Top of the Astronomy Tower ((When there isn't a class))

((Night after the Daniel thing))

Kiara looked over the railing of the tower, it was the middle of the night. She was beyond tired but the thought of sleep and the world of dreams or nightmares made her cringe. She had hoped that looking up at the stars and the bright half moon would clear her mind or at least give her a little peace.

It was a clear night, a little chilly, cold enough to see her breath, but at the moment she ignored the cold. Her mind was to muddled with over problems to really care about the cold weather.

She sighed tiredly, she had been working on compiling evidence for the inevitable court date the would happen.

She was sure she could defeat any legal opposition but for all though involved with the event it would be a painful ordeal. Opening wounds that had just been made and covered up was a nasty business.

((Continued from the Uncharacteristically Dark Corridor... different timeline than above))


By now, Sevastyan knew the castle well enough to have evaded Kazimir for most of the journey from the corridor where he'd been attacked to the Astronomy Tower. However, they reached the floor at almost the same time.

"YOU!" Kazimir shouted, speeding up his pace on the last few stairs.

Sevastyan, by this time, had already took off down the hall. Just as he reached the door, the Defense Professor slid on something wet and flailed about for the handle, cursing fluently in Russian as he felt the wound created by Sectumsempra reopen and a fresh supply of blood flow to stain his already blood-red robes. He fumbled with the door and fell through the threshold. Picking himself back up, Sevastyan limped only slightly - having fallen on his already-injured knee - to the left side of the open-air tower in an attempt to catch Kazimir off guard... It was storming out here, rain pounding on Sevastyan's head without consideration for the pain he was in as it were. Depsite it all, he had to smirk as a loud rumble of thunder echoed overhead: Sevastyan loved thunderstorms, and the noise could clearly be used to an advantage.


Kazimir 'hmph'ed with annoyance that Sevastyan had fled. A clear taunt using the word 'coward' came to mind for him to use the moment the younger man held still long enough. Grasping the handle of the door and paying little heed to the few droplets of blood that had been left behind on the brass, Kazimir swung the heavy door open and rushed inside. Or, rather... outside. He hadn't expected to walk into a thunderstorm!


"Expelliarmus!" Sevastyan shouted, having to resist the urge to cheer at the successful disarming.

Kazimir spun around to stare with wild eyes at his enemy, something between a snarl and a smirk on his face. "Even you should know that any vizard vith experience in the Dark Arts alvays has a second vand!" Kazimir bellowed over the noise. In an instant, a different wand of a lighter wood had been withdrawn.

"Let's get on vith it, then! At least now it vill be an even match!"

"You have changed qvite a bit, Sevastyan... for you to condone fairness... you surprise me!"

"Then let me surprise you again: темное пламя!" Sevastyan shouted, the Russian curse causing ribbons of dark-hued flame to wrap itself around Kazimir's arms. It wasn't exactly the most kosher spell in his vocabulary...

"Flagrate!" Kazimir countered, burning a letter 'П' for Предатель, the Russian word for 'traitor' into the upper portion of Sevastyan's chest. Sevastyan backed up several paces, having been unable to block the attack.

Shouted incantations of all kinds - hexes, jinxes, curses, and even a charm here and there - soon became nonverbal in the hopes to catch the other off guard. They were evenly matched despite the difference in age, but there was one little problem Sevastyan hadn't realized until it was too little too late:

The Defense Professor was practically backed into a corner... with the only way out being a long, long drop and a rather sudden, no doubt painful stop that didn't look at all very appealing. "Oh sh**!" Sevastyan swore in a single pant, the exertion from this duel being much more different and demanding than the one he had with Daniel.

With bated breath both opponents sized up their chances of winning the duel and - for Sevastyan's part at least - the consequences of doing so...

"IMPEDIMENTA!" bellowed Sevastyan.

"CONFRINGO-" cried Kazimir.

Kazimir's spell hit first, knocking Sevastyan solidly into the only bit of brick and mortar that separated him from Merlin only knows how many feet of air and the ground. If nothing else, Sevastyan was fairly positive there were going to be a few lovely bruises on his shoulders and back by the time this was done. Shaking his head to clear the black spots that had sprung in front of his eyes, Sevastyan realized that Kazimir had successfully blocked his Impediment Jinx and now slowly approached him with rather sour look on his face.

