Hello, anyone around?

[Debbie]

> Miss H suddenly realised she was talking entirely to herself. 
> 
> A litter of chocolate wrappers, gin bottles and party plates 
covered 
> the floor. As the catalogue office hardly qualified as a stately 
home, 
> it didn't come with a house elf. 'Evanesco' she said vaguely, 
waving a 
> ruler. Nothing happened.
> 
> Well, when in doubt go down the pub. The George beckoned down on 
the 
> sea shore. Kneasy was bound to be there, complaining about 
something...
> 
> Cheered by this thought, Miss H snapped shut the front door, the 
draft 
> blowing a whole heap of neatly tidied posts off her desk into a 
muddle 
> on the floor.


A rustling of posts was heard and an elfin Deb emerged from beneath 
the muddle of posts on the floor, neatly stacking the fallen posts in 
a pile on Miss H's desk.

"Was that Miss H?  I thought I heard someone speaking but shrugged it 
off as a hallucination.  That is, till the door slammed."  Stuffing 
several small piles of posts into her pocket, Debbie left the mouldy, 
cobwebby Catalogue office and rushed to the Royal George where Miss H 
was ordering a glass of George's finest single malt whiskey.

"Miss H!  I almost missed you!  Look!" Debbie cried, pulling out the 
posts from her pocket.  "500 Snape posts.  All reviewed.  And here's 
the next 100, which I'm just beginning to sort out.  Now if I can 
just have a moment of your time.  I've got a couple of issues."

But Miss M was listening to George.  "Your drink, ma'am."  Taking the 
glass, she headed for a table in the corner, where Kneasy was holding 
forth.  Hmm, Debbie thought, she hasn't looked so cheerful in 
months.  

"Never mind.  I'll work out those issues myself.  Right now, it's 
party time!  George, a Cosmopolitan for me, please."

Debbie
thinking perhaps we should take bets on how many deaths there will be 
in Book 7