The Quidditch Pitch

((No there is another professor in a wheelchair...lol))

Eglantine turned the wheelchair when she heard Miss Casillas speak. "Yes. Come here, please." she motioned. There was a piece of parchment lying on her lap facedown and she was obviously freezing.

"I think you are ready to transfigure now."

Diana noticed her freezing form. "Are you alright?" Diana waved her wand and gave her a slight heating charm.

"Ready to transfigure?" Diana said eagerly. "But I thought I needed another few months or so?"

Eglantine shook her head. "No, you are ready now. A few more months would merely make it more desired. Many transfiguration professors believe anticipation is 80 percent of the fun... well, that is silly. Now please transfigure before we both freeze to death. Remember what I've taught you and what you've read. And while you are flying, only fly for a short while then return here and transfigure back. Understood?"

Diana nodded and closed her eyes. She felt the breeze around her. She felt it engulfed her, she felt it run through her hair, her face, her entire body. She focused on it.

She felt her self... fold... she felt her arms not her arms, she felt her body not her body, she felt her head turn on itself.

It was then she felt it... it was this foreign sensation. It wasn't unpleasant... far from it. It was this feeling of control... of being at total peace... she felt it wrap around herself and she took a deep breathe.

When she opened her eyes, what she saw was a lot sharper. She saw the colours more vibrant. She had wings, that it didn't feel like it was anything new. She felt like she'd always had it.

She took flight.

She felt an immence amount of freedom. She flew up and flew down. It was a thousand times better than flying on a broomstick or on Persephone.

She shouted for joy.

Then she drived down and felt herself transform back.

Diana was breathless. "Wow."

"Wow, indeed, Miss Casillas. A flawless transfiguration. Now come sign here and I'll take your animagi registration forms up to Headmistress Kiara. After that you will be free to transform." she handed Diana a quill and levitated the parchment.

Diana nodded and took the parchment. She put a hardening charm on it and signed the forms. She was now a registered animagus.... she was now an animagus.

She gave Professor DeLanquar a hug. "Thank you Professor!"

Eglantine stiffened, not expecting a hug, but quickly returned it, hoping Miss Casillas would not mind that her arms were shaking badly.

"You did the work, Miss Casillas. I have never had a student work so diligently to finish their training."

Diana didn't notice the shaking much as she was on a high. She blushed at the compliment. "Thank you Professor."

"If there is anything you need, Professor, feel free to ask me."

"Just be careful. Flying can be tricky at times." Eglantine stated seriously, letting the girl go. "Now you go tell your friends and Mr. Vaight. I will take these to the Headmistress." Without waiting for Diana's response, she hovered back toward the castle.

((That was why she was on her way to Kiara's office when Daniel was there...))

"Alright guys, time for a little game of Quidditch." Nicolas said mounting his broom.

"With just the three of us?" Helena said skeptically.

"Yes," Nicolas said. "You and Diana can be against me, so it's fair."

"Ugh," Diana scoffed. "Confident, are you?"

"Just a bit." Helena said making a small space between her index finger and her thumb.

Diana laughed and mounted her broom. Helena followed suit.

"Did you forget Nicky who beats you in Quidditch?" Diana said flying around Nicolas.

Diana smiled at Helena, "Let's do this."

"Let's." Helena smiled back.

Horatio had walked for about an hour in the same circle around the Quidditch Pitch, alternating between his pipe and muttering to himself about how confusing life could be. His normally happy face was curtained behind heavy dark clouds of emotion and he walked as one lost deep in thought.

Kiara flew out on they pitch, it had been a while since she had a chance to fly.

Then she saw Horatio walking on the pitch upon closer look he appeared deep in thought and troubled

Flying lower she spoke softly so not to startle him "Penny for your thoughts Horatio?"

"I'm afraid you would get more than a penny's worth..."He returned sounding fairly amiable despite his fallen countenance. "What brings out out here?"

Kiara looked down at her old broom, "Flying allows me to think and sort things out, with little distraction... Horatio is something wrong? if it is alright for me to ask " she asked as she dismonted her broom beside him.

Horatio cast a shield around himself to keep the smoke from bothering Kiara. "I suppose you may be able to help me. But brace yourself for a wee bit of a monologue with a bit of confusion."

He puffed on his pipe for a brief moment. "I was in the library, reading a rather fascinating history book, and Professor DeLanquar entered. I suppose she was planning on finding a book, since she went over to a shelf and began to browse. Levitated herself from the wheelchair and all... ironic that someone so delicate looking has such magical power... anyway, I apologized again for destroying part of her flower garden. It was an accident and... Have you seen the flowers there? Lovely bit of gardening, that.... well, she accepted my apology with her usual conciseness and I then asked her to call me Horatio instead of Professor McKevin. She agreed with a bit of gentle prodding and then I stupidly asked if I could call her by her first name, which I told her reminded me of an old muggle movie which had a character named Eglantine."
He took a breath.

