The Salamander King- An HP FanFic- Chapter 4 After Ari and I swore no more secrets, we sat on her bed while we ate and read. Or, I ate and she read aloud to me. I stroked her hair and admired how she gave each character a certain voice and personality. At one point I laid down and got cozy. Ari decided to do the same so she put her book down and laid her head against my chest. Without realizing, we fell asleep. I woke up a few hours later feeling groggy and well rested at the same time. I glanced at my watch and silently panicked, if I didn't leave now, I'd be late for dinner at my uncle's. Which would mean father would have my head on a pike. I was careful not to disturb the sleeping princess and wrote a note of apologies before heading out the door. I bade goodbye to Ms. Harbinger- Lola, she insisted I call her- as well as George and Arthur. Making great haste, I walked into my house and changed at the speed of sound. I quickly locked the door and made my way toward Uncle Newt's house. When I walked into the front door of my Uncle's house I could tell something was wrong. Tension was high and no one so much as stole a glance at one another. I sat down next to my favorite cousin Isabella and we all began to eat. "So... it's your fourth year at Hogwarts?" Uncle Newt asked me. "Uh... yeah." I replied. Father looked at Belly, a little mad. "Isabella... I need to talk to you for a minute." He got up and walked into another room and she followed. I pretended to need the bathroom and went to eavesdrop. "Yeah..." she said nervously. "Isabella, are you sure you don't remember your family... your real family...." I could feel Belly's temper rise. "I may not /act/ like a Scamander but I /can not/ be perfect. I am tired of people blaming me for something that can /not/ be true. I am tired of trying to be perfect for everyone /except/ myself... you think I want to be pushed around like i'm an object... I never get to say how I feel, every time I try they just keep me quiet... I don't want to be pushed around anymore but clearly staying here won't help that." She then stormed off to her room. I heard Uncle call out "Belle" but that was the only attempt made to calm her. I rounded the corner and got in my father's face. "Seriously?! What did she /ever/ do to you?! Are you actually still convinced that Belly is the daughter of Grindlewald? The only person he felt like that towards was Dumbledore, unless somehow you mean to tell me Grindy got pregnant with Dumbledore's baby? Isabella is your family, Thesus. Above all else, your /brother's/ daughter, which means you should be feeling fatherly towards her. And this, is the opposite of fatherly. Maybe you don't think of Belly as your family, but I do. Because no matter what, she will always be my cousin. I could care less if she ends up being Grindlewalds. The only thing that matters is that she is pure of heart and knows who her real family is." I stormed away and went to knock on Isabella's door. "Go away!" "Belly, it's Evy. Can I come in?" "Yes." Opening the door I slipped inside and went to sit beside my cousin on her bed. "I'm sorry my dad's a jerk. He's been hyper focused on work and mom's not here to balance him out. But that doesn't excuse his behavior. You're his family whether he likes it or not." "But he thinks I'm evil!" "You're not! Belly, you are far from evil. It's okay that you can't remember your birth family, you don't need too. Us Scamanders are all we need, and like it or not, you /are/ a Scamander Isabella. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." I paused to let Belly soak this in and really listen to what I had just said. "Look, if the kids at Hogwarts give you a hard time, tell them you're cousins with 'The Salamander King'. Anyone with enough decency should then know to stop bullying you. And if that doesn't work, I'll talk to them personally." I took Isabella's hands in mine and locked eyes. "I swear on my /life/ Isabella, that I will /never/ let anything bad happen to you. We are family through and through. And family is all that matters most." Her eyes filled with tears and she tackled me in a fierce hug. "Thank you Evy. I /really/ needed to hear that." I smiled. "I know kiddo. I'm here for you, okay? No matter what." Wiping away her tears she asked, "So, Salamander King?" I chuckled. "Believe it or not, I did not come up with that. But that is a story for another day. Don't listen to my dad. He's still a perfectionist and rule follower through and through, if he believes there to be a threat to his people, he'll do what it takes to eliminate it." "I won't let that happen to you." "I know." I pulled my cousin in for a hug again and held tight. If only this moment could last forever.
@Isabella_Scamander for Isabella Scamander and making ' The Lie of Scamander '
