Are we forgiven for invading yesterday? I didn't want you to be alone on Lucius' birthday.

I hope you'll consider coming with us tomorrow evening. Karo's newest is a triumph and she does so want you to hear it in person.

At the risk of Narcissa assuming the worst from this message header, wanted to let you know her audience went about as expected. Perhaps worse, in some ways.

One of her house-elves sought us out just before supper last night. The creature was beyond distressed but apparently Narcissa had forbidden it to seek Healer Fletcher. Luckily, Karo and I are under no such restriction.

We're staying with her at the Manor for the time being. She's refusing visitors; indeed, it was difficult to convince her to let us look after her. It took Healer Fletcher's insistence and even then she'll barely admit Karo into her chambers and prefers the elves to tend her.

Still, I knew she'd spoken to you about her intentions and you might be worried. There's nothing you need to do, though news of Barty would clearly ease her temperament. That's if the news is good, naturally. If it's not.... For now, we should keep that from her, I think.

Hope you haven't made any plans because we are going out tonight!

The archives work! Going back to first September. Of course we'd prefer all the way back to June, to pick up anything we might learn about the planning for the Freedom Day disturbances but at least it's back up and running going forward.

I'll give you the technical explanations later tonight if you're interested. Of course, who would be if they didn't have to be, right? It boiled down to something about the older private messages and the number of people reading them, and that number not including the monitors but Cadgewell did...did something impossibly complicated and now the archives are updating automatically, just as they should do.

Oh, and Ned says he heard from Pugh that we since brought the monitors back in August, a whole crop of black market jewellers have been tidily set up and brought in by means of one of Revanche's fake journals. Another reason to celebrate.

I'm just glad Ned's the one dealing directly with the Drudge. He actually asked me if I'd rather make the reports to the Minister once in a while; I told him I'd rather soak my head in armadillo bile. What a fatuous arse. Fudge, of course, not Ned. Has to be the most boring patsy of the whole Protectorate.

Oh, before I forget--I heard through the grapevine that Aunt Narcissa's back at home. Sent her a Harrod's basket but I was thinking we should see if there's anything else we can do to cheer her up. Give it some thought, will you? (Apart from releasing Uncle Lucius, that is, of course. Dammit.)

Anyway. Tonight. Go buy a new frock or something. I'll be home round six and we'll hit the town.