Defense Office

Immediately, it seemed as though Sevastyan had clearly said something wrong just by the look on the other professor's face. "Prophecy?" he questioned tentatively.

"I have only heard of a vand claiming its master in this fashion vonce or tvice. Are you certain it is referring to you, and not, perhaps, your son? Or is he best termed as the heir of DeLanquar?" Sevastyan remarked, the questions clearly out of concern for the boy. It was one thing for an adult to master the wand, but for this one to belong to a child one day. . . he didn't like that idea at all, but it had to be addressed just in case. "Or perhaps another relative vith the surname of Rosier?" Without knowing much about this prophecy, Sevastyan had more questions than he had answers.

Eglantine shook her head. "The Rosier Heir is always the first born and his or her children. Therefore my brother would not qualify to be the heir since he is five years younger than I am. His son may have been an heir, but he is dead now. As for Edwin, his father was a muggle and that also does not follow the prophecy lines."

She sighed. "The prophecy was made several generations ago, I will not bore you with who first heard it and who begot whom afterwards. It spoke of an extreme power that would be granted to the Heir of Rosier that would be used to reassert the purity of blood and the nobility of the wizards. But a wand that kills pure-bloods does not seem like a tool to help bring back the pure-blood strength. Perhaps, it merely used those words to make itself seem more deadly."

Of course the thought that Cerise or Lord Voldemort, or whomever had created the wand had carved runes into it to deceive her as rather hard to believe...

"Vell, at least all other options have been explored, at any rate," Sevastyan offered, relieved in a way that Edwin was not applicable to be labeled as the Rosier Heir.

"An interesting conundrum, regardless," he stated after a moment. Deception didn't seem the motive of this wand's creation. "Vot do you intend to do vith this vand, if you don't mind my asking?"

Removing his own wand, Sevastyan drew the list of words in mid-air, where they appeared as if on fire:

Excessum
Bone
Eternity
Bond / Bound
Ash
Tears

With a wave of his wand, the words split into two groups:

Excessum
Eternity
Bond / Bound

Bone
Ash
Tears

"Did any of these things become ingredients for the Excessum potion?" he asked, gesturing to the second list. "Aside from this vone, that is," Sevastyan added, separating the word 'ash' from the list.

What had she planned to do with the wand? Interesting question. "Obviously I desired to destroy with it. But I only used it once, to kill Cerise. Before I used my own wand when using Excessum Neci..."

Eglantine nodded. "Four types of bone were added and tears as well. But the elixir was created with the purpose of restoring life, not taking it." she did not add that she had known that pure-bloods would have been killed.

Suddenly she gasped. "Could it be so simple?" she muttered. "Excessum bound for eternity with bone, tears and ash to the Heir of Rosier."

Sevastyan nodded, but was curious at the same thing. "Vot is it you vish to destroy now that Cerise is no more, Professor?" he queried. His other question - on the spell being exclusively powerful enough with the wand - had been inadvertently answered. Sevastyan couldn't help but be a little suspicious out of nature, but he decided against judging someone fully before actually getting to know them. Did she intend to fulfill the prophecy? She certainly didn't seem the type, what with teaching Muggle studies and insisting Muggles and the magical community differed only very little.

"Dracovan vos a pure-blood vosn't he? It almost seems contradictory that a vand prophesied to restore the purity of blood vould also have the power to kill somevone of such lineage. Unless it vorked because he vos your enemy?" Sevastyan speculated.

"It does seem rather simple, doesn't it? And yet, it vould fit the translation rather too vell to be too far off," he answered, having had a slight idea that that was what the runes were alluding to after studying the two columns. "Does this inscription mean anything significant to you? To your family's prophecy?"

"Nothing. I did not want to destroy anything and do not now." she raised a trembling hand to her face.

"He was a pure-blood. But it has been many years since I last saw the prophecy. It is possible that I remember it wrongly." Eglantine closed her eyes. "My father would know. But in order to get his assistance, I would have to tell him much more than I am willing to tell. He is also a Rosier Heir, being the oldest son of his father. The wand may be alluding to him as well." That thought chilled her to the bone. Her father would easily break the delicate balance of light and dark to gain possession of the wand before her.

"It is possible. . . but the prophecy as you believe to remember it vos something the Rosiers desired to see happen, correct?" Sevastyan asked. It could go either way, without being certain on this variable within the equation.

