Saratov, Russia (Wizarding Sector): Marketplace

Saratov is practically known as the Potions Center of Russia. Thus, several apothecaries line the streets, with a few "hidden" vendors' shops located down the cobbled alleyways. There's a little bit of everything along this massive stretch of street and in its 'nook and cranny-' like side-alleys... Make sure you have a friend with you at night!

And no, there's no need to seek out a money-changer unless you really want to. Galleons, sickles, and knuts spend just as well here as the local wizarding currency.

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((Continued from Labyrinth))


9:00 a.m. [3 hrs behind London time] ((I guestimated the time, lol))

Even before they landed, Sevastyan could feel the bitter December cold of his home country. It was a very slight shock to his system, what having gotten used to Scotland's slightly warmer weather, but nothing major. Landing on his feet, Sevastyan kept his eyes peeled for any hint that Amaranth may have lost her footing, and readied himself for to catch her if the occasion called for it.

This time around, luck was more of Viper's friend, evident by the fact she was able to steady herself a bit more as she landed, and keep her footing. Immediately, she felt a stronger, colder gale hit her and shivered lightly.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking to Sevastyan. Where ever they were it certainly was intriguing. Not to mention quite lovely.

Sevastyan smiled when Amaranth landed beside him, on her feet this time. Not that he judged people by their apparition abilities. Just that he certainly wouldn't have minded catching her. Standing so close to her, Sevastyan quickly detected the shiver. While she looked around, the wizard muttered a spell to enlarge the cloak he was wearing so it could easily accommodate him and Amaranth both.

Smirking slightly, Sevastyan draped the new excess length about his lady's shoulders as emerald eyes met stormy ones. Despite the cool gray, the orbs held a great warmth as they regarded the woman their owner loved. "Ve are in the marketplace in vizarding sector of Saratov - my home town you could say," he replied, smiling even wider. "Very special errand." Sevastyan winked knowingly, even though he knew Amaranth had yet to know why they were here.



"There are a few English speakers here, like the vendors, but most everyday people shopping do not. I know of a spell that vill allow you to draw from my knowledge of langvage for three hours' time. That is... if you vould permit me?" he offered, partially trying to gauge her enthusiasm for their little side-trip. The other part was that he didn't want her to feel awkward being in a foreign land and entirely uncomprehending of the local tongue.

Feeling the added weight from the fabric and the added warmth, Viper broke her gaze from her surroundings to look to the wizard beside her. She blushed lightly at the expression his gray orbs bore, the look held in them more than enough to warm her. Still, she whispered her thanks and kissed him gently on the cheek.

Eyebrows rose in interest as Sevastyan informed her this was his hometown. Wherever she had thought he was taking her, this certainly wasn't one of the places. Her interest peaked at the added wink. She pouted playfully in reply. "How ironic. The tables have now turned and you know something that I don't know." a smirk appeared on her face as she slowly leaned in closer. "Is there any possibility of me persuading you to tell your secrets?" she asked as she kissed the corner of his mouth.

"That sounds lovely." Viper replied with genuine interest, for she had no knowledge of a spell with those effects. A playful smirk formed as she added. "Would it only be your knowledge of the language, or all your knowledge including your secret?"

Eyes fluttered closed at the kiss upon his cheek. In a very small way, Sevastyan wished they were back in Amaranth's quarters and distinctly not appropriately dressed for the occasion of running errands. But, then again, if they weren't, Sevastyan realized they would not be sharing a piercing and tattoo... and he would have missed out on quite a few displays of affection. Well, at least his wish was only minutely desired. After all, the day was still young and evening wasn't even here yet.

The smile on his face widened at her surprise. It seemed like the pleasant variety. A chuckle left his lips at Viper's comment and playful pout. A contented 'hmm' left the small parting of Sevastyan's lips at the kiss to the corner of his mouth. Sevastyan had to confess himself partially tempted just with that. But... there was a reason he was keeping what he knew quiet, even though he was on the verge of bursting to tell her.

