A Slight Altercation (2043)

Their argument had begun as a simple one. Whether or not to allow Sevie, their youngest child to go along with Ewan and Ean to a special concert. He was only seven and in Eglantine's mind too young to even enjoy a concert. Horatio argued that she was merely babying him, not allowing the child to grow. Both had excellent arguments.... after all they had both taught for many years, both dueled for many years and debates were far from new to them. However, it had quickly morphed from a small dispute over their child, to a full scale war over marital problems that went far deeper than even their children.

In their efforts to convince the other, they had both begun bringing up moments in the past, when the twins, now both fifteen, had done various activities with parental consent that they had perhaps been too young for... but it had escalated. Soon time had found them leaving the younger twins and heading toward the forbidden area of ground that housed their eldest twins, whose lives had always been less than stellar. Blame for the turn out of Ava had soon had them both screaming insults and finally, they had boiled down to the main issue that neither of them had touched in their twenty-four years of marriage.

Everything was discussed, from Excessum straight to Horatio's alleged affair with his friend's sister. Words were exchanged to the point they became so bitter that words were replaced with hexes and spells. The room in which they stood was in shambles from the two duelists. Thankfully none of the children were home and the house was magically protected from their neighbours' ears.

"I've had it." Horatio panted, leaning heavily against a broken table and the wall. His eyes were glazed with fury as he pointed his wand at his equally exhausted wife. "You have betrayed me in every possible definition of the word and we are through." Another green bolt narrowly missed Eglantine as she dodged it, hitting her shoulder hard against the floor.

"I could say the same about you, darling." she murmured, trying her best to ignore the white hot pain shooting through almost every muscle in her body. A yellow hex hit the space of wall directly above her husband's head which he only just managed to duck.

"A divorce would be best for both of us. I'm too old to continue this way and you're to stubborn." Horatio wheezed, pulling himself back up.

"Yes...It's always me." Her sarcastic response earned her yet another missed hex, which clipped the edge of her retreating boot. "Why...you...you act so damn perfect." Her strength failed her and she stayed on the ground, her eyes closed, her breath coming in slow and raspy bouts.

"Look who's talking." Horatio returned, dragging himself to stand over her. One spell and he'd be free from everything. The ministry would hardly blame him. No one would.

Her eyes opened and she was shocked to see his wand pointed at her head. Had it come to this... He would consider killing her. Her thoughts strayed to their children and grandchildren. For their sakes she couldn't let him do it.
"Don't..." she whispered, a thin trail of blood dribbling down from the corner of her mouth. "Please..."

He closed his eyes. He knew a hundred spells that could take her life; end their misery. The nightly torture of dreams and horror as he thought about their lives and all they had wasted and lost.
"You have no right..." he rasped. "None to live."
She nodded, her hand weakly rising to pull herself to her feet. At the very least, if he intended to kill her, she could make it look like self-defence on his part. He was needed. She couldn't allow her children and grandchildren...great-grandchildren, to lose Horatio.

"Then do it." she sighed, her wand limp in her fingers. Horatio's eyes opened, their glazed pools bright in the fire spread through out the battle torn room.
"Always so sacrificial." he chuckled mirthlessly. "A bloody hypocrite lost in her own need to repay a debt to large to begin counting. Hell's fire would never cleanse your sin."
Eglantine said nothing, tears slowly leaking from her eyes. She had never imagined to see Horatio as he was at that moment. Never in a million years.

He whispered a terrible spell's cruel name...one the ministry knew nothing of. Eglantine braced herself for the indescribable pain to rip through her; ending a life that should have been ended long ago. Repentance, how could she have even thought of it. Love, he had lost it for her.

She tried to scream as the pain consumed her, but was already so weak her body only thrashed on the rubbled floor, eerily silent save the dull bumps of her body hitting into the wall and floor. Finally her pain was ripped from her in the shape of a scream.

Horatio's eyes opened at the horrific sound, his humanity and love not allowing it to continue. The spell vanished with a hiss and he fell down beside her, pain echoing through his own body as he watched smoke curl up from her still form.
"Eglantine..." he murmured, barely able to hear his own voice, convinced he had killed her and himself in the process.

