The Great Hall

"What? Who are you talking to?" Diana asked.


(How about the room of requirement?)

((okay - and the twins are next to Darien now lol))

((Oh ops. Ignore that post up there. ))

Diana was a bit disoriented when the Slytherin Twins appeared. She'd heard about them but never really met them. She wondered how they knew what she and Darien been talking about. "Er... Hello. What about the Room of Requirement?"

"Oh yeah, sorry. Um... Diana, Aiden, Amy. Introductions and all that. Yup, that works for me...that okay with you guys?"

The twins nodded "Tonight"

Turning to Diana they smirked.

"See ya there gryffie, "

She nodded at them. "Wow, they are kind of creepy, I thought that was just a rumour."

Darien rolled his eyes.
"See you then guys..."

Amy and Aiden laughed and thought to Darien.

"She has no idea just how Creepy we are."

Darien hid a grin.
Are you suggesting telepathy is creepy? Cos I think Ana would kill you for that...

"I better go find Helena," Diana said. "See you later." She gave Darien a quick peck and walked away.

"Bye..."
Darien watched her go then turned back to the twins.

Viper took her usual seat in the Great Hall, noticing all the students talking, laughing and eating. Apparently not much had changed here either.

The twins raised there eye brows at Darien.

"If she thinks we are creepy now wait until she sees us duel" said Amy. Before turning back to Slytherin table to finish breakfast.

"Be carefull Dar, when Amy goes on offence she is ruthless" whispered Aiden before turning to follow his sister.

Sevastyan strode into the Great Hall, surveying the goings on briefly. Almost every student seemed busy chatting, telling jokes to one another just by the sound of their laughter, or the most obvious: taking a meal with their housemates. He wore burgundy robes without fur-lined lapels today, with a black Nehru jacket and slacks underneath.

The High Table where the teachers sat was moderately filled as well. Noticing a seat to Professor Viper's left was open - Sevastyan had yet to really determine his "usual" seating, what with having come to Hogwarts just this year - he headed in that direction.

"Good day, Professor," Sevastyan remarked tentatively as he sat down.

Eglantine entered the Great Hall and rolled up the Head Table, transfiguring her chair into a peach and sliding into place. Students were staring at her, but since she had been about in her wheel chair for two days now, they were beginning to get used to it.

Picking up her knife, she charmed it to peel the peach for her.

Viper jumped a bit at the unfamiliar voice. She turned to her left and was quite suprised at the man beside her. "Now here's something different..." she thought to herself.

She smiled gently and genuinely. "Good day. Forgive me, but who are you? I don't believe we have met yet." She asked this tentively, remembering her first meeting with Professor Flitwick who she assumed was new, but was actually at his post for quite some time without her ever noticing.

A smile stretched his lips, not because he had caught her unawares but to reciprocate her nonverbal greeting. "Of course. My apologies, it vos not my intent to startle you. I don't believe ve officially met," he began, pausing slightly to shift in his chair. "My name is Sevastyan Kaminski, and have recently been given the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor here at Hogvarts," he explained pleasantly.

"And you?"

"Amaranth Viper, Potions Professor. It's lovely to meet you, Professor Kaminski. Pardon me for asking but where are you from? You're accent is quite...different." she inquired, for in truth she rather liked her new colleagues way of speech.

Eglantine looked past Viper at Professor Kaminski. She had met him before, at the Casillas' ball that summer if her memory served her correctly. Deciding not to intrude into the conversation, she continued to eat her peach.

A house-elf popped into existence beside the wheelchair, setting a small plate of hot sardines in front of her. Slightly startled, Eglantine sighed.
"Thank you, Calbin." the house elf nodded his approval and vanished again.

((Have to go. Early class tomorrow. >_<))

"A pleasure to meet you as vell, Professor Viper," Sevastyan nodded in respect to his colleague. The question as to where he was from was well received, indicated by the broadening of his smile. "I am from Saratov, in Southern Russia. The vizarding section of it, I should say. You vould probably like it there - ve have an expansive potioneering center, among other things," he replied animatedly. "As to my accent, I hope it vill not annoy my colleagues or students much," Sevastyan added lightly, as if it had crossed his mind but didn't exactly have him on pins and needles.

From where and how he was currently sitting, Sevastyan had a good vantage point of taking note on who sat where. Along the teacher's table, Sevastyan noticed a face he'd remembered: wasn't it at the Casillas' family masquerade ball? DeLanquar was her name, if he remembered correctly. Since he was speaking with Viper at the moment he wouldn't cut his conversation with her short, especially since it seemed Eglantine was still eating anyways.

"Vould it be out of bounds for me to inquire the same about you?" Sevastyan asked Viper, curious to know more about his colleague.


((Okay.))

Viper listened eagerly to her colleagues tale, fascinated by his unique background, blushing slightly at his inquiry. Her background seemed like nothing compared to his "There's not much to tell, I'm afraid. I was born and raised here in Britain. I worked as the Head of the Britain's Potions lab before it was shut down by the Ministry. I have heard of the Potions Center in Russia, considered working there after I lost my department, but I suppose Hogwarts called me back." she half shrugged before laughing. "That and I have a hard enough time with the winters here."

Sevastyan listened patiently, equally intrigued by Viper's backstory, laughing with her about the differences in climate. "Da ((his way of saying 'yeah')), the vinter is quite harsh, I vill admit. I vos in Britain once, in December, and found the veather rather varm."

"I am sorry to hear your department vos shut down, for votever that may be vorth," he replied after a moment's pause to indicate his change of thought. "Vos it difficult going from Head of your laboratory to becoming a professor?" Sevastyan did his best to make sure he didn't seem or sound prying.

Viper smiled at the genuine thought. "Thank you." she sighed as she answered his question truthfully. "Immensely, and truth be told I'm not a very good Professor. It's rather difficult to work with other experts and then all of a sudden be teaching beginners the very basics. In fact, I only have about seven students." she said as she sipped at her goblet.

Eglantine's attention wavered and the knife peeling the peach whipped into the air, slashing at her chest. Fortunately, she vanished the knife before it could strike her again, but a thin line of blood was already staining her white robes.

See your deepest desire...to take your life, Eglantine. Cerise whispered. You did this...

No! I was distracted. My magic control is weak. Eglantine insisted in her mind, replying to Cerise. A hissed laugh answered her, but Cerise was content with the fact that she had caused the magical weakness in the first place and was silent.

Eglantine wandlessly fixed the slit robe, using a simple glamour to hide the blood. As far as she knew, no one had seen her slip.