Class on Tuesdays and Thursdays

[alt_antonin]

As there was some confusion with the third-year classes yesterday, please allow me to clarify: the timetables you have been issued are not in error. Due to the difficulty involved in integrating the changes to the curriculum, we have indeed been forced to schedule several classes through the lunch hour. In addition to yesterday's third-year students, this also affects the fifth-year Gryffindor class on Thursdays.

As I'm aware that in many cases, your schedule does not permit you to eat earlier or later, you may arrange with the elves for lunch to be delivered to the classroom, and eat quietly and unobtrusively through our discussion. (I will likely be doing the same.) I know this is less than optimal; I apologise profusely for the inconvenience and will do my utmost to keep the situation from becoming too untenable.

As always, if you have any concerns, please stop in my office during my scheduled open hours, arrange with me privately for evening or weekend hours, or contact me via private message. I remember from my own school days how reluctant we always were to disturb our professors, but you will not be a disturbance to me in the least: I would far rather clarify the issue early when whatever problem can still be easily solved.

Comments

Private Message to Lucius Malfoy

[alt_antonin]

Lyoushka,

Just a quick note to ease your fears before I bestir my lazy arse out of bed and into motion for the day (and no, I've no earthly clue why I'm awake this early, either): going quite well so far. Many of the little darlings take some prodding before they're willing to believe there's no such thing as a wrong answer, only one inadequately justified, but I hope to make more progress over the next few weeks.

Seeing the sixth years for the first time today -- let us hope none of them are as clearly terrified as several of the thirds were!

Eternally yours, and my love to Narcissa as always,
T

Re: Private Message to Lucius Malfoy

[alt_lucius]

Toshenka,

One could call you many things but lazy is not an adjective that springs to mind.

I've but a little time myself, between obligations. Dominic says you've some war games in the works? Fascinating. Should be intriguing to see which of your charges distinguish themselves in the heat of such a test. Horace behaving himself? And Minerva? No objections to the curriculum from any other quarter of the staff?

The Governors, you'll be amused to hear, are still awash in letters from concerned parents, including parents of first- and second-year students who are already anxious for their children's precious limbs, heads, vital organs and one can only assume souls. Why they insist on complaining about a change that shan't affect their own young for at least a year is beyond me. Perhaps they fear collateral damage.

It's as if Dark Arts had never been in the curriculum for 3rd-year and above before - though you are quite right that your predecessor was not only ill-suited but entirely too frightful in her own right to foster much love for the subject. Perhaps this was Our Lord's plan all along, to depose her at some future date and introduce them to a true scholar of the Arts. (One hopes He did not foresee your injury, bratishka, but rather that He anticipated a time when your services would no longer be needed so far from home.) One cannot deny that the contrast alone ought to endear you to many of your students - and from thence, foster in them a deeper appreciation for your beloved grimoire.

If it's any proof, Draco wrote (five days early!) to say that yours (and Razzer's, of course) are already his favoured classes of the year. (None too surprising, of course, but Razzer's have always been unparallelled in his estimation, so that is hardly faint praise.)

Still, one hopes that your 'darling' Dolores is competent enough to realise that your efforts and hers ought to function in tandem. If there's one advantage to the change in leadership, it is that many did find Aurora - delightful as she is - to be entirely too soft when it comes to discipline. Expect it's her upbringing (and well, of course, she is a Hufflepuff by nature as well as Hat).

You know she has been after Narcissa to guide her through the minutiae of her wedding ceremony? My wife is happy to help, of course (you know witches and weddings - always a dangerous combination!) but she did wonder why, with all the other demands on Aurora's time, she doesn't simply engage a planner for the more tedious details.

The point, lest I begin to emulate you and your tangents, is that it's clear from her early forays, at any rate, that the family are all somewhat naïve in their approach to life in the Protectorate (or anywhere else, for that matter). But then one would not necessarily expect a family of their ... stature to be quite so grounded in the of purity and nobility to which one of true dedication to Our Lord's vision aspires.

At any rate, it's as well that the Lestranges are the ones uniting their bloodline. Not that she is not charming, and her effect on Raz has been, as you've seen, the making of him. But my guess is that the family are used to being able to indulge their innate sense of nursery-room notions of 'fair play.' Must agree with the YPL advisors that the students in general could use toughening up. No doubt your exercises will dovetail with theirs nicely.


Saw that Barty wrote, no doubt to check on your stamina in the face of all those stairs, passages, corridors and of course, the demands of the classroom itself. Narcissa has been bursting with curiosity but wished to give you at least a week to settle in to something like a routine. She is at her monthly retreat to Ardenia's, so you may expect her solicitude in perhaps a day or two; had hoped to hear from Barty about another matter we've been pursuing together, since her absence provides some time to devote to that project.

Must excuse myself; our next meeting is being called to order.

Re: Private Message to Lucius Malfoy

[alt_antonin]

Darling,

Am not at all surprised to hear the Governors are beset. I trust you and Dominic are holding firm against all comers? Do let me know which voices are most worth wooing; I can likely cadge the time to exert some charm. (As long as it isn't a Thursday. Suspect I will be quite low on my reserves of 'charming' by Thursday end.)