'At least he doesn't look as barking mad as Lestrange did...' Sevastyan thought to himself with more than a little bit of sarcasm. 'Instead he's rather full of himself... well, if he gets any closer he'll be in for a nasty surprise,' he mused, exercising his grip on the handle of his wand. This would take precision timing, and there could be no room for mistakes.

"As you can see, Sevastyan.... taking the cowvard's vay out by running vill never amount to anything!" Kazimir taunted as he stalked ever nearer.....

Kiara ran up and saw Kazimir advance on Sevastyan.

"Don't even think about" she said icily to Kazimir.

With that said she cast a silent shield around Sevastyan. No wand in hand, so Kazimir has no evidence she had cast a spell at all.

"Are out of your mind Kazimir?!.. are you alright Sevastyan?" she asked still not taking her eye off Kazimir.

((Viper Of course can jump in right away))

Viper hesitated for a moment, unsure of what she should do. Clearly Sevastyan was injured, filling Viper with fury at Kazimir, making her want to do nothing more than crucify him. She inhaled sharply, for that was probably the worst thing she could do at the moment.

Using every ounce of self-control, she turned away from Kazimir, casting a single "Crucio" on him before leaving him in Kiara's experienced hands, infiltrating the sheild around Sevastyan, crouching beside him. "Sevastyan..." she breathed out, inspecting his injuries.

"I told 'Professor Kaminski' that ve had unfinished business," Kazimir stated coldly, his tone immediately losing its harshness now that he was speaking to a lady and having an air of finality as if that justified his actions. Before he could make another move, however, Kazimir grit his teeth as pain seared through him. It was clear by the grunts, as opposed to the all-out screams, that the elder wizard was attempting to resist the pain he immediately recognized as having come in the form of the Cruciatus Curse. The only thing was: which of the two had cast it? Whomever it was, between the three of them, would have hell to pay once he recovered.



Sevastyan blinked and pushed the raindrops out of his stinging eyes. Hearing that Kazimir was pretty much preoccupied, he figured he could answer honestly. "Hmm?" he asked Viper, who was closest, and looked to her wearily. Turning to look at the Headmistress, and wishing he hadn't moved so quickly, Sevastyan blinked back the extra two Kiaras on either side of the real one and answered, "I've been better, to be completely candid vith you, Headmistress." Was that a slight chuckle after that statement? Yes, it was.

However, the attempt at joviality was interrupted by a hiss of pain as Viper examined his wounds. "Не коснитесь ему!" he cried out, not realizing he'd done so in Russian. Without really caring what he was doing to the top he was wearing, Sevastyan tore open the sleeve to reveal the bloodied gash on his left forearm.


((He said "Don't touch it!" Though, technically, if it's going to heal it needs to be touched, lol. XD))

As Sevastyan revealed his wounds it was immediately clear to Viper that he had been hit by at least one round of Sectumsempra. She quickly summoned a small, silver vial along with her dagger, carelessly slashing the palm of her hand and allowing droplets of her blood to cascade into the vial. After muttering a few charms, the vial began smoking as Viper, as gently as she could, pulled his arm closer towards her.

She didn't quite understand what Russian phrases he had uttered, but judging by his body language, he was obviously trying to have her tread with caution. Slowly, she poured the potion a few droplets at a time slowly, knowing that if she rushed the process it would only aggravate the situation further.

"Did he cast any other curse one you?" Viper asked, unsure if he would need other types of potions or healing charms.

Kiara would have glared at Viper for the curcio at Kazimir, but when she heard Sevastyan's reply to her question and hiss of pain that followed.

Flicking her hand she cast a disarming spell on Kazimir.

"Well your business is quite finished, I am sure the ministry will be so pleased to hear of you actions here" she said with hint of threat in her voice.

She didn't care if she argered the wizard. She was prepared this time he would regret harming Sevastyan if he continued.

A fire burned in her eyes yes he would regret it.

Wandless dueling was she specaily of she needed to.

"How is he Viper?" she asked as she notice Viper look at his wounds out of the corner of her eye.

