Owl: To all former Slytherins
Date: May 7, 2005
Character(s): Horace Slughorn, Owl to ALL known former slytherins
Location: Horace's Home
Status: Private (or as private as a large number of owled messages can be)
Summary: Horace hopes to re-kindle traditional values
Completion: Incomplete
Horace looked at the latest Soot Remover advertisement and smiled. With Julian Avery's legal help he'd persuaded Amalgamated Consolidated Potions to withdraw their stocks of the potion and relaunch it with a more dignified advertisement and an improved formula. There was still a little skrewt in there - and what that said about their quality control didn't bear thinking about - but at least it would last five or six months between treatments now. They'd even put an apostrophe after his name, so that now it was "Old Slughorn's Soot Suppressor" - not exactly dignified, but at least it was gramatically correct. Hopefully that chapter of his life would stay closed as long as the royalties continued to come in.
For the first time in weeks Horace found himself thinking about a future in which he was not a public laughing-stock, his name not a byword for incompetent potions work. It was time to move on, time to get do something more positive, for himself and for the community. And he'd known for months what it would have to be. He was done with letting sleeping dogs lie.
He dug into a drawer and found a stack of headed parchment, reminded himself again how the old mail duplication spell worked, and began to compose a letter...
The Old Slytherin's Association
C/o Prof. H.R.F. Slughorn
Stoatshead Hill
EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING,
19TH MAY 2005,
STOATSHEAD TOWN HALL
Dear former Slytherin,
As you may know the last Old Slytherin's meeting was held in the late nineties, shortly before the outbreak of all-out hostilities. At that time it was decided that the Association would suspend all activities until conditions were more stable, with conditions for a resumption to be determined by the then Secretary, the late Ernest Bletchley, who unfortunately did not survive the war.
Under Rule XIX of the constitution of the Association, in the event of the death of the Secretary, the Head of Slytherin becomes Acting Secretary pending the appointment of a new Secretary by the Committee. In the event there was no Head of Slytherin at the time of the former Secretary's death, so the role of Acting Secretary reverted to myself as the most recent former Head of Slytherin. Unfortunately one of the duties of the Acting Secretary is to call Committee meetings and general meetings of the Association. Since I was not in fact aware that this role had passed to me until late last year there has been a long hiatus in association activities. Unfortunately other business has occupied my time since my return to Britain, and I can only apologise for the long delay.
In view of the death or indefinite absence of so many members of the Committee, I feel that the best way to proceed is to call an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association, with all former Slytherins eligible to vote in a new Committee, Secretary, etc. etc. I would also suggest that the future role of the Old Slytherins might also be discussed at such a meeting. To this end I have learned that Stoatshead Hill Town Hall will be available on the 19th of this month, and have booked it from 2pm to 6pm.
Agenda:
[Minutes of the last meeting are unfortunately not available for reading]
Nomination and Election of new Committee
Nomination and Election of new Secretary
Nomination and Election of new Chairman
Further agenda to be decided by new Committee
Please note that the meeting must be quorate before elections etc. can occur. The minimum quorum under the existing Rules of the Association is 13. All former members of Slytherin House are eligible to vote, irrespective of any previous involvement in the Association.
Light refreshments will be available. I would be grateful if those planning to attend could let me know, so that I can make appropriate catering arrangements.
Prof. H.R.F. Slughorn
Acting Secretary
Horace read through the letter and decided that it would do. No doubt most of the youngsters would see this as a crude grab for power and influence, but they'd be wrong. He was seriously concerned about the future of the wizarding community, and to his mind the old Houses were the best hope for some continuity. Now if he could only convince enough people to agree with him...
He cast the duplication spell, and waited while dozens of copies were made, then took them to the owlery. Paracelsus was looking a little bored, and his lady-friend hadn't been around recently. A few hours of brisk mail delivery would do him the world of good.
Character(s): Horace Slughorn, Owl to ALL known former slytherins
Location: Horace's Home
Status: Private (or as private as a large number of owled messages can be)
Summary: Horace hopes to re-kindle traditional values
Completion: Incomplete
Horace looked at the latest Soot Remover advertisement and smiled. With Julian Avery's legal help he'd persuaded Amalgamated Consolidated Potions to withdraw their stocks of the potion and relaunch it with a more dignified advertisement and an improved formula. There was still a little skrewt in there - and what that said about their quality control didn't bear thinking about - but at least it would last five or six months between treatments now. They'd even put an apostrophe after his name, so that now it was "Old Slughorn's Soot Suppressor" - not exactly dignified, but at least it was gramatically correct. Hopefully that chapter of his life would stay closed as long as the royalties continued to come in.
For the first time in weeks Horace found himself thinking about a future in which he was not a public laughing-stock, his name not a byword for incompetent potions work. It was time to move on, time to get do something more positive, for himself and for the community. And he'd known for months what it would have to be. He was done with letting sleeping dogs lie.
He dug into a drawer and found a stack of headed parchment, reminded himself again how the old mail duplication spell worked, and began to compose a letter...
The Old Slytherin's Association
C/o Prof. H.R.F. Slughorn
Stoatshead Hill
EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING,
19TH MAY 2005,
STOATSHEAD TOWN HALL
Dear former Slytherin,
As you may know the last Old Slytherin's meeting was held in the late nineties, shortly before the outbreak of all-out hostilities. At that time it was decided that the Association would suspend all activities until conditions were more stable, with conditions for a resumption to be determined by the then Secretary, the late Ernest Bletchley, who unfortunately did not survive the war.
Under Rule XIX of the constitution of the Association, in the event of the death of the Secretary, the Head of Slytherin becomes Acting Secretary pending the appointment of a new Secretary by the Committee. In the event there was no Head of Slytherin at the time of the former Secretary's death, so the role of Acting Secretary reverted to myself as the most recent former Head of Slytherin. Unfortunately one of the duties of the Acting Secretary is to call Committee meetings and general meetings of the Association. Since I was not in fact aware that this role had passed to me until late last year there has been a long hiatus in association activities. Unfortunately other business has occupied my time since my return to Britain, and I can only apologise for the long delay.
In view of the death or indefinite absence of so many members of the Committee, I feel that the best way to proceed is to call an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association, with all former Slytherins eligible to vote in a new Committee, Secretary, etc. etc. I would also suggest that the future role of the Old Slytherins might also be discussed at such a meeting. To this end I have learned that Stoatshead Hill Town Hall will be available on the 19th of this month, and have booked it from 2pm to 6pm.
Agenda:
[Minutes of the last meeting are unfortunately not available for reading]
Nomination and Election of new Committee
Nomination and Election of new Secretary
Nomination and Election of new Chairman
Further agenda to be decided by new Committee
Please note that the meeting must be quorate before elections etc. can occur. The minimum quorum under the existing Rules of the Association is 13. All former members of Slytherin House are eligible to vote, irrespective of any previous involvement in the Association.
Light refreshments will be available. I would be grateful if those planning to attend could let me know, so that I can make appropriate catering arrangements.
Prof. H.R.F. Slughorn
Acting Secretary
Horace read through the letter and decided that it would do. No doubt most of the youngsters would see this as a crude grab for power and influence, but they'd be wrong. He was seriously concerned about the future of the wizarding community, and to his mind the old Houses were the best hope for some continuity. Now if he could only convince enough people to agree with him...
He cast the duplication spell, and waited while dozens of copies were made, then took them to the owlery. Paracelsus was looking a little bored, and his lady-friend hadn't been around recently. A few hours of brisk mail delivery would do him the world of good.