(no subject)
Jun. 29th, 2010 05:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alt_pansyI’m at St James, staying in my usual room, and I’m having ever so much fun. Lucius’s off having tea with Mr Baddock like he usually does on Tuesdays, so I’m trying not to be too much of a bother to Crispin and Percy Weasley while they get all their work done. I did manage to drag away Percy for some tea earlier, and he seems to really like his new job a lot, and I hope he does well, because it really would help him get a job when he leaves school. And I bugged him about you, Ron, and he said you were doing just fine, and I’ve written you a letter just so you know to expect one, and I hope you’ll write back!!
I’ve only been here for two days, but it seems like we’ve done ever so much since I got here. I was sorry to have missed Draco – he’d already gone over to stay with Harry at Buckingham by the time I got in, but we’re seeing the opera together later, so I’ll get to see him and Aunt Narcissa then. Right now, though, it’s just me and Lucius. And Crispin and Percy during the day, of course, and Hildy, who has been spoiling me like crazy. But it’s been nice, not lonely at all, and I’ve been keeping busy. I brought some of the books I’ve been sorting through to read while Lucius was working, and last night we stayed up late talking about what I’d been reading up on with Darby Parkinson’s papers, and he had some good ideas for where to look in the law books in Prospero’s library when I go back.
And we also talked a lot about my dad, and that was nift too. See, when I was looking through the Parkinson family papers, I found a bunch of articles he published on potions theory, for the British National Society for Potioneering, and I’ve been reading them. I knew he kept a laboratory space in our flat, he called it his “puttering room,” and I’d known he was a member of something with potions, but I didn’t know he’d written such an awful lot. One that I just started reading yesterday was a paper he wrote on stirring techniques and how they should be different based on the types of ingredients you’re trying to add and how quickly they need to be integrated in, and I don’t understand all of it, but it was interesting to read how he set up the comparison samples and really tested everything thoroughly, and I think it was really brilliant of him, and I was so proud that was my dad, who wrote that, and that he was clever enough to come up with it in the first place. So we had a good time just sort of sitting around and drinking cocoa (well I had cocoa) and talking about all sorts of interesting things.It was almost like talking with
Today, we got to actually go to the meeting headquarters for the Society for Potioneering, and it was so utterly cool – I mean, they have this enormous meeting room with these carved chairs where all the fellows sit for their monthly meetings, and a room that’s full from floor to ceiling with little bottles that hold samples of every potion that’s ever been invented, and a special garden and greenhouse out back with all sorts of rare plants and things. And current members can apply to get their own potions laboratories right there in the building where they get access to all the best ingredients and special equipment. I got to see the space my dad used to have when he was a fellow, and talk to the lady who was currently using the room. And she’d read some of my dad’s stuff, and she told me about what she was working on, and she was just really brill and nice. And I saw the door to Professor Slughorn’s room too – he’s a “distinguished fellow,” which means he has the room for as long as he’s alive. And then we met the editor for the journal, Mr Fredrickson, I think I’m spelling it wrong, but anyways, he totally remembered my dad, and he shook my hand, and showed me a picture of my dad when he served on the Board of Fellows, and while we were touring around, he tracked down a box of his things that’d been in storage for ages and ages, and gave it to me before we left. I’m planning on going through it thoroughly tonight.
And we also got to go to the New London Art Gallery, and the British Wizarding History Museum. I hadn’t been to the art gallery in ages. They had this really wizard photography exhibit that was funny and very modern –- random people jumping up and down in slow-motion in with all these bright colours swirling around behind them. And I got to see the newest exhibits in the History Museum too, and they had this nift part about ancient Potions, and I also got to see Slytherin’s suit of mail. It really was beautiful, and so smooth – all the plates were tiny, like scales on a snake, and were jointed so they would shift around and bend and not have any openings at all. I wonder if Regulus got a chance to see it at all. It’s something he would’ve liked, I think. Well, I always have to twist mum’s arm off to go to museums, because she’d rather go shopping and she wouldn’t ever let me go on my own, so it was really nice for Lucius to take me.
Tomorrow we’re off to the Baddocks, and I’m going to meet with Mr Baddock to fill out all the paperwork that needs to be filed once mum gets married to Prospero. Because she won’t be a Parkinson any more, and even if she and Prospero have kids, they’ll be Campbells, not Parkinsons. So the vault and the flat and other family things will go to me once I come of age, and mum gets a monthly income from Gringotts that will go to me instead once she gets married. I finally got mum to give me our vault key, because she wasn’t going to give it to me at first, she thought I’d lose it, and they aren’t getting married till Christmas so she wanted to hold off, but it’s ever so much easier to fill out all the paperwork right now instead of making a special trip in addition to the wedding AND hols, and Mr Baddock probably would want to spend Christmas with his family, not working on my paperwork.
After I’m done meeting with Mr Baddock, I’ll get to spend time with Lucy and Antonia and Natalie, and Malcolm too. Lucy heard how keen I was on museums, so I guess we’re all going to the Children’s Museum of London History (which is their favourite), and then to the park.
And that’s all that I can think of for now. Sally-Anne, I found some really beautiful post-cards at the Art Gallery, and I’m sending you one tomorrow. So it's all been really great so far, and I can't wait for the rest of it.
