Personal Quarters

"You have nothing to be sorry for..." Eglantine murmured. "This was my doing and my fate." Her vision blurred again and she groaned softly, squeezing Kiara's hand as tightly as her waning strength would allow.

"You cannot hide from Death, Eglantine." She could hear her father's words and saw him appear in her mind's eye. The poison she had given him was in his hand and he laughed madly as he approached her.
"Asp blood... you foolish child. You thought you could really do away with me so simply."

Eglantine's eyes closed and she only saw what was conjured for her to see... visions and nightmares far worse than words could tell...

She stood on a boat, the waves rolling about her as she held tightly to a nearby rope. Flames danced on top of the water in the shape of men and women, all calling to her. Some begged to be saved and others cursed her. Each word tore at her mind and body as if the utterings were fiery darts.

Kiara looked at Eglantine in panic. "Eglantine? Can you hear me? Eglantine?!" she called as she summoned a cold cloth and placed it on her forehead.

Whatever Eglantines father had done, it was worrying her greatly.

She held on to the older woman in a embrace and waited for the attack to pass.

Her eyes opened slowly and she lifted a weak hand to her head. She felt dizzy and strangely unconnected to anything going on around her. Kiara... yes, she looked up slightly and saw her adopted daughter. Well, she mused, that made everything a bit better.

Kiara looked at Eglantine in worry and summond a glass of water from the little kitchen in her quarters.

"Here have a sip Eglantine..." she said while offering her hand to help Eglantine sit up to take a drink.

"How do you feel?" she asked quietly.

Kiara was asleep at her desk as usual while working when a smoky mist entered her room.

Lav sensing there was something of no good jumped off her bed and ran over to her mistress. Rudging her head and licking her face in a effort to wake her up.

Kiara growned and lifted up her head. "Lav?" she asked down at her cat "whats the matter?"

Then her answer came to her and when she smelt something strange, her lungs, in the weaken state as they were already started to burn.

Coughing she put her potion cloth over her mouth and nose, and spelled it to stay there.

Opening her door she gasped and coughed harder as the smoke like fumes flooded in to her room.

"What... the.. hell?" she said between coughs. the she placed a bubble head charm over her mouth.

She clapped her hands signeling for Lav to come the her. The cat lapt on to her shoulder and Kiara put a charm on her head as well, she didn't know exactly what this smoke was yet but she was going to find out.

Still coughing she made her way out side her quarters and saw the scorce of the smoke.

"A bomb?"

Aiming her wand at a big window at the end of the hall she cast a verbaless shattering curse at it hoping to vent smokey fumes.

leaning on the wall she continued to cough until small drops of blood could be seen through her cloth.

Deciding she need to move away form the smoke she headed down the hall hoping to run in to or come across someones Quarters.

But not wanting to leave it to chance her took out her wand and conjured a number of patronus's to seek help.

Esis was in a bad mood... to put it simply. Some nitwit had taken her last bottle Courvoisier cognac and she had a sneaking suspiscion that the nitwit was the same person as the one who had informed the house elves to not give her anything with alcohol in it...

"Merde!" she huffed. Between Eglantine and Horatio, aka the liquor confiscators, she was hard pressed to keep any "health" drinks around. And no, she mused, I do not drink excessively... a sip an hour...

She smelt something oddly sweet and quirked an eyebrow, glancing around the corner.
"What the...?" Esis gasped, seeing the smoke. Casting a nose plug on her nose and a muggle oxygen mask, she walked out into the hallway's centre and ran head first into Headmistress Kiara.

"Sorry bout that..." she muttered, rubbing her nose despite the oxygen mask.

((Your way fit better Merci ^_^ I put it back))

Kiara was knocked backwards onto the floor, but nonetheless she was relieved to have ran into someone even if it was literally.

Coughing some more she shook her head, "it's alright... Esis.... i was hoping to run into.... someone" she managed to say.

