Chapter Fourteen
Squall Leonhart
The week seemed to fly by and before Harry knew it, it was the day before the match between the Gryffindor and Slythrin Quidditch teams. The students were busy whispering excitedly-but not only because of the coming match, it was well known that Professor Heartilly's husband, the Auror Squall Leonhart would be visiting the school soon. Sure enough, when Harry went down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room the morning of the day before the match Hermione and Ron were talking excitedly with Nafia and Nadia while Neville, Seamus and Dean all watched them excitedly.
"THE Squall Leonhart is coming here?!" Lavender shrieked excitedly.
"Yes." Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "For the hundredth time. He isn't that famous you know . . ."
"Whatever you say, I was brought up on stories of his bravery and it's in the Daily Prophet all the time about how he's catching more and more dark wizards. I think he's cool." Lavender sighed dreamily.
"Yeah, he's only, what, twenty years to old for you?" Ron asked, "Give or take a few?"
Some of the girls glared at him in annoyance, but that ended when Professor McGonagall entered, "Now students, as rumours have been flying around since last week I thought it best to inform you that yes, Auror Squall Leonhart is going to be staying at Hogwarts for a few weeks to visit his wife, he's down in the Great Hall talking with the teachers now, and it would be best if you didn't all run up to him shrieking for autographs . . . he's quite . . . anti-social."
After she left groups of students began hurriedly to file out of the common room but Harry and the others sat back, Nafia smiled at them from across the table, "Don't worry, we'll introduce you guys after everything's settled down a bit."
So it was that about an hour later (it was Sunday so they had no classes anyways) Nadia and Nafia decided they had waited long enough (and Ron was complaining that he was hungry) so the five of them hurried down to the Great Hall. Several students still hung around eating breakfast, and there was a bit of a crowd remaining at the end of the staff table, but after Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the girls had eaten their breakfast that too cleared away and the children approached the table rather nervously.
Sitting beside Professor Heartilly at the end of the staff table was a man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, his hair was as messy and dark as from the old yearbook photographs, falling into his cold grey eyes, but it was also a bit longer, it reached his shoulders now. Squall Leonhart was wearing black robes, and still had the long diagonal scar across his face. His mouth was pressed into a tight frown, despite Rinoa sitting beside him and talking excitedly into his ear in a cheerful way.
"You know I hate being displayed like this, Rinoa . . ." He was saying when Nafia and Nadia approached ahead of Harry and his friends.
"Oh, hello girls." Squall said rather unemotionally. Then, because Rinoa prodded him in the chest with her elbow he added, "I trust you're having a satisfactory year at Hogwarts?" His wife rolled her eyes.
Squall was beginning to remind Harry a bit of the potions master, but instead of being mean and sarcastic he was just stoic and detached. "This is Harry," Nafia was saying, "Harry Potter."
Squall's attention seemed to perk up slightly at this, and Harry could see him tracing his forehead for the thin outline of the small lightning-shaped scar left from Voldemort's attack. "Harry Potter . . . James' boy, yes, I see." Was all he said however.
"And this Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley." Nadia added, to which Squall said nothing.
"You remember Molly and Arthur Weasley from the Christmas party at Selphie and Irvine's place that was what, uh, maybe four years ago?" Rinoa asked Squall.
The rest of their 'meeting' with Squall Leonhart carried on in much the same way, with Rinoa doing much of the talking and Squall sitting impassively, sometimes casting a fleeting glance over Harry and his scar.
Later, after the kids had left the Great Hall, Rinoa hung her arm around her husband's shoulders and shook her head, smiling down at him bemusedly "Would it kill you to be a little nicer?" She chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Squall asked, "I was nice."
"Well yes, I suppose for you, you were nice." She replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Squall asked, looking up at her through one eye.
She giggled, and fell down on his lap, "Come on loosen up a bit. That was James and Lily's son, after all, doesn't he look like his father?"
Squall nodded silently, then after a moment, added, "I hope he doesn't have his father's knack for getting into trouble."
"Why do you say that? We got into our fair share of-"
"Rinoa this is serious. If the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again . . . well."
"You think I don't know that?" She asked, suddenly turning serious as well. "Squall I, of all people, understand the gravity of this situation . . . but . . . come on . . . do you really think that after all these years . . . ?"
Squall shook his head, his eyes were serious and he avoided her gaze. "I think anything might be possible . . . we should be on guard."