Sevastyan nodded as Professor DeLanquar spoke of her father. The possibility she presented was also plausible, but it seemed to him that Eglantine didn't leap at the opportunity to ask her father for more than just secrecy's sake. "Unless . . . vos this prophecy written or kept somevhere? Perhaps he could indirectly be of assistance vithout ever knowing?" he suggested, though the expression on his face clearly indicated that his strategy was only half-formed... an attempt to not have their efforts halted in a stalemate.

Eglantine shook her head. "The prophecy is something the Rosier family believed was suppose to give them more power... but we believed it had already been fulfilled by one of our ancestors, who assisted a muggle dictator."

"My father has in his possession the ancient Rosier scrolls. It is no secret that we are a family deeply involved with the dark arts, despite the fact that only one of us, a Rosier who assisted the first reign of Lord Voldemort and was slain, is actually well-known. I could procure the scroll from him, but he would not allow it to leave his sight. Our family deeds and history is recorded in it as well as the prophecy."

"And vould doing so cause him to be suspicious?" Sevastyan asked, understanding quite a bit about old documents that never left the sight of a family. His own family had a few of such aged parchments as well. But, as he'd said before: the fewer people that know - or even suspect - anything about this wand, the better. So, telling Mr. Rosier about the true reason for looking at these scrolls would be most definitely out of the question. Perhaps there was a way to slightly hoodwink the man they were now contemplating... just long enough to read and commit the prophecy to memory without making it obvious...

But was that even a viable plan in the first place? Despite the fact that their situation was hardly a game meant for joking and playing around with, Sevastyan was greatly enjoying the challenge of learning about this wand.

"Suspicious, no. Curious, most definitely." she sighed. "I have not seen him or my mother in twenty years. Of course I have received items for safekeeping from him and letters, but we have a fairly." she closed her eyes and then opened them. "Strained relationship..."

Strained was a good word to use in context with Cledwyn Rosier and both of his children. Early on in their childhood he had given them more of his time than most fathers would have dreamed of giving and yet, his work and his travels had consumed him. He had found nothing wrong in abandoning his young daughter in countless countries with strict instructions to remain indoors. Once she had reached a school age, he provided lesson plans and books for her to use and to teach her younger brother with, but he had hardly ever actually reasserted himself as their father.

"I see," Sevastyan replied simply. "Sounds similar to the relationship I have vith my brother."

"Vould it be plausible to memorize or transcribe the prophecy, vithout attracting too much curiosity?" he wondered aloud to no one in particular. The slight distance in his tone indicated that Sevastyan was mildly lost in thought.

"Vot vould you recommend our next move be? Acqviring the prophecy vould encroach upon the privacy of your family, strained or not, and ve still have to determine vot ve vill do vith the vand, now that ve know the inscription..." Sevastyan paused and glanced at the translated text written on the parchment, " 'Excessum bound for eternity vith bone, tears and ash to the Heir of Rosier.' "

"Personally," Sevastyan began, hesitating slightly, "I think the vand should not leave Hogvarts if you go to see your father for the prophecy, considering the vay you say your family tended to favor the dark arts. Vy, I vouldn't even trust my own relatives vith it for the same reason, except maybe my sister. She is qvite the different breed." The mistrust regarding his own family was genuine and a verbal gesture of respect by not singling out the Rosiers. Both families have been down the path of darkness, and certain individuals from each would probably kill for such a wand if the occasion called for it. Or, at least, Sevastyan could say this of certain Kaminski relations.

"It might be, I could take another matter to him and while he was distracted, I may be able to commit the prophecy to memory." Obviously she had not noticed that he had been thinking aloud.

She pinned him with an icy glare as soon as he mentioned not taking the wand with her if she did visit her father. Leave it with him?
"I do not think I can part with it." she admitted, stroking a trembling finger down its smooth shaft. The energy caressed her hand with a wave of power and tiny sparks shot from its end.

Sevastyan blinked with slight confusion at her plan. Had they been thinking along the same lines? "That could vork."

Her glare did not escape his notice. In return Sevastyan regarded her rather blankly, neutrally, his face completely devoid of emotion perhaps for the first time since he'd arrived here. It was as if his features had been carved out of stone. The only hint of sentience, aside from his breathing, was when he'd glanced down briefly at the sparks the wand emitted; and even then it was not with any great amount of fuss. Was it an involuntary reaction, or a scare tactic? he wondered. If it had been the latter, it hadn't worked, but Sevastyan wasn't about to taunt a colleague whom had come to him for assistance. It would be extremely childish, and potentially dangerous, given this 'Excessum Neci' spell, to do so.

