Just Enough
September 6th, 2004
Belle began setting her table. Her daughter had written the night before to say she had come home early from AMPECC, the big editor’s conference in America. She also mentioned she was bringing a friend.
Belle couldn’t remember that conference ever going for less than a month. She distinctly remembered her daughter mentioning the conference was in November. Samantha also hadn’t brought a friend over for dinner since before the war. The whole letter was very suspiciously out of Samantha’s character in the last six years.
“Maybe it’s a guy.” Ed looked up from his Daily Prophet, he had Samantha’s little Pygmy Puff on his shoulder. “Maybe that’s where she actually went away to, maybe she’s got a boyfriend we don’t know about.”
“Maybe.” Belle summoned her napkins from the kitchen, “It’s still very odd to be so secretive.”
“She’s never been particularly forthright in the past about her romances now has she?” Ed mentioned before folding up his paper. “If it is a friend I hope it isn’t the vegetarian one who hates alcohol and tried to convince me I had tiny bugs flying around in my brain. She really likes to ramble.”
“Oh, but I love sweet Luna.” Belle giggled, “She’s a character, but sometimes I'd like to hear rambling in our home again.”
Belle stopped, her eyes reaching a photo of her two children that sat on a window sill in her dining room. It was a photograph from when Jack and Samantha were only toddlers. Jack had his arm around Samantha, he was kissing her cheek while she giggled.
“I miss him too.” Ed admitted as he stood and went to put a record on. She heard The House Of The Rising Sun begin to play.
“The Animals for dinner?” Belle asked as he leaned against the doorframe of the dining room.
Ed nodded, “Remember how it was one of the only songs he’d sleep to?”
Belle smiled a little, but her heart stung as she remembered. “Let’s grab the plates. Samantha should be here soon and the potatoes are done.”
They were almost finished setting the table when Ed sat in his chair and Belle heard the door open.
“Mum, Dad!” Samantha stepped into view, she was wearing her old red Augury cloak and a big smile on her face, “I have a surprise.”
A tall man with dark curly hair down his back stepped into view beside their daughter. He was wearing a white shirt and dark pants with a chain around the belt and tiny black bracelets. His face was worn, but his eyes still held the dark brown color they always had.
She realized who’s face it was staring back at her and she lost feeling in her whole body. She didn’t realize she’d dropped a plate till she heard it crash on the floor.
His face was one she’d been mourning merely moments before, one she’d been mourning for seven years.
How was he even alive?
Belle ran to embrace her son. It was her Jack.
He still smelled like her son. It really was the beautiful little boy who garbled at everything and the smart young man who talked beyond his years.
Ed joined her less than a click later. Belle could feel his tears upon her shoulder.
She heard another full set of sobs come from beside her. She turned her head to see Samantha completely sobbing and smiling all in one. Her little lion hadn’t shown a real emotion like that to anyone in years.
Belle, Jack and Ed all let go their arms and beckoned Samantha to join their hug.
After a moment that Belle wished would last forever, they all released each other.
Belle took her son’s face into her hands. She just looked at him, she didn’t wonder where he’d been or what he could have done, she just looked at him.
“I’m sorry mum.” His voice cracked as he began to cry.
“Oh my boy,” She kissed her son’s soft cheeks as she had when he was just a baby. They weren’t as soft now, they were covered in stubble. “It’s in the past now. We never stopped loving you.”
“We thought we lost you.” Ed admitted as he still held onto Samantha, “How are you here?”
“Sammy brought me home.” Jack’s eyes turned to Samantha with a high tilt of his head and a gleam in his eyes.
Ed kissed Samantha on the forehead and whispered something to her.
“So that’s where you’ve been?”
Samantha pleaded, “Don’t be cross. You were right, AMPECC is in November.”
“I won’t be cross, but if you ever try that again, I will be.” Tears began leaving Belle’s eyes as she spoke again, realizing what this meant, “Both of my babies are home.”
An odd breathy noise came from Samantha’s cloak.
“What the hell is that?” Ed asked looking down into Samantha’s pocket.
“Oh, that’s Duke.” Samantha said as a familiar little black dragon flew out from her pocket.
The tiny little black dragon flew around them before landing on Belle’s shoulder.
Belle felt him nudge against her, in almost a familiar way, “I remember you.”
“You know the dragon?” Ed asked his eyes wide.
“Yes, from the battle?” Belle said leaning her head back, “But, I remember him being with the mind reading Dragonologist.”
Samantha looked at Jack before both of their eyes dropped.