"She agreed to let me use her first name and I did a few cartwheels around the room, hoping to cheer her up. Along with the dance I sang a rendition of "Eglantine" from the movie. She seemed incensed at first, but after I whirled her around a few times, she began to laugh and enjoy herself, even placed her hand on my neck. And then..." Horatio sighed.

"She said she could not attend the ball with me and fled."

Kiara blinked, Eglantine laugh? she was lucky if she got a smile out of the woman.

"Your right that is odd, it is odd you actually made her laugh... in the entier time I have known Eglantine the best I could get is small chuckle.... but you actually got a real laugh out of her?"

Kiara thought for a moment she had a suspition but she wasn't sure if she was right or not.

"I don't think you didn anything wrong Horatio, perhaps you actually opened her up, perhaps the first time in a long time... she may have caught her self enjoying her self and stopped..... that is only a guess though"

Looking down she made a mental note to Talk to Eglantine perhaps she could fine out for sure.

Horatio nodded. "Well, I am glad you believe it was not my own doing...but perhaps I was overly zealous in my attempts to win her friendship. She does seem to be very private."

He conjured a softly padded bench and sat down, gesturing for Kiara to do the same.
"It is a pity that she rarely smiles and laughs. Both are essential to life."

Kiara nodded as she sat beside Horatio, Horatio and Eglantine were complete oppoites, yet they both had big hearts.

"Yes she is a very guarded person, I better not tell you why exactly, she will be mad at me if I say to much about her life. But I can you this she has reasons for being to way she is. She has been through a lot, don't hold it against her. She really does have a big heart. I wouldn't give up hope yet..."

Horatio listened with great care, nary once removing his pipe from his mouth.

"Indeed, I have assumed she has had a tragic life. The death of a loved one, maybe more than once. Not to mention, the rather dark burden her father dared to lay on her. I cannot understand how any man could be callous enough to give dark arts research that had been stolen to his daughter or much less any member of his family." He grinned at her final statement.

"So you believe that she may like me...at least more than she has given evidence to?"

Kiara nodded "You Horatio are a very easy person to like given the chance, I think she just shocked herself that actually allowed her seriouness to drop for a minute...."

Kiara paused as if remembering something he said earlier.

"She was going to go to the Yull ball with you?"

He pulled his pipe from his mouth, but kept it close by.

"Yes, I apologized after speaking with you and after a short conversation in Gaelic, she agreed... well, I suppose it would do no good to apologize again. Maybe she thought I had different intentions." He poked his pipe back into his mouth and puffed out a hopping smoke frog. "I never have had any success with wooing women. The first woman I courted eloped with another man and the second wanted to do something called "Trying it out"."

Kiara looked at Horatio she felt sorry for him yes, but she had a pretty good idea or thory on Eglantines reaction. If she was right of course...

Kiara shook her head. "I doubt that is why she suddenly channge her mind, quite the opposite i think. I may not be a widow, but I have been in love before and lost them. It is not a experinence I will forget, it can be very.....painful, lose someone you are in love with. Eglantine lost her world when her husband died...... she didn't take it well... from her discrition on what happened and her reation. Understand Horatio, Eglantine hasn't been happy, truly unhindered happy since her husband passed."

She paused allowing explaination to sink in, and she prayed to Merlin Eglantine wouldn't kill her for divalging this inforamtion.

"I think she just might like you, and that is the reason she reacted the way she did. Perhaps she feels she shouldn't be allowed to enjoy her self or allow herself the like another man. I believe she did with you and she feels guilty about it"

She explained hoping what she explained would bit her in the face later.

Horatio said nothing for a moment, before tapping his pipe on the bench arm.

"You know, Kiara, for such a young woman, you are amazingly wise. I do believe you've nailed it. Now the big question, though. In all your wisdom and womanly knowledge, how am I to...um... navigate through this. I have little or no experience with women, besides mild flirting and occasional dates...and I have never attempted to enter into a relationship with anyone as emotionally complex as our dear Eglantine DeLanquar. Your help and advice would be greatly appreciated."

Kiara smiled, it felt weird to her giving a man who was older the her father advice on women.

She sighed, she wasn't sure but she would try her best.

"Hmm you got me there, I am not a widow and as you said Eglantine is a complex individual, my advice is be her friend. she problably also feels guilty for suddenly skipping out on you for the ball."

Kiara sighed.

"I don't try to be an expert, and there are many things I myself don't understand everything about Eglantine. Especaily on how to win her heart.... that is my advice, just be her friend Horatio. I don't want say anything more or I might make things worse. That is the last thing I want to happen, for either of you"

Making up her mind up her mind on some thing, she would try.

"I will talk to her if you want..... besides she deserves to be happy"

Horatio pulled himself up from the bench. "She does deserve to be happy." he stated, seriously. "And I believe I am the last man on earth who could make her so."