They stood up together and left the Great Hall, heading down the great castle hallways, towards Rinoa's room. "It's just like it was when we were students here, isn't it?" She whispered. "Dumbledore . . . McGonagall . . . Flitwick . . . Hagrid . . . everyone's still here too. It makes you really glad to be back . . . y'know, Squall, I've often missed this place."
"If you're feeling nostalgic . . ."
"I'm okay." Rinoa smiled, "It just pains me to think that a monster might be tormenting the people here . . ."
"The Basilisk isn't my foremost concern if the Chamber is indeed opened, you know." Squall said softly.
". . . Yeah . . . I know." Rinoa whispered. They stopped at her room and went inside. Suddenly bits of music seemed to be floating in through the walls. "Oh they must be playing music in the Gryffindor Common Room again this weekend . . . it's right through this wall." She said, pointing.
Squall said nothing; he bore his 'what-do-you-expect-me-to-say?' face. Rinoa suddenly spun around and laughed, "Listen! Oh my goodness! Squall this is it! This is the song we danced to on our Triwizard Ball!" She gasped.
"Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face
As if you're never hurt
As if you're never down
Shall I be the one for you?
Who pinches you softly but sure?
If frown is shown then
I will know that you are no dreamer . . ."
The voice sang faintly through the wall. "Yes! Yes it is!" Rinoa continued, jumping up and clapping her hands. "Do you remember that ball, Squall? In our sixth year, it was the first time you really approached me, or rather, I approached you for a dance, and this song started to play? Remember, I was wearing my white dress?"
Squall gazed at her for a moment, than smiled softly, "How could I possibly forget?" He took her hand, leading her to the centre of the floor. Rinoa smiled and they began to dance.
So" "So let me come to you
Close as I wanted to be
Close enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast
And stay there as I whisper
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you?"
"We played it again at our wedding . . ." Rinoa remembered dreamily as she and Squall moved gracefully across the floor, it was like walking over clouds.
"Afterwards, I begged you to put on that white dress again. . ."
"I know!" Rinoa giggled quietly. "I still have it you know . . . I'll never grow out of it . . ." It was supposed to have been a happy remark but somehow, it sounded a little sad.
Squall looked down at her as they danced without speaking. At first, it seemed one of the only good things about her taking on the Sorceress Adel's powers-never aging, but after years . . . he looked down at his tiny and beautiful wife, who looked like she was eighteen. People who didn't know their story often gave them strange looks, after all, he looked fifteen years to old for her.
"Darling, so share with me
Your love if you have enough
Your tears if you're holding back
Or pain if that's what it is
How can I let you know
I'm more than the dress and the voice
Just reach me out then
You will know that you're not dreaming."
"Squall we both-we all know that something big is coming. And-and it looks sort of like-this might be the beginning-"
"No, it began last year with the Philosopher's stone and Quirrel. Remember what Dumbledore told us: Harry saw Voldemort."
Rinoa drew a sharp intake of breath at the mention of the name, Squall had never been one to pay attention to such nonsense as fear of a name, but it still gave her a rush of cold fear to hear it. He seemed to notice, and regret saying the Dark Lord's name because the song had faded away and he carefully helped her sit down on the edge of the bed.
"Rinoa I-I didn't mean-I only meant to say that-"
"I-I know Squall, you were perfectly right, of course." Rinoa smiled shakily, "I only wanted to tell you that in case in the coming years we- don't-all-y'know . . . oh Squall I don't want to lose you!" Rinoa cried suddenly, flinging her arms around him.
Squall was quite taken aback for a moment, then he got a hold of himself and patted her on the back gently, "It is quite likely that some of us will die." He said matter-of-factly.
"Oh you're terrible sometimes! You know that?" Rinoa said, "We've already lost-so-so much-James, Lily, Si-Si-Sirius!" She cried, "And Peter, Seifer, the Longbottoms, oh I don't know how much more I could take! I keep worrying, in the end, who's going to be there? When I start to think like that . . . I-I . . ."
"It's okay . . ." Squall said comfortingly, holding her in his arms for a few more moments while she cried, "I love you Rinoa . . . remember . . . the promise?"
She sniffed a little, and fiddled with the silver ring on the chain around her neck, which bore the same engraved griffin as Squall's Gunblade. ". . . I do."
