St. Mungo's Hospital [September 15, 2019]

In the bright early hours of the day much of the world was sound asleep, or chugging down massive amounts of coffee in effort to shake off the teasing bliss of dreamland, cursing the fact that they were forced to be pulled out of their realm of fantasy back into the fierce battle of reality. The staff at St. Mungo's for instance had only just checked in, allowing the night staff to run on home on a first class ticket to the world of dreams and could very much be considered walking zombies, with their life source and battery being the various beverages they held containing caffeine. However, they all soon reached a heightened sense of awareness and alertness as an all-too familiar and dreaded voice could be heard singing "I'm Walking on Sunshine" in a voice that would be best described as a dying cat crying it's agony.

The Healers turned to each other in fear. "Oh no. Not again!" a young blonde Healer exclaimed as he looked with fear at the door, testament to their impending arrival

"He's coming back! Oh sweet Merlin, we're all going to be brainwashed and turn into him!" another yelled.

"Save us!!!"

"Code Stork! Code Stork! This is not a drill, people! I repeat, this is not a drill! Take your positions!" ordered an older female Healer, her now calm, commanding stance making her seem more like a General preparing their troops for battle, rather than a Grandmotherly caretaker.

The Healers on deck moved quick, almost as though they had trained for this moment plenty of times before. Patients were wheeled into random rooms, Healers dove under tables, dashed into storage closets, some even going so far as to transfigure themselves into lamps and quills in order to blend in. All except for one Healer, that was. The poor witch had only just begun her time at St. Mungo's and had yet to hear about the strange wizard who stalked the maternity ward. She wondered briefly what it was that got all of her colleagues into a mode of pure panic, only to have all her questions answered when the singing became louder and the door opened, revealing a man dressed in an outfit that literally gave him the appearance of an overgrown chicken.

"Erm... hello. Can I -er- help you?" she asked with trepidation, not quite knowing if she should call security or the mental institution to alert them of an escaped patient.

"Good Morning Starshine! The Earth says hello!!!" Larry beamed with his trademark overly cheerful smile. "Yes, can you please tell me where Mr. and Mrs. Kaminski's room is? A little birdie told me that their wittle baby just made it's first appearance!" he explained, his voice gradually becoming baby-like. He held up the large, rather gaudy basket full of gifts he brought, carrying with him, as well as a gigantic stork, nearly as big as he himself, with the words "Your guardian Angel" embroidered on it.

"That way, Room 157." the Healer uttered, her eyes as wide as saucers as she pointed in the direction of Sevastyan and Viper's hospital room, her eyes never leaving Larry.

"Much obliged, milady!" he half said and half sung as he bowed low, touching the floor with his beak, and kissed the Healer's hand in chivalry before walking off, humming cheerfully.

When the last notes of the wizard's song faded into the air, the rest of the St. Mungo's staff escaped from their hiding places, glaring at their newest addition to staff.

"You cretin! What'd you have to go telling the giant dodo for? Now we're going to have yet another couple suing us for invasion of privacy..." the blonde healer sighed as he walked away, leaving the newbie in complete confusion and disturbia.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From inside a room at the hospital, Viper sat upon the bed with her husband curled at her side, staring in awe at the new emerald-clothed bundle in her arms. She was tired beyond belief having spent the last seventeen hours in labor, yet couldn't for the life of her bring herself to break her gaze away from her brand new daughter, even to catch a few hours of much needed rest. It had been an interesting seventeen hours indeed, and now that it was all said and done with the baby safe in her arms, Viper could appreciate the humor of the situation.

With the school year having already started, Viper, being heavily pregnant, had begun the year with a substitute teaching in her place and while Sevastyan spent much of the day teaching his classes, she stayed in their chambers, making whatever last minute preparations were needed for their baby's arrival. Often, despite Viper's arguments that she was perfectly capable of caring for herself, particularly as her due date was quite a few weeks away, Dracovan would keep her company until Sevastyan returned, insisting that it helped both of them have a piece of mind knowing that she had someone on hand in case the unexpected were to happen.