"You know part of it already," he replied, serious beneath the playfulness. "And if I allowed that to happen, then it vouldn't be a secret anymore..." Sevastyan chortled. Perhaps he would offer her a clue...

Sevastyan laughed quietly in response to her question about the spell. "Only langvage, unfortunately. Or perhaps that is fortunately: looking at the big picture, such a spell vould be dangerous in the wrong hands... I know I vould have made use of a knowledge-lending spell in my youth, and not just for learning vot my parents bought for Christmas," he explained and commented. Another laugh punctuated his words.

The wizard removed his wand, and leaned closer to Amaranth so that their foreheads touched. An incantation uttered three different times in Latin, German, and Russian escaped his lips as he touched the tip of said wand to his temple, and then to hers three times as well. The spell complete, he replaced his wand back to his pocket.

"So vot do you think of my country thus far?" "And vhereabouts on the market plaza vould you like to go first?" he asked softly in Russian and German respectively. However, with a smirk he didn't give her the chance to answer immediately: as close as they still were, Sevastyan crossed the distance between his lips and Amaranth's with a full and tender kiss. No one on the street would pay them any mind.

Behind Sevastyan, a sign for a place called Elemental Apothecaries Inc. was boasting of its fine-quality and rare (but legal) ingredient.

And there was a store-wide sale going on, too...

"Yes it would!" Viper argued, laughing softly. "It would be our secret..." she breathed out in an attempt at persuasion, pressing another kiss on the other corner of Sevastyan's mouth. "Please?"

Her smile grew upon hearing the cadence of laughter from Sevastyan in response to her question, though she nodded in agreement, laughing as well. "As would I. In fact, it's probably all for the best, as a spell like that would create, especially in Labs. Pressure and competition was high enough as it was..." she mused, laughing softly as she found herself remenscing once more.

However, unlike all the other times she thought back on her past career, the trek of anger and sorrow she once felt at the hand fate dealt her was nonexistant. She was now merely a witch, thinking back upon fond memories during an even fonder present. And Viper knew exactly what, or who, rather, and caused the change in her attitude, and she gave that reason a gentle kiss, leaning into him affectionately when she felt his forehead lightly brushed against her's.

She felt the warm magic course through her, soon replaced with a light feathery sensation. The smile already present on Viper's face widened as she understood every word that escaped her love's lips. However, just before she was about to answer, her mouth was covered by his lips upon hers in a full, wholly welcomed kiss which she returned wholeheartedly.

Viper broke apart a few moments later, breathless from the kiss and was about to reply when something else stole the words, and breath from her: a huge fully stocked Potions Store. With a sale!

It took her a minute to regain the ability of speech but when she did, she opted to demonstrate her words with actions, rather than verbally. A laughter of happiness escaped her as she wrapped her arms around Sevastyan tightly, and kissed him fully on the mouth, showing as much emotion as she could conjure.

"Perfect, Amazing, Gorgeous... there are no words in any language to describe it all!" she managed between kisses.

"I love you..." She whispered in parseltongue as she entwined her hand with Sevastyan's once more, pulling him into the Apothecary, with an aura of intense excitement and infectious delight, much like a child entering Honeydukes with a pouch full of galleons.

One raven eyebrow hiked upward at the attempt at persuasion. Had Amaranth not been the very core of the reason for this surprise, and assuming he was not under the Fidelius Charm, Sevastyan assumed he would most likely have told her by now. But he didn't want to ruin the surprise he had in store for his love. "Ve already have many secrets together..." he whispered seductively, "...and soon you vill know this vone, but not yet." The grin of his words exposed a couple of teeth.

If it were possible for his countenance to smile any wider after separating from their kiss, it surely would have. Sevastyan could tell that Amaranth was about to reply, and for a moment wondered what it was that made her pause so. He hadn't yet paid any of the signs any attention. In fact, when it came to the location itself Sevastyan wasn't really thinking about where they were. However, he knew they were practically at what he often called 'apothecary central'. That was the whole point of this trip: to keep his love adequately occupied and entertained for a few hours. With as much as he knew she adored working on potions, this was the best spot in his pattern of thinking that would do the trick. It was a new, unfamiliar place chock full of (hopefully) everything his love could hope to find, whether it was legal or not.

