Private Message to L Brown, S Finnigan, E Bones, G Weasley, and B Mackrell

I'm confident every one in the House heard my message last evening. See to it that none of them brings humiliation--or worse--down on our heads. I'm counting on your wialdkjh;badfigjbsvn influe being able to keep order in the ranks.

Trust you got that calming draught into every one of the under-years this morning?

Private Message to M Mullet, L Levingworth, V Catchlove, L Desai, E Pummel, M Scroops, A Yordanova

Just wanted to say how very pleased I was last hour with your performances. Believe it bodes very, very well for OWLs that you were able to overcome whatever nervousness you might have felt. Certainly our visitor today lent even more gravity to the proceedings than any Ministry examiner will do. So, see? Now you can face your exams with full confidence. (Which is not to say that you can give over revising, mind. Only that there's no need for extreme nerves.)

Morwenna and Lavinia: you did our House great honour when you managed the full battery of today's questions without stumble. And Lakshmi, I look forward to telling your Aunt Savitha this afternoon how you calculated all the angles and tempo shifts off the cuff as quickly as I could throw them at you.

Victoria and Eustacia: that was an exemplary demonstration. I heard Our Lord thrum his approval at your nimbleness.

Alexy and Maurice: nearly flawless. Shame about the fifth parry--and about that stumble, Scroops. Still, I believe it was outweighed by Yordanova's attacks and your feints.

That having been said, I don't want any of you thinking you can either rest on your laurels or grow silly over your successes. I expect to see you all carry yourselves with due seriousness this evening and throughout the weekend. Remember: you've set yourselves in His eye now, and it won't do to disappoint His expectations of your excellence.

I suggest you find time for a bit of a rest before supper, so you may come refreshed this evening.

Private Message to R Lestrange

Rod, I wanted you to know that we'll need to postpone meeting re. the paper. I may have to miss the submission deadline, anyway. Unforeseen circumstances and the call of duty.

Our Lord arrived shortly before luncheon and has indicated He'll stay the weekend. You can imagine that we've been rather scrambling since yesterday evening when Broome informed the Headmaster to expect this visitation.

I'll be back in touch when I've a better idea of my calendar again. Possibly I'll have more time than I imagine during exam weeks. I'm having a difficult time remembering that those weeks will look rather different from my current side of the podium.

I'll keep you posted.