Transfiguration's Office

Kiara smiled and held Ciaran's hand.

"Sleep well Eglantine, Horatio" she said with a nod, she may have looked a bit tired... but she couldnt bring her self to feel it entirly yet.

She chuckled at Ciaran's antic's, "Why thank you Love" she said. "Although I am not all that tired yet...night owl" she said sheepishly.

Horatio nodded in Kiara's direction. "We shall do our best. My pillows have been a bit damp recently, I think the house elves may be bringing Esis' hot pillows to my room instead of to her. How about your pillows, Eglantine?" She lifted a pale eyebrow and rolled her eyes, feigning exasperation.
"Horatio... my pillows are fine."

Ciaran smiled. "Aye, but me uncle and friend doesn't need ta be knowing that." he whispered, as the couple left the office.
"Rather cowardly... attacking yar mum instead of me directly." he muttered, bending over to pick up several pieces of paper that had fallen from Eglantine's desk. He held a messily scribbled drawing of what appeared to be a cat and a child playing in water for Kiara to see.
"Quite the artist, aye?" he chuckled, setting Edwin's handiwork back on the desk.

Kiara chuckled and nodded looking at the picture, "Yes that is very good" she said with a smile.

She nodded at his statement, her face soboring again as she sighed. "I think that would have been Lalasa's idea....." she said with a sigh.

"That was the whole point in Charles DeLanquar had in telling me.... to break me.. and Eglantine as well... Eglantine took it worse then I did it seemed.. I almost regret telling her.. if I had known she would be that tourmented by it......" she said as she shook her head.

"Now there are trying to use make it to use it against you.... this has DeLanquars name writen all over it..." she muttered.

"At least that is what it seems like..." she whispered.

"I just hope, she will let it alone after we solve this" she said making a move for the door.

Ciaran sighed, placing the last piece of Transfiguration homework on the desk. "But yar stronger than he figured, lass. And maybe Eglantine is as well. Just a wee bit caught off, so ta speak... Horatio can help her, and I'll be doing me best ta help in ever I can, with ya lass." he offered, smiling faintly. "I wont allow meself and me trouble ta be used agin ya."

Kiara sighed feeling bad he carries most of her problems, yet he would sheild her from his.

She closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed, " I am eternaly greatful for all your support Love, in everything... Personally I don't know how you put up with me without going crazy. You have no idea how much I admire you for that" she said with a small smile.

"I love you.... and I wouldn't mind in the least to help you if the need arose..." she said making sure he knew.

She walked down the hall, concentrating on wards trying to sence if there unwanted guests had left.

They had...

"Well you can rest easy for tonight, our unwanted guest have gone for now"

The a thought struck her, " Are you tired? I wouldn't want to keep you up" she said looking up at him, her arm tucked inbehind his back.

Ciaran face grew somber as he listened to Kiara. Yes, this was the woman he had fallen in love with and knew he would continue to fall in love with over and over again.

"No need ta be grateful, lass. I'm a level Scot, what can I say ta me defense." he joked, smiling. He was beginning to be quite tired, but was not about to admit that. Truthfully Ciaran did not want to leave Kiara alone until she was tucked safely into her trundle bed.

"Aye, Ara. But can ya? Ya worry too much... I've a noticed that."

Kiara sighed, he must have been terribly tired by now.

She kissed his cheek, and Chuckled softly. "What can I say Love, I am a worry wart,I admit it, it has almost become a habbit you might say. I have always handled things myself, it is how I grew up, it;s how I survived. If I didn't worry about it, and do something no one else did. My brain has gone into over drive, lately what with everything lately, can you honestly blame me?" she said as she lightly squeezed his hand. She was sure he getting tired, after all he wasn't a worry wart like her.

"And you worry about me to much Love I will be fine, I promise... but if it will make you feel better I will try and get some sleep tonight" she said and kissed the back of his hand.

