Several Metres from the Whomping Willow...

Kiara smiled "Yes Juria is really sweet, I expect you will get along famously with her..." she paused thinks what to say for his other question.

"and yes it isn't my place to say... once she gets to know you she will tell about her past" Kiara explained.

"So what else are you two doing together other then the ball?" she asked. "If I may ask of course"

Ethan nodded, figuring just as much. Juria's prerogative, after all. Mysterious, though... but the wizard rather liked mysteries.

"What else?" he asked, confused at first. "Oh, no, it's fine - we're not doing anything... odd. Great Merlin, no, we only just met," Ethan laughed off his initial interpretation of the question. "Um... well, let's see: she told me the ball would be her first ever date... so I offered to take her out to lunch on the weekend as a kind-of date. And I also told her that if she was busy that weekend that I'd bring the lunch date to her," he explained with his trademark grin.

"And we've agreed to tutor the other in our fields: I have a passing knowledge of medical magic, and she one in Herbology...

"Erm... speaking of Herbology... could I get your opinion on something, Kiara?" Ethan asked, fidgeting with a button on his cloak. It had been a while since he really looked at flowers from this point of view, and he was a little uncomfortable about seeking advice. After all: he'd been married once already, for Merlin's sake!

Kiara smiled, yes juria needed someone friendly and sweet like Ethan. He was slighlty to talkive for her.. but he was perfect for Juria.

"That is very nice of you, I would say Lunch is the perfect first date for Juria" said Kiara with a nod.

When he asked about herbolaogy and advise form her she gave him a very confused look. Herbology wasn't really her strong point.

"Umm sure Ethan but Herbology isn't my strong point, but I will try my best..." she said, very curious as what is could be.

"You think so? I was worried she thought it would be a stupid idea... I mean, who really goes out on a lunch date these days?" Ethan chattered, shrugging a moment later. "I daresay she was even more shocked when I asked her out for the weekend, too.

"Doesn't seem to get out much, Juria... so I've told her I'd make it a point to visit often as well, tutoring exchanges aside."

The wizard just barely caught Kiara's look of confusion, being lost in his own slight discomfort upon breaching the topic. "Well, it's not really Herbology, Kiara... but, well, I suppose it's close. And I want it to be a surprise, so please don't tell Juria?" Ethan began to explain, forcing his brown eyes to rise from the button to meet Kiara's gaze.

"You know how, at a dance, it's typical for a bloke to give his date a corsage, I'm sure? Well... I honestly don't think any for sale are quite good enough, so... I'm going to make one...I've dabbled slightly in florist-ry...

"But deciding on what bloody flower to use as the main piece has been simply maddening! I was wondering if you could help me choose between two that I happen to have in the greenhouses?

"First - the lovely Lilium auratum, also known as the Goldband Lily. Native to Japan..." Ethan explained further. He withdrew his wand and conjured a magical revolving image of the plant. ((click on the name(s), lol)) "Because it's the largest of its species, I realize I would have to magically shrink it," he laughed.

"Or the equally as beautiful Lilium mackliniae... a Siroi Lily. This one is native to the hilly ranges of Manipur, India, particularly in the Ukhrul District." Once again he conjured a different image, so that the two could be compared side-by-side.

"Honestly I think the Siroi Lily would be better - not quite as boisterous, and it's shade-loving. And legends about the flower say it is often attributed to a beautiful goddess according to Tangkhul Naga folklore...

"But I honestly need a woman's opinion on this," Ethan explained, concluding his descriptions and subsequent request with a sigh.

Kiara smiled at Ethan's worrying though there was no need for him to be, there is nothing weird about lunch dates in her opinion, and she thought Juria would really enjoy it.

"There is no need for you to worry about taking her in a lunch date I fine them really nice, a perfect first date" she said with a laugh. "And your right Juria doesn't get out much, I am sure she would love your company Ethen" Kiara said still beaming form ear to ear.

When Ethan said he was going to make a corsage for Juria if she could have smiled more she would have.

"That so sweet of you Ethan i can't wait to see her face when you give it to her she will be thrilled" Kiara said honestly.

Kiara looked at the two flowers they both looked lovely but she tended to agree with Ethans preference as well.

Nodding at the Siroi Lily she said "Yes that one you would be perfect Ethan, it looks beautiful" she said in approval.

