Yet another random hall

Edwin's St. Bernard puppy, Toliver, whined as he ran down the hallway. His young master was not far behind him, the plush snake clutched tightly in his arms. Edwin was wearing his pyjamas, a Spiderman pants and shirt, that Esis had bought for him at a muggle store. It came with a matching mask, which he had opted to leave behind in his rooms. Aiming his "spider gun" down the hallway he pointed at Toliver.
"Couse is cwear." he whispered. The dog whimpered and ran off again.

Viper was making her way down a random hall with a rather tranquil mind. She had just finished an early morning seventh year class and it had gone fairly well, leaving her with a free afternoon.

Just as she was contemplating whether or not she should stop by Sevastyan's office for a quick visit, a dog appeared out of nowhere, running straight into her arms.

Always having a soft spot for animals, she gently picked up the dog. "Where the hell did you come from?" she wondered outloud. After all, last she checked dogs weren't on the list of allowed pets. Unless of course it was an animagus... Viper dearly hoped it wasn't the latter. After all, it would certainly make things quite awkward.

Toliver licked Viper's face briefly, being a rather lazy puppy and then found it quite comfortable to simply lay his head down and yawn. Edwin ran around the corner, his plush rhino slippers flapping on the stone floor and crashed head first into Viper.
"Viper!" he shrieked, obviously thrilled to see her. Toliver barked, excited by the noise.

Viper winced slightly at the feel of dog slobber coating her face. At the sound of a familiar voice and another crash right into her, she looked at the culprit with a suprised glance.

"Edwin?' she gasped with a smile. "I didn't even know you were back! How are you?"

Sevastyan checked his watch for about the fifth time: yes, if Amaranth's class had started when it usually did (he was keeping track of such things) then by now said class would be done. So... he was off to visit her, for however long or brief their schedules would allow.

The Russian stepped off the landing that would enable him to take a familiar shortcut down to the dungeons, when Sevastyan realized he needn't go that far: Amaranth happened to be right on this very floor....

.... holding a familiar Saint Bernard puppy. That instantly told him who the child dressed in red and blue pajamas was: Edwin DeLanquar. A smile formed on his face as he approached, wondering if Amaranth were babysitting or had come upon boy and dog by chance. However, by the echoes about the hall, the latter seemed to be much more likely.

Feeling another presence in the Hall, Viper momentarily broke her gaze to look over at another familiar face. A face she adored as well, although for different reasons as well as on an entirely different level.

Bringing the child and dog with her she stepped closer to Sevastyan. "Hey, love. I was just looking for you." she greeted, giving him a quick kiss. "Have you already met Edwin?"

"Owy dokey!" he exclaimed, attempting to say the phrase Horatio stated. "That is Towiler." he pointed out, his finger prodding the puppy's fur.

His face grew even happier when he recognized Sevastyan. "Sewastyan!" Edwin shouted, attacking the man's knees, in a happy hug.

If the skies were gray with rain or snow - then Sevastyan's world could have easily dispelled those clouds the moment a pair of green eyes found him. He barely had time to return the verbal greeting but did participate in the kiss wholeheartedly. "I vos looking for you as vell," he replied softly before answering her question.

"And yes - I've met Edvin... he vos just returning ven I vos on my vay out for a hike," he explained... seconds before the assault had been launched on his knees. Sevastyan hadn't been expecting that one, but managed to steady himself with a little help from covert footing and by placing a hand on Amaranth's shoulder.

"Greetings, Sir Edvin," Sevastyan offered the boy of three years. Without bending his knees too much, or relinquishing the contact with Amaranth, the Russian reached down to ruffle the boy's hair gently and affectionately. However, the affection bestowed the boy and the love shown to Viper were two completely different brands.

Viper fought a laugh as she noticed Edwin more or less attempt to tackle Sevastyan and reached for his other hand, helping to steady him.

"Edwin, what are you doing all alone? Where's your mother? Where's anyone really?" she asked curiously, for Eglantine wouldn't normally let her son roaming around unsupervised. Especially on a school day when students two or threee times Edwin's height paraded through the school.