Sure, they were headed toward a legal establishment... but the Russian wizard also had designs on showing her the way to his favorite Knockturn-Alley-esque haunt, too. It was a favorite because it just happened to be Kaminski-owned, the original owners having come upon hard times and Ministry raids.

At her delighted laughter and embrace, Sevastyan also laughed lightly and held her in a firm, gentle-yet-strong grip. He met her kisses just as wholeheartedly and enthusiastically as she offered them. 'If only ve vere indoors and alone...' the wizard immediately mused. In his opinion, the mood was nearly set. Amaranth was happy, he was happy... and both were so deeply in love it seemed like not even Voldemort himself could split the two apart. A grunt-type noise of approval was the only sound he made at her declaration in his native tongue.

"They should have named the country Amaranth, instead of Russia," Sevastyan replied playfully, slightly breathless himself. He didn't feel any other words were needed to clarify what he was getting at.

While he had not a clue of what she'd said, other than what she'd spoken was clearly parseltongue, Sevastyan really didn't need her to translate. Given her previous actions, followed by the present entwining of her hand and his, it seemed all too clear what she was trying to convey. "And I love you, too," Sevastyan replied as he was led toward the apothecary and quickly catching the same sort of excitement as was flowing through Amaranth this very minute. The elation, however, was distinctly his own.

He hadn't been here - home, he might as well say - in a few months. Sevastyan had to admit he missed Mother Russia... but Amaranth's company was worth so much more to him than the occasional twinge of homesickness.

Once they arrived at the main front doors, Sevastyan once again held open the door for Viper to enter first.

Viper pouted playfully as it became evident that Sevastyan wasn't going to give in and spill his secret. However, a grin formed upon her face, coupled with a hint of a blush in response to Sevastyan's whispers. A part of her suddenly wished they were in her chambers once more...

She giggled in response to his playful reply once they had broken apart from their lip-lock. Not feeling that words were necessary, she instead initiated another kiss, whispering in between them, "There's no need to butter me up, love. I'm already your's..."

It was only moments after she uttered the affectionate words in parseltongue that she realized that perhaps the spell did not work both ways and Sevastyan would more likely than not understand a word she had said. Luckily, he seemed to pick up on what she was getting at anyway and, much to the witch's delight, returned the words.

Back in her ECHO days, Cragen, the oldest of the Fellowship had Russia as their area for business relations and as Sevastyan opened the doors, revealing the inside, it was all too clear why Cragen was so insistant. Inside the Apothecary was all the potions ingredients Viper could ever need and desire! From ruby dust to Calypso's Tears, it was all in this store, up for grabs!

Green eyes scanned the area in amazement and exitement, wondering where to go first. Noticing bottles of chupacabra fangs nearby, Viper decided to head over there first. A giggle of pure happiness escaped her as she pressed a quick kiss on Sevastyan's cheek and ran towards the bottles, bringing Sevastyan by the hand with her.

Sevastyan chortled at her whispered reply and added displays of affection. "I am merely stating the truth..."


As Amaranth took in the sights of the storefront, Sevastyan was reminded of his own wide-eyed expression when confronted with a candy store as a young boy. Yes, he decided: this was the perfect place to bring his love if they were in need of further distracting activities. Admittedly, shopping for potion ingredients would surely put her in the mood to brew, but that was okay: Sevastyan could and would content himself with sitting and watching while she worked, if not actually helping in the event his own skills were up to snuff.

The wizard chortled at the happy utterance from Viper. With a speed he hadn't fully expected, Sevastyan barely acknowledged that they had crossed the threshold into the store for the last thing his mind had processed was her kiss. But yet here he was, led by the hand and keeping his footing.

"Welcome to Elemental Apothecaries Incorporated! If you need any assistance, just give a shout," said a passing clerk in fluent Russian. Sevastyan nodded once, keeping his countenance neutral in front of the wizard.