"Aye, habits are hard ta break due ta time..." he murmured. It saddened him that Kiara had had such a terrible childhood. His own had been joyful and carefree. "Nay, darlin. I won't be blaming ya. I'll just be doing me best ta worry with ya and help ya stop worrying." Ciaran winked at her, smiling.

"Sleep is a balm ta the tormented soul..." he reminded her, caressing her soft hair. It came to him suddenly, that had Eglantine known about Kiara and had been able to raise her, the woman before him would probably be very different. Curious, he wondered in what ways she would differ.

"Do ya wonder about howd it have been had she raised ya instead of yar parents?" he asked softly.

Kiara smiled softly, "Well one thing I know is my name wouldn't be Kiara, Aikaterina Elpida if i remember correctly from her Journal... It is hard to say how things would have been. But if how she is with Edwin, is how she would have been with me... hmm..." paused to think about it for a moment.

"Well anything could have happened, I could never have gone to hogwarts, I would be fluent in Gaelic. And possibly still be legaly allowed to transform to my animagus form. I may have not become an Auror.... possibly stayed on the dark arts path. I may never have marryied Lestrange, or have been involved with the Dragon pox epidemic.... I would have been a very different person to say the least I think" she said softly.

Thinking for a moment she she smiled, thinking of all the things she knew of Eglantine, trying to imagine what life would have been like "But as I said it is hard to say" she said quietly.

Aikaterina Elpida...Ciaran's first thought about how different Kiara would have been seemed summed up in the name. It was beautiful, but it did not fit the woman he knew as Kiara. The name he knew her by was more than three syllables and sound, it was like her heart beat, as a picture of her.

"That's a lot of differences," he murmured, nodding his head. And it was hard to say. Eglantine herself would no doubt have been different had she had a daughter to raise. She seemed like someone who would sacrifice things for those she loved, in his opinion. Maybe the dark arts would have been something she would have not wanted for her daughter. But then again, unless Voldemort had forced himself on her, she had wanted a dark lord... and thus maybe her darkness was deeper than he suspected.

"Kiara." he sighed, tasting the sweet name. "Did she love him?" it was a simple question with so much interwoven meaning.

Kiara was startled by the question for a moment, and was speachles for a bit.

"That is mightly big question love.... something I haven't really thought about" she said once she found her voice.

"I only saw a few memories and journal entries Dear... but, at the time.... and in one entery, she did say she loved him" she said quietly, not wanting to go in to the more detailed scenes she had seen.

"Why do you ask?" she asked carefully.

It was a big question and that was why Ciaran almost regretted asking it. It was not exactly a secret that his relationship with Eglantine was already strained at best. He did not want to seem as though he thought badly of her...

"Just curious... I know she was young and all. People change, aye." But he had a feeling that the young Eglantine still lived in the older. The same darker thoughts and loves maybe. Not that he had ever seen evidence of this; it just came to mind through her relationship with the dark lord.

Kiara nodded, "That they do, look who Eglantine is in love with now.... Horatio so much different then Tom Riddle "

"And well... Darkness can be.... attractive... for a time anyway" she said with a sigh.

"Aye, and they are a lovely couple." Ciaran nodded. "Me uncle needs her and me thoughts are that she needs him as well." he smiled as he remembered Horatio's messy rooms and usually unkept appearance... just in the past short while, he had noticed a change from unkept to tidy.

"So I've seen... the light is always me friend. I stumble in the dark."

Kiara nodded in agreement, the two depended on eachother, she had seen how mersirable they were when the other left.

Kiara looked straight a head, "I had befriended both at one point, until the darkness betrayed me.." she paused and sighed for a moment.

She then chuckled, she found it a mericale she and Ciaran had found eachother at all, so much in common yet somethings were so opposite.

"Ironic then isn't it? that Kiara means Dark" she said with a snicker and holding his hand. As if leading him down the dark coridor.

Ciaran chuckled. "Think ya might be leading me a stray, me dark lass." he jested, gently squeezing her hand in his.

"But this dark one wont be betraying me. I'd gladly stick with ya." he winked. "Me own name means "black", so we're meant ta be."