Her eyes slowly opened.
"Feel better?" she asked, coughing droplets of blood on the floor near her head. He sighed, reaching out to take her limp hand.
"How foolish." he groaned. Using his last bit of strength he pulled himself closer to her, pulling her head onto his lap as he fell against the wall.
"We've both been." she whispered, touching his singed beard.
"True." he admitted, wondering what they were going to do now.

They were both still teaching, their son would be returning from his muggle classes at any moment and they would then need to return to Hogwarts to prepare for the night meal. He had his Hufflepuffs to worry about and she had her Gryffindors.
"Now what?" Eglantine asked, still laying limply half in his lap half on the floor. He grimaced as he began to feel the rest of his injuries rush to assure him of their existence.
"Kiara?" he asked. Eglantine shook her head.
"No, she's been through enough." she sighed.
"Who then?" Horatio slowly made his way to his feet, bringing Eglantine along with him. She was far to light in his opinion.
"Just worry about getting to the bathroom." she sighed, lifting her head and finding that a great accomplishment.

--

Having arrived home a good five minutes before his parents' fight came to an end, Sevie ran to the fireplace in the living room. His heart was as a kettledrum as he remembered the words his parents had exchanged and how close his father had come to killing his mother... how close they had come to killing each other. He had to get help.

They had been covered in sweat, shaking, barely able to stand and blood stains had dotted their robes. They needed a healer or at the very least someone to help them. Sevie wasn't strong enough to help either one of them, nor was he old enough to know how to help them.

Yelling the first name that came to mind, he rushed into his older sister's Hogwart's office.

Kiara came back through the fire place and her mouth dropped at her sight.. never had she seen them like that together, Eglantine she had seen injured but Horatio and Sevie said by eachother.

"Merlin..." she said softly before to there aid.
"What have you two done?" she merely asked as she gently placed her arm to support them.

Their blood getting on her cloths but she didn't care..

With a wave of her hand she trasfigured a table into a bed

"No.. okay here is what we are going to, to that bed over there okay both of you, where I can heal your more serious injures better okay?" she said gently despite the amount of confusion and worry she was feeling.

Horatio fell against the hallway's wall, nearly dropping Eglantine as he did so. His breath caught in his throat when he heard Kiara's question.
"You...you shouldn't be here." he murmured, his vision fading as he blinked.
Eglantine didn't care who was there or why, her head lolled back as her eyes shut.
With Kiara's help they managed to get the bed and Horatio all but dropped Eglantine onto it as he slumped to the floor.
"Heal her first... I did it." he gasped, trying to clear his head and himself back up.

The colour had drained from Eglantine's face as blood dripped from a deep cut on her side. Her eyes flickered open and shut. Horatio's main injury was broken ribs, made worse by internal bleeding due to the ribs puncturing his left lung.

Kiara first wanted to stop Eglantines bleeding, she was becoming way to pale... she applied a healing salve on Eglantines large wound before going over to help Horatio, she couldn't she wouldn;t let one of them die on her.

She grabbed a vial of her liquid Oxygen rushed to assit Horatio to the bed. "here Horatio.. drink it it will help you breath more comfortably while I make sure Eglantine is stable, Okay" she said as she gently helped her father up and to the bed.

"I am not going to loose one of you while helping the other" she muttered a her voice sounding slightly cracked as she kept her emotions at bay.

She grabed another potion is was strong healing potion, hopefully it would help with the interenal bleeding. As she wasn't a doctor persay... perfect healing was beyond her skill. "Come on Eglantine... you can pull through... I know you can... " she whispered as a tear went down her face but she wipped it away.

Horatio leaned heavily against Kiara as he fell into the bed.
"Don't deserve... don't..." he groaned, fighting the black hands reaching to pull him into a blissful oblivion. His hands shook badly as he attempted to drink the oxygen, he nearly dropped it.

Her eyes continued to flutter; Eglantine drifting from painful reality to a dull fantasy. Either way she fought to control her body, trying with every breath to continue living. She had been this close to death before... but it was different, Eglantine refused to let Horatio kill her. A thought slowly formed that she was going to die whether she wished it or not. She sat up, ignoring the blood that began to drip down her chin from her mouth. Her wand was slowly dragged from her pocket and she aimed it at her chest.
"Exces-" she began the incantation, it would forever destroy her and Excessum.