As it turned out, they were half-right, for the unexpected did happen, though Viper wondered if Dracovan truly was the best person to keep watch over her. When she felt the pains begin yesterday, Dracovan broke out into a panic, choking on the overgrown hoagie the size of his head that she had warned him about eating, and began running amuck, struggling to figure out what to do, with only a slap from Viper quieting him. His tranquility was short-lived however when Viper informed him that Dracovan was not to rush out, screaming for Sevastyan to come, alerting all of Hogwarts in the process. While her position as a Professor put much of her private life out in the open, having the entire castle know of her labor progresses was certainly not something she wanted broadcasted! Knowing that his sister was stubborn as a mull, Dracovan knew he had no choice but to sit back and abide by her wishes, though was quite vocal about his opinions. It was only after hours passed and bones in his hand were crushed and broken, courtesy of the growing pain his sister was experiencing, did the final class bell ring and Dracovan was free to go race down to the Defense Office, calling for Sevastyan in his high-pitched, hysterical voice, very much like a headless hippogriff.

In the end, it turned out quite well, in Viper's opinion. She was able to head off to St. Mungo's in a calm mindset, with no disturbances whatsoever, and no rather personal information known to all. In fact, if Sevastyan were still to go down to Hogwarts for his classes later on, he would have quite an announcement to make that would surely surprise and, hopefully, delight all. For now though, the students were very much the last thing on the Potions Mistress' mind. She was much too preoccupied reveling in the moment that this, this aura of love and unimaginable happiness was her family now. A family she had created with Sevastyan. Not a family created out of pureblood necessity like her's had been, but a family truly created in love.

Emerald orbs met the matching, albeit sleepy, ones of her daughter as she lightly traced the features of the newborn's face, staring with unguarded adoration, amazement, and love. Who knew that she and Sevastyan and their love could create something so pure, so perfect, and so innocent? Everything, all the weight gain, all the rather bizarre cravings, the swollen feet, crazy hormonal changes, and all the pain she had just experienced was all forgotten. And even if they were remembered, the witch knew it was all worth it.

Reluctantly, she tore her gaze away from their daughter to meet the gaze of her husband: the man who owned her heart, hand, and soul, and the giver of this blessed gift. "Thank you..." she breathed out, with a soft smile. She had just leaned forward to give Sevastyan a soft kiss when the door burst open, and all too familiar voice called out in a sing-song fashion, "Yoo hoo! Anybody home?" with an accompanying smile that was more blinding than the sun's very rays.

"Sweet Circe..."

Sevastyan laid beside Viper, curled somewhat at her side so that they both would fit upon the hospital bed, an arm around her and partially resting on and holding their baby girl with her. He was exhausted, having spent the last seventeen hours with his wife in the delivery room. It almost felt as though he’d worried himself to death, fearing something would go wrong for either mother or child. Pregnancy complications had been one of his chief concerns the moment he’d been told they were having a baby... before they’d even gotten married. Everything turned out to be fine, though, Sevastyan mused. More than fine, really, as he smiled in wonder at the two women that now completed his own family.

The wizard’s mind wandered to those at Hogwarts now that everything was alright and positively blissful here. He remembered positively hating having to leave Amaranth alone to go teach his classes, for it was odd not going straight to her office after work was all said and done. Sevastyan distinctly remembered arguing with her a few times about having someone keep her company until he got back. In the end it was Dracovan who had the pleasure of getting some experience in what it was like in the presence of a pregnant woman. The Russian would have to joke with the other wizard once they got back to Hogwarts, for Dracovan was at present engaged to Sevastyan’s sister, Svetlana. Between then and now, he would need to come up with something that was allegedly common of Kaminski women when they become pregnant just to tease. Yet, at the same time, Sevastyan was still very much grateful for his brother-in-law’s help.