"Well, to be honest, I've never really made one before. So, I hope it won't look too disastrous," he admitted with a laugh. "At any rate, I really can't wait to see what she'll think of it either!"

Ethan nodded in response to Kiara's choice of flower. "I was leaning toward that one as well - it's settled then. Thank you for that, Kiara: I daresay you know Juria perhaps a little better than I do, what with still being new to the staff and all..."

His countenance turned thoughtful for a moment. "Do you have a date for the ball, Kiara?" Ethan asked, a genuine curiosity in the pair of chocolate-irised eyes.

Kiara smiled " I am sure she will love it" she said.

"You will get to know the staff soon enough... it isn't like you are shy Ethan you will get to know them" she said in amusement.

At the question as to her date Kiara smiled and nodded. "Yes I do have a date to the ball actually. Ciaran McConn. You will like him, he has a son to I think you will get along famously." she said with a laugh.

"Oh and there is something I wanted to ask, but you have to promise not to tell Viper" she said.

A grin broke over Ethan's face. No, he wasn't shy at all. Enthusiastically he nodded. "I'm sure I will. Though is it just me or is that one gent a bit... sensitive? Tall, dark-haired man... Russian, I think he said he was. Perhaps mid to late thirties? That day when we all got acquainted with Mr. Salvador and Miss Palmer?" he replied, curious about the man who seemed a bit agitated about the pronunciation of his name. Ethan was bound determined it was 'Sebastian' only with an accent...

The wizard nodded approvingly when he heard Kiara had a date. "Simply smashing! McConn... not a name I'm familiar with. Does he work here also?

"... A son you say? Marvelous! I have two daughters - twins, that is - and a son. Or is it 'had'...? Their mummy has custody, sad to say. You'd think after six years I'd have riddled that out..." A laugh, slightly hollow, escaped him. It was hard to believe it had been six years...

At Kiara's statement, and hearing that he couldn't tell Amaranth Viper what she was about to say, Ethan raised a brow of curiosity. "I've had no problems keepin' secrets... what might this query be about?" he asked, hoping that it didn't have anything to do with the Merman's Heart now stashed in his office...

Kiara laughed, amused at Ethan's description of Sevastyan, and it was no secret the chatty professor got slightly on Sevastyan's nerves. Secretly she was amused at the thought that both Russian adults in the school were sensitive have someone pronounced their names. Kazimir was a lot more vocal about it then Sevastyan but the annoyance was still there. Perhaps she could push poor Ethan in the right direction.

"Umm yes, Sevastyan is a bit reserved until you get to know him, don't worry he will come around" she said with a smile.

"I hope" she thought.

Shaking her head at his question she said, "No Ciaran doesn't work here, he is an auror, and is currently visiting here for a while" she explained.

She blinked as he explained that his children were in custody with there mother, must have been dreadful not seeing them when ever he wished.

"Yes I agree it is hard to believe it was Six years ago.... I am sorry to hear you don't get to see your children more often. You must miss them terribly" she said sincerly.

"And ah yes... you see it is our dear potions mistress's 23rd birthday on December 17th and we are having a surprise party for her... any help you can offer to make it the best party Hogwarts has ever seen for a Professor would much appreciated. And she is not to hear a word of it. Sevastyan will keep her busy while we prepare here. Are you in?" She asked.

"That's his name!" Ethan laughed the moment Kiara had finished speaking. "How responsive do you think he'd be to a nickname? Like Sevvy or ... oh wait a minute: he does have a nickname. He got a little short with me when I apparently didn't get his name right. And he didn't like Czechoslovakia being mentioned one little bit... I tried to guess where he was from," he chattered on. "But I do hope he comes round - he's a fairly interesting chap..."

"Ah - that's nice. Relative of someone then? Sounds Scottish... Professor McKevin's kin by any chance?" Ethan asked, really rather happy about a visitor at the school. The fact that Ciaran was an auror didn't really bother him. Or, rather, he didn't let it bother him. Insofar as the Ministry and most others were aware: Ethan Addams had nothing to hide. Amaranth, of course, knew better, but..... that was different.

The wizard nodded at her sincere statement. "I get weekend visitation, but I do miss 'em. The last visit was at least a month before I started working here. Not sure if they moved or..." Ethan explained, but shook his head. "I'll see them again. It was agreed that I'm to be notified if they move, and vice versa for me." While he tried to remain cheerful about this topic, there was a distinct decrease of energy to his voice.