She looked pale and felt very disoriented as cold sweat went down her face. The sweet smelling smoke was wreaking havoc on her already weakened lungs, even though she had her healing potion for her lungs and put a bubble charm over her mouth and nose. It did little good now..

"There.... was a smoke....bomb out side my quarters.....It vented it out the window.....but I couldn't disarm it..I can't breathe"

Lav hopped off her shoulder and meowed. The little cat also had a bubble around her head and seem relatively un-bothered by the smoke.

Esis nodded, not liking how pale and weird Kiara was looking and acting. Grabbing the younger woman's arm she steered her over to the wall and conjured a chair.

"Sit, please." she mumbled, her wand casting a diagnosing spell even as her hands checked Kiara's pulse and her eyes and mind trailed to where the smoke bomb was further down the hall...

Having seen and followed Kiara's call for help, Horatio hurried over to her side and seeing the oxygen mask and the bubble head charms, raised a white eyebrow.
"What happened?"

"Sure did take you long enough..." Esis drawled. "There's a bomb outside of Kiara's C's here. See about getting rid of it why don't ya?"

Kiara lifted her head and coughed, "Careful not to breathe the smoke in Horatio.... it smells sweet.... but makes it incredibly hard to breathe...." she stopped a moment trying to gather her thoughts.

"I didn't get a chance to look at it.... the bomb...but I couldn't..... breathe.. I am not sure how much longer it has to go..."

Kiara stopped she could her feel her heart rate beat faster trying to push Oxygen through out her body, however she lungs couldn't keep up... so her pulse was rather shallow, and rapid.

Lav senseing her mistress falling asleep, jump on her lap and proped her self up to nudge Kiara's chin. Kiara awoke slightly but result in coughing again, droplets of blood coming through her cloth that held her potion.

Horatio nodded, concerned for Kiara as he saw the blood on her handkerchief. His eyes darted down the corridor and he quickly conjured a strong shielding charm about his face.

Ignoring Esis' rather brusque humour, Horatio headed toward the bomb, looking it up and down.
The timer on the bottom read: 10:12 and was counting down by the second. He attempted to remove it from the wall with a spell, but finally decided something more...unorthodox was required. Conjuring a welder's torch, he egnited the end and began to cut a square hole around the bomb in the wall, with a bit of magical help.

Soon he pulled out a perfect square of stone wall along with the bomb... now for a place to put it...

Kiara sighed and rested her head on the wall, feeling very tired and her lungs felt like they were being shreded to bits... and then they went ridged.... she couldn't breathe.....

Panic entered her eyes, as her hand went to her chest and tried to breathe but failed.

Esis turned her attention from Horatio to Kiara, becoming worried when the younger woman did not breath and her eyes began to widen.
"Kiara?" she asked, wondering what was in the smoke that could do so much damage. Since the other woman was no breathing, no answer was forthcoming. Afraid, brain damage would occur without immediate medical assistance, Esis ran down the corridor to get Horatio.

He hurried back after her and gently picked Kiara up into his arms. Taking her further away from the corridor and its fumes, he squatted down and pulled the breathing potion he used for Eglantine from his pocket. Opening Kiara's mouth with two careful fingers, he poured the liquid down her throat. Casting a diagnosis spell, he hoped that it would be enough to force her lungs back into commission.

Meanwhile, Esis, ever helpful, ran back to the bomb and seeing the timer, levitated it into a conjured basin. Sealing it with every sealing charm she had ever learned, Esis cast a shield around it as well and hoped it would hold.

With the potion, Kiara's lungs slowly anagonizingly began to move again, but they were by far from being on good shape.

She coughed, more blood coming up, and if she had the breath to scream she would have. It felt like someone had lined her chest with sand paper, and every time she breathed in and out it felt like her poor lungs were being scraped and each time a small piece of it is craved off.

A tear rolled down her face, letting it demonstaight the pain she was in, by the lack of air she was able to keep in her lungs.. This was her scream, silent but full of pain as she continued to gasp in air as she painfully coughed.