He remembered, not at all that long ago, the panic in his brother-in-law’s voice as the wizard burst into the Defense Office while Sevastyan had been packing up some essays to correct as he sat with his wife later that night. Inwardly, Sevastyan chuckled at the fact that the parchment pile was likely still scattered on desk, chair, and floor in his haste to get his wife to the hospital. He hoped Dracovan managed to get his hand looked at, but didn’t want to leave Amaranth’s for anything in attempt to find out. Sevastyan had been frantic to get to his and Viper’s quarters, though had calmed down upon approaching the love of his life so as not to put her in a panic.

Despite their being classes later, students were the furthest thing from his mind. Sevastyan could only think about how indescribable this blissful moment was, and was committing every sensation of it to memory: the warmth of the three of them huddled together, the scent of his wife’s hair... how soft the blanket that kept his daughter secure was, and how it almost perfectly matched the coloring of her eyes. A precious moment, indeed, and one he would cherish forever. Sevastyan, truth be told, was hardly thinking of the necessity to keep magical blood pure when he married Viper: he had married her truly, wholly, out of love. And now, there was living proof of that love.

Sevastyan needed to rest, but he couldn’t tear eyes or body from either of them at the moment. He could feel the tightness in his eyes and the leaden sensation in his limbs. Little Lara looked so sleepy and comfortable in her mother’s arms. As Viper caressed the baby’s face, he made reach for one of her tiny hands, encouraging the infant to grasp onto his finger as he stroked the soft skin of the top of her hand. While Sevastyan only truly knew about a fraction of all that Amaranth had gone through while pregnant, although he remembered the hormonal changes and the odd late-night cravings the most vividly, some part of him told him it all was more than worth it. From two dark families was born a pure, sweet, innocent baby... and in Sevastyan’s eyes, that was precisely how she would remain: pure, sweet, and innocent.

And Merlin help any young man once she gets older that tries to hurt her! There would be a whole clan of bloodthirsty Kaminskis at the very least after the boy, of that Sevastyan would guarantee.

When he sensed more than heard or seen Viper shift, Sevastyan looked to his wife wondering if she wanted to rest. He was about to ask that very thing, too, when she whispered soft thanks. The wizard returned her smile with one of his own before nuzzling further into this moment that seemed like heaven’s perfection itself. “Thank you,” he echoed just barely above a whisper, for as much as he had contributed in the miracle that was their daughter so too had Amaranth been instrumental in making this moment possible. She carried the child had given her birth, now holding the babe in loving arms. What more could a new father ask for when it came to the mother of their child?

Sevastyan instinctively leaned forward as well his lips just gently brushing against Amaranth’s when the door practically flew open. His frazzled nerves immediately went into high alert, causing him to jump what felt like a few inches into the air and stare at the open door like a deer caught in headlights. And then he heard the voice of their visitor...

“Great Merlin...” he hissed in parseltongue.

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Slightly raised heels clicked against the floor of the hallway, Svetlana walking at Dracovan’s side. They were engaged, and she was personally loving every minute of it! Dracovan had come in with Sevastyan and Amaranth, and upon recognizing why they were there had taken the rest of the day off. For one thing her fiancé was in need of some healing despite his macho front of being perfectly fine, though she and a Healer friend saw to his hand despite his still-sunny disposition. Secondly, she wanted to be there as a means of support for her brother, sister-in-law, and her new niece or nephew.

From their side of the delivery room, it had been a rather intense seventeen hours of watching and waiting. Sveta fretted almost as much as Sevastyan (though as yet she wasn’t aware of this fact) and repeatedly asked friends of hers to make sure she and Dracovan were updated regularly on how the new parents and newborn baby were doing. After a long stint of not having heard anything, Sveta sat next to Dracovan and rested her head upon the place where shoulder meets chest, curling into him slightly in part against the chill of the waiting room.

