Samantha's Godmummy
August 5th, 1980
"That is the ugliest damn baby I've ever seen." Ed observed with a cough as he looked at the refrigerator with the birth announcement of Alice's little boy. He wasn't exactly a handsome baby. He was bald with a round face, pinched eyes and ears bigger than his head, but Alice loved him so that was what should matter.
"Edward!" Belle scolded as she put more cereal in front of Jack.
"Well the Potter baby had the ugly name," Ed pointed to the announcement for the little black haired baby with the green eyes, "but he's at least got a sweet face. This kid is just flat out ugly."
"You still can't call Alice's baby ugly!" Belle began laughing.
Jack ate the food and giggled, "Nummy, nummy, nummy."
"Hey, I won't tell Alice her baby is ugly." Ed said wrapping his arms around Belle's shoulders. "I'd have to know Alice to tell her that, and I don't."
"How would you feel if someone said that about our baby?" Belle asked.
"Irrelevant, Jack is a very good looking baby." Ed said rubbing Belle's very distended abdomen, "And this one will be beautiful like her mom."
Belle suggested cautiously. "She could be a boy."
Ed kissed her cheek before letting go of her, "No, she will be my little girl."
"Nummy," Jack said loudly, "Nummy."
"She might be." Belle felt a kick against her stomach as she opened her edition of the Daily Prophet that Alice had included with her letter. "She's certainly a strong kicker when I read the paper every morning."
"Maybe she likes to read. If I know anything, she will not be an ugly baby like that." Ed chuckled pointing at the picture. He shivered, "I thought you said Alice was a decent looking person."
"Unfortunately, I think her husband's genetics won." Belle looked back to the page to read. Samantha kicked again. "Looks like they've replaced the Minister Of Magic back home."
"That's like the president right?" Ed asked as he took a sip of coffee.
Belle shrugged, "Yeah, they're all frustrated that the previous one didn't end the war. This one is suggesting that Aurors temporarily be allowed to use unforgivable curses."
Ed raised both eyebrows, she knew he probably didn't understand what she was saying, "That's bad?"
"No, that's good." Belle nodded, "If used properly the Ministry can turn the war. Alice's husband has been one of the Aurors lobbying for it."
"Aurors are like wizard police right?" Ed asked nervously.
Belle flipped the paper as Samantha kicked again, "Yes, they have them here too. That's what Alice and her husband do, they are Aurors."
"That's a cool job."
"Gummy." Jack said loudly before throwing a piece of cereal off of his tray.
"Dangerous job. Especially now." Belle flipped the page and Samantha kicked again.
"Of course I'd think so. I hope that war doesn't ever come here." Ed said putting his coffee down.
"I'd just like it to be over with." Belle breathed out, "Maybe it'll be safe enough to go home someday."
Ed nodded, "Well it will have to be if you want these kids to go to that Hoggywash school over there."
"It's Hogwarts Ed. We are only sending them there, if it turns out they have magic." Belle argued and skimmed through the advertisements. She flipped the page again and Samantha simultaneously kicked again.
"They will have magic." Ed laughed as he stepped to the sink to clean his cup, "And with the way Vivi talks about the school here, I don't ever want my kids stepping foot there."
"We could educate the children at home, we don't have to send them anywhere." Belle reminded. "I plan to educate them at home their whole early childhood, but we could just keep that up."
"Belle, you said HotWorts is the best, we will send them there." Ed insisted.
"I just don't want to force you to uproot your whole life." Belle closed her paper, making Samantha kick even more aggressively. "You would be leaving your whole family, all of your friends."
"My life is where you are." Ed said before he grabbed his work bag, "I feel the worst for Vivi, she's going to loose her business partner and Godson."
"I haven't brought it up to her." Belle said nervously, "But then again, we don't know what the future holds now do we?"
Belle pulled out her pocket watch to check the time, "You don't want to be late Ed."
"I do not." He shrugged before kissing her cheek and then kissing Jack's cheek.
"When I get back, you and I have to decided who's Samantha's Godmother going to be! We haven't yet, and she is going to be here in a few weeks." Ed laughed as he began walking towards the door. "I know it isn't a normal sort of Godparent, but I can't imagine you'd use Vivi again, so we should have the decision made soon."
Belle smirked as she looked down to the pocket watch in her hand. She knew exactly who was going to be her daughter's Godmother.
October 28th, 2004
"Can I apologize please?" Jack pleaded rather desperately, "I was quite a horrible student to you and I must have caused quite a bit of stress to what was of course a very delicate situation. I was merely intimidated by your authority and intelligence. Not to mention I thought you would tell mummy of my indiscretions."
"It's all in the past Jack." Minerva smirked as she sat on Belle's sofa. She had written upon learning of Jack's return and had asked if she could pay a visit one late Friday afternoon. "Although our choices define who we are, our greatest choice is the act of humility. Mistakes can often be forgiven."
Jack bowed his head, "Very much appreciated mam. You've always had an exponentially methodical way with words."
"At this point, I very well should." Minerva laughed melodically, "I've studied enough."
"Maybe I shall begin researching my own educated paths for the future." Jack pulled his shoulders back. "I have the time now."
"After hearing the extent of your ordeal, it is quite relieving to have you back where you belong young man." Minerva said as she and Jack shook hands.
Jack gave her a nervous looking smile in return. "I am very happy to be home."
"I hear you may be taking a job near to me." Minerva smiled as Belle handed her some tea she had poured, "Mr. Weasley has informed me that he wishes to open a Hogsmead branch come springtime. If you are to work there, I can help you find accommodations."
Belle had been across from Jack and Minerva, mostly as support and not joining in the conversation.
"That's far better than I deserve." Jack answered, his eyes darting away.
