The Flight Of The Vulture

Chapter 3: Every House Has Flaws

August 31st, 1993

Belle was painting a landscape that had been commissioned by a man as a wedding gift for his soon to be wife as she looked up to see her daughter leaving.

"Where are you going young lady?" Belle asked, stopping her daughter's exit. 

"I'm meeting Ginny for ice cream at Florean's." Samantha exclaimed with a ballerina twirl. "She and her family are in town to get their things for school tomorrow."

"Ginny Weasley?" Belle wracked her brain, she knew Ginny was Samantha's friend, "The one who likes writing right?"

"Yeah the one who attacked all those muggle borns last year." Jack chuckled slyly before taking a bite of an apple while he leaned against the counter and read some book about Philosophy. He'd taken a real interest recently in the ideas of the world and how it worked. Belle wasn't complaining, at least he had an intelligent hobby. 

He was also planning to try out for the Quidditch team. He was a thin looking fourteen year old, so Belle considered he'd be a decent Keeper.

Samantha sent her brother a disproving look in response, "She couldn't help it, she was possessed by You-Know-Who!"

Belle just shook her head in response, the school had almost closed due to muggle borns being petrified. The problem was seemingly solved and the students were perfectly safe. However now, the real fear was that the mass murderer, Sirius Black was on the loose. If you had told sixteen year old Belle that the little Black boy would eventually betray his best friends, she wouldn't have believed it. He was a prankster and could occasionally be mean, but he was otherwise harmless.

In better personal news, all worries about Samantha's social life had practically disappeared in the last year and a half. Midway through her second year her letters began including the names of friends. There was Colin Creevey who liked photography and Ginny who also liked writing and Quidditch. There was also Penelope Clearwater, Genevieve Horner, and Cedric Diggory, older students who were very onboard with the idea of helping Samantha start a school paper. She also occasionally mentioned  Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff boy in her year who she often stood beside in Herbology.

"All right, well, only if Jack goes along." She insisted, which caused both children to groan. 

"You know I don't want you two running around alone with Sirius Black on the loose."

"But mum. Jack's going to see Cassius and Adrian later. They don't like me." Samantha argued with a roll of her eyes and a cross of her arms. 

Jack's friend group had also grown slightly with the new addition of Adrian Pucey, a stocky Slytherin who'd been held back a year.

"Well you punched Cassius, of course he doesn't like you." Jack rolled his eyes looking up from the apple he was eating.

"You did what?" Belle asked turning to look at her daughter in her little floral dress and pig tails.

Samantha's shoulders raised and she cowered slightly. "Warrington took Colin's camera and threatened to break it. So I punched him."

"I wasn't there, but he had a damn good black eye." Jack laughed almost proudly, but didn't look up from his book.

"Watch your language young man. I hope you don't talk like that at school." Belle exclaimed putting her hands onto her hips before turning back to her daughter. "You could have told a teacher."

"I'm no snitch." She pinched her face, "Besides, they would have broken it by then."

"He would have. Cassius is not exactly on the ambitious level to coming up with more maniacal ways of torture towards those he finds inferior." Jack tilted his head. "I believe it has something to do with his desire to seem bigger than those around him, because he is deeply hurt by his lack of intelligence."