It was one of the last things she remembered before one of the Healers woke her up, letting her know that they could go and see the couple who were both exhausted but awake. Sveta hadn’t heard Dracovan’s snoring until after she woke up, but she had heard his voice. Yet despite the volume he produced while asleep, the witch’s sleeping mind had transformed it into something quieter and much more soothing. Curious how the mind works...

The Russian witch had stopped into the restrooms to freshen up a little and cast a straightening spell on the jade minidress she was wearing, but then resumed her walk arm-in-arm with Dracovan to room 157. With a bright smile on her face, Sveta poked her head into the room and gently knocked on the open door. She spied the family immediately, but had yet to notice the feathered visitor. True to form, both her brother and sister-in-law had rejected the typical blue or pink blankets and opted for an emerald green one. And really, looking at the trio, it suited them. It would’ve been odd to Sveta had they settled for any other color. Except crimson that is, but based on something she’d heard a little bit about some months prior she’d crossed that color off her mind-conjured list of fabric colors.

Right about then, in thinking about various shades of baby blanket-ry, did Sveta spot what appeared to be a giant chicken with a jump and a quiet gasp of surprise so as not to disturb the baby. Obviously it was someone in a suit yet the ‘giant chicken’ theory was the first thing that came to mind. This must’ve been the same one she heard a little bit about when told of the incident that occurred at the Wizarding division of Babies R Us. It had been a hilarious anecdote but she didn’t recall very many details.

Sveta didn’t think store clerks generally paid visits to their customers, particularly this early in the morning... ’Odd...’ she mused. Never having worked in the maternity ward, Svetlana Kaminski had no idea of the ‘terror’ that was Larry the Stork-clerk, or the protocol the maternity ward had created just for him.

While Lara seemed to have favored her Mother in looks, Viper could still see the traits the infant held, inherited from her Father and the Kaminski genes. She had a skin tone that appeared to be a blend of her parents and not as fair as the Mother, yet not as tanned as her Father, lips shaped similar to that of Praskovya, or babushka, as she would be known, and, most of all, she definitely appeared to have inherited more of Sevastyan's disposition, particularly when it came to affection.

The smile upon Viper's face widened as the infant in her arms responded to her gentle caresses; with emerald eyes that had been sleepy, now alert and awake, gazing in curiosity into the orbs of they who had given her life with a nature so pleasant that had Lara been a bit older and carried the capabilities, Viper was sure she would have been smiling at the pair. Instead though, Lara did what a newborn could do and tightly grasped the finger offered by her Father, proving to all that although she may have arrived a bit early and ahead of schedule by a fair amount of weeks, she was by no means frail or weak.

For a moment, emerald orbs blinked over and over again, ensuring that what they saw was true and not just a mirage of a Mary Poppins-esque nightmare come to life. A nightmare that appeared to be decked out in overly large feathers, a flowery lime green bonnet, and what appeared to be a polka dotted hot pink skirt...

At first, Viper attempted to convince herself that this vision of feathered neon was just a dillusion; a side-effect of the pain potion the Healers had put her on after Lara had been born. It worked for a bit. At least, until said "vision" approached closer and closer and Viper heard a similar utter of exasperation escape her husband that she was forced to accept that the current dilemma was reality, and there really was an overgrown pigeon that was apparently stalking her family. Sighing, she rested her forehead upon Sevastyan's shoulder, hoping this wouldn't last very long or be as painful as their last "encounter". It was a fool's hope, she knew, but a hope nonetheless.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Mama Bear! Papa Bear! Long time no see!!!” Larry grinned at the sight of his "friends" looking back at him with "smiling" faces. He let out a cry of excitement and proceeded to jump up and down, clapping his wings as he hastily entered the room, half-skipping and half-waltzing happily.

“Gosh oh golly, how time flies! Seems like just yesterday you came into my shop and gushed over the maternity and paternity outfits we have there. Especially you, Sev! Why, if memory serves me correctly, I remember you being insistent on getting a handful of my specialty lime green ‘FBI’ shirts, eh?” he asked, grinning cheekily with a wink. It was far from the truth, but in Larry’s mind, that was exactly what had occurred. After all, the mind and feathers see what they choose to see.

