Chapter 6
November 27th, 2006, the day of the bris finally dawned. The High Septon was in attendance, as was the entire Knesset and many, many representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Magic, not least of which was Minister Goldstein. And, of course, all of Devanye’s family and friends, and Judah and Layla’s godparents.
Rabbi “Becca” Gold called Devanye up to the bimah by her Hebrew name, Hadassah bat Avraham v’Sarah, along with Carson and Severus. And, of course, the babies, who were introduced by their Hebrew names, Erev (Judah) and Zrikha (Layla) ben and bat Hadassah. Much to Devanye’s surprise, Minister Goldstein and the acting Prime Minister, Reuben ben David, approached with a red pillar candle measuring eighteen inches in diameter and twenty-two inches high. It was all marbled with different colors of red and smelled of besamim spices. Inscribed around the base in Hebrew were the words of Exodus 12:13.
“And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
“You, Hadassah bat Avraham v’Sarah, bade us splash red beeswax over our mezuzahs the night before our deliverance,” acting Prime Minister ben David intoned, “to melt down into this candle to be given to you for your magical working for our sake.”
“We here present this candle to you as agreed, to add the blood of Erev ben Hadassah to the Covenant and to aid the deliverance of our people,” Minister Goldstein added, and they backed away from the bimah without another word of explanation. Devanye, brows high as she turned back to Rabbi Gold and Carson, set the enormous candle on the table beside her son as Severus huddled closer to her, his back to the audience as he presented his own member to Carson for circumcision. Devanye took their daughter from him and he gripped the edge of the table with white knuckles.
Carson applied local anesthetic to both Judah and Severus as Rabbi Gold intoned the blessings for both children in Hebrew. In a pair of deft movements with a sharp scalpel, Carson removed both foreskins; Judah’s first, then Severus’. Severus went bloodless as Judah cried, and Carson applied gauze and he slipped himself back in his pants. Devanye held Judah over the candle so that a drop of blood fell on each of the seven cotton wicks of the candle, then passed him over to Carson to be bandaged.
Then it was time for the babies to meet their new community and for everyone to eat everything bagels with garlic cream cheese and smoked salmon from the Bay of Lune northwest of the Shire. After kiddush and blessings over the food, Devanye pulled Arwen and Legolas over to Gandalf and gave them their rings. No pomp, no circumstance; it was done in the utmost secrecy with just Severus and Carson as witnesses.
Then she returned to the long table with her family seated around it with Rabbi “Becca” Gold and First Lieutenant Daniel Smith (he’d had a promotion during the quarantine). Kayla had become fast friends with Lily Aaron and both Delphis, and Data and Garak chatted amiably with Darrell and Yvonne. Just Grandma didn’t trust Garak, and would say often that his story just “wasn’t her cup of tea”, but would qualify that she felt they were “different strokes for different folks”. Nychole, Payge, and James were positively enthralled with Fred and George Weasley, and of course Hagrid; all three of whom were deeply uncomfortable with the circumcision ceremony they had just witnessed.
By now, Devanye was desperate to get back to normal life and interrogate Michael about the attacks and the surprise pregnancies, and check up on his progress with Elvish magic, if he had even been able to explore that very deeply yet. The reading material she had given him had been quite limited in what it divulged about Elvish magic, but that didn’t mean Michael hadn’t been able to glean enough to start dabbling.
“You seem distracted,” Spock remarked, taking the seat opposite her as she picked at her bagel. He, unlike everyone else, had a knife and fork with which he was attempting to eat the overstuffed savory confection. With unshakeable patience, he cut a small bite for himself and scooped it up with his fork politely.
“Overwhelmed,” Devanye clarified with a small laugh. “I have agoraphobia like whoa, and have been surrounded by enormous crowds for over a week. After being surprised by the world’s shortest pregnancy and delivering two healthy babies who are just …” her eyes welled with tears, “perfect …”
“They are objectively healthy and attractive infants,” he concurred. “Their ritual names are Evening and Dawn, is there a specific significance?”
“My two favorite times of day,” Devanye shrugged. “The Jewish day begins at sunset, in the evening; Erev. And my favorite prayers are recited during morning prayers at dawn; Zrikha.” She sighed, setting her bagel down. “It’s just that I’m completely overwhelmed and we’ve barely begun. There’s still the matter of interrogating Michael and facilitating his settlement into the snowglobe I made for him, and training all of our delegates, and enchanting my mezuzah to connect and serve as a portkey for some four million other mezuzahs. And training Severus and Teyla and the other witches and wizards in Elvish magic. And dealing with Dumbledore. And I have to also schedule time for my husbands and children and family in all of this, and all of you who have so generously offered your time and services … and there just are not enough hours in the day.”
“Then you need not try to force all of those things in one day,” Spock reasoned. “Enchanting the mezuzah you can do daily, as well as scheduling time for your immediate family, but the rest can be spread out over the course of a week in order to accord all of them the time they will require. You have done tremendous work with all of your subjects, and with your Kings of the Andals and the First Men and the Free Peoples of Middle Earth. Logically, you are singularly equipped for the tasks you have set for yourself.”