Sevastyan's attention focused on the chupacabra fangs once the clerk became distracted in assisting another client at the end of the aisle. "My sister used to call these 'chu-kabs' ven she vos a little girl..." he commented with a slight chuckle before summoning and subsequently handing Viper a basket to carry her intended purchases with.

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Svetlana turned to see who had entered the apothecary. Spying her brother and another, as yet unknown witch hand-in-hand she ducked into the start of the next aisle. It was sweet to see the glimmer of love in those gray orbs again. Why, she hadn't seen that kind of love for life in his eyes since he was with Roxane. Not that her eldest brother didn't enjoy life... just that he tended to worry far too much. It had been her hope that he wouldn't take Dmitri's death too hard... Sveta vaguely wondered if this new woman was to thank for her brother's seemingly light spirits.

As inconspicuously as she could manage, the Russian witch observed the pair whilst pretending to debate whether or not to purchase some Kraken's Claw, transfiguring her hooded cloak into something her brother wouldn't recognize. Though she covered most of her face with it, Sveta's brown eyes gazed curiously at the dark-haired, emerald-eyed enigma beside Sevastyan.

'Who was she? And how did Vastyan meet her?' she wondered with a warm smile behind the cloth of her cloak.

Viper barely noticed the wizard's greeting, acknowledging it with a slight nod as she picked up a bottle of the chupacabra fangs to examine it. From what she could tell, much to her delight, they were quite fresh and at the peak of perfection for potion brewing.

She chortled lightly in reply to Sevastyan's comment regarding his sister, giving him a light kiss on the cheek as she took the basket offered and placed a few bottles of the fangs into it. A strange feeling as though someone was watching them swept over Viper, but the witch opted to ignore it. After all, considering all the rare ingredients surrounding them, it was only natural and logical that someone was watching the customer's actions.

"Was this your family's apothecary when you were a boy?" Viper asked curiously. A smile played across her face as she imagined a young, child-version of Sevastyan running around. He must have been simply adorable, she mused.

Sevastyan chortled at the question. "Ve supplied much of their plants, as my ancestors vere vonce indebted to the owners of this apothecary at vone time. So, I suppose that is yes, in a vay. I can still picture ven Nikolai and I vould see who could unload the palettes qvicker, running about the place in an attempt to outdo the other," he replied congenially, laughing at the pleasant images of a childhood that seemed so long ago...

"The apothecary ve actually owned is... not qvite as upright if you catch my meaning," the Russian whispered. "It is still in business, too... if you vould like to take a look in there as vell?"


"Sevastyan Kaminski, you son of a banshee! Where in Merlin's name have you been all these months?" boomed a jovial, masculine voice.

Sevastyan stiffened briefly, but relaxed as he recognized the voice. He turned his head minutely to acknowledge the other wizard. "Greetings, Gorbachev. Vot brings you here?" he asked curiously.

"I vork here!" the other replied in English, pointing to a nametag that read the name 'Iosif Gorbachev' in the Cyrillic script. "Are you and your friend looking for anything in particular?"

Sevastyan shook his head. "Ve are just looking, but thank you. This is Amaranth's first time here, I believe?" he explained, turning back to Viper for confirmation.

"This is Iosif Gorbachev... a good friend of mine from Durmstrang," Sevastyan introduced the man to Viper. "Iosif... this is Amaranth Viper - my colleague and girlfriend," he said, emphasizing what he considered to be the more important of the two association categories. To be honest, he wasn't sure whether she wanted him to classify her as girlfriend or lover... but with the way he'd said the former, not to mention her name, it clearly indicated they were very much a couple.

"Pleased to meet you," Iosif addressed her, nodding in welcome while grinning rather broadly.

- - - - -

Meanwhile, Sveta selected one of the claws she pretended to be interested in so that she wouldn't appear too suspicious. She rolled her eyes at the fact that Iosif had decided to weasel his way into the couple's conversation, never having approved of her elder brother's friend from school.