Kiara rushed back to Horatio in attempt to help him drink the Oxygen and calm his shaking in hands. She couldn't believe they had done this to eachother... they were always in love... it didn't make sense. But she would worry about that after they were out of damger.

"Shh, its okay, Papa." she soothed cupping her hands around his large once to help calm the shaking and hopefully allow him to drink.

Then her eyes widened at Eglantine's next actions, and she bolted over to her intending on knocking the wand out of her fists.

"No Eglantine! Don't even think about.. Horatio you to, you are both going to live got it? for you children, your Grandchildren, Greatgrandchildren... don't give up.." she said, it was all she needed. Here she was try desperately to save there lives. Lives they tried to destroy. How could she not seen the amount of trouble they were in? did they not realize the results of this? if she could pull both through it alive. Everything could be taken from them, there children, there whole family, there jobs at the school could she really keep to professors who quite litterally tried to kill eachother?

Merlin, it was too much to even think about.. if she did she would break down.

"Mama.. please don't do this"

She took out a cloth to clean the blood from Eglantines mouth and another healing potion to hopefully fix whatever was causing it.

Horatio finally was able to drink part of the oxygen, despite his sudden hacking cough. The shaking slowly faded as his body fought to heal itself. The potion soothed his body and helped the pain retreat, until he was able to lay still and calm on the bed. Kiara's sudden run to Eglantine and her shouted statements caused him to attempt to sit up, but he remained laying despite his best efforts.

Blinking, not having expected anyone to stop her suicide, Eglantine looked at Kiara, a mixture of surprise and wonder in her wide eyes. Slowly, she took the potion, swallowing it somewhat roughly as blood peppered her robe front.
"Kiara." she murmured, taking her daughter's hand. "I...I need..." she coughed, her entire body shuddering with the effort. "Bedroom v...vanity."

"What is it?" Horatio asked, only worried about what had caused Kiara's sudden outburst.
Eglantine touched Kiara's cheek.
"Silver v...v...ial."

Kiara bit her lip, a silver vial in the vanity in her bedroom, she wished she knew what the potion was.

"Alright Eglantine.. I will get it, but you have to promise me to stay alive while I am gone okay?" she said as she patted Eglantines hand lightly.

She ingnored Horatio's questions for the moment, she didn't have time to explain.

Going into the trashed and torn up bedroom she rushed to the vanity set and looked for a silver Vial. Being in a rush she deided the magical way was quicker, she summond it to her hand. Then ran back to Eglantine's side slipping it into her hand.

"Here Eglantine.. now what is it?" she asked sitting at her mother's bedside.

She was still worried about Horatio but the Oxygen potion would sustain him for a while. She wished there were two of her, she thought about calling Esis.. but how could she explain what had happened? Explain that the tried to murder eachother? a concept she was having a hard time accepting her self. Why now? After all these years why now?

It took every gram of Eglantine's being to remain conscious as Kiara went to find the vial. She slowly summoned her wand back to her hand, pointing it at Horatio. She knew exactly what painful spells she had sent at him and whispered the counters to each as she waited. The wand dropped to the floor as she whispered the last one... only exhaustion would plague Horatio.

Feelings suddenly pain-free and thinking it had been the potion, Horatio sat up. He remained silent as he watched Kiara and Eglantine.
"An...ex...experiment." She whispered, in response. Her hand reached out for the vial; but she faltered and finally turned her wrist over. "Pour it..." she murmured. "All...p-please."

Kiara looked secptical for moment, Eglantine did just try to kill herself... but she did as Eglantine asked and poured the contents in to Eglantines hand.

Then she looked at Horatio, slightly surprised he was sitting up already, the potion she gave him was to make it less painful and easier to breathe.

"Your sitting up? Arn't you in pain?" she asked.

Horatio shook his head. "No, my dear. Just tired is all." he murmured, his eyes still riveted on Kiara and Eglantine.

