Someone Familiar (Visperia and Dmitra)

Dmitra walked through the hallways of Durmstrang Institute, feeling slightly uneasy. She had written several letters to her father since the beginning of the school year, without receiving a single reply. This was most unlike him. With a pang, Dmitra recalled the grim expression on his face as he had informed her for the first time that she had to switch schools in the middle of the year, and had requested her not to ask any questions. That time Dmitra had complied with her father's wishes, but now, she was getting a distinct bad feeling about all of this.

Dmitra walked up the staircase, turned round the corner and approached the Office of her Head of House. The Professor had informed her that someone wished to speak to Dmitra, and give her some kind of news, and the Professor was also looking quite grim. Dmitra couldn't quite shake that bad feeling off from her shoulders, as she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Visperia was sitting in the Head of House Office, she had thought that it would be best to have this conversation alone so the head of house herself, Miss Nuctis, was currently out of the room, she just didn't know what she was going to say when she walked in.

For so long she had been wanting to see her daughter, to speak to her again, even to hear her voice, and now that the moment had come, she was almost too nervous to grasp it.

Taking a steadying breath as she heard the knock on the door, she placed her tea back down on the coaster and sat up straight in the seat behind the desk, after a few moment she chose to stand in greeting, far more polite even if this girl was her daughter.

"Come in." she said, quietly but firmly.

At the soft sound of someone calling her in, Dmitra cautiously stepped inside. Her uneasy feeling was multiplying rapidly as the seconds passed. The door banged shut, and Dmitra found herself face-to-face with a woman, somewhere in her thirties.

Immediately, a strange feeling washed over Dmitra. The woman looked vaguely familiar; she had dark hair, brown eyes, and a way of carrying herself that immediately made Dmitra straighten up. Dmitra felt that she had seen this woman somewhere before, but trying to recall seemed impossible, even though it felt like the occasion was at the tip of her tongue. It was like remembering a dream, squeezing your hand to hold on to sand only to realize that it was falling even faster.

Dmitra swallowed a breath, she didn't realize why she was feeling so nervous all of a sudden, "Umm........I was told that someone in the office wanted to meet me.........." Then slightly curiously, "...Uh....do I know you?"

Visperia could not believe that the young lady in front of her was her own child, she had missed the best years of her life and as a mother that was something that she would never be able to forgive herself for, but, she was here now and that would all change.

Bowing her head as she entered and stood in front of the desk, Visperia couldn't help but smile pleasantly when she was asked if she knew her, there were so many answers to that question, she was unsure of which one to pick.

"Yes, I do indeed wish to discuss something with you Dmitra, why don't you take a seat?" she asked gesturing to the seat in front of the desk so that she might be more comfortable "You do not know me, not yet anyway."

The woman in front of her was watching her strangely, with a mixture of what looked like nostalgia and.....regret? in her eyes. Dmitra fidgeted slightly, and then reprimanded herself inwardly. For some strange reason, Dmitra felt like leaving a good impression on the woman in front of her. So she inclined her head in thanks and relaxed into the comfortable leather armchair that the woman indicated with her hand.

"Uh....you know my name already? And what do you mean by 'not yet anyway'?" Dmitra felt like the woman before her was speaking in riddles. "How do you know me? Did you know my father or something?"

Visperia couldn't help but smile to herself, Dmitra asked a lot of questions, she knew that she would do, the whole situation was a little strange after all and she had the right to know about everything, but, it would take time to tell her everything, she didnt want to rush her with information.

"Of course I do, how would I have known who to ask for at the school if I did not already know your name?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow, before smiling gently.

Now it was time to get down to the real reason why she had come, she would not allow her child to be alone in the world. So out of hiding she must come;

"I did know your father yes, which brings me to the reason I have come." Visperia's voice faultered a little and she paused, before continuing "Your father, Dmitra is dead."

Dmitra swatted herself on the head internally. Of course the woman knew her name, goodness me, Dmitra was acting like an idiot. So she bit her lip slightly in embarrassment, “Right, of course you know my name. Stupid of me to ask.” Then the woman said a sentence that turned Dmitra’s world upside down, just in a matter of seconds.

Dmitra’s first instinct was to laugh crazily, to tell the woman that she had an excellent sense of humour. Her second instinct was to catch the woman by the throat, to hit her and make her feel pain for daring to say such a thing. But looking into the woman’s clear brown eyes, Dmitra sucked in a deep, gasping, shuddering breath. She was telling the truth. Her father, Alessander Diamante, was dead.

