The Park

The cat glanced up from the birds and stretched. Purring softly, Eglantine leapt down from the bench and approached Kiara, transfiguring mid-stride and levitating her body at the same time.

"Indeed." She looked pale and had deep rings under her eyes from either weeping or lack of sleep. "You?"

Kiara nodded taking in Eglantines appearence. "Yes I fine it rather peaceful"

Still keeping a eye on her she said "Have you talked with Horatio recently?" she asked it innocently enough. just curiousity.

Eglantine shuddered and turned back to the bench.

"Yes...but only briefly." she whispered. "Why?"

Kiara followed Eglantine back to the bench.

"Well I found him in the qudiditch pitch looking a bit... troubled I guess you could say. Would you happen to know why? may I ask what happened when you saw him"

Eglantine sighed.

"I was so cruel, Kiara." she sobbed, collapsing against the bench. Tears began to stream down her face, and the levitation charm failed, dropping her roughly on the stone path. "No wonder he is troubled."

Kiara looked sadly at Eglantine for a moment and bent down beside her.

"Oh Eglantine, I am sorry, come on.... lets talk" she said as she used a light levitaion charm to guide Eglantine back up to the bench.

"Now I heard Horatio's version of what happened, now to hear yours...."

Eglantine pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes.

"I went into the library to get a book and he asked if he could refer to my by my first name. I agreed and he began to dance around the room, singing a muggle movie song." she smiled sadly. "He was so darling. And then he pulled me into his arms and danced around the room with me. It was..." she closed her eyes. "I ran out." she concluded.

Kiara sighed she had been right afterall.

"And why do you think you ran out hmm? Obviously you are upset about it.... What made you run?"

Eglantine looked away. "I forgot who he was for a moment, Kiara. It that not one of the worse things? I am a widow; in order to honour my husband, I am to at the very least cherish his memory. Not enjoy the advances of another man."

"Yep bUlls eye" Kiara thought with a sigh.

Placing her hand on Eglantines shoulder she treaded carefully.

"Eglantine, look at me. No one is suggesting you not honor you husband.. He was your husband and will alway hold a place in your heart..... That will never change. But that dosen't mean you can't be happy again Eglantine" Kiara pasued to see where her points were going with Eglantine.

She didn't want to say the wrong thing.

Eglantine said nothing. She tucked her handkerchief back into her pocket.
"Would it be wrong to love another man?" she asked, eyes wide and focused on Kiara.

Kiara blinked she hadn't expected Eglantine to be so direct.

"Personally No I don't think it would be wrong. The human Heart us capable of loving again, if you let it. Besides from what you have told me of your husband I think he would be over joyed to know there is someone who can make you happy again. " kiara said with a small smile on her face as she spoke,

"You really think so?" Eglantine asked, sounding almost desperate. She had been thinking about every angle of the situation ever since she had "run" out of the library. It was a wonderful feeling to even consider that Horatio might like her, after all only two men had ever showed a romantic interest in her whole life...one of them she had married and then watched die and the other, she hated to think about him...

"Yes I do" Kiara nodded. "Eglantine... everyone deserves onther chance at love. That includes you"

Eglantine shook her head. "But I do not deserve another chance, Kiara." she wiped away another tear with the back of her hand, which was shaking slightly. "I killed Richard...I never told you that."

Kiara shook her head "Alright what makes you think you killed him?"

Eglantine drew her wand from her pocket, casting a stupify at three happily chirping birds. They were annoying her. Somehow their now still feathered bodies brought her a strange feeling of control. She waved it aside.
"He was a muggle. Absolutely ignorant of the wizarding world. I delved into the dark arts and they came to kill me...not him. He was innocent. A history professor who cared deeply about everything and everyone. I lied to him from the day I met him and in the end...I killed him."

Kiara blinked getting what Eglantine was saying, but yet.. not.

"Eglantine, no matter what you say I refuse to believe you were responsible for your hubands death. It is not your fault, now you say they came for you. Who are they? and how is it in your own twisted way your fault?"
She didn't believe for a moment it was Eglantines fault that her husband died, She was most likely taking the blame for the real culprits.

"You know how this is going to work don't you Eglantine? you tell me the story I convince you are not at fault and you actually do deserve to love and be loved again." Kiara said honestly.

Eglantine shook her head. "No, not this time, Kiara. It was my fault. The ministry was attempting to purge the dark wizards and witches and I was one of them. After the war, anyone who had assisted Lord Voldemort was targeted. I assisted him along with my father. The car accident was no accident... but neither or us were killed, but nonetheless we were gravely injured... I escaped, my brother and father came for me and saved my life. As for Richard, they, the ministry aurors were convinced that he was in league with me and my father. They killed him."

"So now you see who I really am. A black hearted witch who allowed her own selfish desires to destroy everything she ever held dear."

Kiara shock her head, the purging someones paranoid delusion t would solve the wizarding worlds problems when is turned into a literal witch hunt. It has been proven a number of innocent people died in the purging. I should have never occurred, all it caused was grief.

Carefully she maneuvered herself to make eye contact with Eglantine.

"Eglantine... now here is where I convince you it isn't your fault. You couldn't have known that was what the ministry would do to your husband. It was bloody cruel and wrong of them to kill him. It wasn't your fault Eglantine, you said so your self they killed him, not you"

Kiara looked down for a moment "You are no more at fault for your husbands death then I am over my little Serena's death..... you are not evil Eglantine how can you even think that. It is the ministry's fault not yours"

"My actions caused them to hunt me down." she protested rather weakly, hating the fact that Kiara had brought up her dead daughter, it made it difficult for her to disagree without making it look like Kiara was to blame for the girl's death. Then again, if she had brought home the pox, maybe in a way it was her fault. She refrained from mentioning that...

"And my actions on helping someone who was sick caused my daughters death, but did you know I did everything within my power to keep it from happening? I did everything the healers asked of me. I took there potions I went into quarantine for the required length of time. I did everything I could to prevent it from happening and it still happened it was out of my hands. The ministry had no right to even touching your husband, what happened was beyond your control. Not your fault"

At least you did everything you could to prevent death. I did nothing. Ignored the letters from my brother, left my wand hidden at home, and continued on with normal everyday life." Eglantine placed a hand against Kiara's cheek. "The situations are different, love. Very different."

Kiara eyes saddened "I was prepared I knew if I didn't do what was asked of me she would gotten sick for sure. You had no such warning Eglantine, Richard had done nothing wrong he should not have been punished much less executed, whoever did that didn't do their job right it was the Ministry's doing not yours" she said defiantly.

Eglantine moved a finger to gently trace Kiara's cheek line. "No one has ever attempted to help me as you have, Kiara. I hope you understand how truly much I value our friendship." She smiled faintly, but sincerely.