“Yes, he was with Kai.” Samantha said with a slight crack in her voice.
Duke wined a little before flying over into Samantha’s hand. He curled up in her shaking palm.
“I assume you have a lot to tell us about.” Belle said noticing a shift in the air between her children.
No one ate a bite as her children discussed everything.
Jack explained that he had been afraid to come home. He worried he would be sent to Askaban. He had run to America with a few others, including a woman named Freya Jade. Jade was a notorious creature poacher and from all descriptions, an insane psychopath. When Jack decided he wanted to come home, they stole a modified memory to use on him as blackmail and he was forced to remain.
Samantha explained how Kingsley had contacted her that Freya Jade had been seen with her brother on Kai Jones’ ranch in America. She originally went alone and found Jack. When her friends suspected she was in trouble, they arrived in America to help. Unfortunately Kai had been murdered by Freya in the process.
Belle was quite upset by the man's passing, especially since it was in aide of her children.
Jack had turned himself over to the Auror Department, but Hermione Granger had worked her best forms of magic, her negotiation and wisdom, to have him released.
“I had planned to leave Duke with Kai’s grandmother, but he wouldn’t stay.” Samantha explained as she and Ed cleaned up the uneaten food, “So now he’s with me.”
“Then he will be treated as part of the family.” Ed said cautiously petting the little scaly dragon as he lay on Samantha’s shoulder.
“Where are you going to stay for now Jack?” Belle asked, hoping her son intended to remain.
He shrugged, “Sammy said I can stay with her, until everything is sorted.”
“You are in a one bedroom apartment Sammy.” Belle shook her head, “Jack will stay here.”
“Really mum?” Jack’s eyes lit up.
“I would be more than thrilled to have my baby boy back under my roof.” Belle kissed her son’s scruffy cheek.
“So the wizard police already released you,” Ed asked, “have they said what happens next?”
“He is on probation, which means no wand for now.” Samantha explained, “But he will have a trial to determine if he has his wand back or has to serve time. However, Kingsley and Hermione think he won’t serve any time. He should be granted a fair trial and the opportunity to reenter society with little stigma.”
“That’s very generous.” Belle cautiously wondered why the Minister of Magic would be so lenient.
“More than generous, still thanks to Sammy of course.” Jack smiled like a little boy with birthday cake.
Samantha shoved her hands behind her back, “No, the Minister is just very generous, and Hermione wants a few articles published.”
Belle understood Hermione’s motivations. The Minister, however seemed an enigma. Why would he be so willing to allow, for all intents and purposes, a criminal to return so easily to society. Why had the Auror Department not been contacted first, and why was Samantha allowed to go completely unaccompanied?
“And the one Weasley, George, he said if I needed a job I could contact him.” Jack said nervously, “I might need my sea legs back a bit, but I’d like to think about it. It would be nice to not be employed by blackmailing bitches for a change. I’d like to contribute to society and pay it back for the injustices I have helped to serve it. Maybe I can take my time working something remedial and then look for what truly brings me passion and joy.”
There it was, the rambling Belle had missed. For the first time she could remember, it actually made sense.
Ed said with a welcomed sigh, “You can do whatever you want now.”
“I’m just so happy to be home!” Jack exclaimed, his voice like the ring of a bell. “I worried a bit what the world will think of me, but then I realized I don’t think it should matter much, because I am home with my family and they love me.”
“And don’t worry, I’ll write about your return myself.” Samantha insisted as she sent the plates flying to the kitchen. “It won’t be sensationalized, just the basic and honest facts. It won’t be published till I go back to the office in three weeks anyway.”
“You aren’t going back to work yet?” Belle asked frantically.
“I could use a holiday.” Samantha’s tone of voice was calm, but Belle could tell as she struggled to pick up a glass with shaking hands, that something was bothering her.
Ed took the shaking glass from Samantha’s hand, his forehead furrowed. He shot Belle a look that gave her the impression he was also confused.
As much as Belle felt the deep desire to never leave her son’s side again, she realized she may have to speak with Samantha privately.
Ed used the excuse that he wanted Jack to help him quickly put his old room back together. Belle took Samantha outside onto the back porch alone.
“Samantha,” Belle said earnestly as they leaned over the railing together. She reached her hand over and touched a spiral of her long curly hair. She’d taken to forcefully pulling it back in the last few years. “I am very proud of you.”
Samantha nodded, her clear blue eyes darting over the horizon.
