Was it just her, or was Hogwarts a lot more boring lately? Maybe it was just boring in comparison to what was going on in the rest of the world.
Over Christmas break, Clytemnestra had been to Diagon Alley and it was hard not to notice the blackened husk where the Buckley Inn used to stand. At least, her mother said that's what it was. She'd never really paid much attention to the building before. Yet another casualty of Death Eater raids, from all accounts.
Now, the building was taped off - a crime scene - and a couple of Aurors stood despondently outside, looking like they wished to be anywhere but on guard duty. It was really their own fault, in Clytemnestra's opinion. If they were more effective at their jobs, the inn probably wouldn't have been attacked in the first place.
But that was Diagon, this was Hogwarts. Perhaps it was because so many crazy things had happened at the school over the years that Clytemnestra felt so strange when the crazy started taking place somewhere else.
She sighed and turned her attention to the plate before her. An array of biscuits she'd begged from the house elves, although considering their enthusiasm to do anything one asked, there had been very little begging involved. It had been almost the other way around, really.
Clytemnestra dunked one in her tea and reflected upon the possibility of having the house elves create a wizarding equivalent of a Tim Tam. She rarely thought muggles had one up on witches and wizards, but sometimes you had to be realistic.