However, the moment news of the surprise birthday reached him the chocolate eyes lit back up again. "That is a wonderful idea! A surprise birthday party - I'm sure she'd be pleased about that! I'll do whatever I can to help, and don't worry she won't hear of it from me!" Ethan grinned. "Do we know what Sevastyan is doing to distract his bonnie lass?" he asked wryly, not really expecting an answer. It came to him that Sevastyan and Viper might just be involved by the rose that had been left on the latter's desk. A deep red rose... the symbol of love.

Kiara laughed at the mere though of Ethan calling Sevastyan "Sevvy" almost as bad as calling Kazimir... Cashmere.

"Word of warning Ethan... I wouldn't, as you have already discovered he is sencitive about his name. If I were you I would stick to just his full first name until he tells you otherwise" she said, trying to save him the glare of the annoyed russian.

"And there is a reason he isn't to found of Czechoslovakia, I would avoid that to" she said.

"And you are right about one thing, he is interesting, and one of my closest friends I might add. So it is possible to get along with him. You just need to get to know him and he you" she said with a smile.

On the topic of her love, she smiled, "Yes his great nephew I believe and yes he is very Scottish in fact." she said with a chuckle.

At the meantion of him not seeing his children in over a month and missing them, Kiara thought for a moment.

"If you want to leave for a weekend to visit them you can you know. Heck invite them here to visit for a weekend it you want. I don't mind at all..." she said. Couldn't have a member of her staff missing his kids because he was teaching here now could she? No absolutly not.

"Um how old are your children? if I may ask" she asked curious.

She smiled and laughed heartedly at mention of Viper being a "bonnie lass"

"I believe he his taking her out for most of the day and doing whatever Viper wants to do. I am glad to hear you think she will like it, It was Sevastyans idea" she said her smile never leaving her face.

Ethan laughed lightly, but nodded all the same to show he would take the Headmistress's advice. Chocolate eyes bespoke of a natural curiosity as to why Czechoslovakia would be a sensitive topic with the other man, and it clearly took a bit of willpower not to inquire.

The wizard detected a certain... something... in Kiara's voice as she spoke of Ciaran. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was there nonetheless. "I wonder if I might have seen him before... I mean, sure, I live on the island of Tiree in Scotland, but I do get around," Ethan wondered aloud. "What's the gent look like?" he asked.

A change in the size of his eyes that had nothing to do with the glasses he wore occurred: Ethan was surprised that children younger than eleven were welcome to the school. Then again, he supposed she had a point there what after meeting Edwin. "... Thank you," he replied, giving himself a mental shake. "The next thing is getting in contact with Laura... I... I haven't been able to. Not because I've been busy or anything, but because she's not answering any of my letters or emails. And her house, even the vacation home in Pennsylvania, are not connected by floo..." Ethan explained. Clearly despite his happy-go-lucky exterior, this inability to get in contact bugged him. "I really didn't want to send the legal hounds after her for surveillance, but I might just have to," Ethan sighed.

The wizard smiled at Kiara's question. A rather proud smile. "Oh, no, it's quite alright..." he said hastily, fidgeting in order to extricate something from within his robes. After a few seconds he produced a cobalt blue leather wallet. "These are probably a little out of date... but I can't bring myself up to put current ones in here," he explained before opening it and undoing the snap intended to keep a wide variety of pictures. However, there didn't seem to be many pictures at all in there. "Here are my two girls - Erica and Heather... I can never tell which one's which," he explained with a laugh at his inability to differentiate. ((click on names ^_^)) "They're about ten now... should be starting school next year."

"And this little rascal is Valerio - he's around eight," Ethan went on proudly, gesturing to the picture of a young boy wearing a white shirt. Of the three, Valerio had the hair coloring most like his father, but the girls had the shape of their father's eyes and perhaps a little bit of his hair coloring. The wizard gazed proudly at the three children, the brown eyes clearly displaying just how much he missed them. A sadness quite unlike the Ethan he displayed to the world could be found if one looked deep enough. After all... it had been his own doing that pushed Laura to file for the divorce.


A blond brow quirked upward with fascination. "So, he's found 'isself a girl," Ethan mused aloud, smiling as well. "Just what 'e needs to loosen up a bit... and that's sweet of the gent: taking his lady out on her birthday, only to surprise her with a party afterward." He was under the assumption that Kiara knew about the rose the Russian had left, since they seemed to be such close friends, so he didn't mention it.