Edwin turned to look at Viper, without letting Sevastyan's legs go. "Mama wen to hewp swonone is kwat fworm. Awn Howre put me ta bwed and huwied off. A Swiery was wating, but she fwell asweep." he practically shown with pride felt from his accomplishment.

Though he doubted Edwin could see him, Sevastyan nodded at the questions asked and mouthed the words, 'Thank you'. However, he was practically grinning despite having nearly been tackled by a child that wasn't even quite half his height yet.

While he wasn't entirely sure what all Edwin had said, Sevastyan understood the basic gist of it. Immediately he glanced to Viper again, wondering what they should do.

Sevastyan had never taken care of a child so young before...

Viper smiled an nodded, amused by the fact that a child Edwin's size could cause Sevastyan's footing to falter.

Hearing Edwin's words,or at least most of them, Viper couldn't understand half, she met Sevastyan's gaze, wondering what to do. Clearly Edwin had no one else...

"You don't have another class either, do you?" she asked.

At the back of Viper's mind, she wondered how they would take care of a toddler and puppy. True, she had taken care of Edwin before but, well, he wasn't nearly as energetic as he appeared to be now. Not to mention she wasn't wearing heels...

Toliver choose that moment to whine, leaping out of Viper's arms to run down the hallway. A bird found its way to the ledge outside a window and the puppy stuck his nose up against the glass, as if begging it to play with him. Edwin promptly released Sevastyan and entrusted the plush snake into the man's arms, before chasing after his pet.

"No, no Towiler. Mama say now cawsing biwds!"

The Russian almost laughed at having his expression returned to him only on a much more feminine face. He was thinking the same thing she was, though: Edwin didn't have anyone else at the moment looking after him...

"No, as a matter of fact I don't," he replied, shaking his head for emphasis. That had been why he'd gone to see her.

For the most part, a puppy Sevastyan could likely handle. After all: the Kaminski estate had creatures that needed tending and were often tended to by wizards as well as the House-Elves. But a child... of three?

The Defense Professor was a ways out of his element on that one, but he'd likely need to give it a try now, wouldn't he? If Amaranth was just as inexperienced in this, it seemed as if both were in for a kind of crash course:

Magical Babysitting Lesson 101...


Sevastyan started when the puppy leapt out of Viper's arms, glancing from wildly-running puppy to its possible destination. Before he even had time to look at the window he felt a fluffy something being pushed into his arms which he immediately grasped onto. For all he knew in that instant Edwin could have jumped into his arms.

He shook his head realizing he'd been handed the plush snake, gave Viper a fleeting glance, and took off at a run after Edwin and the puppy...

Viper had hardly blinked as the bird flew by and the puppy chasing the bird and Edwin chasing the puppy and Sevastyan chasing Edwin. It was rather comical to witness until Viper realized that should anything happen to Edwin, Eglantine would most likely murder her.

She looked wistfully at her black heels. They were a new pair, delivered scarcely a week ago and definately were not meant for running. Especially running after a toddler. She sighed and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, in the end deciding to chase after them. "Edwin! Get back here this instant!" Viper exclaimed as she raced to catch up to at least by running alongside Sevastyan. Damn the kid can run... she thought to herself.

Toliver took off running as he saw his master chasing after him. Thinking it was some fun game to play, he barked loudly and kept just out of the young boy's reach. Edwin laughed loudly as Viper yelled for him to come back. His mama also said things like that, but she just watched him run away and then levitated him back. So used to the routine, he took off after his puppy as fast as his short legs could take him. Somewhere along the line he lost his slippers and slipped. Sliding across the floor he banged into the fleeing form of the puppy and they both nearly slid down a flight of steps that had appeared at the end of the hallway.
"Bwad puppy." he scolded, petting the panting dog.

When Sevastyan noticed Edwin slipped, and that both puppy and boy were nearing a staircase, the Russian panicked. Professor DeLanquar would be after both his and Viper's hides if anything happened to Edwin. He couldn't be so sure about the puppy, though... she didn't seem like a dog person. Of course, Sevastyan expected she wouldn't what after seeing that her animagus form took the shape of a cat.

The Russian skidded to a halt, slipping slightly on the carpet as he reached for his wand. As his attention was focused solely on retrieving the wand, he had no idea he'd lost his footing until he found himself sitting on the floor after a loud "OOF!" had escaped his lips.