He'd shaved a bit and the smell he had arrived with was dissipating, but his hair was still long in big frizzy spirals down his back. Belle had been making him some new clothes to fit his current personality. He really seemed drawn to the rock and punk style. Belle didn't mind, anything that wasn't a set of Death Eater robes was a welcome outfit choice.
He was doing a good job at reacclimatizing. He seemed almost like a lost puppy, just following around whoever was home. He'd been asking questions to try and catch up on what he'd missed in the last seven years. Belle was attempting to persuade him to see some kind of Healer to discuss his more traumatic experiences. He was being rather stubborn, which unfortunately was a family trait.
Minerva wasn't able to say anything in response as Samantha and Ed entered from the back door.
"Look who I found walking up our path!" Ed excitedly exclaimed as he walked into the room with his daughter under his arm. Samantha was smiling from ear to ear, she'd been smiling a lot more lately. She was smiling more than she had before the war. She wore a short black dress that was covered in little white flowers and a maroon hat.
Little Duke flew to each of their cheeks and gave them a quick nuzzle, even Minerva, whom he seemed somewhat acquainted with.
Ed stopped when he saw Minerva, "Hello Minerva!"
"Good Afternoon Edward!" Minerva stood to greet them, "And Samantha."
"Professor." Samantha tipped her maroon hat to her. Duke flew back to her shoulder.
"Samantha, you are well aware that when you are under our roof you can't call your Godmother Professor." Belle scolded. Belle knew that Minerva and Samantha had always kept their more familial relationship quiet.
"Oh don't scold the poor girl." Minerva smiled at Samantha, "I suppose it is a force of habit now."
Samantha tossed her head back in laughter, "I couldn't exactly call you Godmummy at school now could I?"
"No, that would have implicated I played favorites." Minerva laughed a bit as Samantha sat beside her.
Duke crawled up under Samantha's hat, making it skew slightly. Samantha fixed it with a quick shift.
"I think internally, everyone plays favorites." Jack observed, "It's perfectly natural, especially in life threatening situations that we gravitate towards the people we admire and see parts of ourselves in."
"Samantha was most certainly not my favorite student, but she was and still remains my favorite Goddaughter." Minerva wrinkled her nose in the least austere way.
"I'm your only Goddaughter." Samantha laughed.
"So what brings you here tonight my Little Lion?" Belle asked, "I'm not used to seeing you on Fridays. I'd have thought you'd need to put the papers to bed."
"I recently hired a weekend staff to work Friday afternoon through Monday morning. So I don't have to do that anymore." Samantha revealed, her smile remaining plastered on her face.
"Is that apart of the new initiative you mentioned in last edition?" Ed asked holding up his latest copy from the coffee table.
Samantha nodded, "Now I have more time to write that Novel about Kai, see my friends,"
"Go to Quidditch matches." Minerva interrupted sharply.
Samantha turned red slightly, "That too."
"I miss Quidditch, I'd really enjoy to go with you sometime Sammy." Jack exclaimed.
"I'd love that." Samantha smiled at him, "There's a Ravenclaw Vs. Gryffindor game at the end of November I had planned to watch."
"Can I come please?" Jack begged like a child asking for candy, "I don't know if they'd let me on property. I am a felon."
"Considering we've had people with worse reputations teaching before," Minerva laughed, "I think you'd be fine."
"Yeah, always a comfort that my children were taught by a couple of Death Eaters, a con artist, a man with Voldemort coming out of his head and a ministry official who hated children, amongst others." Belle laughed a little.
"Dumbledore was a brilliant man, but one had to question his judgement slightly in that department." Minerva rolled her eyes.
Samantha interrupted a little, "I'm actually here to see if you wanted to come with me for dinner tonight Jack? I am meeting a few friends at a new pub in Diagon Alley and I thought you'd like to stretch your legs a bit. Maybe, join me in some mundanity as you called it."
"Are you sure?" Jack asked with a nervous tone but a small twinkle in his eye.
"I invited you didn't I? They are meeting us there in," Samantha stopped before reaching into her cloak pocket and checking her watch, "twenty minutes. If it's alright I steal him mum? He can stay on my couch if it gets too late."
Belle thought the idea was healthy, but worried Jack could overwhelm people, "Of course."
"Alright, I'll grab my cloak." Jack ran upstairs and was back moments later with his new sour green cloak Belle had sewn for him.
"Do me a favor this weekend, please return my Herbology Professor in a timely manor. Let's not make last Monday a habit." Minerva said before Samantha and Jack could fully leave. "Classes still started on time, but it was cutting it rather close I think."
Samantha was an odd pink shade and her eyes widened exponentially, "I'll keep that in mind."
"Wait, why are you partying with Professor Sprout?" Belle could hear Jack ask as they stepped out the door, "I thought you hated Herbology."
Belle didn't hear Samantha's response as they Disapparated.
"I'm sure she will tell us when she's ready to." Belle stated with a deep breathe.
Minerva nodded crossing her hands, "Of course she will, not all of us have the ability to be open about such things. I myself have always kept such things close to my heart."
"Tell us what?" Ed asked looking confused.
"Nothing." Both women replied.
"You are welcome to stay for supper Minerva." Ed suggested after furrowing his eyebrows between them. "I'm grilling burgers tonight."
"Oh as tempting as that sounds, I am expected back at the school." Minerva smiled as she stood up. "My work is, as the youth say, never done."
"It's a shame they don't let muggles inside of Hogwarts, I'd love to just see the inside. I've only ever been there to see Jack's Quidditch matches." Ed remarked as he and Belle stood to walk Minerva to the door.
"I will find an excuse for you to see it. Especially since you did sacrifice quite a bit for your children to attend." Minerva smirked a little as she adjusted her hat, "I'm sure in a few years, I can throw something together."