Owl Post Service restored to Hogwarts

[alt_selwyn]

Per the vote of the Board of Governors, I am pleased to announce that effective immediately, Hogwarts students may once again receive owl post. At the moment we are restricting this to letters only; we expect parcels to be allowed again in the near future.

Students may also send owls to their families; however, the school owls are still in use at the Ministry. We do expect them to return shortly and look to the Prefects and the Head Girl and Head Boy to set up a system to manage initial demand in a civilised and reasonable way.

I would like to personally thank each and every student and staff member at Hogwarts, especially the Prefects and Head Students, for their fortitude during this difficult time. It has been an exceptionally trying year, and it fills me with pride and confidence in our future to see how our young people have handled themselves.

XXV.

[alt_lana]

I understand that everyone's excited about Director Selwyn's announcement that the Ministry have authorised the resumption of owl post from and to Hogwarts.

HOWEVER!

Before things descend into chaos here, the staff have instituted a lottery system for those wishing to use the remaining school owls. There are only three school owls at the moment and many more of you who would like to employ them--as those of you who queued up outside the owlery this afternoon discovered.

Professors Acton and Vector and their NEWT 6ths and 7ths all put their heads together and came up with a rather elegant solution. Tomorrow at breakfast each of us will be assigned a random number: your number determines your place in the queue for using a school owl. Your number will magically appear on your breakfast plate when you take your place at the table.

If you do not attend the meal, you will not receive a number. No exceptions.

As you move about the castle tomorrow, you will see a lighted globe hovering high overhead in every room and corridor. Every time an owl returns to its roost, someone's number will appear on each and every of these magical counters. The progress of the numbers will be entirely random, so it is simply the luck of the charm whether your number comes round sooner or later.

When your turn arrives, you will proceed to the owlery with your number, which will be cross-checked by the magical sentry Professor Acton has placed on the owlery door. If you cannot remember your number, you will find that you are out of luck and the turn will pass to the next selected number. If you do not arrive at the owlery within twenty minutes of your number's being advertised, your turn will pass to the next selected number. If for some reason you must pass your opportunity when it arrives, your number will return to the pool of as-yet-unused chances and will come up again when fate allows.