Sevastyan took one of the secret passages he knew to Kiara's chambers. He didn't use it very often, but it was good for staying out of sight. As he walked at a brisk pace, the Russian fortified his bathrobe with as much magical protection and shielding enchantments as it could hold. He wasn't sure and personally doubted that 'Excessum Neci' could be blocked, but he had to try something at least until the witch's fury had completely cooled down. Sevastyan would be damned before he allowed something such as trying to be helpful end up being the death of him.......

With a dry bark of tangible laughter, the wizard reminded himself mentally that he was damned... according to the purgers' list! "So much for that vone..." Sevastyan said to himself with no small amount of acid.


In no time at all he reached the appropriate corridor. Sevastyan could tell by the chalk white mist that still clung to the air, and by the portraits that lined the walls. There were three people in the hallway... and Sevastyan withdrew his wand just to be on the safe side. He renewed the bubble charm on his mouth and nose just as a precaution. Had they managed to take care of the bomb?

Kiara was the first person he approached, and he noticed the blood on the cloth she held over her mouth. The tears on her face... Sevastyan did not like the idea of the person responsible for causing this much trouble getting out of the castle alive. They were putting innocent lives at stake! So help them, this had better not be a hare-brained prank!

Immediately he began to worry about the departure from Viper's chambers. Was the third bomb there, or somewhere that was more populated? He hadn't seen anything odd on his way to assist Professor DeLanquar...

"Is the bomb destroyed?" he asked of anyone that would answer. The forced calm of his words did not match the worry in his eyes.

Esis and Horatio, still worried about Kiara's breathing, were happy she was indeed breathing again. Sighing, Horatio gently patted Kiara's hand and rose to his feet. Hearing Sevastyan's question, he turned to face the younger man, concern lighting his features as he took in the worry.
"No, we removed it from the wall and Esis secured it with as many shields as she could. It is in the basin." White eyebrows raising, he folded his arms. "How did you know about the bomb?" he asked curious.

Kiara's brow stiffened as she felt something strange.... yet familliar coming from Hogwarts. In the mist of her coughing she muttered one word.

"Eglantine...."

Yes that felt right, but why? it seemed like in her foggy mind anyway that the formidable witch was all around her...

Sevastyan returned the wand to his pocket for now, nodding at Horatio’s information. He only recalled seeing Esis, and possibly speaking with her once or twice, but that was about it. The wizard inclined his head in respect to the witch. As he did so, he took notice of the basin just down the hall.

How many shields did it take to contain a bomb, he wondered? Sevastyan had made bombs... but disarming them without knowing the mechanics in which it worked? Not exactly your run-of-the-mill curriculum at Durmstrang Institute. If he were on better terms with Headmaster Orlov, he would have recommended such a class. Merlin only knows how much of a riot Sevastyan and his buddies would’ve had!

A single raven brow quirked at Horatio’s question. Sevastyan immediately forced the overly-defensive thoughts from his mind, reasoning that there was no tangible explanation for it. Logic must prevail no matter how tired he was, though he after all was only human. It probably did seem strange to them: him just coming along and asking about bombs... and already with a bubble head charm in place, too.

Automatic – but hopefully temporary – suspect.

“I vos alerted to the presence of a second bomb by Professor DeLanquar. It vos the first of three, and ve – vell, she, really – managed to destroy it,” Sevastyan explained in as few words as he could.

His attention immediately turned back to Kiara at the muttered name. Gray eyes lowered slightly, immediately feeling a rather confusing mix of emotions. On one hand, he felt awful for allowing the woman to just go off by herself after she had cast the spell, knowing she was weakened by it. But, on the other hand, it was the wisest course of action he could think of at the time. He wondered now if, despite his initial musings, perhaps he shouldn’t have left her alone in the first place.

Sevastyan placed his hand on Kiara’s shoulder and whispered a spell in the hopes that at least some of her pain would be relieved. It was by no means a solution to the problem but he hoped it would be of some help. “She is on her vay here now,” Sevastyan half-whispered just loud enough so the others could hear.