Squall Leonhart
The week seemed to fly by and before Harry knew it, it was the day before the match between the Gryffindor and Slythrin Quidditch teams. The students were busy whispering excitedly-but not only because of the coming match, it was well known that Professor Heartilly's husband, the Auror Squall Leonhart would be visiting the school soon. Sure enough, when Harry went down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room the morning of the day before the match Hermione and Ron were talking excitedly with Nafia and Nadia while Neville, Seamus and Dean all watched them excitedly.
"THE Squall Leonhart is coming here?!" Lavender shrieked excitedly.
"Yes." Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "For the hundredth time. He isn't that famous you know . . ."
"Whatever you say, I was brought up on stories of his bravery and it's in the Daily Prophet all the time about how he's catching more and more dark wizards. I think he's cool." Lavender sighed dreamily.
"Yeah, he's only, what, twenty years to old for you?" Ron asked, "Give or take a few?"
Some of the girls glared at him in annoyance, but that ended when Professor McGonagall entered, "Now students, as rumours have been flying around since last week I thought it best to inform you that yes, Auror Squall Leonhart is going to be staying at Hogwarts for a few weeks to visit his wife, he's down in the Great Hall talking with the teachers now, and it would be best if you didn't all run up to him shrieking for autographs . . . he's quite . . . anti-social."
After she left groups of students began hurriedly to file out of the common room but Harry and the others sat back, Nafia smiled at them from across the table, "Don't worry, we'll introduce you guys after everything's settled down a bit."
So it was that about an hour later (it was Sunday so they had no classes anyways) Nadia and Nafia decided they had waited long enough (and Ron was complaining that he was hungry) so the five of them hurried down to the Great Hall. Several students still hung around eating breakfast, and there was a bit of a crowd remaining at the end of the staff table, but after Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the girls had eaten their breakfast that too cleared away and the children approached the table rather nervously.
Sitting beside Professor Heartilly at the end of the staff table was a man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, his hair was as messy and dark as from the old yearbook photographs, falling into his cold grey eyes, but it was also a bit longer, it reached his shoulders now. Squall Leonhart was wearing black robes, and still had the long diagonal scar across his face. His mouth was pressed into a tight frown, despite Rinoa sitting beside him and talking excitedly into his ear in a cheerful way.
"You know I hate being displayed like this, Rinoa . . ." He was saying when Nafia and Nadia approached ahead of Harry and his friends.
"Oh, hello girls." Squall said rather unemotionally. Then, because Rinoa prodded him in the chest with her elbow he added, "I trust you're having a satisfactory year at Hogwarts?" His wife rolled her eyes.
Squall was beginning to remind Harry a bit of the potions master, but instead of being mean and sarcastic he was just stoic and detached. "This is Harry," Nafia was saying, "Harry Potter."
Squall's attention seemed to perk up slightly at this, and Harry could see him tracing his forehead for the thin outline of the small lightning-shaped scar left from Voldemort's attack. "Harry Potter . . . James' boy, yes, I see." Was all he said however.
"And this Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley." Nadia added, to which Squall said nothing.
"You remember Molly and Arthur Weasley from the Christmas party at Selphie and Irvine's place that was what, uh, maybe four years ago?" Rinoa asked Squall.
The rest of their 'meeting' with Squall Leonhart carried on in much the same way, with Rinoa doing much of the talking and Squall sitting impassively, sometimes casting a fleeting glance over Harry and his scar.
Later, after the kids had left the Great Hall, Rinoa hung her arm around her husband's shoulders and shook her head, smiling down at him bemusedly "Would it kill you to be a little nicer?" She chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Squall asked, "I was nice."
"Well yes, I suppose for you, you were nice." She replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Squall asked, looking up at her through one eye.
She giggled, and fell down on his lap, "Come on loosen up a bit. That was James and Lily's son, after all, doesn't he look like his father?"
Squall nodded silently, then after a moment, added, "I hope he doesn't have his father's knack for getting into trouble."
"Why do you say that? We got into our fair share of-"
"Rinoa this is serious. If the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again . . . well."
"You think I don't know that?" She asked, suddenly turning serious as well. "Squall I, of all people, understand the gravity of this situation . . . but . . . come on . . . do you really think that after all these years . . . ?"
Squall shook his head, his eyes were serious and he avoided her gaze. "I think anything might be possible . . . we should be on guard."
