Defense Office

Viper laughed bitterly. "I need attention, Professor? Who is it that causes a scene in the middle of the great hall? Who is it that cannot eat a meal without harming nearly all those around her? Who is it that mopes around, moaning over their pain? Who is it who can't get over the fact that their husband is dead because the Ministry singled her out? It's I who should be pitying you, Professor. Unfortunetly I see no use for pity so I keep none at all, regardless of who it should deserve." she replied icily.

Despite herself, Viper found Eglantine asking her to clarify a sentence that stood out to her. "And what do you mean hasten my destruction? Were you planning on killing me in front of the defense against the darks arts classroom? As ironic as the idead would be, it would be quite rude to Sevastyan, opening his door to find his colleague's dead corpse before him." she said dryly.

"Desire for what I already posess..." she scoffed. "Prithee, tell me what it is you mean by that. tell me, what do I seek that I do not realize I already have? I am curious."

Eglantine ignored Viper's accusations. True as they were, Viper did not really seem interesting in a two sided truth conversation. She appeared to only want to argue.

"You hasten your own destruction by making those who strived to be your friends into your enemies. And as for what you already possess...Do you not desire power, respect? You already have both, you're just too self-centred to see it."

Viper smiled to herself, noticing thst Eglantine did not deny anything Viper said. However, the smile was replaced with a slight frown and a look of disbelief at Eglantine's next statement. "What power? The power to put a student in detention, take a few house points, make them cry? Respect? I'd hardly call a sniveling student being a symbol of respect. Or a student in awe, sucking up to me to gain something in return respect, Professor. And as it stands that is not entirely what my desires consist of. Maybe a small portion of it but not enough that it is guiding my every action and word."

"Then what are your desires?" Eglantine asked, she really could care less, but Viper was making it difficult for her to speak to her.

Viper scowled. "Why would I tell you? I am after all nothing more than a spoiled little girl!" she said dryly.

Eglantine's glare softened. She was wrong about her feelings toward Viper. She still did care and pity her.

"Then I suggest you attempt to change that." she responded softly.

Viper raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of feeling. "What, is this the part where I am supposed to run to you, begging for comfort and crying, rest my head on your lap and tell you I can't because I'm a screw up? then I cry and cry as you comfort me, tell me, I'm not so I feel better and you feel better about yourself under the false impression you helped lead me to 'the right way' all from the goodness of your heart?" she replied nastily.

Eglantine shook her head. "No, this is when you defend yourself, by lashing out at me. This is when you try to make yourself feel better by hurting someone else."

Viper relaxed her features to a more solemn look. Concerned, she gently placed her hand on Eglantine's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Professor. Was I hurting you? I wasn't aware of how painful the truth would be..."

Eglantine sighed. "You are a paradox, Professor." she stated simply. And to think she had only come to the office door to speak to Professor Kaminski.

"No, I'm a victim." she said simply with a faint hint of snottyness.

"Indeed." Eglantine agreed.

"Honestly though, why are you and Kiara being so frigid around me? She's even sent a portrait to spy on me! What in Circe's name did I do?"

"You have delved deeper into the dark arts." Eglantine responded softly. "It is unmistakeable."

Viper stiffened. "You have no proof. It is nothing more than an unjust statement with no support whatsoever." she replied softly as.

Eglantine looked up at the white bangs and then back into Viper's eyes. "I need none and I seek none."

((Wow guys! Really sorry I wasn’t on during all this – had gone to bed early-ish last night. If it’s all right with the both of you I’ll italicize precisely what Sevastyan hears clearly, with Viper’s quoted text in green and Eglantine’s in purple.

And sorry I didn’t post this as soon as I’d indicated in the chatbox – something came up I that had to tend to.))


After scrawling his name in the book, Sevastyan decided the renovating of his office could wait just a little while. Seeing no harm in amusing himself for a few moments, Sevastyan cast a nonverbal ‘Alohomora’ on his previously-locked trunk and immediately afterward summoned something that resembled a Rubik’s Cube from its depths. Another flick of his wand re-locked the trunk. The cube he had withdrawn was a lot different than the ones Muggles played with: it had weird angles, but nonetheless squared when one attempted to break down the puzzle. It was rather massive, equaling about six standard Rubik’s Cubes, with a slightly larger one in the middle, and would no doubt require magic to turn the pieces. The game had been given to him by a Tibetan wizard whom he had worked with for a short time, and best resembled the auspicious symbol of an endless knot, hence the odd angles. ((click here for visual reference)). Sevastyan had only mastered the puzzle once before…

As if seeming to sense his intent, the puzzle immediately randomized itself and hovered in mid-air, turning slowly for its observer to solve the conundrum. Unlike a Rubik’s Cube, the squares could be removed and placed in a separate location, provided it was open to begin with (the game determined which spaces were “legal” moves). Was it any wonder, with the amount of concentration this game required, that Sevastyan had only been peripherally aware of the knock at his door? ’Probably nothing,’ he thought when they hadn’t knocked again. Little did he realize he thought wrong. Very, completely, wholly wrong. ((^_^))

To his ears, all had remained quiet for several minutes. That was, until he’d heard something that seemed to resemble argument. Sevastyan paused in mid-placement of the final square of the topmost block that would secure that section as completed, trying to catch at least a snippet of the conversation, but it was not more than a buzz of jumbled words. The only things he could discern was that, firstly, both were either female or very young males. Sevastyan voted for the latter under assumption that his colleagues would not take issue so openly. Secondly, whomever was waiting for his summons were in a rather heated discussion. He took a few moments to replace the puzzle back into his trunk, for now at least, in an effort to learn more about what was brewing just outside his door.

"What power? The power to put a student in detention, take a few house points, make them cry?...” Sevastyan recognized this voice’s owner as none other than Professor Viper. . . Amaranth, as she’d requested to be called. He had yet to hear her spit fire such as this. . .

