Private message to Rory

[alt_rabastan]

Have to say I'm feeling like a million galleons compared to last week. Being able to teach again, be productive, makes a world of difference. And you know, now that I've had overnight to think on it, the newts aren't as poorly off as I had braced myself for. Cedric and Harry really did make a difference- so did the rest of the kids.

Still, we've a long ways to go in an extremely short amount of time.

How are you, love?

Much as we can't really trust that Dolly didn't leave behind any other nasty surprises to trip us up, I don't think we should let that keep us from moving forward. What are your thoughts?

Comments

[alt_sinistra]

I'd worried

I'm glad, love. And so glad they have you back.

Can I do anything to help? (Either your newts or the owls lot, that is.) Supervise, or do things so you have more time to work with them, or .. whatever. My lot are all in decent shape, because there wasn't so much Madam Pinkness could interfere with. (Well, except a couple, but more time with me mostly isn't the helpful thing there.)

Of course I'd like to move forward. Before anything else happens Tallie and I talked a bit about what we'd need to set in motion, once we could. We've got some ideas (actually, we have a whole lot of very detailed lists) but some of it depends on when we can book in at the Guildhall again, or if we have to find somewhere else or what.

And me - honestly, I'm still not quite sure? The last week has just been. Well.

[alt_rabastan]

Can't think of anything right now, but I'll let you know.

We can ask after Guildhall at the weekend. What about dates? Most of our nearest and dearest are prepared to drop everything for whatever date we put forth, I should think.

What else?

Oh, and what does "Well." mean? I haven't really sussed that out, you know.

[alt_sinistra]

Do, if you think of anything.

I guess the big question for dates is whether we wait for the end of term. During term has a bunch of awkwardnesses attached (getting us both free to prep, other staff being able to come, getting whatever students there - and there need to be some, clearly, even if it's just the related ones). But much as I'd love a honeymoon (days in a row with you without other obligations - the mere idea is luxury), that could wait, really.

I admit I've been thinking about the logistical problems already. Not a surprise, probably. You're very right most people wouldn't fuss, though, considering. If it's not until end of term - well, my summer is wide open for the first time in ... actually, the first time since I left school. How odd.

On the rest, let me try a list.
1) Less worried, but still worried, about Cedric. Not that there's much anyone can do there but wait.

2) I still feel like I'm looking over my shoulder for Madam Pinkness. I'm sure it'll pass, it just hasn't yet.

3) Thinking over what you told me about Cassie. That bit's hard. I mean. Necessary. And I'm glad she finally did come forward. That's the really tangled one.

4) A lot of, I don't know, broader things, about what we do going forward. I know Septima's doing her best, but there's a lot of things no one's really talking about, had you realised? The HJC and the Prefects and the divisions between people that didn't used to be there. (And the poor shattered bits of the YPL, and a dozen other sets of plans, I'm sure.)

5) Much less important, but currently particularly active: what do you think about kittens? (My office has somehow accumulated two, see.)

[alt_rabastan]

We probably ought to wait til the term is winding down a bit, at least. We should consult with your family and see what they think. Narcissa, too.

No one likes to wait, I know what you mean. He's getting the best care, though, so all we can do is hope for the best. He is young and strong, after all.

Cassie- much as I want to feel sorry for her, I confess that I'd like this to be the last I see or hear of her.

I'm not sure we'll be able to clean up all the damage that was done until the end of term. As for the kids, maybe summer will scrub their memories and reset things, as it were. Maybe I'm being too optimistic on that count.

I honestly don't know what I think about kittens, except that there seem to be a lot of them around the castle these days.

[alt_sinistra]

Well, we'd need to get invitations and all out in advance, anyway, so it's not like it'd be next week. Right. I'll add "talk to half the Protectorate about wedding dates" to my list, but really, I suspect it's going to come down to what's free when. (I assume that we still are strenuously resisting anything outside on security grounds?)

Yes, on Cedric. I'm going to see if I can visit, Tuesday, and maybe that will help a little. Just, I know enough about his parents to not be sure they'll be helpful in the right ways. If you see what I mean.

Has anything else turned up, after what you told me? Half of me doesn't want to think about her ever again, and the rest wants to make sense of why. And how Madam Pinkness knew to manipulate things quite that way.

You're right that the summer will help. I'm sure it has to. Really. Just, Tosha and I were talking through it, last week, the implications for some of his plans as the current 5ths go into NEWTs, and I've been thinking about it ever since.

As to the kittens: they don't seem to want to have anything to do with anything lower in the castle than my rooms (and much prefer my office.) So you needn't worry about them, and I am sure I could find a home for them if need be. (I believe this must be one of the reasons one has cousins.) But they're sort of adorable. And comforting.

[alt_rabastan]

I'll help you talk to half of that half, no worries.

I can't say that anything has turned up, exactly, but I'll let you know if it does. Our current concern is that Dolly had someone helping her manipulate things in just the right way.

And I'm not worried about kittens. Bring them to Spence, if you want! Though on second thought, they might get lost and we'd never see them again.

[alt_sinistra]

You're a wonder. I've said that before, but it's still true. (You do know how many men apparently run as far away from planning these things as they can?)

The whole thing feels so dreadfully unfinished. Madam Pinkness, I mean. But I suppose that's life, and we'll just have to keep our eyes open and move on. And really, I refuse to let her steal any more of the time we could be doing much more enjoyable things with.

There are lots of things I hate about the past months, love. (This spring, worse than last spring, in so many ways, and how is that even possible?) What she did to students and classes and everything she touched. But the thing I can't let go of is losing time with you.

Which is to say - should I come down tonight or would you rather not, given your classes tomorrow? And Tosha's said he assumes we'll have other plans tomorrow before I teach. I just miss being in the same room, and both of us working, and all the stupid student stories while marking, nearly as much as everything else.

(I will, however, leave the kittens in my office. One thing at a time.)

[alt_sinistra]

Right, love. A little preliminary info, and we can talk more as we manage to get hold of various family.

Tallie checked with the Guildhall, and the only date they can give us between now and sometime in August is the first of June - apparently, they have major renovations planned this summer. She’s checking on a number of the sites we’d looked at and discarded for various reasons, and will have more in the next day or two. (She’s also heard of a good handful of summer weddings that it would probably be kinder not to conflict with - she’s working up a complete list of dates.)

She does think we could make June first work if we wanted. It’d be tight (and we’d need to decide in the next few days to get invites out in time), but I could sit down with her on Tuesday properly and work out the rest of the details.

We can talk more tonight or tomorrow, anyway. (Just writing that makes me grin. Actually, it makes me dance around my office in an extremely undignified fashion.)