Dead. Dead. Dmitra blinked rapidly, feeling the world around her grow blurry as hot tears rose to her eyes. Her throat felt parched, her hands were shaking, her world seemed to be crashing around her. Her father, always so strong, so dependable, always there, was gone. Forever. He would never come back.

Picturing her father’s broad, handsome face smiling down at her, Dmitra drew on a deep reserve of strength that she never knew she had, and raised her head, slowly. She could croak out only one word, “How?”

Visperia smiled gently and she shook her head, she did not think that Dmitra should think so badly of herself, it was obvious that she was a little flustered, anybody could ask the obvious in a situation like that, she had done it more than a few times also.

"There is no such thing as a stupid question Dmitra, never be afraid to ask anything to anyone, especially not myself." she said with a small smile playing on her lips.

The emotions running on her daughters face were ones that she was familiar with herself, she knew that she was going through the most painful emotions anyone could ever feel...Visperia wished so badly she did not have to go through this but go through this she must.

When she asked her how her father died, Visperia hung her head a little bit and looked up at Dmitra, wondering if she should tell her the whole story just yet, or to keep some until she was a little better;

"Do you want to hear the whole story, or would you like me to edit it down for you, its a very long tale after all." she said softly.

(OOC: So, how exactly did Dmitra's father die? )

[OOC: The same people who were after Visperia managed to finally track Alessander down, he came to know about it and sent Dmitra to Durmstrang since he knew he was in danger. A year later, he was killed by those people. As for the details, be as creative as you like ]

Dmitra's head was aching, her legs were shaking like she had just run a thousand miles, but it didn't matter because no matter how much she ran, her father would never come back again.

When the woman opposite her looked at her, Dmitra somehow found an echo of her own pain in the woman's eyes, like she grieved the passing of Alessander Diamante just as Dmitra did. But that was impossible, because no one, absolutely no one, loved her father more than Dmitra did.

Drawing on that same strength, Dmitra spoke, voice still raspy but a bit stronger, "All the details. Everything. I...." Dmitra paused, gasping a bit. "I can bear it." Then she tried to clear her voice in a waste of effort, "I......it's hard. He was my only family."

(OOC: Alrighties then, thankies! )

Visperia knew that this would be an awful lot for Dmitra to take in and she hoped that she would not try and verbally strike out against her for the choices that she and Alessander had made to try and protect her, although she expected it.

"Very well then, but before we begin, he might have been the only family you are aware of, but, your mother is still very much alive and is coming to take care of you now that Alessander has...passed."

With a small intake of breath to steady herself, Viseperia gave a gentle smile, intended to comfort Dmitra as she spoke to her, hopefully she would be able to explain it without getting upset herself.

"Your mother was targetted by a group of people, and, your father and you moved away from her so that you would be safe, she intended to follow you but for your safety she stayed away from the two of you. The people after your mother managed to track down your father, he sent you to Durmstrang to keep you safe, but, eventually it was these people who killed him...he withstood the interrogation and then they killed him, gun shot."

Interrogation. Gunshot. All those words spun around in Dmitra's mind, like blades or clubs, hitting her head with overwhelming force. Dmitra massaged her head, feeling a migraine pounding away at the back of her head. Horrible gruesome images filled her head, of her father being tortured and cursed and holding strong and not saying a word just to protect her.......Dmitra closed her eyes, feeling a concentrated scalding feeling at the back of her eyelids.

Then suddenly, what the woman had said sunk in. Mother. Alive. Coming to take care of her. Didn't stay with her for her own protection. Dmitra felt a fresh wave of dizziness wash over her. For the longest time, Dmitra had wanted to know something, anything about her mother. Even her name. And now to know that her mother had been alive for so long and had never met her.......

Suddenly, everything clicked. The sorrow in the woman's eyes, the way her hand twitched forward as if to console Dmitra, the way her voice hesitated over her father's name.......Dmitra raised her head and stared straight into the woman's eyes, "You're my mother." It was not a question, it was a statement.

Visperia had thought that if Dmitra was anything like her father, that she would be able to figure out exactly who she was when she came to collect her, and she didn't dissappoint, however it was very obvious to herself, the tells that she had given during the conversation, she would have to tighten those up.