“I just have a few questions, questions I think you would prefer to answer without the presence of your brother. You can tell him what you want on your own time. I'm your mother though, and I think I deserve some explanation.” Belle stated firmly before asking, “Why exactly is the Minister of Magic being so lenient? Don’t tell me it’s simply generosity.”
“I’m a Ministry official in a place of high authority.” Samantha pulled her shoulders back.
“I’m not ignorant.” Belle said with a shake of her head, “The Malfoy family wasn’t even granted this much leniency and Harry Potter himself spoke for them. Why would your brother be allowed to fly under the radar?”
“Well, when it comes to the press coverage, I am sort of in charge of it-"Samantha started before the ducts of her eyes began to become glossy.
Belle grabbed her daughter’s hands, “No, you have run enough derogatory stories about yourself, that I can call bullshit.”
Samantha’s hands shook beneath her mother’s palms.
“Why would this have been able to happen?” Belle asked now touching her daughter’s face.
“I, umm, I made a,” Samantha breathed out and closed her eyes, “a deal, six years ago, that day I accepted the job at the Prophet. Kingsley was trying to reward me, for my work with Potterwatch and my article, but it wasn’t the job I wanted mum.”
“It was Jack wasn’t it?” Belle asked as she watched her daughter’s eyes meet her own.
“He said if I reformed the Prophet as another favor, I could bring Jack back without Aurors and he would be granted the fair trial.” Samantha explained hurriedly, “So I may have gone a bit overboard, but the Prophet has been reformed and Jack is home.”
“But at what cost my Little Lion?” Belle asked, horrified her daughter thought she had to do this. Horrified she’d been suffering, she could have been of more assistance, or helped her to negotiate another option. She said none of these thoughts, seeing as the damage had already been done.
“Everything mum.” Samantha’s tears were flowing now, “I’m not letting that stand anymore. I have a plan for changes at the Prophet so I can be more lenient with myself. I don’t want to quit, I’ve worked to hard and it’s not fair to anyone else if I did. But, I am going to take holidays, see my friends maybe date or whatever, I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m going to do whatever I want now. I have been denying who I really am for a while now.”
Belle looked at her grown daughter with an extreme admiration, “I swear even before you were born you’ve been telling me who you are, I’d like to see that person shine. My worry is, do you know who that person is? You’ve been denying her for a while.”
Samantha was smiling now, her shaking dissipating, “I’m Samantha Aithne Fyre, and honestly, that’s enough for me.”
April 3rd, 1980
-Dear Lily and Alice,
I hope you both are doing well. Lily mentioned some intense heartburn and unfortunately I have no real remedies as of yet. I am suffering intense heartburn and morning sickness now, which I didn’t have nearly as much of with Jack.
I have an intense craving for Tuna sandwiches. Not sure why the baby wants that and only that, but at least it isn’t the worst option. Poor Alice, how are you enduring with such odd cravings? I can’t imagine craving overcooked roast, cucumber slices with mustard, and chocolate frogs.
Also Alice, if you find Frank’s choice of Neville Augustine horrible, you are going to have to tell him. I don’t think it’s a horrible name myself, but if you hate it, you shouldn’t name your child that. You are the one giving birth to it. Otherwise, you will simply be forced to have a girl, because Daisy Celeste is positively divine!
I quite like the names you have chosen Lily. Harry James is such a masculine and sturdy name and Evangeline Lily is so elegant.
I have finally decided upon a name for my little one. Or rather, my baby has told me her name. I was shopping at a muggle grocery store one day when I swear I heard her call out to me. She told me that she is a girl and that her name is Samantha.
It is the name of a witch on my favorite muggle TV show, Bewitched. (Lily, I may look to you to explain television to Alice) It is the perfect combination of my muggle husband and I’s worlds.
Her middle name is to be Aithne, it’s an old Gaelic name that means fire. This way, if she ever marries and changes her name, she will always be a Fyre.
I know it sounds crazy, but I really do think she called out to me. She must be very loud if I can hear her from inside the womb. Dumbledore always said there was magic we can’t explain, I wonder if this is some of that magic.
Samantha Aithne Fyre, it seems just enough for a girl with such a personality already.
I am very disturbed to hear that you both have been marked by You-Know-Who and will be going into hiding. I do not of course fully understand the circumstances, but from your previous letters it sounds like you both don’t quite understand it yourselves. I worry for your safety, your husbands’ safety and of course your babies’ safety.
If our correspondence is too dangerous, please inform me. If it is still safe, I will be more than happy to continue to provide distraction during these dark times.
Your devoted friend,
-Belle Fyre