Also suspect, though, that fears will ease when the first crop of public reports start appearing in journals. The little darlings have been skittish thus far, and I've not seen many references (in journals at least -- who knows what they're writing home) but I've received a first few tentative forays into trusting I mean it when I tell them I want them to think, not parrot. (Your son's class, for instance, managed to forget their affront at the disruption to their schedules quickly and settle straight down to merrily unpicking the questions I threw at them. Which reminds me: Tony's daughter is your goddaughter, yes? She had several astute observations to make; do I detect your hand in her past reading?) But there are ways and ways to skin a kneazle, as you of all people know, and I bear full faith and confidence that I've not yet lost my knack for overcoming the worst of objections through the repeated application of patience and reason. (Except on Thursdays.)

With luck, the worst complaints you'll be hearing by Hallowe'en will be moaning that I expect too much work out of them!

As for my predecessor -- well. Your theory that Our Lord has been planning this, or something much like, all along is a comforting one, I must admit. I have been at a loss to think of any others, save one; I will say this for Alecto, for all I cordially despised her and her brother for years for their crudity and utter lack of self-insight (and for all the feeling was mutual) she was, at very least, a powerful practitioner of her small subset of the whole of our Art. It has occurred to me perhaps that is what He was after, the chance to show the children what power could be theirs if they applied themselves to study. Still, believing that would also require me to believe Our Lord could not foresee the effect sheer terror would have on young minds, and even were that not utter folly to contemplate, I have never known Him to be anything less than impeccable in his understanding of the myriad motivations of mankind; His wisdom and foresight were what first attracted me, and no small part of the reason why I am His loyal hands, for life and beyond.

It is a mystery I have not yet been able to unravel. Perhaps I should turn my thoughts away from it, and simply accept once again that Our Lord's understanding so surpasses that of even we happy few that we might never hope to follow.

To happier matters: Am quite glad to hear that your Dragon approves thus far; suspect interest levels will rise further once I begin demonstrations. In deference to parental vapors, we shall be easing in, but yes, I do plan on letting the little darlings loose on each other eventually, once we've established ground rules about how cross I shall be if they reach for any of the hexes and curses I can't easily undo. (Have reassured Madam Pomfrey she shall not be seeing an endless stream of patients from my quarter, at least; not sure if she believed me, what with past precedent working against me, but she seemed to appreciate the assurance.) Depending on how quickly they progress, I do plan on running regular sessions of class under Salazar's Rules (with, of course, my own variations) starting soonest; that should allow me to measure their suitability in advance.

(You may wish to assure the other Governors, should they hear of the plans for our little games before they reach fruition, that I shall design the objectives most carefully to steer them away from doing permanent injury to each other, at least.)

As to the rest of the castle: Minerva is well, though appears overworked; she has been quite supportive of my educational aspirations. Horace is Horace, ever and eternally. (Suspect it will take me months before I can call him that to his face without stumbling; fifty-two years old and I still turn sixteen and spotty the minute he addresses me.) Razzer is a delight (and it is so good to see the changes time has wrought in him); Umbridge a horror (I am minding your cautions, Lyoushka, I truly am). The others are mostly forgettable walk-on players, save for Razzer's Aurora, whom I persist in finding utterly delightful.

I have hardly forgotten your thoughts on those beneath your station and stature, old friend -- but you will not have forgotten my conviction that there is occasionally mettle to be found in the strangest of quarters: in Aurora I have seen the faintest of stirrings to remind that the badger has tooth and claw, when properly roused. I do not yet know what it would take to awaken the badger's fierceness in her, but I have found -- on multiple occasions -- that still small sense I have always relied upon to draw me to those who have potential tells me she is one in whom an investment of time, and a bit of tailoring one's approach to account for both nature and nurture, might pay interesting dividends a bit down the road.

Besides, I do find myself liking the girl. A very great deal, in fact. And if I'm to be stationed here for forseeable duration, conviviable company will no doubt come to mean a great deal, all notions of future utility aside. I am not underestimating how much value there will be in a friendly face at table by February or so!

Barty did indeed write (and, to answer the question you most carefully did not ask: the assorted stairs, passages, corridors, &c have not yet defeated me, though I've resorted to breakfast in quarters and lunch in office these past two days to minimise my exertions) and we've plans for a good long wallow when I'm back in town for my next Healers' consult. Razzer, meanwhile, suggests inviting Rod up to the castle for whichever afternoon we feel bold enough to brave the pile of dear departed Alecto's miscellaney I simply chucked into a closet and warded against the most curious of the little darlings, and making an expedition of it. (And then, no doubt, retreating to Hogsmeade to drink heavily and tell lies of our valor.) If this keeps up, I have no doubt we'll have moved along to happy reunions of we merry few by midwinter at latest.

And now, having discharged my duties of correspondence, I shall close with my eternal love, and retire to my bedchamber with the current book (no, nothing you'd find of interest; I am alternating texts on the Arts with hideous soppy romances, the more florid the better, and tonight is a night for Petunia's Purple Passion or whatever the fuck the actual title is; I can't recall but it's certainly doing its duty of distraction) to brace myself for Thursday.

I did mention how dire Thursdays are likely to be, yes?

Waving this copy of Love's Lascivious Lustre at you, just to see the faces you are no doubt making,
T