Sevastyan winced as he seen Viper more or less slash her own hand open, feeling a kind of sympathy pain for the cut he knew she didn't feel. He grunted slightly at the new sensation upon the laceration. The Russian had to contemplate for a moment about Amaranth's question, but eventually nodded slowly. "Once, maybe tvice... vith a Blasting Curse. He attempted Cruciatus, but I managed to deflect it." To prove his point he revealed that the palm of his right hand, the arm of which didn't need tending. Aside from being lightly scraped up it seemed normal.


Kazimir made a kind of growling noise as his second wand was no longer in reach. Rising unsteadily to his feet, the elderly wizard regarded Kiara just as coldly as he'd spoken. "Ve shall see how vell Kaminski holds up ven I mention some key information regarding Daniel Lestrange to the Ministry!" he threatened in kind, though more to an unhearing Sevastyan than to Kiara. It would probably be best if he left these two to tend to the traitor, and attempt to settle the score at a time when there are no fickle poltergeists around to foil his plots......

Kazimir turned to leave and then paused, turning back to the Headmistress of Hogwarts. "I vill send Boris Kaminski for both of my vands, to ensure that I vill not be blamed for properly dealing vith a traitor," he remarked nastily and stalked back down through the castle, heading back out to his ship. Whether he would get that far or not was anyone's guess.


Sevastyan pondered why Amaranth would ask him about other curses and, despite being a little confused at all the fuss, determined that she must be considering what to use on him. "Flagrante Curse... bruises... I'll be fine," he muttered, attempting to hide the fact that a letter of the Russian alphabet was clearly burned into front of the cloth on his jacket. It felt as if the curse had burned through the heavy red cloth jacket, the thin white tank top he wore underneath, passed the hair on his chest and into his skin. But he'd rather not let them see that. Vaguely, he supposed the Headmistress wasn't going to be the only one here to hide wounds. That notion made one corner of his mouth twitch upward in a kind of half-grimace.

Viper nodded in comprehension though her eyebrow arched in response to the marking burnt into what appeared to be all the way to his skin. Realizing that he probably did not want to cause a scene, Viper said nothing, merely summoned two more vials: a crimson and violet one.

"The violet is to drink and heal the more minor injuries inside to out. The crimson is for the...more serious injuries." she stated, her gaze flickering to the burn. After finishing with the silver vial, she bottled it and handed it to him. "To help prevent infection and scarring," she explained.

Kiara glared after Kazimir and summond his wands to her hands. She would have to keep a very close watch on him.

Once Kazimir was out of sight and seemingly in no shape to fight.

She turned and joined Sevastyan and Viper.

"I suggest Sevastyan you be extra cautious While alone in the halls from now on" she said.

Then a idea came to her inspired by Eglantines Birthday presrent she removed a pheonix pendant from her robes and took out her wand.

Moving it in a complicated patern runes apeared on the pendent, The glowed blue briefly and faded.

Then she handed it to Sevastyan.

"Here you may need it more then I do now, The runes are made to protect against harmful spells thrown at you with out your knowlegde"

Sevastyan glanced downward at the two phials and nodded his understanding, though paled considerably when Amaranth took notice of the burn. Nervous gray eyes darted to Kiara before settling on Viper once more as he took the offered potions and slipped the crimson and silver ones into his pocket. Carefully he placed the violet one next to him.

In a swift movement he suspected neither would expect, Sevastyan tore off the bit of sleeve from his jacket and folded it over once. He reached out for the hand Viper had sliced open, intending to use the cloth as a makeshift bandage. ((assuming she allowed him to)) "Thank you," he said earnestly as he gently applied pressure to her hand to stop the bleeding, though his eyes were focused entirely on her face.

Turning to face Kiara the moment she spoke, but refusing to remove his hand from Viper's, Sevastyan nodded his agreement. It occurred to him briefly that he could easily remedy this problem by deliberately making sure he was accompanied and therefore never alone, but he shook the thought from his head. Sevastyan would not allow any of them to hover around him like a mother hen provided he could help it. They needn't be so directly involved in his issues with Kazimir, whatever the old goat apparently felt he had to resolve with him. Wincing as the burn stung again Sevastyan switched hands and removed the cork stopper from the violet potion bottle, downing the potion without a care as to its taste. All he wanted right now was for the pain to stop.