Nodding, seemingly satisfied, Horatio turned slowly to glance at the basin again before he turned back to Kiara. Esis rose to her feet and yawned.
"How'd she go about that?" the fracky haired woman asked, desiring to use the same spell if it worked.
Horatio however only seemed worried by the mention that there had been another bomb. "Do you think there way be more than the one you had and this one?" he asked, hand for once empty of its pipe.

------

Deep within the conscious of Hogwarts, Eglantine mind began to spread, her magic feeding from the castle's power. She would not have been able to do this had Kiara not made her Deputy Headmistress, and it was not something she wanted to do again. She could see, hear and feel all those within the walls of the castle and slightly beyond. The power of Hogwarts was immense and slightly overwhelming as she bent it to her will. A wolf and a century old castle were two very different beasts to tame and for a moment, she felt lost in the swirl of power. But then the confusion faded and she became one with it.

Reaching out, she located Kiara, Horatio, Esis and Sevastyan in the hallway outside of Kiara's personal chambers. It surprised her how many secret tunnels and access areas were located in the walls, but she ignored them, focusing on the bomb in the basin.
Urging the castle to do as she desired, the wall slowly opened, the floor tilted making the basin slide into a hidden room behind the wall.

Slowly and carefully she crushed the bomb, the walls of the room closing in until it ground the bomb into fragments to small to even be identified. Eglantine sighed mentally and began to seek out the third bomb, which she finally found in the Great Hall, ideally beneath the Slytherin's table. It's timer was set for several hours, no doubt to blow when the unsuspecting snakes sat down to eat their breakfast. It made sense that the purgers would desire to rid Hogwarts of the Slytherins...as most if not all of them were linked to parents or family on the list of the Damned.

It was a bit of a dilemma on what to do with the Great Hall bomb, but as if the castle gave her the idea, Eglantine soon began implementing it.
A shockwave of Hogwart's magic mixed with Excessum's and Eglantine's left the wall and obliterated the bomb under the table, carrying the fragments away.

Satisfied that the bombs were gone and Hogwarts for now was secure, Eglantine's consciousness moved back to the hallway by Kiara's personal quarters. She could feel Kiara the strongest, due to the fact she was Headmistress and linked directly with Hogwarts.
She could feel the pain Kiara was going through as much as she used to feel her own when in her body.

Be comforted... she whispered, only Kiara hearing her. And she hoped it would be comforting.

Kiara vaguely heard Sevastyan said Eglantine was on her way. She slowly shook her head, but she sent a greatful look to Sevastyan for the spell to take some of her pain away.

Then her eyes widened as she felt in the castle wards.... she was in the heart of Hogwarts, apart of it.

She could feel her in the walls, just like she could feel the magic of the old school,.

'No.... you don't.. understand...." Kiara rasped her throat raw from coughing so much.

"I can.... feel her in.... Hogwarts" she gassped out.

Then she felt waves of magic, her eyes shifted to the bomb and she watched was the castle was crushed. She also felt Excessum in the mix as well, chanelled in the great hall.

"Excessum?" she whispered.

"Be comforted"

Kiara breathed a sigh of relief as more of the burning pain in her chest went away, it was still tight but not nearly as painful.

"Eglantine..." she whispered again before her world went dark and she entered unconsousness, her breathing was very very light almost not noticeable if one didn't look close enough, but she was pain free for the moment....

Viper entered Kiara's Quarters vauely wondering exactly what to tell her about the current situation. While she was a rather smooth and cunning talker, thanks to her upbringing, Viper felt that there was no harm in showing a bit of tack instead of just blurting it out in normal circumstances.

However, her plan faded momentarily as she noticed the rather interesting scene before her, including the unconscious Kiara.

"Damn, looks like Professor Delanquar wasn't the only unlucky one..." Viper breathed out with a raised eyebrow. "Should I brew her something or is she stable for now?"