But, there was a silver lining to Gorbachev's interruption: Sveta had clearly heard what she had seen in her brother's eyes. The witch knew of a set of parents that would be overjoyed with the input once she returned home!

Upon hearing a cadence of laughter from Sevastyan, her's own soon followed in response to his anecdote. She could just imagine a younger Sevastyan dashing around the store in a competition. "I had no idea you were so competitive."

At the whispered add-on, Viper's already high curiousity, soared even higher. She personally preferre the apothecaries that weren't as "upright". They had alot of extremely rare things for a reasonable price, and she always felt at home there. "It sounds amazing!" she whispered with a grin, heightened excitement illuminating her green orbs.

Viper had been about to ask which family member of Sevastyan's ran the apothecary, when she heard a greeting from a nearby clerk directed at Sevastyan. When it became evident the two were friends, Viper allowed a small greeting smile to grace her face, nodding in confirmation to Sevastyan's explanation. The smile grew at the added emphasis on Sevastyan's introduction as she gently squeezed his hand to show her affection and appreciation of the gesture.

"Likewise, Mr.Gorbachev." Viper replied politely, their welcoming surroundings and the grin on the wizard's face, coaxing another smile from her, although Viper had to admit, it wasn't quite as broad as Iosif's.

Sevastyan grinned at Amaranth's comment. "Oh yes... I vos qvite competitive as a child. Suppose I still am, to some extent: before vinter, I accepted a challenge from vone of the students for a friendly race around the castle: Morana and I, against Mr. Casillas and his aethenon Persephone. I forget who von, or if ve vere even keeping track in the first place," he explained, chuckling lightly.

The wizard was only too pleased to hear her note of approval on visiting his family's own apothecary. It wasn't nearly as big as this place, but they always had items in stock either home-grown or -raised. He was torn whether or not to detail for her some of the items he last knew they carried, but it seemed fate decided she would just have to be surprised.

Sevastyan returned the hand-squeeze to acknowledge he'd felt it, though the actions went unnoticed by Gorbachev.

"I can see vy you like her, Vastyan... she has a radiant smile to go vith a pleasant personality," Iosif noted aloud, not bothering to keep his observations a secret.

"There is much more to Amaranth than vot meets the eyes," Sevastyan replied before turning his focus entirely on her. "If you vant, you can explore the rest of the apothecary and I'll vait for you at checkout counter? I have a feeling this oaf -" the Russian wizard offered and nudged his friend, "- is going to try talking both my ears off before he decides it's time to get back to vork..." A smile and a laugh were present both on his face and in his voice.

"Hey - who are you calling an oaf?" Iosif asked Sevastyan with a hearty laugh.

As though Sevastyan hadn't heard him, though it was clear he had, the wizard added, "And then, if you'd like, I can introduce you to my cousins - Bogdan and Miroslav." The very slight quirk of an eyebrow hinted that this statement veiled another rather similar to it. He'd just revealed the two primary keepers of the shop they would next be visiting.

Viper giggled in response. Truth be told she was rather competitive herself, though she didn't exactly grow up with a rival to be competitive with. Until now... she added mentally with a smirk. "I'll keep that in mind then for the future." she added with a hint of flirtation.

A hint of a blush splashed her face at the compliments towards her, a flirtatious eyebrow quirked at the mention of their being more to her than meets the eye. She was tempted to ask Sevastyan to specify but in the end opted not to. After all, who knows where such a conversation would go? Perhaps later on when they returned to Hogwarts...

"Sure." she replied with a smile of pure happiness. She was glad that Sevastyan had run into a friend so that he may catch up with. After all, with all these rare potions ingredients surrounding her, there was no telling how long she'd be and she certainly didn't want him to get bored while waiting for her.

"That sounds lovely. I'd love to meet any of your friends and family members." she replied, then teasingly added. "Perhaps one of them would be kind enough to indulge me in an amusing anecdote about you in your youth." before dissolving into a cadence of light laughter.

"I'll see you in a bit, love." she said as she kissed him gently and squeezed his hand once more before heading off to do more exploring.

