Basil looked at Atticus' last letter and frowned. He did so despise the tone he could practically hear seeping through the ink in this letter. He wrankled at the very thought of being shoved into a ballroom, and being reminded of such duties only put the Transfiguration professor in a foul mood. Using Merlin's similar bad mood as an excuse, he didn't deign to reply - knowing that if he did it would just start a childish argument over post. Instead, he gave Merlin a piece of his breakfast and tucked the letter away, hoping his mood would not seep into the rest of the day.

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