Sevastyan became markedly uncomfortable at the question. “She... used a spell. Vone only she can use, apparently, as I had asked about it,” he explained, not quite sure how much or how little to tell. Did either Horatio or Esis know about the wand Excessum? Or the incantation Excessum Neci?

At Horatio’s question, the Russian wizard nodded. “At least vone other. The note that appeared after Professor DeLanquar destroyed the first vone said that there vere three...” he explained, and once again conjured a 3D map. This time, there were two flashing orange orbs, and one green one. Obviously, since orange and green were practically side-by-side, the green indicated people near the bomb.

Gray eyes were surprised yet unsurprised that the second orange light had seated itself in the Great Hall. It was the most obvious place: it was heavily populated and in general a very high-traffic area. As the map began to dissipate, Sevastyan glanced up at the sound of what he’d assumed was falling rock... like a part of the castle falling away, and noticed the castle seemed to have decided to take care of the bomb for them. Even for a magical castle, that was a bit out of the ordinary. Who or what facilitated this feat, he wondered?

“No.... you don't.. understand....I can.... feel her in.... Hogwarts"]

Raven brows knotted in confusion. Of course Professor DeLanquar was in Hogwarts. Technically so were the rest of them. Unless she didn’t just mean within its walls... Sevastyan’s tired mind kicked out random ideas on what someone being ‘in Hogwarts’ could potentially mean outside of its strictest sense, even though he was feeling particularly irritated with himself now for leaving the older witch to her own devices.

Shortly thereafter, with the last wisp or so of the map, the orange light in the Great Hall too vanished more suddenly than it should have at the same time a shockwave of magic swept through one of the lower floors. The moment Kiara had said the word ‘Excessum,’ Sevastyan inhaled sharply but made no other move to acknowledge that he knew some of the details regarding the wand and the spell.

Did that mean that Eglantine’s working with the castle managed to locate and destroy the bomb there as well? That was the only explanation Sevastyan could come up with at the moment. He wasn’t really sure what to think about this, but was contemplating on writing a letter to the professor in apology. However, then again, he hadn’t outwardly showed the grouchy thoughts that had gone through his mind. Exhaustion and indecision was not the best of combinations. Perhaps he did owe her an apology for just up and leaving her in the corridor to fend for herself...

Sevastyan blinked in confusion at the whispered name and Kiara’s subsequent slipping into unconsciousness. He worried that she wasn’t breathing, but upon closer inspection he noticed she was. ‘Breathe and rest easily...’ he thought sincerely, willing that somehow he would be heard.

The wizard turned upon hearing another set of footfalls approaching. He was surprised, yet unsurprised, to see his love standing there. Sevastyan offered a very small smile to her due to the circumstances, though it faded slightly upon hearing her words. “Vot happened to Professor DeLanquar?” he asked curiously. Had something happened after she possibly merged with the castle? Or did something else happen due to her apparently using Excessum yet again?

When Amaranth addressed the Headmistress again, Sevastyan glanced back to the woman on the floor. “I cast a spell to ease her pain, but she vos coughing up blood. The smoke of the bomb likely got to her,” Sevastyan explained what he knew and glanced at the light chalky white mist that still clung to the air. He wasn’t sure whether he’d exactly call Kiara’s status ‘stable’ so he didn’t comment on that part of it. Instead, the wizard withdrew his wand and immediately attempted to get rid of the remnants of smoke the bomb had left behind. That way, no one would be breathing in the sweet yet dangerous fumes.

Horatio was remarkable silent through Kiara's mutterings and even Viper's arrival. Esis on the other hand, hardly knew the meaning of the word, silence.
"What in Merlin's name is Excessum?" Esis asked after Kiara had muttered the latin word. In her mind, as she had studied latin, death waved its little flag and she wondered if Kiara might possibly think she was dying...but there seemed to be something else.

Horatio's face became grave, far more serious and stern than she had ever seen it before. That frightened her as well. What was going on? she thought.