“And now, just look at you two! All warm and comfy, like itty bitty snuggle bunnies!” he sighed, his blue eyes watering in an over-emotional manner.

Dropping the bags laden with gifts unto the floor, he dashed over to the bed, upon Sevastyan’s side, wrapping his wings around the wizard as though he wished to initiate a group hug. “Alas! A cornucopia of love!” he remarked dreamily, resting his beak on Sevastyan’s shoulder. “C’mon, Sev. Don’t be shy! Get in here and give your favorite stork a real hug. No hands. A real, manly hug! Really get in there, snicker doodle!”

Maneuvering himself into a slightly more comfortable position, with no sense of personal pace and bubbles for himself or any occupants in the room, Larry scooted closer upon the bed, more or less positioning himself upon Sevastyan’s lap and causing much of his feathers to get in the face of the bed’s occupants. “So what’s this itty bitty wittle rutabaga’s name?” he asked curiously as he leaned closer to the emerald bundle in Viper’s arms until his beak was mere inches away from her face.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The past few hours had been quite interesting for Dracovan Viper. It had started off wonderfully in his opinion, with a perfect day, neither hot nor cold as the sun shined gently but not blindingly. He had his beautiful fiancée, Svetlana Kaminski to greet and eat breakfast with, which he had done so happily and eagerly, offering her a rose as he did so, as had become his tradition when it came to greeting her a good morning. Then, as she went off to work to care for the patients, while he did the same, caring for his sister.

It had been a rather funny thought for him at the time, that once again he was babysitting his little sister, just as he had in the days of their childhood. However, he soon learned that there was nothing similar at all, for not only could he no longer put Viper in time out whenever he felt like it, but she could be quite a bit snippy, now that hormones were added to her existing temper. Still though, he endeavored despite the hormonal episodes, pickiness when it came to food, tasks, and just about everything in existance, for not only did he promise Sevastyan he would look out for her, but because she was his sister, and while their petty arguments and little comments back and forth may not always show it, he would always have her back.

And if the fact that he stood, panicking at her current pained state for hours, holding her hand until she managed to break his, and screaming like a banshee down the corriders looking for her husband didn't prove that he'd always be there to watch out for his sister, Dracovan didn't know what would.

All in all, it turned out alright though. Though the next hours had been a bit nervous to wait out in the waiting area with Sveta who had soon joined them, all had turned out well, he mused. Quite well in fact, considering not too long ago a nurse had woken them with the news that the baby had been born healthy, and all was well with both Mother and child. And now, with an arm around his fiancée, they walked along the hallway of St. Mungo's, relieved and excited to see the newest addition to their family. Vaguely, Dracovan wondered on a comical note how adverse his sister and brother-in-law would be to naming the baby after him. True, it may be a girl, but Dracovan felt Dracovana had a nice ring to it as well...

A smile lit his face as both he and Sveta entered the room after knocking. He had just stepped inside, closing the door behind the two of them, when he noticed what appeared to be a life-sized hairball next to his sister and brother-in-law upon the bed. His greeting died momentarily as his focus kept shifting in curiosity to the unidentifiable fluffy mass nearby, but eventually he regained the ability to speak. Unfortunately, the mass beat him to it.

"Oh boy, oh boy! Visitors! Even more people to add in this fun fun fun! Come over here and join our cornucopia of love!" Larry chanted happily over to Dracovan and Sveta before dashing over to them with wings spread wide open.

From the corner of his very confused eyes, he could have sworn he saw his sister mouth the word 'Run!' over and over again, though before he could react, he felt what he soon recognized as a giant chicken tackle him and Svetlana into a tight, uncomfortable embrace, with the beak of this mysterious creature jabbing Dracovan right in the eye.