“Thanks, Spock,” she sniffed, brisky wiping at her eyes.
Poor Judah wailed inconsolably, and soon he and his father retired to their room to sleep their injuries off with painkillers and salve. Carson fretted all through the feast, wringing his hands as the Westerosi stared at him in severe apprehension.
“They don’t have circumcision in Westeros,” Devanye explained, trying not to laugh. “They’re a bit horrified at what you’ve just done to your husband and his son. Publicly. With your own hand. It’s a good thing. Everything else you do from here on out will be seen as comparatively magnanimous and Severus’ abrasiveness will be smoothed over somewhat because of what they perceive as severely humbling genital mutilation. Due to the toxic masculinity I just can’t quite purge them of, you’re the manlier man according to them, and command a great deal more authority.”
“I should go check on them,” he worried.
“Please don’t leave me here alone,” Devanye asked quietly, her voice trembling. “They have each other, and an enchanted mirror to reach us with.”
“What’s wrong, luv?” he frowned, chafing her quaking fingers as she gave up attempting to knit with them as hopelessly futile.
“Nothing, I just get like this in crowds,” she admitted ruefully. “I’m … overwhelmed. And I’m a little scared of making a bad impression in front of Colonel Samantha Carter. I’m trying not to think about it, I really want to be present for this.”
“Let’s go sit with your family, then,” Carson suggested warmly, nodding over at Darrell and Yvonne chatting with Rabbi Becca Gold. Waving at Spock, Devanye got up and walked with Carson to their table, scooping up her daughter when her Just Grandma held her out.
“How’s Severus holding up?” Darrell wanted to know, shaking Carson’s hand. “He looked pretty bloodless ― even for him ― when he left.”
“Let’s ask him,” Carson breathed with relief, pulling the mirror out of his pocket. “Severus? Are you alright?”
“I can’t believe I asked for this!” came the peeved reply.
“Are the painkillers not working, luv?” Carson fretted.
“No, they are, it’s just still mildly but persistently uncomfortable and sensitive. Judah finally went to sleep and I’m about to take the sedative you prescribed and join him.”
“We’ll save you some cake,” Carson promised. “And if you experience any pain at all, you give a shout.”
“Of course.”
Carson put the mirror in his pocket. “He has quite a sweet tooth, which he won’t admit to,” he confided in his father-in-law.
“I’ll have to get him a rootbeer float,” Darrell grinned, turning his attention to Devanye. “You alright, Squirt? You’re vibrating.”
She was. Carson frowned, observing his wife critically. Her legs were jittering uncontrollably, and she was rocking right along with their daughter.
“I’m fine,” she nodded, rocking with even more urgency. “I’m just socially anxious and … and my meds make me move. Y’all know that.”
“The propranolol is supposed to help with that,” Carson reminded her.
“It does, it just … only helps so much.” she shrugged. “It’s okay, I’m fine, I just … need to move.”
“What’s up with Hansen?” asked a guest, tilting his head as he approached their table. It took Carson a moment to recognize Doctor McKoy.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Yvonne Hansen suggested, already getting to her feet. She touched Devanye’s shoulder and Devanye joined her, and Carson and McKoy followed suit. As soon as they were out of sight of the Hall of Fire, McKoy whipped out a tricorder and scanned her, whistling at whatever it recorded.
“What is it?” Carson demanded, craning his neck.
“Akathisia, for one thing,” McKoy reported. “That’s the intense and constant leg jiggle. If you don’t get her off Geodon, like right now, it may well become permanent or even develop into even more deleterious uncontrollable muscle spasms. Have you considered Abilify? It came out in 2002, it should be contemporary.”
“It’s still very new,” Carson pointed out.
“It’s only a year newer than Geodon,” McKoy pointed out.
“Thanks, Bones, I’ll talk to Dr. Heightmeyer about it,” Devanye promised. “You said, ‘for one thing’, anything else I should know?”
“You’re riddled with mental illnesses: Bipolar; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined; Anxiety; and an unhealthy dose of Post Traumatic Stress. You’re also post-partum, and I don’t like your cortisol levels.” He tucked the tricorder away, crossing his arms. “What do you do these days to relax?”
“I build snowglobe worlds and knit mostly, and swim with Ossë.” She put a shushing finger over Carson’s lips when he cast her a horrified look. “Which I haven’t done in over a month since finding out I was pregnant!”
“He’s a storm Maiar,” Carson explained to “Bones” as Devanye called him. “She goes swimming with him to let off steam while he whips the sea around her into a frenzy.”
“I said, ‘to relax’, Hansen,” McKoy drawled dryly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and steering her down the corridor. “Party’s over, or close enough, you go find your husband ― you,” he snagged Carson and shoved him forward, “go with her and make sure she relaxes if you have to sedate her. You like fishing, right?”
“How do you know ―?”
“Take both of them fishing. Hell, make it a whole family affair. Doctor’s orders.”
There was no arguing with that, was there?