“I got it,” Harley called as she went to answer the door. “Hello. May I help you?”
“Hello, I’m Astoria Greengrass,” the woman at the door introduced herself. “This is my son, Jack. Is Danielle Malfoy here?”
“Oh, Astoria. Danni often talks about you” Harley said happily. “I’m Harley, a pleasure to meet you. Danni is in the kitchen.” She stepped aside as she and Astoria shook hands. “Please come in.”
“Who’s at the door, Harls?” Danni asked as she came round a corner. “Astoria! How wonderful of you to join us!” She gave Jack a big hug. “Welcome, Jack!”
“Thank you for inviting us, Danni,” Astoria said, kissing Danni’s cheek in greeting. “I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble.”
“Not at all,” Danni said. “Though I may impose upon you to help with some expansion charms. The place is not quite ready for all of us.”
“Is there anything you need my help with?” Harley asked as she took Jack’s things into the front room.
“The more wands at work, the better” Astoria replied. “We have a bit of work ahead to make this place large enough for the four of us.”
“Just point me in the direction you want me to go,” Harley said, brandishing her wand.
“Harls, I expect we’ll need at least two...no, make it three bedrooms here,” Danni pointed toward the back of the bungalow. “Astoria, darling. If you will take care of the sitting and sun rooms, I can take the kitchen and baths.”
The three witches set to work. By mid afternoon, they had taken a one bedroom summer rental bungalow and turned it into a three bedroom, three bath mansion with gourmet kitchen, sitting room, parlour and den.
“That should suffice,” Astoria said as she slipped her wand back into her bag. “Where shall I set up Jack’s console?”
“The new den will be the best place,” Harley said, leading Astoria back to the front.
“Harley, would you be a dear and keep him entertained while I talk to Danni about a few things?”
“Sure thing,” Harley said. She then led Jack into the new game room and took up one of his controllers.
At the sounds of the game starting up, Danni sighed happily. “How are you holding up?”
“As well as can be expected,” Astoria replied as the two women walked into the kitchen. “The Curse Breakers at Gringotts are slowly unraveling the blood curse. They had to call in a specialist to help.”
“Is that why you couldn’t visit last summer?” Danni asked. “May I offer a cold drink?” She pointed at the refrigerator.
“I didn’t want to worry you, dear.” Astoria reached out and tucked a loose strand of Danni’s hair behind her ear then nodded at the offer. “It was a last minute thing and we had to travel to Egypt, but their curse-breakers are second to none. They estimate I have a few more sessions before they can finally get the thing lifted.”
Danni looked visibly relieved as she closed the refrigerator door. “That makes me happier than you could imagine.” She handed Astoria a bottle of iced tea. “If there is anything – anything at all - I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to call upon me.”
“Well,” Astoria said, as they sat at the table with cool drinks in hand. “I got your letter about our son and what my thoughts are regarding you telling him about you. Are you certain?”
“I was reluctant at first,” Danni sighed. “If it were just you and I, we could simply let the matter drop, but he deserves to know the truth sooner or later. Just in case...”
Astoria took a sip. “I don’t think he really buys the story of you ‘going away’ any longer at any rate.”
“Is that what you told him?”
“At first,” Astoria said. “I told him that right after the war, his father got caught up in the aftermath and had to leave the Wizarding World. For a while, he seemed to accept it, but the last few years, he’s been asking more pointed questions; about his ‘Aunt’ Danni, why we visit with you every holiday and why his father hasn’t been round to see him or even write.”
“Shrewd boy. He’d do well in Slytherin.” Danni stared at the table for a long while, watching the ice melt in her cola. “Have you told him anything about us?”
“No,” Astoria replied. “It was never my place to tell him about why you are now his aunt.”
Danni smiled softly. “I thank you for that.” She sucked in a huge breath and let it out slowly. “Well, like a plaster, best rip it off and get it over with rather than prolong the agony. Will you take Harley with you into town for a bit of sight-seeing? She’ll understand.”
“You told her about this?”
“She knows I wanted to talk to Jack about myself.”
“And...she knows about your past?”
Danni nodded. “She knows pretty much all of it; who I pretended to be in school, my part in the war, my transition. There are no real secrets between us.”
“I can do this,” Astoria smiled and took up Danni’s hand. “I’m sorry our marriage didn’t – couldn’t - work out, but I do care for you and you are still the father of our son.”
Danni winced slightly.
“Sorry, love.” Astoria had the courtesy to look contrite. “Wrong choice of words.”
“It’s okay,” Danni said with a soft smile. “I get what you’re trying to say.”