Sevastyan couldn’t help but grin as tiny fingers wrapped around his own and squeezed. He had initially fretted about Amaranth going into labor weeks earlier than what her Healer had claimed her due date should be. But, feeling the grip from his daughter, it was clear in his mind that she was not going to be weakened by her earliness. He watched the curious green eyes take in everything going on around her, and like Amaranth was willing to bet if the baby knew how to smile Lara would be grinning ear to ear. “I’m villing to bet Dracovan vill be able to say from experience she has her mother’s strength,” Sevastyan teased his wife quietly before pressing a kiss to her temple, then leaned forward to place a kiss upon Lara’s forehead.

Gray eyes glanced backward upon feeling Amaranth rest her head upon his shoulder as the garishly-festooned wizard in a stork costume approached them. Did the St. Mungo’s staff not know about him, or was this some cruel joke, Sevastyan wondered? Surely they were not the only expecting couple to have entered Babies R Us... Why then, the Russian mused, did fate have to make them be stalked by this overgrown turkey? Okay, so it was a stork... At any rate, the costume was of a gigantic bird. What kind of bird didn’t matter quite as much as the fact that he and his family were being stalked by it.

Sevastyan only hoped this would be the world’s shortest hospital visit, since quite frankly he was exhausted and so wasn’t Amaranth. At the overgrown chicken’s greeting and subsequent shout of excitement the wizard cringed. ’Not qvite long enough, actually...’ he thought.

“Gosh oh golly, how time flies! Seems like just yesterday you came into my shop and gushed over the maternity and paternity outfits we have there. Especially you, Sev! Why, if memory serves me correctly, I remember you being insistent on getting a handful of my specialty lime green ‘FBI’ shirts, eh?”

While the acronym had been somewhat amusing, Sevastyan wouldn’t have exactly said he gushed over them. In fact, considering his daughter’s conception hadn’t really been planned at all he found the mere thought of wearing that particular shirt rather awkward. He knew that trying to convince Larry otherwise was next to impossible given their last ‘encounter’ but he still found it in him to mutter, “I vouldn’t exact-“

“And now, just look at you two! All warm and comfy, like itty bitty snuggle bunnies!”

’Oh Merlin, if I didn’t have a new family, or any family, I vould say “kill me now”...’ Sevastyan thought, a rather uncertain look upon his face. “Erm...” was all that the Russian could truly manage. It was warm and comfortable in here, though lying beside his wife and new daughter had a lot more to do with the comfort than the bed did. With a curious glance he looked to Viper, one eyebrow raised, as though asking: ’Snuggle-bunnies? Is he really serious?’ The countenance he presented to her for that moment clearly expressed he didn’t much care of that particular adjective, not to mention believed even more now that their stork stalker needed to take a visit to the mental ward of the hospital.

Sevastyan’s eyes furtively scanned the outside of the bags, dubious as to their contents. Had Lara been sleeping he would’ve cringed and urged the feathered wizard to leave. He was tempted to do so anyway, but he was so tired after being awake with Viper all during the delivery – an experience he would not trade even for sleep, the wizard might add! For a brief moment Sevastyan had closed his eyes, heavy as they were with need for sleep, though started the moment Larry laid his arms – wings? – on him, Viper, and Lara in what could only be defined a group hug. The beak on his shoulder did little to make him feel any better about their visitor and said visitor’s lack of ideals regarding personal bubbles. “I don’t think so...” Sevastyan muttered firmly in response to the insistence of a ‘manly hug’.

“Vot the he-...?!” the wizard exclaimed as Larry situated himself even closer, to the point of being on Sevastyan’s lap. A swarm of feathers assailed the Russian’s face, who promptly used his free arm (the other still being grasped at the finger by his baby girl) to try and push the feathers out of the way. Seeing the beak of the costume nearing Lara’s face, Sevastyan wriggled his finger out of his daughter’s grasp and took hold of the offending mass headed for the girl’s head. “Vill you please get off me?!” Sevastyan grunted to the stork-clad wizard with an undercurrent of suppressed irritation, finding this all much too close-quarters for comfort. “And vatch that beak...”

