XXXVI.

[alt_lana]

It's really odd now that Orion and Honoria have gone off to school, and I'm still here in New London. So different from last year! Now I'm pretty much at the bottom of my cohort. Or I feel that way. I've got so much to learn. And sometimes it seems I'll never get there.

Oh, I'm not hopeless, I guess. And it's not like I don't understand what we're meant to do. It's just that I'm so slow and not at all as certain as I thought I'd be.

Anywiz, Mr Crouch said it's mostly a matter of drilling, and he said that's what training's for. And then he hexed me halfway across the sparring dungeon. Ha! Luckily, Ms Forney gave us a list of the best bruise salves and headache powders for this sort of thing, and she taught us some good basic triage spells to use on ourselves, so I'm not faring too badly.

I've lost a load of weight, though. I hadn't really noticed, but they weighed us today, and I've lost a stone without trying to at all. It's a good thing I don't have to wear any of my dress robes soon. I tried on the ones from my presentation, and they just hung off me. Not in a good way, either.

I plan to stuff myself tonight, though. Yaxley, have you decided whether you're able to come along for dinner? We're meeting at Bubble and Squeak at half-seven, but if you can't make that, just come along to Highgate. It's going to be awesome. I hear Burdett-Coutts has got the Dead Ringers playing tonight. I've never heard them, but Pennifold says Curtis has an awesome voice that's only got better since he came back a ghost. I can't wait. So. We'll see you one place or the other, right?

Comments

[alt_lana]

Well. Do you know Melania Featherstone? She flies for the Wanderers, but she was in town and turned up last evening with Dymphna Calhoun. You know, the actress. I guess they're mates. Anyway, they brought a flock of photographers with them. Burdett-Coutts must've been chuffed about the publicity.

Cilla Hewett was there, too, but I didn't see her husband. I guess the Pride had a match. Or that's what Pennifold said. Pity. Mendick Hewett's well fit. Did you see he was on the cover of Whirl sometime in July, I think. There must've been ten pages of pictures--all his greatest plays, plus pictures of him out and about at the clubs or at ribbon cuttings and visits to kids at St Mungo's.

But last night was mostly just a great lot of people getting out after the working week, you know. Just people like us. But it was dead amazing music and really great to wander around Highgate. It's like a city for ghosts, you know. And they were out in force, dancing with us and showing us around the avenues and into the crypts. You just didn't want to go in the places where they were offering drinks or food.

[alt_padma]

Well, I've heard of them, certainly. I think Mrs Hewett comes in Mum's shop sometimes.

It's so strange, really, to think of people like that - like just other people you could dance next to or whatever. Like how so many people are saying they 'know' Cal Crockford, now that he's playing professionally. I suppose we'll do the same once we've left and we're all doing amazing and important things, too. Sort of makes me wish I were already done with school.

Except that we're not done learning yet.