"Where is Eglantine, Professor Viper?" Horatio asked, not sure how to take the idea that his love was "in hogwarts".

Viper thought for a moment, wondering how to best explain the entire situation. Especially to the "victim"'s loved ones. Awkward... she thought to herself. Had it been any other circumstance and the people present were not there, Viper would probably laugh. Not out of mirth! No, laughing was merely a bad habit she had that rose every now and then on occassions were absolute seriousness was necessary.

"Well, she's not exactly here... in the land of the living, per say..." Viper replied in a rather awkward tone, wishing that all occupants, all who loved Professor Delanquar in some way or another were not looking at her so intently. Son of a hippogrif, why was I the one who had to find her? Better yet, why did she have to "die" near my chambers! As if my reputation wasn't questionable enough, one has to add my finding my rival's corpse on it...

"Well, she's not exactly here... in the land of the living, per say..." Horatio's bearded face drained of all colour and had he not already been leaning against the wall, he might have fallen over. Dead...no it couldn't be, his mind reeled. Eglantine was his world...the thought of living without her, was too much to bear. It could not be true. Viper must have misread her vital signs. It was a trick. A dream. A nightmare. An alternate reality. A delusion. He would awake any moment to find he had dozed off in class or on his couch. Eglantine would shake her head at him and her soft voice would sooth his worries and fears...dead...no. He refused to believe it. Could not believe it.

Esis launched herself at Viper, grabbing the younger woman's arms, gently dispite her obvious anger. Not at Viper... she was just the unfortunate bearer of bad news. She was angry at herself. Had she let her cousin die thinking she was still angry at her...that she cared more for a few bottles of cognac than her relative?
"Please...please say it isn't true!" Esis whispered, giving Viper a small shake. Esis would have grabbed Horatio, but it would hardly have helped him with his grief and Sevastyan was further away...Kiara was unconscious.

"It is a... very long story," Sevastyan told Esis. "In short, from vot I know, it is both a vand and part of an incantation. The vand belongs to Professor DeLanquar, and the spell can only be cast vith that vand." There: short, sweet explanation. No need to go into details about the wand or what the spell did for the moment. The increasing sternness in Horatio's countenance was rather disturbing. From what he knew of the History of Magic professor, he was a rather jovial sort... but then again this was a rather serious situation.

The Russian couldn't help but groan inwardly at Viper's news. He had been the last one to see the professor alive, if she was indeed dead. He could and would take any suspicion that arose from Amaranth's finding of the body onto his own shoulders. It was him, after all, that simply let the professor cast that damn spell. And at the moment all he had to work with was a handful of speculations. Perhaps Amaranth misread some small sign that Professor DeLanquar was alive?

At the same time, Sevastyan couldn't help but feel sorry for Horatio and Esis if Professor DeLanquar was truly dead. It seemed like the three were always sitting in close proximity to each other at the Great Hall of late. Sevastyan himself always took a seat next to Amaranth. If anyone was to blame for the Head of Gryffindor's fading, Sevastyan felt it should be him. After all, hadn't he already told himself that if Professor DeLanquar wanted to weaken herself to that point then so be it? Had fate decided to take his thought to heart?

Before allowing any of these thoughts to even remotely begin to manifest, he noticed Esis's reaction. Had the shake been anything but small, Sevastyan would've been over there in a flash. However, he approached calmly and reached for to place a hand upon both women's shoulders: Amaranth's intended to be a firm, soothing weight and the contact with Esis clearly tentative. "Please, before ve panic..." Sevastyan began tranquilly. "Could there be a chance the potion fumes from the smoke bomb could have affected her? Could cause her body to simulate death?"

"There is also Kiara's statement that Professor DeLanquar is 'in Hogvarts'. If she is 'in Hogvarts' perhaps she is yet alive?" he suggested, looking to both women and Horatio in turn. Kiara was unconscious for the moment. It was sheer conjecture on both counts, but it was something to think about.