Nodding with a small smile on her lips, Visperia leant forwards and placed her arms on the desk in front of her, and for a few moments words failed her, she had been thinking of this moment all her life since Dmitra and Alessander had left her.

"Yes, I am." she said simply "I had hoped that this wouldn't have been the way that we met for the first time, although, realistically I knew that it would be."

Somehow, after hearing the woman accept that she was Dmitra's mother, everything just dulled down for Dmitra, like she was far off somewhere, standing on the seashore. Her throat closed up, her face grew blank. The raspy, choking quality that had been there in her voice vanished, becoming emotionless. Dmitra just.....closed up.

"I suppose that's what Dad meant when he used to whisper at night sometimes....that 'she never came'. " Dmitra's tone wasn't accusative, in fact, it didn't hold any emotion at all. Because if she let go, then she wouldn't be able to control herself, and she didn't want to crumble before her....mother. "I don't mind that you never met me. I don't mind that you never sent me a letter. I don't mind that I never even knew your name." Dmitra raised her head, making straight eye contact with her mother, "Its alright that you didn't return for the child you never raised, what I want to know is why you never returned for my father. Tell me why."

Visperia sighed a little bit, it did in fact seem that her child was closing up to her, which was worse in fact than having her shout at her, it really was, and she couldn't help but wonder how she was going to respond to it.

The facts that she presented in her speech did cut Visperia a little and she had expected them completely, however she was ready to respond to them in the way that she knew would be best.

"I didn't return for your father because if I had done we would have both been killed and so would you, you would have never known your father, he would never have known you, and I would not have the chance to be with you now."

Placing her hands on her lap, Visperia continued;

"You have every right to be angry and upset with me, however, I did what was best for you and your father, and it hurt me to miss my child grow up and my husband being with me. It truly did."

Dmitra looked on at her mother for a minute, her voice emotionless, like they were talking about the weather, “You know, Dad was always lousy at lying. He could never convince, or persuade anyone for anything, but I could always do it. I always wondered how I had this talent, but…... I mean, just look at you, “ Dmitra laughed mirthlessly. “You’re telling me that if you had come into my life, I would never have known my father. In short, you’re, perhaps unconsciously, using my affection for my father to persuade me to accept you. And what’s worse is that I would have done the same if I was in your place.”

Dmitra suddenly got to her feet, pacing to and fro. This stony, impassive façade was getting harder and harder to keep, especially with her father’s face permanently affixed to her mind’s eye, and her…mother looking at her with such concern. Concern that came too late. Dmitra turned to face the woman with a whirl, “You know what? I’m not angry at you. I’m trying really hard to be angry, but I’m not. That’s because I care too much about my father to hate the only other person in this world he loved.” Dmitra breathed deeply, trying in vain to regain control. Her voice was softer this time round, “What is the name of my mother?”

Visperia blinked a little and she sighed, standing up from the desk, she was not in the mood to deal with a child fighting and arguing over something that was dead and buried, there was nothing to be done about it, she had apologised and she didn't want to accept it.

That was her loss.

"I don't care what you think Dmitra. I have told you the truth, and whether you accept it or not is up to you, deny it, call me all the names under the sun, despise me. Do whatever you want to do." she said with a small smirk "But see how far you get without me, you'll be shot dead as soon as you leave Durmstrang."

Leaning against the desk, her legs outstretched Visperia said, calmly;

"As your mother I will always be here for you, but my love for your father and yourself is never, ever, to be questioned. My name is Visperia."

Dmitra laughed again, a barely-there trace of bitterness present in her voice. "You say you love me, and then you say you don't care." Then she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She would not act like a child throwing a tantrum.

Dmitra met Visperia's eyes, so similar to her own, and spoke blankly, "Fine lets be professional then. I know I won't last a day outside Durmstrang, and I'm not silly enough to refuse the one person who'll help me, so yes thank you for your offer. The only person I loved in this world is dead, so I don't care who I stay with anymore."

Dmitra extended her hand and looked at Visperia again with expressionless eyes, "Good evening Madam Visperia. My name is Dmitra Diamante."

Viseperia knew that this was not the way that she had thought this meeting would go and it had more than emotionally unsettled her, however she would not allow herself to show the child in front of her how upset that she had made her with her cold and cutting words.