Once more he switched hands on Viper's wound and reached for the pendant Kiara offered. "I shall make good use of it - thank you," he said congenially and placed the pendant into a different pocket for now. Once he was in his chambers he would make sure it became a permanent accessory until after the tournament. Once Kazimir was out of their hair he would be sure to return the pendant in the event Kiara wanted it back.

Pocketing his wand, Sevastyan glanced meaningfully to Amaranth and contemplated standing up. Slowly, but much more steadily than Kazimir had done, he got to his feet. It was odd having two women looking down at him, injured or not. He smiled briefly to each, though jumped when the Astronomy tower door swung open suddenly.


Boris Kaminski walked through the storm raging atop the tower and approached the Headmistress. He clearly looked quite hesitant to greet them with any form of courtesy, but reluctantly bowed as custom and courtesy demanded. "Please excuse me, but the Headmaster has sent me for his vands," Boris stated formally. Briefly his eyes flickered to Sevastyan and the burn mark in his jacket, causing his countenance to slightly mutate into one of amused concern before returning to the former formality he'd arrived with.


((I'm going to assume this takes place the evening either before or after he asks Viper to the Yule Ball...))

Kiara smiled relieve Sevastyan exepted the help, the protection charm on the pheonix was a powerful one, it was of her own making. The pendant its self also had magical properities. As it was made with her own magic she would know if he was in danger or needed help. It also had handy healing property, it wasn't as effective as potions, not nearly, but it would aid the healing process of he were injured again.

Eglantine had been right about her not want in her staff come to harm. She would do anything to prevent it.

Kiara had not missed the action of Sevastyan hold Vipers hand, granted it was injured but there was something sweet about the way Sevastyan dealt with it.

"Take care of him Viper, He has become like brother to me, if he is ever hurt by you so help me...." Kiara thought to her self.

When Boris arrived and requested the wands she did hand them to him.

"Very well, here they are"

At Sevastyan's care and attention to her hand, Viper smiled softly. "Thank you." she whispered, suprised and touched by the fact that despite being quite injured himself, Sevastyan was tending to her hand. Her hand that had a simple cut, a cut she couldn't even feel, no less!

As Sevastyan stood, Viper rose as well. Her eyes focused on Boris when he entered the room, watching him like a hawk in case he should pull an encore of his Headmaster's stunt.

Sevastyan nodded weakly, brows furrowed as if he had a whopper of a headache coming on. Gray irises fixed on Boris briefly, noted the amusement but also sense a semblance of concern, and averted his gaze. Boris knew good and well that Sevastyan had an ace in the hole if he tried to attack, and it would not have a favorable outcome with them this far up. Therefore, whist both women were more worried about his second cousin than anything else going on, Sevastyan withdrew his wand and silently mended the cut on Viper’s hand.


Boris pocketed the wands and nodded his thanks to Kiara. Chocolate eyes darted to Viper, then their owner’s cousin – who happened to be standing rather close to her, and then scaled down a few feet to see that they clearly must have been holding hands. The smirk on his face widened: Kazimir would likely want to hear about his observations...

“A good evening to you all,” he bade the three of them with false congeniality and made a slightly lower bow before turning on his heel to navigate back through the castle to the Durmstrang ship, a confident swagger in his step.

Kiara turned back to Sevastyan and Viper.

"We should head back inside.." she said admisted the thunder from the sky, it was awlfully cold out.

"Will you be alright then Sevastyan?" she asked concern still in her voice.

When she went back into the castle she had a bone to pick with the Drumstrang Headmaster.
If he pulled such a stunt again, she would see to it he did indeed regret it.

She didn't care what anyone thought, she couldn't stand her friends being hurt, because of soemthing they didn't willingly particapate in. Plus one wrong move off the tower and either one of them could have fallen to there deaths.

Viper felt a twinge of pressure as Sevastyan healed her cut hand, but any thanks she had for him died on her lips as she noticed the look the Durmstrang student was giving them. Obviously he had noticed their entwined hands as he hurried off back to his Headmaster.

She nodded in agreement to Kiara's suggestion as she involuntarily shivered -whether it was from the cold or fear, Viper wasn't so sure-

Leaning closer to Sevastyan, Viper whispered into Sevastyan's ear, so softly to ensure that no one else but he would hear her request. "Stay with me in my chambers. Please..." she pleaded with him, her tone indicating her worry at him going to and staying in his chambers alone, despite the protection pendant Kiara had given him. She bit her lip nervously as she waited for his reply, unsure of how he would react to such a request, despite her intentions.