With a nonverbal spell, Sevastyan levitated the pair a safe distance away from the stairs.

With her high heels, Viper couldn't run as fast as Sevastyan could, therefore had barely caught up to him as he levitated the pair. She couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips as she crouched beside Sevastyan on the ground.

"You know, it occured to me just now that we could have just levitated the pair back to us." she laughed lightly, resting her chin on his shoulder.

Edwin giggled happily, Toliver clutched tightly in his arms, as he "flew" closer to Sevastyan and Viper and away from the stairs. He liked to fly, but was slightly disappointed that he was wearing his spiderman pyjamas and not his superman ones.
Standing up, once he touched on the ground, he smiled at his two babysitters and came right up to them, dragging his puppy, who seemed quite used to the "mistreatment".
"What no?" he asked, brown eyebrows raised in childish anticipation.

At the moment, Sevastyan didn't care if Viper was laughing at his stumble to the floor. In fact, because it was Amaranth in the first place, Sevastyan decided he would look back on this event and laugh in time with the replayed giggle. The Russian could practically feel her presence behind him.

Sevastyan nodded in response to her realization, his head tilting toward her touch. "Yes, it just occurred to me as vell. Surprising how vone can grow up all around magic and then forget about using it in an instant, isn't it?" he muttered in response, though a slight laugh punctuated his words. An innocent-enough kiss found its way to Viper's cheek as Edwin approached. The opportunity of the shared closeness was there, and he took it: what more could Sevastyan say? Other than he was in love with the woman beside him, of course... that much was a given.

The Russian couldn't help but laugh, realizing that his sitting on the floor still made him a bit taller than Edwin, though the difference of how much the boy had to crane his neck was exponentially lessened this way. However, at the lad's question, Sevastyan couldn't help but appear a bit confused.

"Vot now?" he repeated, looking to Amaranth in the hopes she might have an answer.

What could they possibly do to entertain a boy of three and his puppy?

"Rather sad, if you think about it." Viper giggled, returning the affectionate gesture. While this wasn't exactly what she had in mind for her alone time with Sevastyan, Viper had to admit, it was rather interesting...

At the two blank faces staring at her, Viper thought for a moment. What was one thing that would keep Edwin busy, at least till his mother arrived, and require minimum effort from her and Sevastyan?

A smile lit up her face as an idea struck her. Looking towards Edwin who, sadly, was about an inch or so taller than her when she sat down, she asked the toddler "Edwin, how would you like a snack?"

The Potions Mistress figured eating a favorite snack would take quite a bit of time and would most likely involve sitting down. Wouldn't it?

"A swack!" Edwin cheered. "Yay!" He grabbed his plush snake from Sevastyan, hating to be kept from his beloved toy. Mainly because he knew that if it ever disappeared, he would never get it back. Just like his The Hulk suit...his mama had washed it and it had vanished.

"Chocwate?"

Seeing no potential harm in the chosen snack, Viper shrugged. "Very well. Just chocolate bars or cookies and ice cream as well?"

Surely all that candy would take time for him consume and would be a good way to kill spare time... she thought to herself.

Sevastyan relinquished the hold on the plush snake unconsciously, barely aware that he was still holding onto it. The suggestion of chocolate as a snack made the Russian conjure an image of the three of them practically covered in the confection... though he shook that notion from his mind seconds later: 'chocolate' probably had the conveyed meaning of a chocolate bar, not necessarily melted chocolate.

Though Amaranth's question seemed aimed at Edwin, Sevastyan decided to comment as well, "Vell, it is said that variety is the spice of life... in certain things, anyvay." The same notions on time consumed preparing and eating the snack or snacks crossed his mind as well. The comment was his way of saying the more intricate the treat, the more time spent on it all the way around.

Keeping an eye on Edwin wasn't exactly what Sevastyan had had in mind when he thought of free time with Amaranth, but considering this would be his first experience with caring for a child so young... this could very well be fun for the three of them.

"Twats good." Edwin nodded, as if she was asking him to approve a three course meal. "Awn miwo?" he asked. "Mama alswa gim mwe swon."

((Translation... And milo... Mama always gives me some...))