I’ve only been here for two days, but it seems like we’ve done ever so much since I got here. I was sorry to have missed Draco – he’d already gone over to stay with Harry at Buckingham by the time I got in, but we’re seeing the opera together later, so I’ll get to see him and Aunt Narcissa then. Right now, though, it’s just me and Lucius. And Crispin and Percy during the day, of course, and Hildy, who has been spoiling me like crazy. But it’s been nice, not lonely at all, and I’ve been keeping busy. I brought some of the books I’ve been sorting through to read while Lucius was working, and last night we stayed up late talking about what I’d been reading up on with Darby Parkinson’s papers, and he had some good ideas for where to look in the law books in Prospero’s library when I go back.
And we also talked a lot about my dad, and that was nift too. See, when I was looking through the Parkinson family papers, I found a bunch of articles he published on potions theory, for the British National Society for Potioneering, and I’ve been reading them. I knew he kept a laboratory space in our flat, he called it his “puttering room,” and I’d known he was a member of something with potions, but I didn’t know he’d written such an awful lot. One that I just started reading yesterday was a paper he wrote on stirring techniques and how they should be different based on the types of ingredients you’re trying to add and how quickly they need to be integrated in, and I don’t understand all of it, but it was interesting to read how he set up the comparison samples and really tested everything thoroughly, and I think it was really brilliant of him, and I was so proud that was my dad, who wrote that, and that he was clever enough to come up with it in the first place. So we had a good time just sort of sitting around and drinking cocoa (well I had cocoa) and talking about all sorts of interesting things.
Today, we got to actually go to the meeting headquarters for the Society for Potioneering, and it was so utterly cool – I mean, they have this enormous meeting room with these carved chairs where all the fellows sit for their monthly meetings, and a room that’s full from floor to ceiling with little bottles that hold samples of every potion that’s ever been invented, and a special garden and greenhouse out back with all sorts of rare plants and things. And current members can apply to get their own potions laboratories right there in the building where they get access to all the best ingredients and special equipment. I got to see the space my dad used to have when he was a fellow, and talk to the lady who was currently using the room. And she’d read some of my dad’s stuff, and she told me about what she was working on, and she was just really brill and nice. And I saw the door to Professor Slughorn’s room too – he’s a “distinguished fellow,” which means he has the room for as long as he’s alive. And then we met the editor for the journal, Mr Fredrickson, I think I’m spelling it wrong, but anyways, he totally remembered my dad, and he shook my hand, and showed me a picture of my dad when he served on the Board of Fellows, and while we were touring around, he tracked down a box of his things that’d been in storage for ages and ages, and gave it to me before we left. I’m planning on going through it thoroughly tonight.
And we also got to go to the New London Art Gallery, and the British Wizarding History Museum. I hadn’t been to the art gallery in ages. They had this really wizard photography exhibit that was funny and very modern –- random people jumping up and down in slow-motion in with all these bright colours swirling around behind them. And I got to see the newest exhibits in the History Museum too, and they had this nift part about ancient Potions, and I also got to see Slytherin’s suit of mail. It really was beautiful, and so smooth – all the plates were tiny, like scales on a snake, and were jointed so they would shift around and bend and not have any openings at all. I wonder if Regulus got a chance to see it at all. It’s something he would’ve liked, I think. Well, I always have to twist mum’s arm off to go to museums, because she’d rather go shopping and she wouldn’t ever let me go on my own, so it was really nice for Lucius to take me.
Tomorrow we’re off to the Baddocks, and I’m going to meet with Mr Baddock to fill out all the paperwork that needs to be filed once mum gets married to Prospero. Because she won’t be a Parkinson any more, and even if she and Prospero have kids, they’ll be Campbells, not Parkinsons. So the vault and the flat and other family things will go to me once I come of age, and mum gets a monthly income from Gringotts that will go to me instead once she gets married. I finally got mum to give me our vault key, because she wasn’t going to give it to me at first, she thought I’d lose it, and they aren’t getting married till Christmas so she wanted to hold off, but it’s ever so much easier to fill out all the paperwork right now instead of making a special trip in addition to the wedding AND hols, and Mr Baddock probably would want to spend Christmas with his family, not working on my paperwork.
After I’m done meeting with Mr Baddock, I’ll get to spend time with Lucy and Antonia and Natalie, and Malcolm too. Lucy heard how keen I was on museums, so I guess we’re all going to the Children’s Museum of London History (which is their favourite), and then to the park.
And that’s all that I can think of for now. Sally-Anne, I found some really beautiful post-cards at the Art Gallery, and I’m sending you one tomorrow. So it's all been really great so far, and I can't wait for the rest of it.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 01:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 01:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 02:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:39 am (UTC)To Teddy, hah.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:49 am (UTC)After all, I am a girl.
And as you know, all girls just love enormous floofy lacy flowery things with bows, and spending hours choosing random things like centerpieces and what colour the champagne is going to be.
Vom.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:57 am (UTC)I guess it's different when it's your own and all, but I just don't see the point in obsessing over which precise shade of blue the napkins should be so they'll perfectly match the stripe in the Campbell tartan.
Because no-one will ever care if it is or not, except my mum.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:59 am (UTC)Nevermind, I don't want to know.
You have my sympathies.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 04:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:35 am (UTC)You're not going back to France this summer again, are you?
no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 03:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-30 04:02 am (UTC)I can't imagine what London used to be like. I mean, what it was really like, with all the crowds and the petrolmobiles and areoplanes and things. I'd bet it was at least a little like Paris. It must've been really loud.