Rolanda sighed as she looked into the mirror. If only she was less sporty, more artistic, or otherwise conventionally girlish. If only she could even bear to keep her hair long instead of short and spiky. Why did she have to embody the cliché of the athletic, tomboyish gay woman? Wouldn't it only further that stereotype if she did come out?
Still, one couldn't help one's nature, whether one was a lover of women or Quidditch or both. And there was of course little to be said for lying, even by omission, at least when it was safe to speak the truth. Indeed, she had always felt that Albus Dumbledore keeping his sexuality an open secret was unfair to the many people, particularly students, who were inspired by his accomplishments – what a grand strike against homophobia it would be if they knew Albus himself was a proud gay man! And you certainly couldn't say a man in his position had anything to fear from homophobic employers. All his family and friends had been accepting as well, from what she had heard, even Perenelle and Nicolas Flamel, who had really been remarkably well-adjusted people, considering everything. Well, they had certainly had had time enough to adjust, after all.
As for her, she was not going to live forever, or even a century more. True, she had never been much for living like you were dying, finding it an extremely impractical life philosophy for those who were not in fact soon to die and would thus like to keep their retirement funds reasonably intact and their arteries reasonably unclogged. Yet there were things that ought to be done, and when that was the case she had always prided herself on being one to bear up and do them, with a minimum of procrastination and/or whinging.
Rolanda squared her shoulders and fixed her hair, then turned swiftly.
The walk to Albus's office, while taken at her usual brisk pace, seemed to pass slowly. During it she thought about her life, her past, her future, her lovers. Such an unfortunately explicit word at times, lovers, but then what else was there? Girlfriend was often used to simply mean friend, and likewise partner was just begging to be misunderstood – partner in what? Business? At least, they never suspected her of meaning tennis partner, knowing her devotion to her beloved Quidditch.
The little people of Albus's Wizard's Chess Set looked up with endless relief and gratitude when she appeared at the door. Apparently they had not been looking forward to playing against Peeves, who, whether he won or not, was sure to smash some of them against the nearest wall. Peeves himself floated away quite unconcerned – he could always get his jollies tormenting the "firsties", as he called them.
"Yes?", asked Albus, looking up at her himself, and in so doing accidentally tipping quite a few of the people on to the floor. As he gathered them up, Rolanda blurted it out, "I'm a lesbian." Dumbledore did not raise an eyebrow. "And?"
"And?!," Rolanda was indignant. "Really! I've at least decided to come out, which is more than you can say!" Normally she wouldn't have spoken so harshly to Albus, but her emotions had decidedly taken the wheel from her reason for the moment.
"Well," said Albus, mildly, "I have come out, to my family and friends. As for coming out to my boss, as you have so eloquently just done, I cannot as I have none. As for the students and their parents" –here he paused to wipe an unfortunate pawn with his shirt – I would gladly do so, but having such a controversy in our school now would not be wise considering our fight against Voldemort."
Rolanda was shocked, not that Albus had said Voldemort's name aloud, but that he had refrained from coming out to the students and their parents for a reason she could sympathize with – something she had not at all expected to hear. Still, she was not one to deny when she was in the wrong. "I'm sorry," she said simply. "I hadn't thought of that."
"It's quite all right," said Albus. "Few have. And I do congratulate you on coming out to me. It showed the sort of courage we all can use, especially these days. I wish you and any lucky woman you may share your life with in the future all the best."
Rolanda's walk back to her office seemed to pass quite a bit quicker than usual, and not just because she mysteriously found a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans in the folds of her robe during it. If there was anything better than being accepted and understood for who you were, she hoped to live to know it. Even without a Sorcerer's Stone.