The Flight Of The Vulture

Chapter 31: They Will Appreciate It Someday

January 1st, 1986

Belle magically placed all of her Hogwarts memorabilia into a box. It was the last part of packing their attic. She had several diaries she had kept, along with a few other small pieces of memorabilia and pictures. She added her letters with Alice and Lily to the box, along with pictures of the little boys Belle wished she could help.

Small pieces of her childhood were also included, there wasn't much anymore. Belle had wanted to forget everything. She wanted to release her parents and her siblings more and more.

She'd allowed herself to release her past, but it hurt staring at it.

She physically closed the box and taped it up. She wouldn't ever have to look at it again.

Footsteps sounded as Ed opened the hatch to the attic, "Hey my love, how's it going?"

"Good." Belle lied.

"My parents called to say they are on the way." Ed said before pulling himself into the room. "They sounded excited to spend the afternoon with us."

"Your dad will probably spend it trying to get us to stay." Belle rubbed her neck.

Ed nodded, "He mostly wants to watch the Rose bowl. That will probably be his intent though."

"I'm sorry Ed." Belle said standing up. They were officially moving in a week and his parents weren't thrilled.

"How many times do I have to tell you I want to go?" Ed asked coming into the room and taking both of Belle's hands.

"No, I'm sorry I'm taking you from your parents." Belle shook her head.

"Our kids are getting more and more magical every day, and we can't keep hiding it from them." Ed kissed her hands. 

Belle nodded and smiled as he did that, "I just don't want you to think I don't see what they mean to you."

"I am blessed, but now it's our turn to be good parents and do a good job for Jack and Sammy." Ed insisted, "I've always known what loving you meant, so let's do everything we can for them."

"Do you think they appreciate it?" Belle asked with a chuckle, "Because Sammy's been pouting all day because I told her she couldn't use more papers to pretend write a novel anymore."

Ed shrugged, "She's six, I don't think she understands how expensive paper is."

"She's going to learn." Belle laughed, "Maybe she will start writing something meaningful."

"Jack's mad at me because I told him he had to stop playing the recorder." Ed rubbed his own ears, "I understand he wants to learn an instrument so let's sign him up for piano or something, I can't do the screeching noise anymore."

Belle began laughing, "Our children don't know how blessed they really are, so many children  aren't as lucky as they are. I certainly wasn't." 

Belle's laughter stopped as she thought about the box she'd just closed, "I never had a great relationship with my parents. I was only important to them when I was useful. My mother liked to parade me as her perfect child, but then picked me apart. They had such horrible alliances and they put me in so much danger." 

"That's terrible Belle."

"They let me be abused by my brother." 

Ed pulled Belle closer and held her in his arms, "Did they know he was hurting you?" 

"If they did, they never outwardly acknowledged it. They sent him away for a while, but they never told me or anyone else that they knew. I'm so scared I'm a bad mum and that I'll do to them what they did to me."