Yes, they're a major offence there. Sometimes life imprisonment and sometimes one's wand gets snapped. There have been a few cases where someone's proven a 'justifiable cause' but not bloody well often, what? Pepin told us it was perhaps twice in the last century that an exception was made for someone, and usually that was the Imperius (that's what you call the one that makes one do one's bidding, right?). I think there was one time when someone used the Cruciatus to gain intelligence about someone who'd collaborated with the Nazis and was hiding in France. But that was a truly remarkable case and not likely to be repeated, what?

That's good news about the 'pink parchment' mystery. The way your Professor McGonagall said it I thought surely everyone knew what it meant. Only Hydra didn't either, do you see, although she had heard that it was Miss Calderwood and she guessed it had to do with attacking a Professor.

Now, Sinistra. She's your Dark Arts teacher, then? The rather heavy-set one with chin whiskers? I can well understand the temptation, if so. But plotting to harm a teacher is still rather dire, what, no matter the provocation!