Astoria patted Danni’s arm and stood.
She and Harley departed a few minutes later, leaving Jack and Danni alone on the sitting room sofa.
“Mum said you wanted to talk to me, Aunt Danni?”
“Yes,” Danni started. “What did she tell you? About me.”
“Nothing much, said it was for you to say.”
Danni laid her head back and looked up at the ceiling. “What did she tell you about your father?”
Jack settled into the couch and cuddled close to Danni. She looked over at him and wrapped an arm protectively around his shoulder. “Oh, you’re getting to be so tall. I’ll be looking up to you soon enough.”
Jack blushed. “Mum said that dad got caught up in the wizard war and that he got in trouble for things that happened, but that he didn’t do all the bad things they said in the Prophet.”
“Well, the Daily Prophet is not the most accurate of news outlets,” Danni grimaced at the thought of all the awful things that toad, Skeeter, had likely written about her deadname. “Did your mother explain why she and your father had to move apart?”
“Said that it just didn’t work out,” Jack said in a non-committal way.
“But she didn’t say why.” Danni filled in the rest. Jack nodded. “That’s fair. Has she given you ‘The Talk’ yet?”
“About boys and girls and what happens when I get older?”
Danni nodded.
“Yeah. Why?”
“There are some people who feel that their body is not the right one,” Danni started. “Their brains say they are not. Sometimes a boy’s brain lives in a girl’s body and a girl’s brain is in a boy’s body. Sometimes, the brain says ‘I’m not a boy or a girl’. Does this make sense?”
“Yeah,” Jack said again, looking up at Danni curiously. He looked deep into her eyes. “Sorta. Why?”
“Well, that happened to me,” Danni confessed. “My brain is a girl’s brain, but I was born into a boy’s body. Eventually, it hurt too much to pretend to be a boy any longer when I knew I was actually a girl. I told this to your mother and that is why we couldn’t stay together.” She fell silent and let Jack process the information. Jack was a smart boy, Danni knew this for certain. He would make an excellent Slytherin or Ravenclaw when he got his letter at the end of the summer.
“Are you... were you...?” he couldn’t quite get the words to form.
“Was I your papa?” Danni finished.
Jack could only nod.
“I was the one who gave you to your mother,” Danni said, tears now shining in her eyes.
“Is that why you’re a lady now, Aunt Danni?” Jack asked. “Because your brain is a girl’s brain?”
“Oh, my son, joy of my life, the light of my eyes.” Danni cried as she held Jack close. “I wanted to tell you. So many times I wanted to tell you. I couldn’t because I wanted you to be safe from me, from the Malfoy legacy. The awful things my family did.”
Jack said nothing, but did return the hug. Danni cried harder as she felt her son hold her close.
Eventually, Danni regained her composure. “I’m not sure if you will ever forgive me, but I hope you can.”
“Can I call you papa now?”
Danni made a face. “I would very much like it if you never called me that,” Danni sniffed. She caught the look of sadness on Jack’s face. “It’s not you, honey.” She pulled Jack into another hug. “I just worked so very hard to not be a boy anymore, and ‘papa’ is a boy thing.” She had to think fast. “But I would love it if you called me momma.”
This got Jack to smile. “Okay.” He fell silent for a moment. “How come you didn’t tell me before?”
Danni sighed deeply. “I wanted to, Jack. So many times. I wanted to wait until you were a bit older, and I was a lot braver.” She laughed a bit. “I ran through this conversation in my head so many times, I lost count.” She looked into his eyes. “Or, maybe I was just fooling myself into thinking I could get away with never telling you.”
“Can you have babies now like mum?”
Danni laughed in spite of herself. “No, darling. I cannot have babies like your mother.”
“But you’re a girl now, aren’t you?”
“In most ways,” Danni tried to explain to an eleven year old. “But, in some ways – very important ways - I can never be and I shall have to live with that.” She looked into Jack’s eyes once again. “Your mother and I have you and that is the most important thing.”
“So, what happened?” Jack asked. “Did you leave because you are a girl?”
“No, Jackie...can I call you Jackie?”
“Uh huh,” Jack nodded happily.
Danni leaned back again. “Well, Jackie. During the Wizarding War, my family – and me too – we did very bad things to very nice people who did not deserve it. It was a condition of my staying out of jail that I could not be part of the Wizarding World for most of your life. Your mother and I both agreed it would be the best for you if you stayed with your mother’s family and not have to be part of the Malfoy family.”
She looked over to see if he was still paying attention before continuing.