Kiara smiled when Ethan agreed to her advice in Sevastyan, perhaps her russian friend wouldn't have to count to 10 in three differnet languages anymore when ever the herbology professor was near.

Kiara smiled widening at the question about Ciaran she replied " He is a inch or two taller then me, red hair, and has blue eyes." her eyes flicked to the ring on her finger. Much like the blue in the saphires of the ring only lighter.

Kiara looked at him in sypathy as he explained his trouble trying to contact his ex wife. "i hope you don't have to do that either Ethan, a father shouldn't have to use force to see his own children. It isn't fair to you or your children" she said. "If there is anything I can do to help just say so"

Looking at the pictures of Ethan kids, she could see the resemblence between them and there father, most definatly."Any chance your daughters will be going to hogwarts next year? or will the be going to a different school? she asked curious.

Kiara could see the saddness in Ethans eyes, was a look she had on her face the first few years after Serena died, only it was alot more deeper.... she more then anyone knew the absents of ones child for long periodes of time, heck she knew what is was like to never see your child never again.

On the topic of Sevastyan and Viper, Kiara smiled again "Yes it is awfully sweet of him wasn't it? But if anyone has had a influense on anyone it is the other way around. I have never seen Viper so happy, ever.. Sevastyan is the best thing that has happened to Viper in a while. I am happy for both of them" she said with a nod.

Ethan beamed at the visual image provided by Kiara, though couldn't help but glance down when she did. He caught sight of the ring and couldn't help but grin even wider. "Ah, I see," he replied softly, simply. "I'm happy for you, Kiara. It is a lovely ring: your knight in shining armor has good taste." He was the father of twin girls: of course he knew about the iconic image!

The wizard nodded somberly in response to her offer. "To be honest I'm not sure what I can do, or ask others to do. I'm open to suggestions... I mean, I doubt Laura's gotten any less furious with me but... it's like you said: a father shouldn't have to fight to see his kids. I don't want them to think I did what my father did to me and me mum..." he said with a sigh, clearly baffled as to what he could do.

"Well, they live in France..." Ethan shrugged. "Laura might enroll them in Beauxbatons, or she might have them come here. I really wish I knew, because it would be a blessing if she enrolled the sprouts here: I'd be able to see 'em a lot more often. At least the girls, until Valerio turns eleven. Won't he be jealous?" he prattled on, though couldn't help but laugh half-heartedly in regards to his son. "Probably drag his mummy here every weekend he can!"

"What of you, Kiara? Any family?" Ethan asked brightly, unaware that Kiara had actually lost a child.

The herbologist nodded, having detected a slight change in Viper when he'd gone to her office. A good change. "They complement each other well, I must say. It is great to see Amaranth as happy as she is - what do you think will become of the pair? Think Hogwarts might be seeing more than one couple married off in holy matrimony?" For some reason, though, Ethan really couldn't picture Sevastyan in a regular tuxedo... he seemed more the traditional type, and would likely wear something from his country instead.

Kiara smiled and laughed at the description of Ciaran being her knight in shining armor. “Ah.. Both his little prince and him have good taste” she said with a great amount of love in her voice.

Kiara listened somberly as he described his problem with his family and shook her head.
“Fight for them if you have to Ethan, sometimes it is enough to know that you still try” she said. “I hope they come to Hogwarts for your sake anyway, but as my opinion of Hogwarts is biased I can’t tell you that” she said with a laugh. “I hear a lot about younger siblings being jealous, it is normal from what I hear” she nodded.

At the question about her family she smiled.

“Other then my family here I have no living relatives, but I used to have a family a few years ago…..” she said taking a locket out from around her neck and showing it to him.
Opening it she showed him a picture of herself with a young child laughing of her lap. Standing beside Kiara was blurred blacked out image… almost as if it had burned out, but the rest of the photo was untouched.

The little girl looked very much like Kiara, with her bright blue eyes and wavy black hair. The child appeared to be around two years old and very happy in her mother’s arms.


“She would be you sons age this year, her name was Serena” Kiara said softly.

Kiara smiled at the mention of Viper and Sevastyan getting married. They made a good pair. And she could see Sevastyan wearing the dress robes from Russia, she had to admit the Russians had style.

“Well that would depend if Sevastyan ever gets up the nerve to propose” Kiara said in amusement.

Though it worried her what it would do to Sevastyan if Viper said no.