Professor Blackthorn's Office

[Kaiia Blackthorn]

Professor Blackthorn likes things chilly. Take a jacket. And knock before you enter. It's less painful that way!

The decor is sparse - the office is furnished with a desk and several chairs. The walls are lined with books, apart from some shelves that hold astronomical equipment. On the desk are parchments and quills, arranged neatly, and a celestial globe.

The only personal touch is the photograph of Kaiia and Damon on their wedding day.

[Kelly Black]

Emilia walked to professor Blackthorn's office and knocked. She still hadn't figured out, why she had come here, but something urged her to do that.

[Kaiia Blackthorn]

Kaiia was seated at her desk, working on her next lesson plan, when she heard the knock on the door.

"Come in," she called.

[Kelly Black]

Emilia opened the door, as she heard a voice from the inside. She walked in and let out a sigh. "I saw you running away from the Staff Table in a hurry and I wanted to come and see, if you're alright." her voice sounded concerned and she indeed was too.

[Kaiia Blackthorn]

Kaiia raised an eyebrow, but having just hunted, she was feeling much more relaxed than she had done at dinner.

"I appreciate your concern, Professor Pettigrew, but I am fine. I merely had some urgent business to attend to." She suppressed a grin, wondering what Emilia would think if she knew that the 'urgent business' had involved hunting fieldmice!

She would have to get a grip on herself, she thought, if her feelings were that transparent. It was just the upheaval of the past few weeks that had brought the old pain to the surface... she gave an involuntary glance at the photo standing on the desk, before facing Emilia agan.

[Kelly Black]

"You know, I do know occlumency" she sent a thought to Kaiia. "What's that picture, you looked at" Emilia said outloud.

[Kaiia Blackthorn]

Kaiia hesitated fractionally. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to get into this. Then she shrugged slightly. "My wedding photo." She reached over and turned the picture so that Emilia could see it.

[Kelly Black]

"You look really nice on that picture. Where's your husband?" Emilia understood too late, what an inappropriate question it must have been.

[Kaiia Blackthorn]

The question sent a jolt through Kaiia. Had this occurred just an hour or so earlier, when she'd been so tense, she would probably have lashed out to cover her feelings. But that brief time in her animagus form had soothed her, and she felt strangely detatched as she replied calmly,

"Damon died four years ago. We were married for seven years." She wasn't sure why she'd volunteered that extra piece of information. She barely knew Emilia; Kaiia knew that they'd been at school around the same time, but as a Slytherin, she'd paid little attention to Gryffindors. But she thought that she sensed a genuine concern from Emilia, and was starting to relax her defenses slightly now that she felt a little more comfortable being back at Hogwarts.

She managed to smile. "It was an arranged marriage, of course, but we were happy."

[Kelly Black]

"I'm sorry to hear that" replied Emilia, as Kaiia told her hurband had died. As she told her of the arranged marriage, she let out a sigh. "I think it's terrible. Arranged marriages I mean. I guess, you got lucky, that you were happy, but most of those couples aren't so happy together." She took a little time to think. "So you're sure, you're quite fine?"

[Kaiia Blackthorn]

Kaiia nodded. "I wasn't happy about it at first. I didn't know him at all, and then there was the age difference - I was only 18, and he was 36. But I had no choice. That's just the way my family did things." She paused, wondering why she was going into detail like this. Maybe Emilia just seemed like a good listener.

"Yes, I'm sure I'm fine," she replied in answer to the question. "I was about to make some tea - would you care to join me?" Kaiia was surprised at herself. She'd never found it easy to make friends. And of course, lately she'd just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. But tonight, she was hoping that Emilia would accept the invitation.

[Kelly Black]

"Yeah, pushy parents are not exactly what a 18 year old woman needs" she smiled lightly. "Such an age difference? I feel a bit sorry for you and I'm surprised you could handle it. You must be a really tough person." As Kaiia asked Emilia to stay for tea, she didn't answer immediately. She thought about Andrew, but didn't let it get to her "Yes, I'd love to" she smiled at Kaiia.

[Kaiia Blackthorn]

Kaiia got up and went to the kettle standing by the unlit fireplace, using a spell to set the water boiling.

"Are you warm enough?" she asked. "I find it too hot in here with a fire going." She was even more surprised at herself - it wasn't like her to consider the feelings of others. She made the tea, and took the teapot to her desk, conjuring the cups, saucers and other necessary items from a cupboard in the corner.

"I'm not sure pushy is quite the right term - it just didn't occur to them that things could be done any other way. It was the same from my side. I didn't like it, but I'd been brought up to accept it. The age difference didn't seem to matter after we'd been married a few months. Damon was considerate and kind."

To me, at least, she thought, remembering the time she'd first seen his other, terrifying side, when he'd dealt with a fellow Death Eater who had turned traitor. But until the last few months leading up to the battle, she'd rarely observed that side of him.

[Kelly Black]

"Oh, don't worry about me, I have thick fur- i mean skin. Sorry, I'm too used to my animagus form." Emilia looked as Kaiia conjured the cups."I guess you know better, darling." she sent Kaiia a warming smile. "When and how did he die, if I may ask?" she looked at her, being ready for a rude answer.

[Kaiia Blackthorn]

Kaiia looked at her, interested. "You're an animagus too? May I ask what your animagus form is?"

She hesitated. She wasn't sure which side Emilia had been on, but as a Gryffindor, it was highly unlikely she'd been a Death Eater. She sighed. Just when she'd thought she might actually make a friend.

"Damon died at the Battle of Hogwarts. He was killed while duelling a member of the Order."