The silver liquid didn't pour but it slowly fell forward a deep black colouring changing it the moment it touched her skin. She hissed in pain as it ate through her palm to get to her blood... it had to be in her system to help anyway. Her eyes met Horatio's as she looked up from her smoking wrist.

Pain not physical but emotional glimmered in his eyes. Gently, he reached out and touched her cheek, caressing the skin with his fingers.
"An bhfuil pian ort?" (are you in any pain?) she asked, shaking as the potion finally began to spread through her body.
"No..." he murmured. His eyes moved to her wrist and he swallowed, having seen her perform the "ceremony" once before. It had healed her completely last time; although she had been weak and shaky. Of course that had been from a student's prank gone wrong. This was different.
"Ta bron..." (I am sorry) He whispered, kissing her lips. Eglantine smiled softly.
"So am I." They embraced, with Horatio holding her tightly, the idea that he had almost killed her weighing heavily on his mind.

"Thank you, Kiara." Eglantine murmured.

Kiara gave a massive sigh of relief as the couple embraced and she all but collapsed against the wall.

"Thank merlin" she breathed out.

After taking a few deep breaths she lifted her head again know trying to keep her anger in check.

"Don't thank me... Thank your 7 year old son who was smart enough to get help... now why may I ask was that nessesary?" she said quietly looking between both Eglantine and Horatio.

"Sevie is in my office at Hogwarts by the way" she supplied.

Eglantine almost immediately climbed out of the bed. Ignoring the still presently fading pain as she rushed past Kiara. Her only thought was on her son. Sevie was Eglantine and Horatio's second chance breathing and living. Though they loved all their children equally, he was their youngest and therefore the current most important. The rest of their children already attended Hogwarts or had graduated and had lives of their own. But not Sevie.

Still exhausted, Horatio rose but leaned heavily against the wall as he attempted to stop his wife.
"He saw us?" he asked, although he knew the answer. How much had his son seen? How much damaged had he done to the poor boy's mind from seeing his usually cordial loving parents fighting beyond anything he had ever imagined...
Kiara's question could be taken many ways... and he wasn't exactly sure how she wanted him to answer.

"We allowed our entire marriage to go without discussion." he confessed. "We never once talked about anything to the point we should have. And now, we did and there was too much bottled up." he sighed, wearily rubbing his forehead.

Kiara sighed not even trying to stop Eglantine from going.

She turned her eyes to Horatio, she shook her head and put her hand up to her eyes, how on earth had they gone this long with out talking about problems was beyond her.

"Yes I imagine he saw you... he came to my office in quiet a fright and quite upset. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact of one of his statments might be true.. The you two of all people could let a fight get so bad, you nearly kill eachother? And you nearly did to.. if Sevie didn't come and get me both of you would have died" she said though calmly it was clear she was holding back as a tear old down her cheek.

Horatio sighed, conjuring a seat and taking it.
"I know..." he murmured. Over the years he had thought about talking... had even attempted failed conversations. "Eglantine hated discussing anything." he confessed. And he had hated seeing her so uncomfortable and angry.

"We didn't..." but they had. He had looked into his wife's green eyes and attempted to kill her. Said he was going to... only failed by a chance... "I..." Slowly tears began to leak down his weathered cheeks. "Eglantine has never been the same since Excessum..." he murmured.

"We always tried our best to put the past behind us, but it always found a way to push its ugly head back up. Sevie... we thought everything was finally resolved when he was born. You remember how happy Eglantine was with him. But... she's constantly looking for ways to pay. Pay her debt, Kiara. A debt she cannot repay."

And he had grown weary of watching his wife fade away, not like she had with Excessum, but still fading.

Kiara listened to her credit she did listen, however she just slid down the wall... "Oh cousre she isn't the same Horatio... no one would be the same after something like that... Merlin"

"Horatio, surely you and Eglantine know a baby won't solve all problems..." she said after a tired sigh...

She didn't know what to say to Horatio, she still couldn't believe he tried to kill his wife. That very thought made her blood boil.

"Tried to kill his wife"

She took another deep breath, trying to control her emotion... Having been in a abusive relationship before, this was a highly sensitive and personal subject.