She did not seem to trust him, given the countenance and her statement. Personally he didn't blame her, but that was because he knew himself and his past tendencies in addition to them not knowing each other that well yet. "I believe, professor, that you have misunderstood me," he told her flat out, without any frills. Heck, if one were to put a thermometer to words his tone would likely read as slightly chilly. "It vos merely a suggestion to leave it at Hogvarts - particularly safeguarded in your own qvarters, of vich I for one know not vhere, and have no business getting into. It is your vand, after all, professor; I trust you vill do vot you must," he explained in a tone that mirrored his statuesque countenance, with equal parts honesty and diplomacy but distinctly without any extra warmth or other such nuances common in most of his other conversations. The metaphorical walls were sealed, surrounding him like a shield.

"Is there anything more about this vand that ve should discuss?" he asked candidly, clearly on his guard a bit more now than he had been in the past few minutes. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to have been open with her about his family... a mistake he would keep in mind for future reference.

Eglantine yanked her hand back from the wand as if it had bitten her. "I am sorry." she muttered, obviously shaken. "You have been so helpful, I have no right to not trust you." Contrition showed plainly in her facial features and she dropped both hands into her lap.

"Obviously, there is something evil lurking in this wand. Maybe it would be best if we destroyed it. I feel as if I need it and I shouldn't feel that way." She looked up at him. "I was wrong; I still may desire to do harm. We both are children of the dark arts, maybe it is impossible to ever fully leave it behind."

The blanket of indifference that had settled over the man frightened and comforted her all at the same time. This was not a person who feared her or desired to taunt her; doubtless he understood and would attempt to help.

He nodded his acceptance of the apology; still watchful, still as unmoving as stone for the most part. His utter lack of movement was actually a defensive preparation: a sudden, quick movement would surely catch an observer off guard if he so chose to do such a thing. "You have every right not to trust me, Professor, and I vill respect such until I have done something more than assist vith a few runes to earn it. As you yourself have observed: I have more than just a passing knowledge of the dark arts. Who is to say I vould not be tempted? Vithout knowing me, the call vould be very difficult to make," he said, not quite sure which stance to place his tone of voice in. Sevastyan was still a bit cautious.

Her next statement was obvious: there was most definitely something evil within the wand. He had felt a slight pull, which had manifested in his excitement and fascination with the object. Gray eyes darkened slightly, but not out of suspicion. She felt she needed the wand? That wasn't exactly a good sign, he knew, and such a thing showed on his face.

"But vot - or whom - is it that you may desire to harm?" he asked, "Aurors? Colleagues? Students? Creatures on the grounds? There is a vide variety of targets." To be truthful to himself, Sevastyan didn't expect a distinct answer. "Furthermore, vould you allow it to be destroyed?"

He made a noncommittal noise at the back of his throat at the prospect of never being able to leave the dark arts behind them. Personally, he'd taken up positions like this one so he could deliberately be near the dark things that fascinated him but did not require prolonged exposure. Sevastyan hated to say he was weaning himself from his dark ways. It just sounded too . . . it made him sound weak. And weakness was one thing his father didn't tolerate from him, and thus Sevastyan refused to allow for himself. "Nothing is impossible," he verbalized finally, a shred of warmth shining through like a break in rain clouds. "Some things just reqvire more steps." Once the proverb was recited it seemed as if Sevastyan had sought the safety of his hardened shell of an emotionally void countenance again.

"So, vot is your next move? The vand is not my property, and I refuse to take something from another unless the item is gifted to me or if the individual vould use it to harm the self or others in the school," he inquired. "Besides, as a Head of House, I daresay you outrank me." There was humor there, but it was a dry sort of humor by the tone of voice he'd used: serious, but not harsh.

"I vill do all in my power to help vith this endeavor ve have embarked on, for I too have fallen prey to very similar temptations," Sevastyan added, still a bit indifferent, unknowingly confirming what she had been thinking.

Eglantine gingerly picked a delicate lavender handkerchief from her pocket, her trembling hand making the simple action difficult. Laying it over the wand, she visibly relaxed.

"You have been most helpful, Professor. It has been more than the translation of several runes." She kept her eyes trained on the handkerchief, almost certain the material would begin to smolder into ash.