Sevastyan glanced up at the horrible weather the moment Kiara mentioned it. He had forgotten it was storming out despite the fact that the rain pelted his head and shoulders. Kiara's direct question pulled him out of his reverie concerning the weather. "I will be fine. Trust me," he nodded a bit tiredly now that Kazimir and Boris were no longer in the immediate vicinity. Sevastyan barely realized his words almost mirrored Kiara's after she had been attacked.

He had been about to head inside when Viper whispered to him. Once the sensation of breath against his ear ceased, Sevastyan turned to search her face with slight confusion. She wanted him to... stay with her? Had she not sounded worried he probably would have... well, Sevastyan had honestly no idea what he would have done but a polite refusal initially came to mind. Due to the fact he was going to be in need of some recuperation, and the fact that he had no idea if Kazimir would be waiting somewhere for to finish him off, Sevastyan nodded his consent slowly: he would stay with her. Vaguely he wondered just how well secrets were kept around Hogwarts... if they were kept at all? It wouldn't be prudent for the students to be aware of the dispute between him and Kazimir, or for any inappropriate rumors to spread.

Viper breathed out in relief and smiled. To help put his mind in ease she added in the same softtone she used previously. "No one has to know. Students stay away from the dungeons at night and early morning so slipping in and out is no problem." she reassured him, for while rumors really didn't bother her and were easily brushed off, she couldn't say for sure if that was the case for Sevastyan.

Kiara observed the two for a moment and feeling slightly awkward watching them whisper she cleared her throat.

"Will be in my office, if any trouble comes up.... I will know"

Looking to Sevastyan "Feel better soon Sevastyan"

She nodded to Viper "Have a good night"

Then she turned to make her leave.

Sevastyan nodded again at Amaranth's reassurances. It had actually been more for her benefit that he had been worried about the possibility of rumors: something she must have apparently picked up on somehow.

"Will be in my office, if any trouble comes up.... I will know"

"Feel better soon Sevastyan"

Sevastyan turned to the Headmistress and nodded. "Thank you. Good night, Kiara," he replied, watching her through the rain as she made to leave.

Returning his focus to Viper, Sevastyan pinned a small smile to his face. "Vell, shall ve head to the dungeons and see if Kazimir really vants to try finishing me off?" he suggested quietly and gave a short, semi-harsh laugh at his dark humor.

"Likewise." Viper replied.

Turning to Sevastyan she raised an eyebrow in mild amusement. "Alright, though I highly doubt he will. I've got a snake wandering around and a dormitory of students willing to back up any story we conjure..." she replied in the same dark humor.

Sevastyan nodded, a slight laugh escaping him in response to the humor shared. If her statement was accurate, he really wouldn't want to be the Durmstrang Headmaster right now.

He made his way slowly for the door, not quite trusting his legs to work properly but taking the chance anyway. Wrapping a cautious hand around the handle of the door, and giving a rather harsh grunt as he pulled it open, Sevastyan held the door open for her despite his injuries.

Viper winced as she heard the pain filled grunt escape Sevastyan's throat. Using a quick spell, she supported the heavy door so that all the strain wasn't on Sevastyan, making a mental reminder to take care of any other doors they may encounter.

Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, she led the way to her quarters.

The furrowed brows relaxed when the door didn't feel quite so heavy, though he couldn't figure out why at first. Choosing to feign obliviousness, Sevastyan returned the gesture without a word and followed albeit at a slower pace than he would have liked.

((To Viper's Quarters...))

Kiara sighed as she looked up at the stars it was late but not to late to be concidered ridiculus.

The breeze was bitter cold but the fine lines if blue fire licked her skin, keeping her from freezing. and giving her a slight blue glow.

It was new moon as no moonlight and was great it meant her lungs were perfect.

To bad she was to merseble to enjoy it. That damned goblet.... after everything a underage student got there name in the cup and for some reason she had no Idea why pick her name to be a second Champion.

She couldn't help but be place entirly at fault she promised no student under age could get in and look was happened.

"Nice job... Kiara..." she sighed "They are problaly looking or new Headmistress now" she said rather bitterly and hint of self loathing.