Private message to Rory

[alt_rabastan]

Love, how many of your family have said they'll be able to make supper at Spence on Friday? I'll need to give the kitchen elves a head count by tomorrow.

I told them to make something light and seasonal. Otherwise they'll make six endless courses, filled with dishes that have pretentious, continental names. They're so excited to have something to do we might end up with a few French words in there anyway. So long as it's all not completely intimidating, I think we'll be good.

Comments

[alt_sinistra]

I think we will in fact have the lot. (Well, except Orion's girlfriend, but that's no surprise. She offered to help with the various kids.) You should be impressed, because we don't even manage that for Christmas reliably anymore.

Mum and Dad. Diane and Chiron. Orion. Storm and Dittany. Sage. Tempest. Theo.

10, plus you and me. And yes, less intimidating would be good. Spence by itself is bad enough, and a six course meal would just be entirely too much for Sage and Theo. Storm's promised to do what he can to keep Theo from being a brat, but I apologise in advance. If it's not bending your ear about Quidditch, it'll be all the glories of the Protectorate and your role in that (and the H word, I fear).

Sage is likely to be quiet - don't take it personally. If we can get conversation round to books, she'll probably start talking. Temp's quite looking forward to it, and I think you'll like her.

Do I need to do anything in particular, now we've got the invites settled? Other than, perhaps, make it not quite so obvious we're sharing a bed and bedroom? (Mum's figured it out at least, but that's a conversation I'd rather not have with either Diane or Sage.)

At least this trip is going well. Harry's doing very nicely - all the counsellors are, actually. It ended up being a surprisingly good mix, even though I was a bit unsure it'd come together.

[alt_rabastan]

I'll leave bringing the conversation "round to books" to you, then, and I'll cover the quidditch. If the weather holds, we can dine on the terrace- best view of Green Park in New London, they say. And privacy charmed, too. We can look out, but no one else can look in. Nothing brings life to a gathering more than a little group voyeurism, isn't that right?

I don't reckon there'd be reason to venture all the way up to the bedrooms, but if it's a concern, I'll get an elf to move your things elsewhere. Carefully.

Glad to hear everything's going well. Can't say I'm too put out that the long-distance flyers aren't meeting this week, as last week's journey left me near-exhausted. I was fine during, but after- let's just say I felt every one of those twenty-some years difference between my age and theirs.

[alt_sinistra]

The terrace sounds lovely. And you're right it'd give everyone something to talk about.

(Thank you, love. There are rather an overwhelming lot of my family to deal with. Even if I have spared you the aunts and cousins so far, and intend to keep doing so as long as possible.)

As long as you don't mind discussing the details of every game in the past two decades with Theo, that sounds fine. (I do love him, he just has no tact, and no sense of when to stop.)

As to the elves - no need to move anything that's put away. I was more thinking the small personal things. Though, really, I could just leave my bags in the guest room when I come back, and that should cover most of it. The telescope's not that obvious, and I think most of my books migrated to that desk in the library anyway.

(You don't mind that I'm not drawing attention, do you? Just that Diane wants details to a degree that I'd rather not share and Sage has what I hope is a very temporary prudish streak at the moment.)

As to your flying, I've heard you getting more than a few compliments, in between the other conversations. Skill and experience does count for something, you know. But I'm glad you've a pause too. (And from the sounds of it, more than one of them doesn't mind a break either. Both Ron Weasley and Pansy Parkinson were commenting on the fact they felt it the next day.)

I overheard something that makes me think Harry might ask you about Saturday for another outing, but I've no idea if they'll actually coordinate anything.

[alt_rabastan]

I think I'd rather be around the big, bustling family than the small, cold variety that is my own.

Would I mind discussing the details of the last two decades of quidditch? I guess you don't remember that New Year's Eve party and how that was mostly all anyone was doing, eh? But don't worry, I'll steer the conversation to more inclusive topics as needed.

I don't mind- they're your family, after all. But with the kind of reputation I've carried around the last fifteen years or so, I doubt they think we've dedicated ourselves to a "chaste courtship."

Ah, good to know on the flying. I'll see if I can ask Harry about it tomorrow.

[alt_sinistra]

In that case, I am glad to provide the big bustling family. Just tell me if it gets too much? Mum and Dad really do approve of you and want you to feel welcome and included.

As to the Quidditch - well, I didn't think the topic was the problem. More that Theo does tend to go in for the "listening to pearls drop from the lips of the sage", which can be a little tedious when one would prefer actual conversation. (That, and the fact he and Diane have been the big fans in the family. Not that I'm not coming round, mind you, and especially after setting up your present for you. Quite looking forward to watching games more intelligently at school this fall, even.)

As to chaste or not - of course they should be able to figure it out if they think about it. But I do hate people prying for the very private details (and people do, when they get me alone - Diane's better than many, there, even.)

To be fair to Sage, she broke up with her first serious boyfriend a few months ago, and I gather he was neither particularly skilled, nor at all interested in improving. But until she comes round to the idea that there's other options out there who do far better (and yes, I mean you, among others), there's no talking to her about it. She is even more stubborn than I am.

(Poppy and I were talking before the end of term about the abysmal state of relationship and sexual education, actually. Clearly, I've failed as an older sister, and once Sage is up for talking about the topic again, I'll fix some of that.)

And Dad, well. He knows better. Could hardly be married to Mum and not. But he's said that's the problem with raising daughters. We go off and grow up and become adults, and he remembers us being five or eight, or eleven. Sweetness and innocence and needing all the protection in the world. And harder for him because you're the first of my relationships he's really ever met. So it's kinder to give him small steps, and let Mum help, than be too blatant.

Right. They'll be finishing with the ghost tour soon (I took a break outside, to enjoy the evening since it's clear enough for a bit, as I've seen it often enough now.)

Sleep well, love, when you get there.