“Even though we both knew it was best for you, every day my heart broke knowing you were growing up without me. That’s when I started inviting you and your mother to spend the summer and holidays with me on the Isle of Wight and called myself your Aunt. That way, I could be close to you while still protecting you from the stigma my family’s disgrace.”
“Are you better now?”
“Better how, sweetie?”
Jack thought hard, trying to phrase it properly. “Are you re...hab...ilated?”
Danni chuckled. “Do you mean ‘rehabilitated’? Am I free to come back?”
“Yes.”
“I am free to return to the Wizarding World, yes,” Danni said.
“Will you?”
“Until a short time ago, I wanted only one thing more, but those days are long past.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked.
“I am very happy now as your Momma, but I also know that there are still a lot of very angry people who are very mad at me and think I should have gone to jail. So, I will mostly stay away.”
“Mostly?”
Oh, Jack would make a fine Ravenclaw with that sharp mind of his. “I’m a teacher now. I teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts.”
“Will you be my teacher?”
“If your mother says you can go to Hogwarts,” Danni said. “She may send you to Beauxbâtons instead.” She then cocked an eyebrow. “How’s your French?”
Jack stuck his tongue out. “I hate it. I hate that nothing’s spelled like it sounds and it takes a million words to say one thing.”
Danni laughed at this. “Well, you know sweetie, English is just as bad at spelling.”
“Yeah, but I understand English. French is...yucky.”
Jack and Danni fell into each other’s arms giggling until they eventually regained their composure. “Then, I suppose I shall be your teacher next year. But you have to remember. When we are at school I will be your professor, not your momma. Okay?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jack then remembered his original question. “When did you become a girl?”
“In a way, I always was,” Danni started. “When I was very little, I knew I wasn’t a boy and I told my parents – your grandparents – this. They did not believe me and so I was punished. I had to grow up in a body I hated and pretend to be a boy. When the war ended and I had to leave the Wizarding World, I was free to discover who I really am and that is when I worked hard to be a girl on the outside.” She leaned back on the sofa and stared up at the ceiling again. “It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of hurt, but it’s who I am and I would never go back to pretending to be a boy ever again.”
“Do you and mum still love each other?”
“I think we do,” Danni said. “She and I care for each other and we do like being around each other.” She tackled Jack and started tickling him, bringing the boy to squeal with laughter. “And we love you very much,” she cackled.
“Will you live together again?” he wheezed as the tickling ended.
“No,” Danni sighed unhappily. “I think those days are long gone, too. But, I’m glad you both still come to visit. That makes me very happy.”
They ended up sitting in silence as Danni gently stroked Jack’s hair. “I am so glad you didn’t inherit my hair,” she sighed.
“But yours is so pretty.”
“Very true,” Danni smirked. “But, it makes it very easy for others to know who I am, or least know I am a Malfoy.” She fell silent. “That’s why your mother and I agreed a while ago to legally change your name to Jacob Greengrass. How do you like it?”
Jack only stared ahead in thought. “I guess, but...”
Danni looked at Jack in mild concern. “But...?”
“Does this mean you don’t want me to be your son?” His eyes were wet with tears.
Danni pulled him into a comforting hug. “Oh, no. No, no, no. I will always love you and I want you to be my son forever and a day.” She let him cry it all out before she looked him in the eye again. “Remember what I told you about? The things that happened in the war?”
“Uh huh.”
“This is so you don’t have to suffer for my sins,” Danni cooed softly. “This way you can be Jack, soon-to-be student at Hogwarts; not Scorpius, the son of a Death Eater.” She let him run his fingers over the poorly healed scar tissue on her left forearm. “I’m still your momma and I love you more than life itself. Do you believe me?”
“I believe you,” Jack said, hugging Danni again.
000
“So, Danni tells me you two met at school?” Astoria said as she and Harley strolled along in front of several beach shops.
“Yes,” Harley said. “I’m the Charms teacher and we met shortly before Hallowe’en a couple years back when McGonagall hired her on to teach Transfiguration.”
“You two seem to have hit it right off,” Astoria replied with a smirk. “I know Danni can be rather passionate in her affections, but to fall in with someone so soon after meeting them.”
Harley bit her lip. What should I tell her? How much should I tell her? She’s Danni’s ex, but they are still involved in each other’s lives, better to hear it from me than the proverbial grapevine... “We knew each other for a while as students,” Harley began. “It was not a friendly relationship.”
“How so?”
“As Danni was in Slytherin and I was in Gryffindor, there were the usual inter-House rivalries...”
Astoria, sensing something unsaid, pressed a bit. “But there’s more to it, isn’t there. I’ve lived long enough with too many people not telling the whole story to know you aren’t telling me everything.”