When she was in the same situation as her, she could critique her for the choices that she had to make for the safety of her husband and for her daughter, who now seemed to throw it back in her face.

"Good evening Dmitra, you hardly needed to introduce yourself again, I'm your mother I did give you your name after all."

Frowning a little bit, Visperia sat back down behind the desk and rested her hands on her lap with a little smile on her lips which was, what could only be described as professional.

"Now, how do you want the work the holidays, do you want to stay here or at the house I procured for us in Germany?"

Her mother was looking at her, and no matter how cold Dmitra wanted to be towards her, somehow she couldn't find the strength inside her to meet the honest regret in her mother's eyes. So Dmitra lowered her eyes, and inwardly smiled to herself in a bittersweet fashion; so it was her mother who gave her her name. And Dmitra loved her name.

Then Visperia smiled professionally, and a small part of Dmitra wished frantically that she wouldn't do so, because Visperia was doing the same thing that Dmitra was doing, hiding her pain behind a facade of calm. Dmitra smiled to herself again; like mother, like daughter. Dmitra wanted to crumble, and hug the mother that she had never known, but her pride and the memory of her father shedding tears in hiding over her mother made Dmitra speak, returning the same professional tone that Visperia was using, "Anywhere that will be convenient for you Madam. I do not wish to be a burden."

Viseperia hummed a little and tapped her chin with one of her fingers, she was trying to think about what would be the best thing to do, of course she would like to move Dmitra in with her right away however there might be some threats that she would have to deal with first before she was sure the house was safe.

Then again there was also the problem about the pair themselves, putting them both in the deep end with them living in the same house straight away might not work out so well.

"I believe that it might be best for you to stay at Durmstrang for the next holiday just while I make sure the house is protected fully, and we first try and form a bond." she said with a faint smile "No point in it being awkward, Perhaps we should meet up with each other during the holidays before I move you in, so we get to know each other first?"

Somewhere beneath all the shock and pain, a faint sense of relief pervaded through Dmitra's mind. She needed time for the news about her father to sink in, and being with her.....mother throughout the holidays would somehow only remind her again and again, like rubbing fresh salt on a wound, "Of course Madam Visperia. I have no objection."

Then at the word 'bond', Dmitra smiled faintly, tone as impersonal as ever. "Get to know each other better? If you wish Madam. You can owl me at Durmstrang any time, and give me the date and time, and I'll be there." Then Dmitra stood up and sucked in a deep breath. She needed time to herself, to think, remember and mourn. "Now may I be excused Madam?"

Viseperia, when she heard that Dmitra thought that this was a good idea too nodded her head with a soft smile on her lips, and she understood that her daughter who seemed so very much like her would need some time to come to terms with what had happened here today.

If she also knew anything about her, going from what she had gleaned today, she wasn't about to let herself deal with the loss of her father in front of her, or anybody.

"Of course, I'll give you an owl in a few days time and we'll see how you feel about meeting up then, if you want or need anything, any questions at all, you just sent me an owl yourself." she smiled gently "Until the next time Dmitra."

Nodding her head towards the door, Visperia thought that this was not the best way that the meeting could have gone, but it wasn't the worst either.

Damn. Why did her....mother have to be so understanding? It would have been so much easier to hate, and put the entire blame on her if Visperia had been a cold, harsh woman. But no, she was kind, firm and understanding, and Dmitra wasn't self-deluding or stubborn enough to blame her for something that was so clearly not her fault. And Dmitra knew somewhere inside her heart that if a woman like this had left her, it had been for a good reason.

"Thank you Madam." Dmitra said quietly, stood up and turned to leave. She approached the door, pushed it open and took a step outwards. For one last time, she turned her head and glanced back at the woman who was her mother, then turned and started walking fast down the corridor.

As she walked, Dmitra could feel her throat choking up, knowing that nothing could stop her breakdown now that no one was here to watch her. Maybe, just maybe, after Dmitra had gotten over the death of her father, she would finally be able to accept her mother in his place.

Visperia sighed when he daughter left the room, she let her head hit the desk and she groaned a little bit, that meeting had totally drained her and she knew what she needed, but she sorely thought that she was going to find it in this god forsaken country.

Getting up she used the floo network and she managed to think of a wine bar in her mind, hopefully she would be taken to one that wasn't a complete and utter dive. Did she think this hope was going to be realised? Not really.