The other person’s response hadn’t been long enough for him to discern who Amaranth was with for a few seconds, until he’d heard:

"Then I suggest you attempt to change that."

’Professor DeLanquar?’ he thought to himself, completely baffled. As he headed for the door, Sevastyan attempted to riddle out why the pair would be fighting. The small portion of Rubik’s Cube had restored his analytical mindset, and by the sound of it such a skill was going to be sorely needed…

"You have delved deeper into the dark arts. It is unmistakeable."

"You have no proof. It is nothing more than an unjust statement with no support whatsoever."

"I need none and I seek none."

Sevastyan closed his hand around the door knob and inhaled almost as if about to take a plunge into a bitterly cold body of water. . . at the moment it seemed as if only Professor Viper had a vague idea about the Kaminski family’s stereotypical avenue of magic, and as such he would have to be extra careful, especially with the accusation he’d just heard lingering in the air. It wouldn’t do any good if the Defense professor was accused and subsequently found guilty of dark sorcery, even if the counts were a good eleven years behind him.

Opening the door, Sevastyan somewhat feigned surprise at the arrival of his two guests. “Good Day, Professors DeLanquar, Amaranth,” he greeted them hurriedly before the argument could progress any further. “I am truly sorry to have kept you vaiting. Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable!” he added in a cheery tone with hopes to at least temporarily diffuse the situation, stepping aside to hold the door open for both of them.


((This should be interesting! =D ))

((oh it is no problem... brilliant post by the way...))

Eglantine breathed an obvious sigh of relief as Professor Kaminski stepped from his office. She doubted that he had heard much of the argument, or at least her own side of it due to the fact that she had been speaking either softly or normally, which for her was soft anyway.

"Thank you, Professor." She intoned, her chair entering the room. Hoping Viper would take her leave, since she had wished to show something to the DADA professor without Viper being present, she glanced over at the younger woman.

Viper nodded her greetings. "Good evening, Sevastyan. Forgive me for intruding. I only meant to drop off some of my Grandfather's old Dark Arts books I thought you may find interesting." she said as she handed him the books, ignoring Eglantine's presence.

((Thanks Merci.))


"Of course," Sevastyan replied automatically to Professor DeLanquar. Once she had crossed the threshold, his attention was on Professor Viper the moment she spoke.

"Neither of you vere intruding," he began seconds before he realized he was being handed a stack of leather-bound tomes. Raven brows rose with a safe amount of intrigue, though had he not been on his guard they probably would have risen more.

"I... Thank you, Amaranth," Sevastyan said in earnest. It was out of a slight superstition originating from his cultural background that Sevastyan positioned himself just enough out of the threshold before accepting the books. "Are you certain you do not mind my borrowing them?" he asked, not about to assume that he could keep such treasures of generations worth of reviewing and collecting the reading material. A quick scan of the titles told Sevastyan that there were a few he'd only heard of, with the others being ones he knew nothing about. Sevastyan's interest in the books was about as plain as the beard on his chin.

"Vould you like to come in? Or. . ." Sevastyan paused a little awkwardly. He didn't want to reveal that he'd heard a snippet or two of her and Eglantine's conversation, and certainly didn't want to have to take a side. At least, not yet.

Eglantine mind almost began to mantra of "Please do not." as Viper was invited into the office. She did not need to be shut into a room with the younger woman again, especially with their "argument" still fresh in her mind. Still she was not about to admit that out loud. Her hands clenched the arms of the wheelchair as she awaited Viper's response.

Viper smiled. "Of course not. These books have done nothing but sit on my library shelf for nearly two decades. It's only right that they be read. I do hope there are a few that are new to you though. Some of them are fairly common."

She paused for a moment, considering his offer. She could practically hear Eglantine pleading that she did not enter. She was curious as to what reason Eglantine had to visit him but decided it would be best to withdraw. She turned to Sevaastyan and politely declined. "Thank you, Sevastyan but I feel I should withdraw. I only meant to pass by to give you the books." she met Eglantine's gaze with an icy look of her own. "I would not want to upset Professor Delanquar any further." she stated coolly.

Sevastyan smiled in nonverbal agreement - it was only right that books be read, if not by their owners than by another that would appreciate their content. "I have found that even a professor of the field learns something new - and there are several tomes here of vich I have never heard of. I appreciate the time it took you to amass these materials," he returned in earnest. Though, if one were to look closely at his eyes, there was something there along the lines of: 'How might I reciprocate such a generous offer?'

"Very vell," he replied, partially feigning confusion at the countenance with which she had set professor DeLanquar. "If you need anything, you know vere I vork," Sevastyan stated simply, attempting to inflect a bit of warmth into the sudden chilliness of the atmosphere.

((I'm going to assume Viper has left after this point. . .))

"I did not realize you vere upset, Professor?" Sevastyan inquired after stepping into his office again. Viper's statement concerned him. Was there something going on that required his attention? Another dark plot? Sevastyan knew a great deal about those, and not just the defending portion.

Viper smiled as she nodded, leaving the other two Professors. She had a strong feeling Sevastyan knew more than he let on. After all, she and Eglantine, or at least Viper, were not making any effort to lower their voices.

These thoughts were quickly discarded as intense curiousity filled her regarding Eglantine's reasons for her visit to the Defense Professor. Summoning Drakon, she whispered lowly to the snake, ordering it to enter the plumbing pipes...

"I am not upset." Eglantine assured him, turning her head to face the wall. In an obvious attempt to change the subject, she pulled the wand from her pocket and laid it on his desk.
"This is why I came to see you. Stained yew, with an ash core..." Anyone who knew anything about yew, knew it represented death and that if stained it was without a doubt meant to cause it...