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[alt_ginny]

I saw Honoria Sandoval today because we met up in New London for ice cream. I just needed to

Anyway she told me her sister Lana Sandoval-Pennifold is going to be the new Dark Arts professor. Not for the NEWT students, just all the younger ones -- Honoria was relieved about that because she says she can't imagine ANYTHING worse than having to have a class from Lana.

She was a little surprised because she doesn't think Lana will be a very good teacher (and she certainly hasn't ever acted interested in teaching!) but apparently Dolohov is going to tutor her personally in Dark Arts so she can 'have her Mastery,' what does that even mean? I mean there are standards for Mastery in Potions and that actually means something, like you're allowed to brew certain very difficult potions and people can trust them, so what's a Mastery in Dark Arts for, exactly?

Honoria had no idea but said her sister's a Ravenclaw through and through and they'll do ANYTHING for more knowledge and they'll stand on their head and whistle if that's what it takes to get a special paper saying they're the CLEVEREST AND BEST EVER. (And then she admitted Luna's nothing like that, but she thinks Luna should've been Sorted into Gryffindor with the two of us, anyway.)

Comments

[alt_justin]

Hullo, Ginny,

I say, I wonder how Patil will react to learning that her heroine is going to be at school, knowing all the while that she's failed to follow in Sandoval-Pennifold's footsteps!

At any rate, I can tell you that Professor Dolohov's Mastery of Noble Arts was conferred on him by the Cairo Conclave for the Noble Arts. It's one of the world's foremost bodies for study of Dark Arts, what, and it's a bally well rigourous programme, from what he's told me.

Er, he might have mentioned it once or twice in our conversations, what. Though I'd no idea he had his eye on her as an apprentice. I say, Cedric, had you heard anything about that from him?

-Justin

[alt_ginny]

Well she followed her onto the Council, even if she didn't manage to become Head Girl. I don't know that she'll exactly think she's FAILED at anything.

[alt_justin]

I'm afraid you don't know Patil very well. Sad to say, I've spent more than a little time with her over the last year. I believe it's fair to say, regardless of Professor Dolohov's reasons for choosing Daphne, Padma will consider the loss as a deficiency in her record. That's not to say she might actually bally well consider why she wasn't selected or find any fault in herself that might explain the choice, what, only that she jolly well thinks of every academic position as a race, if you follow me, and that if Daphne has earned the accolade, then by definition, Padma has not won.

You're probably quite right that she is using the Council as a sop to her ego, however.

I say, she'd likely be well furious to discover that she wasn't the top student in the year, either, what!

-Justin

[alt_sinistra]

Catching up - yesterday was very long.

Mastery, it depends on the field. Usually some combination of demonstrating skill and knowledge, some kind of independent research, and then a lot of convincing existing Masters in the field not to laugh you out of the room.

More complicated in this case, because there's neither an academic body for the Dark Arts here, nor a guild of any kind, but his word about her skill would do her a lot of good, obviously.

The good news is that preparing for that kind of thing is enormously time-consuming. And in very different ways than just being busy at work in the ordinary course of a job. (Working toward mine was - very all-involving, but I won't bore you with details.)

As to what it's for, well, recognition (when people could travel, that mattered a lot more, mind.) Certain rights and privileges and obligations (mine are more formal, because of the Guild, but I could - should - take an apprentice, and there are ways it gives a framework for interactions with other people in the field.)

Plus, of course, for people who really love whatever field it is, getting to spend time doing that intensively while you're training.