Kiara smiled, not in million years would she ever betray him, in way shape or form. Heck she already knew she would do anything to keep him safe and happy.

"That I think we are love" She said softly.

Her quarters were not far now just around the cornor.

" You must be tired, I am sorry I kept you up so late, but I enjoyed our evening together, even though it was interupted for a bit" she said as she caressed his cheek,

"Promise me that yar pillow will see yar head." he murmured, hoping her dreams would be sweet and good. "Maybe a wee bit of dreamless potion?" he suggested. "Help ya sleep." It was a shot in the dark that her dreams might keep her awake, but made sense in his opinion.
"I'm sorry we were interrupted, lass. I'll make it up ta ya tomorrow."

Kiara nodded, "I give you my word, I will try and sleep and go right to bed. It will have to be without Sleep potion....... It is no longer effective on me" she said solemly.

She used potion to sleep after Serena died, she had used it so much she almost became addicated to them and they no longer helped her sleep.

"Past over use...' she said as a short explation.

" I will be fine, love" she said with a smile.

Ciaran nodded. "I can understand that, lass." he murmured, kissing her cheek. "Sleep well as best ya can." he smiled. He had to return to his rooms and check in on his son, who he doubted was asleep if they had done all the things Esis had said. Probably on a caffeine high.
"I'm glad ta hear that."

Kiara nodded "Thank you love, I will see you tomorrow, sweet dreams... and wish Tav good night for me okay?" she said with a smile.

"I will, love." He returned, kissing her cheek once more before turning to walk down the corridor. "Sleep well." he called, disappearing around the corner.

*Several hours after Future Children encounter in Horatio's chambers*

Horatio knocked on his colleague's door, several sprigs of lavender and lilacs tied into a small bunch for her.
"Come in." He smiled at her voice. It didn't hold any anger or annoyance. Perfect.

"Ah, Horatio." she murmured, not looking up from the work she was grading. He nodded, keeping the bouquet behind his back.
"Aye, tis I." She looked up, amused at his noble tone.
"To what do I owe this pleasure, Professor?" Eglantine asked, setting her quill aside. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, sweeping around to stand by her chair's side.
"I wanted to give this to you." He smiled, handing her favourite flowers to her.

"They are lovely. Thank you." she returned, taking them and smiling when he conjured a rightly sized vase to hand over as well. "How thoughtful."

There was a brief period of comfortable silence as Eglantine put the flowers in water and Horatio watched her.

"Lenty..." Horatio murmured. She looked back to him, tucking a loose curl of hair behind her ear.
"Yes?" She looked beautiful in the soft glow of the fire reflected from the wall behind her, he mused. Happy and pretty.
"You look lovely." he breathed, allowing the truth of his words to show in his cerulean eyes.
"Thank you..." Eglantine's cheeks blushed slightly and she turned away.

Carefully going down on one knee, Horatio took both of her gently shaking hands in his.
"Eglantine Karis Rosier-DeLanquar... My affections for you have always been pure and loving, from our first meeting. Firstly I was your father's friend and then in time I became yours. Secondly I saw you as a dear child. Now I finally banish my past thoughts on you and claim only the most purest and truest of affections. I deeply love, adore, and cherish you. The thought of being separate from you is one unbearable to me and my mind, heart and soul has become infused with your every movement, word and sigh. All this I say to ask these words in our native tongues: An bposfaidh tu me?" (Will you marry me)

Eglantine listened to him with her mouth in a firm but pleasant line, half believing it was a dream. But the gentle pressure of his hands holding hers was real and each word left his lips to be heard by her ears. If truth was ever a fantasy... it was one before her that she dared to believe.
"Ja..." she whispered. "Ja, ich wäre geehrt werden..." (Yes... Yes, I would be honoured)

He blinked, understanding the yes and nothing else. Her launching herself into his arms though quickly erased his worries as to what the rest meant. Lifting her up, he held her tightly, laughing as she kissed his cheek.
"Yes, I will marry you." she whispered. Horatio could have flown at that moment...and Eglantine would have followed.