Incendio

Chapter 31: Battle Scars

Part 4: Samantha Fyre and Potterwatch

A month after leaving Hogwarts, Samantha looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't feel the prettiest at the moment, but it didn't matter. It wasn't her wedding, thankfully. The scars up her back were mostly covered by her long hair but the blush dress her mother made for her, showed her scars pretty prominently. Very few dresses would have covered her scars fully, as they extended up to the back of her neck. When she begged her mother to make a more covered dress, her mother scoffed.

"Those are battle scars, something to be proud of." Her mother insisted forcefully, "You bravely chose to run into a battle to protect your friends and school."

Samantha should have agreed but every time she saw her scars in the mirror, she saw her failure.

Samantha's room was nearly empty. Most of her things had already been moved out. In one month she'd be moving out permanently. Her parents were moving as well, they hadn't told Samantha where. She originally suspected America, but she'd overheard them saying they wouldn't leave the country until they knew where her brother was.

"Sammy." Samantha's mother called quietly through the house. "Your friend is here. You have to do the questioning."

Samantha came down the stairs to see her ex-boyfriend Lee, standing in the doorway wearing gray dress robes. The doorway had been enchanted to not let anyone who could be an imposter in. They had to answer a question only they and the resident of the home would know. Her parents knew Lee, but they knew a lot of what everyone else knew.

"Hello Samantha." He said with a slight wave. "You look lovely."

"Hey Lee." She waved back and rolled her eyes ignoring his compliment. "Alright, where did we hide from the Old Toad in Hogwarts?"

"One Eyed Witch Passageway." He answered before the enchantment allowed him in.

Her mother granted a smile to Lee, "It's always nice to see you. Would you like a spot of tea or brandy before you two are off?"

He nodded, "If you insist Mrs. Fyre."

"Of course I do." She nodded before leaving. "I'll tell Edward that you are here."

After her mother left, they went into the living room and had a seat. Her living room was nearly cleared out of all the things that had once made it a home.

"So did you tell them?" He announced. "Your mum seemed much too nice to me."

She nodded. "Yeah, they only asked that I at least stay with them till I'm of age, which you and I both already discussed."

"That's it?" He looked surprised. They'd been secretly moving some of her things out already, but they agreed it would be foul to not tell her parents that she was leaving.

Samantha herself hadn't been sure how the conversation would go. She had assumed it would go over uncomfortably. She was just moving out after all, simple right? She wished it had been that simple. She was moving out with her much older ex-boyfriend to start a secret radio station during a war. Not to mention she'd almost died a month ago, and she would be bypassing her final year of school. When her parents reacted calmly and rationally, she was shocked. They only asked for her to wait till she was of age and to consistently send word that she was alive.

"I'm not running away with a possible Death Eater to never speak to them again for the rest of my life." Samantha shrugged. Her brother's dramatic exit had been traumatic, so Samantha's was mild in comparison. 

"Still no news about Jack?" Lee asked.

Samantha shook her head. "No, not a word. I don't know what'd be worse though. I worry what we will find out."