“Ve... haven’t officially decided upon a name yet...” Sevastyan admitted, glancing to Viper as if to confirm this but deliberately not being very forthcoming with the list of potential names. They’d finally narrowed it down after some months of deliberation, though they hadn’t yet decided on anything official. Now, it seemed, they would need to speed up the naming process. Grigoriy had jokingly mentioned they’d probably end up calling their child “Hey you!” what with the way his brother tended to be a tad on the indecisive side sometimes. The comment had earned the younger Kaminski a hexing from the older.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sveta had been half of the way into shaping her mouth to form words of greeting when she realized that a large... something... had more or less climbed into her brother’s lap on the bed. Torn between laughing and finding this incredibly awkward, caramel eyes surveyed the scene and in particular the faces of her brother and sister-in-law. Still keeping the smile pinned to her face the witch, in similar fashion to her fiancé, had been about to speak but the mass of feathers and polka dots sporting a lime green bonnet had beaten her to the punch as well.

"Oh boy, oh boy! Visitors! Even more people to add in this fun fun fun! Come over here and join our cornucopia of love!"

Startled by what appeared she could only describe as a mass of feathers, Svetlana began to skirt around Dracovan to get behind him. The witch wasn’t really a coward and would tell off the first person to call her such for she was normally very extroverted. This situation was rather a bit different than just meeting the random witch or wizard on the street. It was only after she was half-hidden behind her soon-to-be husband that Svetlana noticed her sister-in-law trying to silently tell them to run, repeating the word several times over. Her brother was advising the same move, as well as mouthing a suggestion to hide.

Before she could make a beeline out of the room and pull Dracovan along with her, however, the plumed mass had tackled them in an incredibly tight, rather uncomfortable bear hug. It seemed as though the term would have to be changed to “Giant-Chicken Hug” now. Svetlana gasped out and mostly muffled what would’ve been a shriek of surprise when the impact hit. The Russian witch honestly didn’t mind being uncomfortably crammed beside Dracovan, but she wasn’t quite so keen on their other ‘friend’ joining in. Not quite sure what to do, Sveta gave the overgrown fowl a small pat on the shoulder before trying to squirm her way out...

... only to realize the beak of the creature had poked Dracovan in the eye. “Draco, darling, are you alright?” she asked, gently pushing the beak up and aside so as not to cause his eye further irritation and then placed her hand upon the side of her significant other’s face. It was both a gesture of affection and a silent request to make sure there wasn’t any damage done.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Stefan strode down the corridor of the maternity ward, feeling very out of place all decked out in black amidst the bright colored, cheery wallpaper and assorted decorations. In his personal opinion they could’ve expanded the hallway to twice its current size, for as it was now seemed much too narrow and reminiscent of the corridors in the mental ward portion of the hospital. Too, too narrow – like they were about to slowly taper into a point where one couldn’t even get a slip of parchment between the walls. A dead end... Each door he passed seemed to call his name, tempting him with an escape from his claustrophobia, but he didn’t really want to walk in on happy moment after happy moment of parents with their newborn rugrats. No, there was only one set of parents and an infant he wanted to see. It was the only reason he even considered stepping foot back into the hospital at all...

It had been a little over six months since he regained his freedom. Six months, three weeks, and three days to be precise. Approximately two-hundred and four days all together... not even a full year. It had been longer since he’d been initially incarcerated. A little over five years... five long, boring, lonely years. Or they would have been lonely if not for the visitors or Irene’s steadily-increasing hours of company. The time he’d been left to his own devices was lonely, though. Yet, a part of him had even wanted to be lonely – deliberately rejecting Irene’s efforts to be with him. That in part was the potions he was made to take, and was still on for observation’s sake. Another part of him had just wanted to be alone, but his twisted mind just couldn’t put together a civil way to go about it.

