Ravenclaw

Chapter 70- Secret Chamberssss

Song for the chapter: Him & I by G-Eazy and Hasley

~

     "Salazar..."
     "Helga," Salazar responded curtly.
     He walked round the room, towards the ribboned cradles that held his children, and as he peered down at them, something flashed in his now dull, emerald eyes— love, affection?
     "They have grown, I see."
     And grown indeed. In the span of eight months, the twins Freida and Georgia have grown quite a bit since their father had last seen them. Salazar couldn't even remember the last time he had seen his children since birth, because he had been so caught up living a double-double life that he had no time to dwell on the present, to appreciate what was before him, to spend time with his children before he had to leave... for good.
     For Helga and Salazar— highly encouraged by Percival, of course— decided to ensure that to protect the children and to protect the family, Salazar would not have anything to do with the children once they reach four years of age. They deemed it too dangerous to have Salazar and his family's dirty work involved in the raising of the twins, and letting them grow and latch on to the false mindset of 'pure-bloods only' would make them spoiled, in Helga's opinion, and rotten.
     So it was settled, then. Salazar would leave. But of course, he wouldn't leave entirely. He'd still be there at the school, teaching, and around Hogsmeade, ensuring that his grandfather's pub is being maintained, and of course, leading the double-double life he was instructed to do so ever since his father died.
     Salazar turned away then, to stop the tears from falling from his eyes. He couldn't bear it, couldn't bear the thought of leaving his beautiful offsprings and having to watch them grow up from afar. How many times did he have to suffer, to lose everything he loved? It seemed that ever since his father's death, things only seemed to go downhill from there.
     He had to abandon his plans with Helga, had to support the side his family took on to protect those he loved, had to see his true love fall for another, had to marry another woman he would never love, had to leave his children if he wanted them to live, and now, had to watch them grow up without him, without knowing who he was. Loss filled his life, and there was nothing he could do about it.
     "We need to talk," he said, turning his head towards Helga. She raised her brows. "The times you have said that to me are countless, Salazar, and the amount of good that comes from our discussions seems to decrease every time," she replied, crossing her arms.
     "I'm afraid that nothing good will come out of us shouting our heads off and leaving on a negative note." Salazar grinned— Helga still had that small bit of sass in her. He took a step forward.
     "This time, our discussion will be fruitful, I assure you," he said to her. "But we must take a stroll round the old castle, I'm afraid."
     "The school has just been built, Salazar."
     "Yes, but it was built upon the foundations of our love, our love that I'm afraid hasn't died." He gestured towards his children. "The fruit of our labour is right here, and I dare say they are living proof of what we have. Or what we had. But I'm pretty sure I haven't stopped loving you, my sweet."
     Helga gulped— she had no response to what he had just said. She back away slightly, towards the door, and checked to see whether Percival was outside he door or not, listening in to their conversation. After reassuring herself that he wasn't, she took in a deep breath and started to speak.
     "It is late in the evening, Salazar," she told him. "We shall talk tomorrow, as we walk round the castle."
     Footsteps on the stairs of the house resounded round the house, and Helga's eyes widened briefly before she opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Salazar caught a glimpse of red, fiery hair before the door shut close behind them.
     He couldn't hear their hushed whispers where he stood, so instead, he admired his children. He looked at them in separate cots, before brushing the minimal hair sporting out of Freidda, the baby with green eyes, before turning to her much less hairy sister, Georgia, whose amber eyes resembled those of her mother's. She sucked on her thumb peacefully, unaware of her father's presence, or her father at all.
     "Sweet dreams," he said, before Apparating with a loud bang. Helga swung the door open in an instant, to find the curtains swaying slightly and the babies sleeping soundly. Any trace of the man she loved was gone.

~

     "Rowena will be glad to see that you are back before term starts."
     Helga and Salazar finished their round of the Lake, and the sun, hidden behind clouds, allowed them to enjoy the cool breeze without having to perspire so much. The surface of the Lake was no longer still— a merperson had stuck their head out, looked round, before diving back into the dark waters. A humongous, slimy tentacle with suckers emerged from the water, then slunk back in.
     It was never a dull at Hogwarts.
     They entered the Entrance Hall, and were greeted by several of the portraits that lined the numerous corridors. Many people were eager to donate some of the paintings they owned— not of themselves, of course— and thus, walking alone was a rare occurrence. They took a sharp right down one of the darker hallways, and soon came to a fork— it was either cobbled steps that lead to Salazar's office, the common room and, the dungeons of the school or onwards to the lavatories on the first floor.
     Helga started towards the steps, but Salazar shook his head. He gestured towards the other route, and much to Helga's surprise, he walked straight into the girl's bathroom.
     "Salazar! It is extremely inappropriate for you to be in here! A girl's lavatory, is this what you wanted to speak to me about? A bathroom? That isn't even for males?" She shrieked, but with one piercing glare from Salazar, she had shut up, following him sulkily.
     Salazar locked the door manually and then with magic, then he led Helga towards the sinks near the middle of the bathroom.
     He stood there, beckoning her forward. She approached the silver sinks cautiously, and examined them one by one.
     Helga gasped— she had spotted the sink that bore a small snake on its faucet. She ran her pale finger along the intricate design of the snake, before turning to Salazar.
     "Well? Are you going to show me what secrets you hide in this castle?" She huffed. "Supposed to build the school together... mind you, I bet Rowena and Godric have their own secrets hidden somewhere in this enormous place..."
     Salazar gave a her a small smile before he spoke in Parseltongue. Helga, who had been taught a few words by Salazar himself, vaguely remembered what he meant and understood what he said— open.
     Helga gasped again. The sink, along with it's mirror, had lifted up to reveal a long, sliding pipe down. Because the school was still considerably new, it was quite clean, apart from a small layer of dust that stuck to the wall. She peered down into the dark hole, and gulped, looking apprehensive.
"A-are you sure about this, Salazar? It seems a little bit... dangerous, risky even!" She looked at Salazar, alarm apparent in her beautiful amber eyes. Salazar grinned, holding his hand out. She grabbed his hand tightly.
"Hold on tight ma dear, we're about to Slytherin my Chamber of Secrets."

~