They stood up together and left the Great Hall, heading down the great castle hallways, towards Rinoa's room. "It's just like it was when we were students here, isn't it?" She whispered. "Dumbledore . . . McGonagall . . . Flitwick . . . Hagrid . . . everyone's still here too. It makes you really glad to be back . . . y'know, Squall, I've often missed this place."
"If you're feeling nostalgic . . ."
"I'm okay." Rinoa smiled, "It just pains me to think that a monster might be tormenting the people here . . ."
"The Basilisk isn't my foremost concern if the Chamber is indeed opened, you know." Squall said softly.
". . . Yeah . . . I know." Rinoa whispered. They stopped at her room and went inside. Suddenly bits of music seemed to be floating in through the walls. "Oh they must be playing music in the Gryffindor Common Room again this weekend . . . it's right through this wall." She said, pointing.
Squall said nothing; he bore his 'what-do-you-expect-me-to-say?' face. Rinoa suddenly spun around and laughed, "Listen! Oh my goodness! Squall this is it! This is the song we danced to on our Triwizard Ball!" She gasped.
"Darling, so there you are
With that look on your face
As if you're never hurt
As if you're never down
Shall I be the one for you?
Who pinches you softly but sure?
If frown is shown then
I will know that you are no dreamer . . ."
The voice sang faintly through the wall. "Yes! Yes it is!" Rinoa continued, jumping up and clapping her hands. "Do you remember that ball, Squall? In our sixth year, it was the first time you really approached me, or rather, I approached you for a dance, and this song started to play? Remember, I was wearing my white dress?"
Squall gazed at her for a moment, than smiled softly, "How could I possibly forget?" He took her hand, leading her to the centre of the floor. Rinoa smiled and they began to dance.
So" "So let me come to you
Close as I wanted to be
Close enough for me
To feel your heart beating fast
And stay there as I whisper
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you?"
"We played it again at our wedding . . ." Rinoa remembered dreamily as she and Squall moved gracefully across the floor, it was like walking over clouds.
"Afterwards, I begged you to put on that white dress again. . ."
"I know!" Rinoa giggled quietly. "I still have it you know . . . I'll never grow out of it . . ." It was supposed to have been a happy remark but somehow, it sounded a little sad.
Squall looked down at her as they danced without speaking. At first, it seemed one of the only good things about her taking on the Sorceress Adel's powers-never aging, but after years . . . he looked down at his tiny and beautiful wife, who looked like she was eighteen. People who didn't know their story often gave them strange looks, after all, he looked fifteen years to old for her.
"Darling, so share with me
Your love if you have enough
Your tears if you're holding back
Or pain if that's what it is
How can I let you know
I'm more than the dress and the voice
Just reach me out then
You will know that you're not dreaming."
"Squall we both-we all know that something big is coming. And-and it looks sort of like-this might be the beginning-"
"No, it began last year with the Philosopher's stone and Quirrel. Remember what Dumbledore told us: Harry saw Voldemort."
Rinoa drew a sharp intake of breath at the mention of the name, Squall had never been one to pay attention to such nonsense as fear of a name, but it still gave her a rush of cold fear to hear it. He seemed to notice, and regret saying the Dark Lord's name because the song had faded away and he carefully helped her sit down on the edge of the bed.
"Rinoa I-I didn't mean-I only meant to say that-"
"I-I know Squall, you were perfectly right, of course." Rinoa smiled shakily, "I only wanted to tell you that in case in the coming years we- don't-all-y'know . . . oh Squall I don't want to lose you!" Rinoa cried suddenly, flinging her arms around him.
Squall was quite taken aback for a moment, then he got a hold of himself and patted her on the back gently, "It is quite likely that some of us will die." He said matter-of-factly.
"Oh you're terrible sometimes! You know that?" Rinoa said, "We've already lost-so-so much-James, Lily, Si-Si-Sirius!" She cried, "And Peter, Seifer, the Longbottoms, oh I don't know how much more I could take! I keep worrying, in the end, who's going to be there? When I start to think like that . . . I-I . . ."
"It's okay . . ." Squall said comfortingly, holding her in his arms for a few more moments while she cried, "I love you Rinoa . . . remember . . . the promise?"
She sniffed a little, and fiddled with the silver ring on the chain around her neck, which bore the same engraved griffin as Squall's Gunblade. ". . . I do."