The Little Pureblood [1]

Chapter 14: My Mother Shuts Me Down

September was giving Hogwarts a last bit of sunlight before the hints of cold wind and grey skies grace the school for October. Sam and I sat underneath a shaded tree facing the Great Lake where the Giant Squid swam, sunning itself while it could. Other students roamed around grounds, getting a nice sense of freedom for our weekend free of classes. Sam and I were busy working on our potion essays through the afternoon and so when I finished first, I turned back to the one thing still on my mind.

My mother's letter.

I took it out again and read through it carefully until Sam sat up and promptly took the letter to read.

"It's not a bad letter, Ava." She said after reading it. "She'll probably tell your dad. Isn't that good?" I shrugged.

"She'll tell him. That's not bothering me. It's just.. the rest of it," I muttered quietly, looking back down to the letter laying now in the dirt patch between Sam and I. Sam frowned in response.

"Are you upset about how she's critiqued you? Don't all mums do that?" I chuckled and turned to look at her.

"Is your mother as demanding as mine, then?" Sam shook her head and smiled lightly.

"God no. But then again, your mother seems to be dealing with different things in her life. My mum was strict but only when my siblings and I were younger. I mean, you kind of have to be when you have so many children," Sam stated logically. I turned to look at her with a smug grin, my gloominess gone.

"I still can't see you as one of six. It must be nice." Sam groaned and lay back in the grass, with her hands tucked under her head.

"You have no idea how I suffer!" she started off jokingly.

"Can you imagine the pain of having a house filled with little sisters who don't shut up?" Sam said the last part with pressure making me grin down at her.

"I think it sounds great. I've always wanted a sister." Sam opened her eyes again and turned towards me with an unknowing look.

"Everyone says that but until you live with them and have to deal with sisters stealing clothes, crying over losing a hair brush and god I could go on," Sam put her hands over her eyes for a moment before grinning.

"But, I will say that it's nice being the eldest sister."

"Why's that," I asked curiously eyeing Sam's continuous Cheshire grin. Sam unclasped her hands and looked up at me again with new found amusement in her dark eyes.

" I get the new clothes, my parents trust and I got to leave the house first without having to deal with the added chores to my list. It's great." I rolled my eyes before turning back to the letter.

"Yeah well, being the only girl in a pack of brothers is not the best either." Sam snorted causing me to look at her judgingly.

"What?"

"I just thought of something," Sam said between laughs. "What would your brothers do when they find out later on down the line that you have a boyfriend? Beat him up? Scare him?" I raised an eyebrow at her before turning back to the letter.

"That's the most cliché thing I've ever heard, Sam." Sam scooted over to me and peered down at my finished potion's essay.

"Well than what would they do?" I shrugged and took out a new roll of parchment with my quill and ink.

"They'd probably not believe I was dating in the first place. Maybe Theo might cause some trouble but the others wouldn't care."

"Boring. I want drama," Sam said, snatching my potions essay as she spoke.