A display of Kraken Claws caught the witches eye as she seperated from her boyfriend and commanded her attention as she headed to that area, observing the claws for a moment, impressed at the quality.

Sevastyan grinned at her flirtatious comment, slightly curious as to what she was implying. However, he didn’t remark upon it. Gorbachev didn’t need any more information about his relationship with Amaranth. Perhaps later, if the excitement doesn’t wash away the thoughts beforehand, he concluded.

Gorbachev glanced between the couple, noticing the blush on Viper’s face as well as the flirty brow quirk. With the introductions made, Iosif wasn’t quite dense enough to think that such actions were toward him. He was certain that, if he made even the slightest hint of assuming such, that Sevastyan would probably have a fit to put it mildly. “I too have heard that said,” replied Iosif.

If it was possible, Sevastyan’s smile widened. Had this not been the reason to surprise her with going here, he would have asked the Headmistress for a day or two leave for him and Viper long before now. Vaguely he wondered if she knew precisely why they were here, but decided to disregard the thought. The wizard hadn’t yet wished her a happy birthday, for to better keep her in the dark to the surprise that was planned. He wanted to, though. He really did.

Both men laughed at the teased suggestion. “Vell... if that’s the case, how about the time ven...” Gorbachev began, but in an instant found a rolled-up sock had been conjured to interrupt the words.

“She vould not be interested in the stories you’d have to tell, Iosif... And if I remember correctly there vos only vone person streaking during Class Photo day, and that vos you!” Sevastyan exclaimed with a hearty laugh, revealing himself as the culprit who had conjured the sock.

Sevastyan met Amaranth half-way in the kiss, squeezing her hand in return. “If you need anything, you know vhere ve’ll be,” he returned as he watched her walk away. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, Sevastyan held off Iosif’s chatter one more moment with a gesture of his hand. “It is her birthday today... vould it be any trouble to put her on my family’s discount plan, or provide her vith her own account in secret?”

Gorbachev only grinned in reply...

- - - - - - - - - -

Svetlana was surprised yet unsurprised at the murmur of chatter she was able to overhear and discern through reading lips. It was sweet of her brother not to make his significant other wait. What perhaps surprised her more was that the object of Sevastyan’s affection was headed straight for her. Or, more specifically, the Kraken Claws.

“Good Morning,” Sveta quietly bade to Viper with a nod of her hooded head, hoping that she was too far for her brother to overhear.

Viper was vaguely aware that Sevastyan had yet to greet her a happy birthday, but honestly didn't think much of it. After all, she had told him that she didn't make too much of a fuss on her birthday so he probably thought not even mentioning it. Besides, she was having way too much fun anyway so she didn't mind in the least. Either way, birthday or not, he was here with her, spending time with her, which was the best to spend any day.

She laughed merrily, smiling in anticipation as it was apparent that Gorbachev was about to indulge her in an anecdote, only to pout playfully as a sock was stuffed into his mouth. Eyebrows rose in interest at the mention of streaked photos. "You'll have to show me that yearbook sometime!" she joked lightly, although she shot an intrigued look to Sevastyan to show that while her statement was said lightheartedly, there was a hint of interested seriousness.

Viper nodded with a smile, kissing him lightly once more, returning the hand squeeze, making her way to the claws, examining them.

She turned slightly as she heard a femenine voice greet her. She allowed a small smile to grace her face, nodding in response.[i] "Good Morning."[/
i]

In the back of her mind, she wondered if this was another friend of Sevastyan's as well...

Svetlana smiled from behind the folds of her cloak covering the lower portion of her face. Her eyes, unlike her brother's, were brown. But they were shaped similarly. She vaguely wondered if the woman was German, since she seemed a fluent speaker, but yet she'd also heard her speaking in English. "I could not help but notice..." Sveta explained quietly, not wanting to use the word 'overhear' for obvious reasons, "... you are vith that vizard vith the pony tail."