"Then forgive her debt Horatio, don't ignore it, forgive it.. I am not sure what more to tell you right now... This is just... unbelievable..."

Horatio said nothing. He had said all he could... Without much thought, he knew it was all his fault. Eglantine had admitted to him more than once that she needed him to understand that no matter how hard she tried, there was still something holding her back from giving herself fully to the light side. He had given up on the dark arts; setting it aside as one did a rotten carcass. But he wasn't his wife. They had a very little in common... and he had always tried to understand that; but failed miserably. Eglantine had never wanted anything from him but his love. He had always wanted her to change to fit their family or his own desires for her...

Breaking down, he began to sob. Hadn't he learned anything in so many years of living.
"What a fool I am..." he murmured.

Eglantine didn't want him to forgive her... but he realized at that moment that he never had. The bitter root of pain had festered so deeply within him that now it had taken him far too long to realize that the only problem with their marriage was not lack of communication... but rather it was his own refusal to accept Eglantine as who she was and try to help her, rather than try to have her change herself with no assistance.

"Kiara." he whispered, not looking up from his hands. "Can you ask David to take my classes for me? And please ask Esis to watch my Hufflepuffs. I am going to take a sabbatical." He needed it. Time alone to sort out everything; time to prepare to change himself. In order to change someone else... one had to first change one's self.

Kiara sighed and looked at Horatio, she couldn't stand to see one of the few men in her life she cared for deeply sob in such pain and angwish, so she moved over to him and hugged him close. It would be curel to yell at him now.

"Very well Papa, I am sure they won't mind" she said calmly as she rubbed his back. "Shhh, It is okay... Shhh" she calmed even though she knew it wasn't okay, at least at this moment.

"You will be missed very much though... I know I will, are you sure?" she asked, after what just happened, she concided giving me time to think it over.

Normally he would have taken comfort in Kiara's attempts to console him... but that day had been anything but normal.

Time... that was the last thing he needed. If he thought over anything else; he'd probably curse himself and die a happy man. No... he needed to get away for at the very least a day or two.
"No, Kiara. I need time alone. So does..." he trailed off, choked at the very thought of her name. How could he love someone so much and yet he had...he had attempted to kill her?
Already he was giving it too much thought...too much time.
"We need time apart."

Kiara sighed and nodded silently as a few tears dripped down her face, "Very well Horatio.. concidering what has happened your right.. Perhaps that is best... What should I tell everyone? Ara will likely ask.. and Ewan and Ean?" she said gently.

Horatio thought for a moment and then rose to his feet.
"The truth." He sighed. "I just needed a brief holiday... be sure they don't think its permanent." Summoning his suitcase he began to pack four or five outfits, mostly muggle. "I wouldn't leave Esis with my students for longer than that..." he joked, although his usual mirth was lost in the joke.

Kiara sighed and nodded, "Of course,..." she said softly wipping away a tear.

"I wish you well Horatio, I will be sure everyone knows you ar coming back" She said.

Horatio wasn't sure that he agreed with Kiara. After all, Eglantine probably never wanted to see him again. She had left him rather abruptly and made no mention of a return or anything of the like.
"Thank you." he nodded, zipping up the suitcase and summoning his cloak and hat. His pipe was in the cloak's pocket; not the pipe he had had for many many years but the one his wife and children had given him when his old one had broken. It was carved with the McKevin cottage and the names of everyone of his children, birth or adopted. He almost left at that moment but then slowly he pulled the pipe out.
"Give this to her." he murmured. Eglantine would see it as a favour... he would have to return. He was too big of a smoker to live longer than four-five days without his pipe.

Kiara took the pipe and nodded still holding her tears back, she said nothing afriad if she spoke she would start sobbing.

She merely nodded again and held the pipe tightly, waiting for him to leave.

Walking forward, Horatio slipped his hat on and headed down the hallway, deciding not to look back, or else he might not be able to slip through the floo and stay away for so long. he paused, looking at the familiar fireplace.

Don't forget to duck... his laughing son always piped, a big joke in their family. Tossing a handful of powder into the flames he muttered, "Hogsmeade..." and vanished into the flames.