"Never my students." She replied confidently to his question of whom she desired to harm. But she let it hang who may be viewed as worthy of her wraith. "I would allow it to be destroyed. It has already taken one life and perhaps...it has harmed my own."

Eglantine's mouth curled slightly at the touch of humour. Yes, she did "outrank" him...which was hardly comforting. "I will visit my father, leaving this wand in your custody. I would advise you to lock it away though until I return for it...perhaps in a location other than your office or rooms. That is if you will take this burden."

She refused to even think of bringing Kiara into the situation. The younger woman had enough to worry about. Besides, it was common knowledge that three could keep a secret as long as two of them were dead...

'Vy didn't I think of that?' Sevastyan asked himself as Professor DeLanquar placed the kerchief over the magical implement. He took a silent inventory of his effects and subsequently supplemented his thought, 'Oh - that's vy: no handkerchief.' A mental laugh bubbled to the surface.

"I am glad you vould think so," he replied, genuinely pleased in a slightly modest sort of way at her comment. Sevastyan couldn't help but to glance in the same direction - at the now-covered wand - out of curiosity and concern. It seemed as though her connection to the wand, perhaps somewhat inadvertently so, was strong.

Sevastyan couldn't help but wonder whether or not the phrase 'her students' meant the children as a whole or just the ones in her House. In the event of the former, he could only think of one person whom she mentioned with such displeasure that would be worthy of such action: Amaranth Viper. This war of the Houses - which Sevastyan practically just discovered - seemed to be not quite as neutral amongst adults as it seemed. The fact that Professor DeLanquar would want to use this wand to harm someone on school grounds - colleague or student - unnerved him, but he remained neutral if not slightly wary.

"I vill accept it, vithout qvestion. Perhaps I could vork on theories for destroying it vhile you are on your mission? Unless you vould rather vait?" he answered readily, though not too hastily. "Forgive me, though, for I do not know the castle qvite as vell as you must be familiar vith it. Vhere vould you recommend ve keep it?"

There seemed to be a potential risk developing in the back of his mind: this secret plot, and this wand, were entirely beyond the Headmistress' knowledge. And as it stood the Headmistress had enough to think about without this added to her burdens. Sevastyan and Eglantine would need to go this one alone, for Kiara's sake. As they agreed: the more secret this endeavor, the better off the entire school would be. It would even be more of a secret, if all but one of those involved were . . . dispatched. Sevastyan mentally shook himself: he wasn't "dispatching" anyone so long as he could help it. He'd dispatched quite a few in his past, he wasn't about to take up that duty now unless he was fighting for his own life. Oddly enough, it was this risk - the risk of Kiara's feelings for being left out of this, and physical danger unto himself - that brought to him a sense of awareness, of being more alive, than he had been since renouncing the Dark ways.

Eglantine nodded. "Thank you. It would be best if you did begin to theorize. I doubt I shall be away long enough for you to develop a method of disposal, but if you happen to, you have my permission to use it." she sighed. Where would be best to keep it? "There are many secret places here in Hogwarts, we would only need to find one."

Her thoughts strayed to the Room of Requirement, but since she did not fully understand how it was used, that would not work... she had heard of the Chamber of Secrets, but only a parseltongue could enter and she was not able to speak the language of the snakes, something that did not upset her in the least. She remembered hearing that the Hogwarts Castle was actually alive and that if entreated properly it sometimes made rooms for hiding things. Maybe such a thing was possible, she wondered aloud.

"If we could entreat the castle to make a room to store Excessum in, then that would be ideal."

"Then I shall begin the first moment ven I get the chance, and vill try any theories I might come up vith in your absence. It vould be unlikely that I come up vith something that qvickly vith how varied the eqvasion could be, though," he stated, pointing out that while he knew quite a bit about the dark arts he was by no means a miracle worker. Not that, of course, he had ever said or heard implications that he was. Sevastyan would have laughed rather loudly if he had, to show he was either joking or incredulous depending on the situation.

He nodded in agreement at the thought of only needing one hiding place. The only thing was . . . where? Sevastyan waited politely for her to take a mental inventory of the places she knew of that would be good.

Raven brows rose briefly, having no idea that the castle was sentient despite the obvious magic that could be sensed all around the building and its environs. Did that mean that the walls quite literally had ears, and could possibly report to Kiara what he and Professor DeLanquar were up to? With a magical school, almost anything was possible...

