Letter 6: Minerva McGonagall to Severus Snape, 8th December 1997

A/N: For simplicity’s sake, titles of books, journals etc are underlined and emphases are italicised. In reviving the old tradition of epistolary novels, I understand the plot may be a little slow, laborious and difficult to follow. Some might consider it AU and a little OOC.

In order not to weary the reader’s patience, a number of letters from the series of correspondences have been suppressed; only those which are necessary to a complete understanding of the events in this group are reproduced. For the same reason, some letters from the actors in the events of this drama have also been suppressed.

Proestigium or What the Seasons may Bring

Letter 6: Minerva McGonagall to Severus Snape, 8th December 1997

Transfigurations Office,

Hogwarts.

8th December 1997

Dear Severus,

I trust that your latest sojourn to Canterbury and Dover was a success. Thank you for the rose tea. Albus also extends his thanks for the chocolate orange fudge. I hope that everything is all right at the home front. You do not usually disappear on weekends with prior notice. I was quite at a lost when deciphering your punctilious note. Tell me, my boy, what am I to make of your phlegmatic, “Prof A.D., Am gone for weekend to Sandwich and its environs on a slight matter of honour. Will return by Sunday evening. S.S.”?

Albus was called away for a meeting with the Ministry and their plans for you-know-what in the future; otherwise, he would have read and understood your note. As it turns out, when he returned, he DID understand your intent and assured me that you were much too prudent to engage in a duel over a woman or a family member. Yet, I cannot remove the thought in my mind that you must have been called away on a family emergency. I am glad to see that you are back safe and sound. Since my husband and ‘godson’ refuse to tell me anything, ‘godmother’ will comfort herself with the knowledge that her men-folk are safe.

You will be pleased to know that I have spoken to Miss Granger. She will be undertaking a new project with you when the report for her present one has been filed. This sudden change has struck me as very singular. Miss Granger is as intransigent as you and when she makes up her mind, and there is no changing it. Perhaps she has now grown your sense of responsibility and logic.

Messrs Potter and Weasley will be serving their detentions with you this evening. Likewise, Messrs Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle will be under my supervision for the duration of the evening. It is immaterial who picked the fight; they must learn to respect their fellow schoolmates. Fighting in the middle of the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson is a gross misdemeanour in its own right. Carrying on with it along the corridors while en route to my classroom is an unpardonable offence! What will we tell the parents and guardians of the other children if they get hurt in the ensuing crossfire? While you may be certain that Mr Potter was the perpetrator, I believe it was mutual provocation on both Messrs Malfoy and Potter’s parts. I propose we give our charges stern warnings and appropriate punishments. I will send Messrs Potter and Weasley to you at 6.30pm. Kindly extend me the same courtesy with your students.

Minerva McGonagall.

Footnotes

Proestigium is Latin for illusion. Ironically, the English word Prestige derives from it.

Canterbury, Dover and Sandwich are near Kent. Careful readers will be able to surmise why Severus went there. If you do not know, look to the letter he received from Prufrock on the lecture and you will understand.

Oh and 10 points to readers who picked up on the J. Alfred Prufrock reference.

Some have been asking me what Severus’s initials stand for. You’ll have to wait till the later letters to find out.