The wizard strode up to the reception desk, thanking Merlin for the fact the hallway opened up briefly to give more space. Raven locks tilted to the right in time with their owner’s head in trying to see the face of the nurse, for she looked rather familiar. Stefan grinned then – she was exceedingly familiar, a nurse from the mental ward that transferred to maternity after a month of putting up with him. Approaching silently, the wizard waited until just the right moment of when the nurse was completely immersed in what she was doing...

... then slammed his empty palm on the counter to attract her attention. “Long time no see, ‘Zetta,” he muttered with a snicker, taking a moment to confirm that the name ‘Rozetta’ was on the tag dangling along the neckline of her robes.

The nurse jumped and looked up at him, her eyes freezing into a perfect sculpture of surprise and utter terror – as though she’d seen her greatest fear reflected in his own sapphire orbs. “Wh-wh-what are you doing here?! You should be over at Ward C on the Mental Health section of the hospital, not all the way over here! Let me just call Irene and...” the nurse stuttered hastily and picked up a magically-modified phone.

A hand gloved in black leather reached down and pressed firmly upon the cradle button to stop the call. “Irene knows I’m here. In fact, I’m free to go wherever I please, whenever I please, and however I please,” Stefan replied with a truly malevolent grin. “They let me out six months ago... But of course you probably think I’m having a delusion...” his other hand jerked the phone out of hers and he placed the thing back in its cradle, but kept one hand firmly upon the phone in case she got ideas to pick it up again.

“Let me enlighten you to the contrary,” he continued, conjuring a copy of his release records for her to see.

Rozetta looked the papers over in utter shock, but was satisfied nonetheless. Because swift movements had agitated him in the past she slowly pushed the file back toward him. “What do you want, Mr. Althaus?” she demanded, voice heavily frosted with ice.

“A lot of things, really,” Stefan answered smartly. “But, for right now, confirmation on Mr. and Mrs. Kaminski’s room number will do.”

“One moment...”

Stefan waited, and waited, and waited. He had a short attention span, often violently flailing from one thing to the next. It seemed to be taking the witch forever, in his frame of mind. “Are you searching the whole hospital? They should be right here considering they were supposed to be having a kid,” he questioned suspiciously.

“Stefan! It hasn’t even been a whole minute! Please wait!” she snapped, stressed out by the fact that despite having been released he really seemed no different than he was when he was before. “Room 157... and if you make any trouble whatsoever I will call security!”

The wizard merely rolled his eyes and took off down the corridor at a jog, without so much as a word of thanks.

* * * *

Seeing a witch and wizard having already entered, Stefan went right on up to the door just as it closed. He’d run right into the closed door on accident, hitting his nose and hit foot rather hard as it ran into the wood. “Ow!” he exclaimed, the expression muffed since his hands had gone straight for shielding his nose from further run-ins. At the same time he’d heard a masculine declaration followed by something he thought sounded like a thud. Finding such a sound rather out of place in a maternity ward, Stefan glanced this way and that for a moment in hopes it would help him determine whether to head on in and investigate or stay out in the hallway where it was relatively safe. After a moment’s deliberation the wizard decided that curiosity may have killed the snake, but at least it would die thrilled and enlightened. He knocked twice, then pushed open the door...

’Hmm... roomy,’ he observed in silence, instantly feeling more comfortable about the space of the room he could see. The wizard had expected to see the happy family, but the first people he ended up laying his eyes on were the other couple he’d already seen enter and the odd gigantic bird... whom were all clustered together, he might add. He hadn’t expected the fairly-newly-wedded parents to have visitors other than him quite so soon.

“Erm... am I interrupting something I shouldn’t be interrupting?” Stefan asked, half joking and half not as he broke his gaze away from the trio nearest him to the other trio upon the hospital bed he had come to see. There was a cheerful grin upon his face. To those that didn’t know him, however, said cheeriness would’ve looked rather... sinister, indeed.

“This is an interesting change of pace, me visiting you, isn’t it, Amaranth? Least you’re not in a straitjacket, hm?” he greeted Viper with a light tone of voice to match that grin.