Upon glancing into the aisle from which the woman of her brother's affection had come, Sveta realized the two men had moved to a different part of the store. Knowing this, she uncovered her face but still kept her hood up. The witch thankfully did not have the same cleft chin, but her cheekbones were similar. And, though slightly fuller, her smiling lips bore enough of a resemblance to indicate upon closer examination that she and Sevastyan were siblings.

"I know his name is Vastyan... or Vas... I've even heard him addressed as 'Sev' a few times. But I don't believe ve have met. May I ask who you are?" Sveta asked, reaching forward to initiate a handshake.

Viper raised an eyebrow slightly, suprised at the strong resemblances between Sevastyan and the woman before her. When the woman aprroached her, the first thought that came to mind was that the other woman had been an old flame of Sevastyan's. While Viper would never openly admit it, she did have a slight jealous streak. In no way was she ever controlling, but she did get jealous when the occasion called for it. Thankfully, the facial similarities between the mysterious witch and the her boyfriend quieted her suspicions, but ignited her curiousity further. She was a relative of his, that was obvious. But howso?

Viper took a quick moment to ponder. Sevastyan had spoken of a younger sister: Sveta, and clearly the witch before Viper was younger than him, more or less Viper's age. Perhaps this was her...

Realizing she might have spent a bit longer than she had meant to stalling and not wanting to be rude, Viper quickly responded. "Yes, I'm his girlfriend, actually." she replied with a smile and reached for Sveta's hand, meeting the initiated handshake. "Amaranth Viper."

"And, you are?" she asked curiously, wondering if her original suspicions were correct.

Svetlana realized the other witch was obviously curious as to why a strange woman around her age was approaching her and making comments on noticing the pair together. Sveta decided she'd be a bit uncertain, too, in such a situation. Possibly a little jealous as well, under the assumption that the reason for the strange woman's asking being because they were romantically involved with the current love of one's life.

Yes, she could understand her hesitance and did not take offense.

"It is vonderful to meet you, Amaranth!" she exclaimed quietly, smiling widely. Her smile was a bit different from Sevastyan's, obvious femininity aside.

"Of course, how silly of me: Svetlana Kaminskaya. Though, my brother-" Sveta paused to nod in the direction of where Sevastyan had been, "-as vell as the rest of my family just call me 'Sveta,' " she explained.

"You are a professor, too?" Sveta asked with a light curiosity so as not to seem prying.

The smile on Viper's face widened upon hearing that her original thoughts were confirmed. "It's wonderful to meet you, Miss Kaminskaya." she replied, though not knowing how Svetlana would prefer for her to refer to her as, opted for the most polite title. "Sevastyan has spoken quite a bit about you, so it's lovely to put a name with a face."

She nodded in reply to Sveta's question. "Yes, potions, actually. Your brother and I met through our occupations at Hogwarts."

Svetlana nodded with respect to the other witch. "Please: since you are the girlfriend of my brother, I vould like you to just call me Sveta. Vastyan would no doubt introduce me by that nickname anyvay," she replied, laughing lightly upon mentioning her sibling.

"Has he? That is rather sveet of him. I've heard he has adjusted vell to a change of environment. Then again... he used to travel quite a lot before becoming a professor."

Recognition and enlightenment dawned on the feminine face. "Ah, yes! I have heard a little about you as vell! Vastyan sent a letter at the beginning of the month... So you are the 'Professor A. Viper' he spoke of! Alvays so secretive, my brother, about the things going on in his life. But he has also been a little busy lately, da?" Sveta exclaimed with a fairly well-quieted excitement. Her last comment was not really a question, stated lightly and with eyebrows minimally raised. "Vich reminds me, I have something for you. I vos going to mail it out today vhile I vos on errands..."

With a snap of her fingers, an envelope made of pale yellow - almost white - parchment appeared in Sveta's hand. She then held it out to Viper. A crimson wax seal with a letter 'K' at its center sealed the contents therein. Upon the opposite side the following address in emerald green ink, and in English no less, could be seen:

Viper smiled brightly in response. "As long as you call me Amaranth." she countered, not wanting any members of Sevastyan's family or any of his friends to regard her formally. "Or Viper, if you prefer. It's what my colleagues tend to call me."

