alt_antonin | Private message to Savitha and Lana

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Not a bad showing from the children, was it?

I've let Septima know that the three of us will not be teaching classes until at least noon. Sleep in just as we've told the children to sleep in. Septima will also pass along to the other staff that the ducklings will not be in class until they wake naturally. I'll send the elves with restoratives for the children for when they wake up, and if either of you need a dose, just ask for one. (Even if you have your own, you may want mine anyway; I have Snape's variation, and it is a noticeable improvement.)

Auri says that she and Septima between them have sorted out patrol and prefect issues, and that she's let the prefects of both Gryffindor and Slytherin know that they should come to her, rather than you, until you have recovered well enough to resume your duties there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

alt_antonin

Padma in particular is much improved; you have done excellent work there. And I was supervising Mr Weasley for a time this evening, and I am thrilled you have been able to wake the fire in him; I have been able to see it for quite some time, but nothing I tried seemed to get through to him.

I still think I've picked the best of the herd, however!

From:

alt_savitha

Well, your protégé certainly did you proud. And yes, I was quite pleased with Padma's performance; she clearly took my admonitions to heart.

I've seen students like Ron before -- the youngest or nearly-youngest of a long line of overachieving siblings. Two of them, Head Boys! I taught Bill, Charlie, and Percy, of course, when I was teaching the first time, though Percy only for a year or two. Two, I guess.

I'm digressing. Must be the potion wearing off. For a younger child in a family that size, it can feel as if every avenue for excelling, for making your own mark, has been claimed already. As if there's no point in even bothering, because you might never be as good at Charms as one, as good at Potions in another. They come to expect their teachers to treat them as the latest of a matched set. When a teacher singles them out, as the ONE among their siblings most worthy and deserving, they'll do anything.

You can tell I'm tired; here I am giving away all my secrets. Well. Padma just has the twin sister, who's certainly nothing remotely impressive, didn't even come back after OWLs. She's got that same hunger for recognition, though.

You can have the ones that were born for the battlefield. Give me the hungry ones. I'll take them all, and feed them on service to Our Lord.

From:

alt_antonin

No, that makes sense. I don't remember any of the others, although I did of course know Percy, through Lucius. (And a more transparently desperate desire for recognition I have never seen. It's a pity he did not absorb any of the lessons in cunning along with it.) I did try what I could -- it helps that Ron is one of the ones with a natural gift for the Arts -- but perhaps with his father's death he wasn't interested in a male role model. (With that mother, he's predisposed to following strong women, I suppose.)

Ah, well; this is the reason I asked you back to Hogwarts, after all, to have someone else here with the skill necessary to cultivate those students whom I could not reach and lure them into the glory of service instead of allowing them to fade away into the mundanity of private employ. And there, I'm just as exhausted as you are: have confession for confession.

Sleep, my dear. You've certainly earned it.

From:

alt_savitha

You may be right about Ron's willingness to follow strong women. Those two Slytherin girls have him well wrapped around their fingers, and only one's his girlfriend. Maybe they bludgeoned a few lessons in cunning into his Gryffindor head -- his brothers might have stood to befriend a few Slytherin girls themselves, back in the day.

I'll go to sleep as soon as that last potion wears off, naturally. Should be any time now.

From:

alt_antonin

Very well done today. I had not expected otherwise, given your professional background, but you made me exceptionally proud to be your Master.

From:

alt_lana

Thank you. One hopes not to have many opportunities like this, but when they do present themselves, one wishes to offer one's best service.

I'm sorry. That sounded terribly stilted. I mean it plainly. If there is work to be done in Our Lord's service, I mean to do it to the best of my ability.

If it's not too much trouble, I would be grateful for a dose of your restorative. Tomorrow.

I'm afraid I've really reached the end of my capabilities tonight.

Do sleep well. You've earned your rest!

From:

alt_antonin

Fear not, my dear, I won't hold anything against you that you say on the tail end of a day and a half on invigouration potions. And I know precisely what you meant, anyway.

I trust the elf found you with the restorative? I woke a few hours ago (finally -- just in time to thoroughly destroy my sleeping patterns) and have been spoiling myself since. Allow me to suggest some tincture of lavender and arnica for your bath: it does wonders for sore muscles.