Harley stopped and beckoned Astoria into a side alley. She checked they were alone then pulled her fringe back. Astoria said nothing; bless her discretion, but her eyes told enough. The recognition and so many questions, demanding answers. “When we get back, I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” Harley said.
“Fair,” Astoria said. “I’m sorry if I pushed you into something you didn’t want to do. That was wrong of me.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Harley said with a reassuring smile. “Because I know you worry about Danni and because I worry about her too, I want to allay any doubts you may have. That way, there are no secrets between us.”
“That’s just what Danni said before you and I left,” Astoria smirked as Harley chuckled. “I’m glad she’s so much happier now. Right before we dissolved the marriage, she couldn’t even look upon me without breaking down in tears. It tore at me knowing I couldn’t do anything to help.” Astoria started to tear up. “The pain I saw in her eyes was simply more than I could bear.”
Harley wrapped a comforting arm around the other woman’s shoulders. “She seems a lot better,” she said. “I see her laugh with the children in class. She even braved Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes with me one Christmas.”
“She did?” Astoria looked quite surprised. “I didn’t think a full grown dragon could drag her into that store. She usually begs off every time we take Jack to Diagon Alley for this or that.”
“She didn’t last long,” Harley admitted. “But, to her credit, she gave it a go. The owners took pity on us and squirreled us out the back.”
“She has changed so much in the last ten years,” Astoria said. “I think we both have.”
“Both?”
“Danni told me about how she was in school. And I saw a goodly part of it myself, even though I was a couple years behind her.” Astoria gathered her thoughts. “I never really understood what was going on but, from the point of view we shared, you were the Golden Child; Dumbledore’s favourite. The teacher’s pet.” She fell silent as they reached the end of the shopping street. “From where we all sat, it looked like pride – hubris – even, to see you able to get away with so much. I guess I was wrong.” She smiled at Harley. “And in this instance, I’m glad I was wrong about someone.”
“I was less Dumbledore’s favourite than his most malleable tool,” Harley spat. “I was fed lies and half-truths my whole childhood and the most important information was kept from me time and again. He left me with relatives who abused me and manipulated events to his liking. The closest thing to a father figure I ever had and he was a complete twat.”
They wandered toward the beach in silence, each lost in their own recollections.
“Sorry,” Harley said at last. “I shouldn’t still be bitter after all this time...”
“Perfectly understandable,” Astoria confirmed. “If I heard that right, your whole life was essentially a lie to be spun to the greatest benefit of those who stood to profit most. May I assume your relatives did not like the idea of you being trans?”
“Trans; magical; the child of my father; an orphan they had to take care of. You can take your pick,” Harley moaned. “I was a burden; something they tolerated, like I had been foisted upon them.” She laughed bitterly at that. “I guess I was at that. My uncle made no secret of the fact they found me on their doorstep late one night after Ol’ Mouldy Socks blew his stupid arse to smithereens.”
Now it was Astoria who comforted Harley. “Have you spoken to a Mind Healer about this?”
Harley nodded in silence.
“Have you made any progress?”
“I don’t want to hex my aunt and uncle any longer,” Harley sighed. “I guess that counts as progress.”
They were nearly home before Astoria turned Harley to face her. “Thank you for sharing with me. About you, your life. I won’t ask you to explain any more than you already have. I am honoured by your confidence in me and I will continue to honour that going forward. Danni seems to like you, so I shall as well.” She smiled at this and hugged Harley. “I hope this works between you two and I wish you long lives together.”
“Thank you,” Harley said as Jack opened the front door.
“Hi, mum, Miss Harley. Momma’s grilling Portobello mushrooms for lunch. You’re just in time.”
“Momma?” Astoria said before the realisation hit her. “She told you?”
Jack nodded and disappeared back into the house.
“Jack? Is your mother home?” Danni called into the hallway.
“Yes Momma,” Jack yelled from the game den where the sounds of a running gun battle could be heard briefly before the sound cut abruptly.
“Danni!” Astoria called as she made a bee-line toward Jack. “Are you letting our son play violent video games?”
“What are you talking about?” Danni called back from the kitchen. “I thought he was playing a car racing game. That’s what he told me GTA was.”
Harley pinched the bridge of her nose under her glasses and chuckled. “I don’t blame her for not knowing,” she said to Astoria as the other woman set to work disconnecting the console. “Danni, sweetie. You’ve been hoodwinked. GTA means Grand Theft Auto. It’s a game about criminals.”
“What!?” Danni came storming into the game den. “Jackie my son, you are in serious trouble.”
“Yes, ma’am.”