Private Message to Lucius Malfoy

[alt_mcgonagall]

Lucius, has there been any movement on the tournament negotiations? I only ask because a little bird told me they were nearing completion. It would be most useful to have as much advance knowledge as possible of the numbers of attendees and the specifics of the courses, assuming of course that all goes well. The castle's magic is not quite as responsive as one might wish; it will take some coaxing to prepare for the sort of spectacle that has been suggested, with such long-term visitors.

Comments

[alt_lucius]

Yes, in fact, I had planned to send you an owl before the end of next week, myself.

I've a Floo call scheduled for myself, Fudge, Rousseau and Froissart on Monday. I believe Selwyn and Lewellyn-Davis are speaking with Igor and Propopov early next week as well. Certainly the hope was that we would have news in time for next Thursday's Governors' meeting.

Speaking of the Governors' meeting, I plan to arrive thirty minutes ahead of schedule to consult the book. Kindly have it ready for review. Fudge wants to be able to announce that the theories are working and mudblood births down, despite the alarming number of new infants born in the camps in recent months. Do you know nearly all the camps in the west country have requested additional staff to accommodate the birth rate? Sometimes I wonder if we're wise to allow them the freedom to mate.

In any event, I shall need to verify whether the birth rate of mudbloods has in fact lowered compared to that of the muggles.

Oh - and I presume that you assisted Barty in his quest to read that ridiculous play for himself? I almost dug out my Governors' copy again to re-read it myself, if only for the humour of it. If he's still searching, I'll give it to him to-morrow. At least it's a comedy.

[alt_mcgonagall]

Excellent. One less thing for me to worry about, then - until Thursday, at least.

Of course. I don't think you'll be concerned - the rates are lower than ever, despite the baby boom. They must be making up for the stress of the illnesses. I wonder whether the population is merely evening itself out?

As for Barty, no. I see no reason to end his agonies. You know perfectly well that he'll only fuss about his own portrayal - no sense of humour, that one.

[alt_lucius]

Fudge will be pleased, then. The successful curbing of the muggleborn population is, after all, integral to his platform - and his measures of improvement for the administration.

Ah, but you see, that's why giving him the script is a perfect distraction for him. He'll scowl himself into fits and we'll have the real entertainment of watching the process. I've already made sure that his friends have some choice material for his birthday to-morrow - though they did not get it from me, of course.

In truth, the thing I worry about most is that too many of your pupils will decide to come to us for 'realistic' coaching as to our own younger selves. Fortunately, Narcissa warned your Professor Sinistra of as much. But in Barty's case that poor girl might find herself at the business end of a wand. Greengrass, isn't it? Well. Whether they are near the mark or far from it, either way, the performance ought to be diverting.