"He has, a few facts and little anecdotes here and there. It was been rather sweet. I was quite close to my brothers as well."

Raven eyebrows rose in curiousity in regards to the letter Sveta spoke of, bluahing lightly at the other witch's observant, yet opted to neither confirm or deny it. She felt actions spoke for themselves and at the moment was filled to the brim with curiousity. "Oh, thank you." she smiled as she grasped the envelope, examining her name and address on it before turning her attention back to Sveta.

"So are you picking up ingredients here as well or just passing by on errands?"

Svetlana practically glowed upon seeing Viper's expression brighten. "Very vell, Amaranth," she replied automatically. Unlike her brother, the rolled 'r' wasn't quite as prominent. Being in the medical field and a wish to be understood by anyone that approached her caused Sveta to get a better handle on her accent than some of her family. Her informal speech, as she was using now, was distinctly accented like Sevastyan's. "Hmm... I think I may alternate betveen the two, though your first name is very pretty."

Her smile widened, glad to know that though they were geographically far apart that her brother still thought of his family. "I only vish Vastyan and my other brother - Grigoriy - vould get along... I am close to both, and neither like that too vell," she explained with a small laugh in regards to her sibling situation.

"Velcome," Svetlana replied, her eyes taking a moment to scan the store while Viper examined the address on the envelope. She couldn't hear her brother speaking with Iosif, but imagined they were probably at the checkout counter like her brother had suggested.

"I'm here for both, actually," Sveta answered with a slight giggle. Then, something occurred to her. "Oh... but you von't tell my brother about my being here, vill you? Please? The Headmistress of Hogvarts is inviting me to the school during the Christmas break, as a surprise for Sevastyan. And... he thinks I am abroad in Germany for further education..."

Viper noticed the similarities in Sevastyan and his sister's accents, as well as the differences. Having been with Sevastyan for quite a few weeks now, she had grown rather fond of Russian accents. It always seemed to hold more charm and emotion than English accents. "Thank You. As is your's." Viper replied with a light blush.

She nodded in response to Sveta's wish. "Indeed. I've heard a bit about that scenario and can understand how difficult it is. I myself have a sister who I have not spoken to in a good amount of years. There is still hope, though, of reconcilliation." she offered the other witch. "As much as I loathe to repeat cliches, I fear I must give into temptation for I find this one to be quite true, that time, if nothing else, heals all wounds." she replied with an undertone of light optimism.

"Oh, how lovely! Will it be your first time visiting Britain and Hogwarts?" Viper inquired with excitement. She had already taken a liking to the other witch and the prospect of being able to show her around, especially around the city thrilled the Potions Mistress. "My lips are sealed." she promised with a smile.

"May I ask what you are studying?"

It was Sveta's turn to blush at the compliment. "Spasiba ((Thank you))," she murmured.

A light smile reappeared on the Russian witch's face at Viper's words, for the countenance had faltered a bit upon thinking about her quarreling brothers. "I hope the cliche becomes a reality for the both of us," Sveta replied with a nod of her head. "I am sorry to hear about you and your sistra. In a vay I vish my parents had had vone more child... teenage brothers vos a bit awkvard." A small laugh punctuated her statement.

"Yes, it vill be..." Sveta answered, her blush increasing. She had nothing against the British, and hoped Amaranth wouldn't see it that way. "I have heard stories about London from friends that vent there, but that is all I have to go on."

"Oh spasiba! Thank you!" she would have cried out had she not been 'undercover'. Thus, it came out as an excited half-whisper.

Raven eyebrows rose when she was asked what she was studying. It wasn't out of surprise, per se, but rather intrigue that Viper was curious. With a widened smile, Sveta obliged, "Medical magic. I am training to be a full-fledged Healer, instead of just an assistant. Part of this education is vy I am here... I ran out of some essential ingredients I vill likely need for a potions examination and this vos the best time to get out of campus and avay from the manor for a vhile."