The Rose Bushes

"It is lovely." Horatio bent slightly to smell a large rose. "The fragrance is sweet in the air, like honey." He sighed. "It is a wonderful garden."

Kiara smiled "I am glad you like it, quite a relaxing here and the smell is quite nice"

Then glancing at a nearby tree she saw Saturn.

"Saturn, come over you silly bird and introduce your self"

A second later Saturn glided on to Kiara's arm.

Horatio removed his pipe from his mouth blowing out a smoke shaped phoenix. "Saturn, what a lovely name for an equally radiant bird."

Kiara nodded, "Isn't it... Allow me to introduce Saturn my animal familiar, you may see her pop around from time to time" she said as she stroked the pheonix and threads of the blue fire licked her hand.

Horatio smiled at the bird. "A pleasure to meet you, Saturn. I am certain you would have gotten along well with my own familiar, a red Phoenix named Rufous. Sadly though he is no longer with me." A brief glimmer of sadness washed over the older man's features passing on quickly to a more thoughtful expression. He smiled again. "I have never seen a blue Phoenix before, it is quite rare."

Kiara nodded "Yes I found her when I was only 14.... I am sorry to hear your Pheonix is no longer with you. If anything happened to Saturn I don't really know what who happen... and she says it is a pleasure to meet you as well"

Horatio bowed. "I am honoured that she is pleased to meet me." Reaching behind him, he plucked a rose from the bushes and waved his hand over it. The rose slowly changed colour until it was blue. "Here you are, Kiara. The flower may not compare well to your beauty, but at least it is an addition to it." He tucked the blossom into her hair.

Kiara blushed deeply at the complement and just managed to cast a fire proofing charm of the rose before she started glowing due to the blue flames that surrounded her.

"You much are to kind Horatio" she said toning the fire down until they were merely flames liicking her hands again and the blush still planly on her face.

"Not at all. Flowers need admiration as do lovely women." He crossed his arms. "You have a man in your life, do you not?" in his mind, he doubted that she did, due to the fact that he had not seen any evidence of her being married, engaged or involved.

Kiara riased eye brow at the question.

"No.. not anymore" she said unsure what he was getting at.

Horatio nodded. "A pity." he continued to walk on, pulling Kiara gently along with him. "Tell me more about Professor DeLanquar. How long has she worked here?"

Kiara went with him, she found his manner odd, but she found she didn't mind. She also couldn't help but wonder. "A pity? what did he mean by that"

"Eglantine started in September, she was one of the first professors I hired"

"And where did she work before that? If it is not too much trouble." he smiled broadly.

"She did teach transfiguration's at Beauxbatons some years ago, and she also taught in the muggle world when her husband was still alive" Kiara said.

Then something occurred to her "Why do you not ask her all this? why ask me?"

Horatio chuckled as if Kiara had asked him why he only possessed one head.
"She does not seem to be a person who enjoys telling strangers all about herself. Rather quiet. What about that Professor of the DADA?"

Kiara smiled "Quite reserved as well I am afraid, and Eglantine is not impossible you know she just needs to feel more comfortable around you, same for Sevastyan. Me telling you all I know of them won't help, they need to trust you"

"How do you think I know so much about them? They told me"

Horatio grinned. "I figured as much, my dear. Most people have to trust someone at least a bit before they spill their darkest secrets." he chuckled softly. "I suppose I just miss being in everyone's trust. You see I lived over sixty years with twelve men who trusted me like a brother or a father. Then I returned to England and stayed with my great-niece and her family, they trusted me as well. And now, I find myself amid "strangers" for the first time in many many years...the feeling is a strange one." He stuck his pipe back into his mouth.
"Though I am certain I will get used to it. Never fear."

Kiara tilted her head, being trusted by everyone most of your life was rather alien to her as she and her family weren't close at all when they were alive. So she trusted them to be untrustworthy. She supposed that was way she tried to earn peoples trust so readily.

"You just need to get to know them, talk to them, they will come around. I suppose that s where we are opposites, I never lived with people that trusted me right away, nor I them, which is why I try to get to know people as much as I can, it seems to work well" she said.

Horatio nodded. "It is a gift you have, Kiara. Of that I am certain. For an old man like me, I will have to apply myself."

Kiara smiled "It is not hard, come on try me, there are many thing you don't know about me and I you. Asking me anything you want, anything you may find odd about me? I will do my best to answer"

Horatio glanced down at her. "Odd about you...? Well besides your desire to befriend an old coot, you seem fairly sane."

Kiara smiled although a bit sadly she thought for a moment, then she decided to go out on a limb "You do not find it odd I have never live with some who trusted me initially?.... even my own family"

Horatio dropped his gaze to the grassy cobblestones.
"Sadly, I do not. It is sad and doubtless should not be the case, but... many a young woman in this day and age appears to have no one to trust or care for her. War seems to kill in more than one way. Is it because you are muggleborn that your family distrusts you?"

"Partly, My father saw Voldemort kill his brother and his parents, when is was discovered I had magic he believed I would be like him.. he left when I was 5. As for my mother she blamed me for father leaving. needless to say we did not get along"

Horatio looked deeply disturbed. "That is awful." he stated, his deep voice almost a growl. "Blaming a child for something that could never have been her fault." He shook his white head. "My own mother abandoned me on my family's doorstep. I assume to this day that I was an unwanted child that she could not care of, probably my father and her were not married. But I had a wonderful childhood with my family. Two of my brothers were adopted as well, so I fitted right in." He sighed.