make a public announcement for the benefit of those who may find themselves confused.

Books will be on hold with Flourish & Blotts beginning Monday, and they've agreed to accept journal orders for those unable to make a return trip to Diagon before start of term. I strongly suspect there will be ongoing issues with the availability of certain titles, particularly at NEWT-level. If you hear from parents having difficulty, redirect them to me so I might take up the cause: I believe I finally have my contact in Procurement suitably cowed.

I had hoped to arrive at Hogwarts by Wednesday to begin my prep, but it's looking as though Thursday is far more likely. I shall call upon you to pay my respects at the earliest opportunity. I trust my request for quarters near the office that is to be mine, to minimize the strain to an entirely-too-slow-to-recover body, will not be too taxing.

Do let me know if there's anything I can obtain for you.

Yours in faithful service to Our Lord's ideals,
Antonin

Private Message to Stephen Rosier

[alt_antonin]

S --

Following up on our discussion of yesterday -- jog my memory, did you wind up using the Anne Plath translation of Khātūn for your foster-son's tutoring after all? If so, do you have a spare? Turning out the book trunk, I can only locate the Hector Plath, and -- well, the less said about that the better. I only keep it around for the amusement value.

I'm certain my copy is somewhere in the pile but neither Berry nor I can lay hands on it and if I tried to summon it there'd be disaster -- I really have let the cataloging go entirely too long. I don't want to take up a copy that could go to one of the students; F&B is having enough trouble sourcing them to begin with.

Looking forward to catching up with you in person, no matter how clever and useful these journals are. I have a few questions on how things will be received I'd like to run by you for your take on them -- after this long, and so long as Our Lord's Voice, I'm much more confident in my read on people than I used to be, but a man does like to show his teacher how much he appreciated the lessons.

With respect and affection,
T

Private Message to Percival Weasley

[alt_antonin]

Mr Weasley --

Our conversation of Thursday morning having been so pleasant, I wished to extend an offer to continue it. (As well -- I would like to commend you on your tact and diplomacy when discussing the curriculum your own study of the Arts involved. Having finally had the chance to examine what was being taught -- well. I apologize for intimating the blame for your unfamiliarity with certain seminal works may have rested on your own shoulders; further, deponent sayeth not.)

My elf Berry will be calling upon you at some point this afternoon to deliver a parcel of books too awkward for owl post. Should you find them at all useful, do consider them a gift; I am drowning in the things and you will no doubt obtain more use from them than I will. (Should you find them dreadfully dull, pass them along to someone who will not -- you will know better than I which of your contemporaries would appreciate them the way books deserve.)

Tucked into the front of the Cavernae Medullitae is a suggested reading order (with a few key passages noted), and I've also copied out the booklist I will be using for NEWT-level classes for your future reference. Do not purchase them now: I've spent the last two days in pointed battle with Flourish & Blotts over their ability to provide copies in sufficient number for my students, and, I am sad to say, students will likely be sharing many of their books this year, during first term at least. But once F&B are able to correct their incompetence, I suspect you will find Clements-Chichester's Grimories of the Worthy Families to be a useful reference for the circles around which you find yourself moving.

The slender volume atop the stack is a fair copy of my own translation of Aleksey Vladimirovich Korovin's Mastery over Self -- that's the book I mentioned as being the most helpful guide I've ever found to mapping one's inner landscape. You will gain the most utility from it by following its exercises exactly, spending as little or as much time on each meditation as you feel necessary to fully appreciate its nuances. Ten minutes a day should suffice, stretching to twenty once you've completed the first sequence. Do not expect immediate results -- for instance, I am not likely to make it much past the fifth sequence with my classes this year -- but also do not hesitate to reach out to me if you feel you are "stuck" too long on any one exercise: the whole of the third sequence, for instance, is notoriously difficult for a solo practitioner to summit and my translator's notes alone may not suffice.

Mind you, unlike the rest of my soon-to-be flock, I certainly have no authority to assign you homework! And I imagine my old friend keeps you quite busy. (Having seen the way your eyes kept being drawn to my shelves throughout our conversation, though, I suspect wild centaurs couldn't drag you away.) Should you have time and inclination to discuss your study, though, I would be pleased to assign some of what little time I shall have free in the coming year or so to hearing your thoughts.

Should you happen to be at home when the delivery arrives, meanwhile, the elf has been instructed to lend you the afternoon if you should have any suitable tasks. I hardly mean to be rude or to make you self-conscious, but at several points during our visit I believe I sensed a hint of the exhaustion that inevitably arises from too many responsibilities hanging unaddressed over one's head. Do make free of an afternoon of Berry's service if you could benefit from it.

With my regards,
Antonin Dolohov

Private Message to Lucius Malfoy

[alt_antonin]

Old friend,

Should you happen to take note of my message to your clerk, rest assured, I am not trying to interfere -- we had a very pleasant and wholly insightful chat on Thursday about the prior state of the Hogwarts curriculum that influenced my syllabus considerably. In appreciation for his assistance (whether he knew he was giving it or not) I've sent him a stack of many of the texts he mentioned being unfamiliar with, including my translation of the Korovin should he care to follow its exercises. (If he begins to manifest the traditional side effects 'round about the second sequence, and they become too unpleasant to cope with, send him to me; I'll straighten him out.)

Your little note regarding his uncles slipped out of the manuscript while he was handing it over, by the by. Keeping a straight face was only possible due to years of long practice. I take it his presence as your clerk indicates the traditional familial sympathies are not shared in the progeny? Or are you simply indulging yourself?

Oh, and regarding that manuscript -- trite and shallow for the audience it's written for, but possibly containing merit as a schoolboy's introduction with a bit of revision. Would be happy to edit if you feel it warranted, though it will have to wait until the new year at the least.

Yours in that pleasant little stroll down memory lane,
T

Private message to Antonin Dolohov

[alt_selwyn]

I believe we met only a few times before your departure to the continent, but we have quite a few friends in common and I've heard enough stories to make me feel that we're already acquainted. I'd very much like to make your acquaintance in person. Do you mind if I stop in?