The Castle and Grounds

Kiara sighed and looked at her sadly.

"Oh... I wasn't close with my parents either, my father left when I was 4 and my mother sent me to school so she wouldn't have to deal with me.

"I'm so sorry." Eglantine said, "I at least had my brother. You never had any siblings, did you?"

Kiara shook her head,

"Lonely child, I had friends at school though once I learned how to control my magical out bursts, though at the time I didn't know it was "Magic" as I know it now.... I thought I was a weirdo making things float and turning my mothers hair green. I was very happy when I found out there was whole other world filled with people like me"

"Ah, I'm glad you were comforted by the discovery." Eglantine almost continued on, but decided against it.

((I have to go))

((Alright see ya later))

"Diana come on please, show me how to create a patronus." Helena begged her friend for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Come on you owe me."

"What are you talking about? I don't owe you anything?" Diana said.

"Yes, but if you do this, I'll owe you something and isn't that worth it?" Helena reasoned.

That had to make Diana smile. "Alright fine. Show me what you can do."

"Expecto Patronum!" Helena shouted and there was a bit of white sparks on the end of her wand. "Ugh! See it's useless!"

"It's not useless Hel, just focus." Diana encouraged. "Just think of a really happy memory."

"Oh how about when you fell on the missing step?" Helena said.

Diana frowned. "That's not a happy memory."

"It is for me mate," Helena said. "Expecto Patronum!"

The white sparks were thicker and it seemed to form some sort of mammal but then it suddenly disappeared.

"Gah!" Helena shouted. "This is so annoying."

"You're too tense, just relax." Diana said. "Here watch: Expecto Patronum!"

Suddenly to the suprise of both the girls, a wolf came running out of Diana's wand.

"Diana... Isn't your Patronus a hawk....?" Helena said staring at the wolf with confusion.

"It is..." Diana answered with just as much puzzlement in her voice as Helena. The wolf circled Diana playfully before disappearing. "I don't know why --"

Diana stopped. She did know why. "Hel, I have to go."

"Diana wait!" Helena yelled but Diana was already going back into the castle.

Kiara walked out on to the grounds and sighed, things were utterly destroyed with Viper. She didn't really know how mend any of it. Viper felt they had betrayed her, but is wasn't ture.

She really did know how Viper felt. She to was alone in the world as well, she had lost all her loved ones from what loved ones she had to begin with.

Pressing play on a muggle CD player she had enchanted to work on magic. It played the music to one of her favorite songs.. May it be...

Not even knowing it she was singing to the music.

((Here is the link to the song she is singing... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abdqte6ises ))

Viper walked through the grounds blindly, her head still spinning with thoughts of what had happened with her brother and the repercussions striking her. For once she had forgone her revealing robes and opted for a long black cloak covering her completely, almost representing her newly vulnerable state. She halted when she heard singing and froze when she realized it was Kiara only a few feet away from her.

Turning around, she proceeded back, hoping Kiara hadn't seen her.

Kiara's constent use of wandless magic had paid off for her some what. Her magic was stronger now thus enabling her to sense Viper nearby.

Muting the music Kiara opened her eyes.

"No need to leave Viper this is a perfect spot to sort out feelings and thoughts. You may not believe me but I know how you feel. You are where I was 6 years ago"

Viper nodded, keeping her eyes on Kiara's, silently willing her to continue as she stood still, waiting for Kiara to explain.

Kiara sighed she hoped telling Viper this would help a little at least, besides misery loves company.

"I am alone in this world to Viper, my father passed when I was 17 and my mother died 3 years later. I have no siblings like you did, but 8 years ago I was married and had a child, a baby girl. When she was only two years old she died, and my husband left. My entire family gone. I know you are angry at Professor Delanquar, and I don't expect you to even remotely like her again. But I hope you will let me help, I truely am sorry about Dracovan"

Viper broke her gaze and looked over at a small group of thestrals a few yards away. "I'm not angry at Professor Delanquar..." she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kiara raised an eyebrow, "You were threatening to kill her a few days ago, What do you feel toward her now?.... What feeling do you feel towards me?"

Viper sighed, still keeping her eyes on the creatures. "I went to Viper Manor shortly after the..incident. My Uncle informed me of Dracovan's plan. Apparently my brother had forced a few students to go to Professor Delanquar's office to distract her, while he apporached her son, intending to kill him. Professor Delanquar arrived to stop him, he attacked her, she defended herself and her son, Dracovan died. Even a reasonable Wizengamot would not find her guilty in any way."

Viper laughed bitterly. "I feel nothing except for the painful irony that the one Viper I thought would never sink to the family reputation, became a murderer, without the family even pressuring him or having an influence over him. All on his own..."

Kiara shook her head and walked over to the thestrals. Dracovan had them all fooled with his charm, even her.

"He was still your brother, and you cared about him. Can you truly say your feelings toward him have changed because of what he did?"

Viper shook her head, tears starting to fall down her pale face. "I never said my feelings towards him have changed. I care for my brother now just as much, if not more than what I always have. But his death stands as another painful reminder that my family's legacy will always haunt me." she bit her lip, wlling her tears to stop but to no avail.

"How are they?" she inquired softly about the child Dracovan had intended to kill and his mother who had killed him, albeit it was to protect her son.

Kiara moved over to Viper and placed a hand on the younger womans shoulder, offering where confort it could give.

"They are recovering, Edwin refuses to leave Eglantine side so they are both in the infirmary still, until Eglantine has recovered from her injuries."

Viper nodded and sighed. "What do I say to her? Sorry that my brother tried to kill her son? Sorry that I wanted to kill her? What can I say?" Viper asked, almost pleading for Kiara to give her an answer on what to do.

Kiara sighed it was a tough one.

"I think she understands your feelings on why you wanted to kill her, and you don't need to apoligzed for your brothers action. They were his actions not yours."

Looking out across the ground she started speaking again.

"I don't pretend to be an expert Amaranth, I can't tell you what to say to her that will fix anything. My advice is to just talk to her, say whatever you want to say and wait for her reasponse. I am sorry I can't help on that subject more then that. it is between you and her."

Viper raised an eyebrow at the use of her first name, but said nothing. Instead she sighed. "An eye for an eye...that was the motto engraved on my great-grandfather's photo frame. I didn't know until I was about twenty that the miniature family crest beneath 'An eye for an eye' contained the words 'leaves the whole world blind'"

Viper summoned her goblet and brought it near to her lips but then paused and stared at it, throwing it to the ground and watching it break as it came in contact with the ground, shards flying everywhere and the crimson liquid dripping and cascading downwards. "But I don't even know what I want to say to her..." she whispered, watching the crimson puddle form.

Kiara sighed,

"I never thought I would see the day when you are at a loss of words... If you don't what you want say what makes you think I would? I am sure when you see her you know what you want to say"

The corners of Viper's twitched. "The reason I always have something to say is because I have no care for the repercussions of what I have uttered. Now..this is all far too personal." she sighed. "Where can I find her?"

((She'll have been moved to fully recover in her chambers...))

((ok, thanks))

"She's should be in her chambers, resting I hope, but knowing her not likely.... Want me to go with you?"

Kiara asked.