"That sounds like it vould be our best bet," he replied after considering the prospect of such a thing. What could the castle possibly require in return for this favor? "Our only challenge vould be learning vot the castle vould accept as an adeqvate plea for its services. Shall ve search for this location together, so that ve both vill know vhere it is hidden?" he added, offering Professor DeLanquar equal knowledge on where the wand - technically her wand, even though she'd now allowed it to be in his custody for the time being - would be kept. The fact that the castle was simply massive, with many nooks and crannies, would make the challenge rather interesting indeed. But Sevastyan felt ready to take up this task.

Eglantine smiled, a rather hesitant but nonetheless sincere smile that reached her eyes and softened her features. "As long as this stays between the two of us, I believe we have more than enough time." She glanced back down at the wand.

"It made a room for Edwin when I wondered about where he was going to sleep. Maybe it does not require compensation only a need that it can fill without to much trouble. And yes, we should look for this location together, due to the fact that we will both need to be able to access it." She pulled her wheelchair back slightly from the desk.

"But a test before we go anywhere, touch the wand, please. I would like to see if it will let you keep it." She knew that he would be careful and therefore was not overly concerned that it would harm him.

((Note- the wand will not send out sparks when he touches it, but it will send waves of magical energy though his fingers.))

"You have my oath of secrecy in this matter: I von't tell anyvone about the vand," he replied gravely, though he still had some reservations at the back of his mind about not telling Kiara about this. But at that moment a dark teal aura surrounded him briefly to show he had made an oath of suitable worth, and would keep it.

When her wheelchair backpedaled slowly, Sevastyan stood for to join her. He'd made to maneuver around his desk, but halted at Eglantine's request. 'A simple enough requirement,' he thought as he gently pulled off the kerchief.

With his left hand - his wand- and writing-hand, though he possessed a degree of ambidexterity - Sevastyan gingerly lifted the wand from its place on his desk. A magical pulse of energy surged through his fingers. Odd how he hadn't sensed it before, when they both sort of handled the wand to examine the runes. "You can literally feel the power vithin this vand ... or possibly a part of it," he remarked in a tone somewhere between nonchalance and mild surprise. He looked to her, wand in hand and aimed in a neutral direction for safety's sake. "Do I pass the test?" A slight smile gently stretched his lips.

"Of course." Eglantine assured him, holding out her hand for the wand. ((Assuming he gave it to her)) She wrapped it as carefully as was possible given her shaking hands and tucked it back into her pocket.

"The Witches' Eye is a stair case is it not? That may be a good place..." she offered.

Sevastyan nodded. From what he knew about the castle's layout, which admittedly wasn't much, this was a flight of stairs that Professor DeLanquar had mentioned. "Please, lead the vay," he offered, though walked ahead for to open the door for her.


((And now we shall see just how much Viper has overheard... xD Well, Sevastyan and Eglantine likely won't, but we will. ^_^))

((Lol...I look forward to seeing kissofdeath's post))

Eglantine hovered out into the hallway headed for the stairway.

((I'll make the topic))

Just as she heard Eglantine and Sevastyan exit, Viper quickly jumped into the wall, concealing herself in it, thanking the Gods that Leviathon had taught her how to do so. (Like Kitty from X-Men)

She could barely contain the excitement as she mentally ran through all she had heard. She smirked at the thought of all the possibilities. She didn't want the wand, no. She was quite confident in her own abilities and was not at all desiring to steal another family's inheritance for new powers. She was more content with the Viper Clan's gifts bestowed upon her.

No, what this new bit of information now meant to Viper was much more than any other wand ever. It was her safety net. No longer could Kiara accuse her of delving into the dark arts and single her out for it. Not while her own very best friend was likely of doing the exact same thing as well. She smirked to herself.

Once she was sure the other two colleagues were gone, she moved back into the hallway. She glanced quickly at the nearby clock. It was late now and no doubt most of the students would be in bed. Waving her hands, she quickly summoned Addenkhai, Ms.Finny's beloved snake.

She stroked the beasts head gently, smiling as it reacted warmly to her touch. Whispering a few commands in pareseltongue, the snake was soon on its way, trailing after the others.

Viper sighed in delight before she realized her current dilemma: a stuck basilisk. Taking a quick glance around her, she entered the office slowly, trying to figure out the best way to pry the basilisk away, drawing as little attention to herself as possible.