milliways_bar | (no subject)

It's Mia's day off today, meaning she and Cepheus are about in the bar. The baby has been toddling about a little on his feet but the game he seems to like best is when Mama takes both of his arms and pull him up so that he can swing his feet. This leads to odd little moments when he lets himself go slack so Mia can pick him up.

As they're walking, they see Rabastan and Cepheus offers a babbled greeting of, "Habah!" while Mia makes sure he doesn't trip over his own feet.

Cepheus is one of Rabastan's guaranteed pick-me-ups.

The little boy is growing in leaps and bounds - pretty soon he'll be running them ragged as he runs about.

"Hey Cepheus; you want to come sit with me?"

It's an invitation to Mia too.

Cepheus laughs with delight at the idea and lets go of one of Mia's hands so he can reach for his uncle. He had also let his legs go slack, resulting in him being tilted sideways while being supported by only one of his mother's hands.

"Careful there," she tells the baby, her other hand going to support his side while she moves to pick him up.

"You seemed a bit pensive before, Uncle," she comments before carefully moving Cepheus so Rabastan can take him. "Silver piece for your thoughts?"

Rabastan offers a hand anyways, just in case Cepheus decides to squirm out of Mia's grasp and start walking again.

"Oh, well, I guess I was far away..."

Stepping stone, the paper reminds him.

"There is something that ... I probably should tell you."

He shifts his gaze. The bar is busy as expected; he just wants to be sure no one's too close to eavesdrop.

This is rather personal.

"Oh?" Mia says, curious.

And then she says, "I have something to talk to you about as well, something I don't think can be shared in Vane."

Cepheus gladly takes his uncle's hand with both of his, intent to inspect it with his tiny fingers.

Cepheus will find plenty to inspect, including the old scar. It's the left hand that was offered.

"Really? Is it that serious?"

Mia's used to gossip. What could it be that she doesn't want spreading from one wagging tongue to the next?

Little fingers with nails that likely need to be clipped are inspecting the scar while a small voice coos in interest.

"Hopefully not but it's something I'm not sure would be good for Mother to hear. I don't know if I told you of the troubles of her mind but I have a feeling this talk would trigger them."

Which is definitely one of the last things Mia would want to do.

"But if your matter is more pressing, please do go on."

Scratchy nails, but he endures them. Mia will take care of them soon. It's just nice to have someone not ask him the story about how Rodolphus' botched assassination attempt gave him said scar; instead treating it more as a curiosity.

"I think you told me a little bit. Maybe."

He draws a deep breath. To find his courage. Slytherins are not known for their bravery.

Then goes over his encounter with James. Slowly, because his nerve keeps failing him and he has to nudge himself to keep going.

Mia listens. And the more she listens, the more her mouth becomes a line and the anger shows in her face.

"Despicable, pointing a wand in your face like that. Has no one explained the rules to him? Tell him about security and how this place is neutral ground? However he may feel, he had no right to threaten you."

"Mia, I hope you're not planning to confront him over this," he says quickly. Really, he doesn't want this escalating further. "Given what's going on back home, in his time, I'm positive he believed he had a good reason to act so impulsively."

Pause.

"At least he didn't use it on me. He could've, but he didn't."

It feels odd taking the side of his almost-attacker, but he's finding it hard to blame James for this.

She has to hold her tongue for a moment.

When she speaks again, she says, "I don't plan on seeking him. But if we run into each other on accident and our family ties come up, I intend to let him know that I don't appreciate people threatening my family, not to mention citizens of my city."

Her face softens.

"Good reason or not, the rules give you as much right to be here in peace as they give him. Had he hexed you, he would have been the one taken by Security, not you, no matter how either of you feel about it."

"I can just imagine how that will go."

Pause.

"I'll bet he'll have something choice to say about the man you call family and citizen."

"I've probably heard a lot of them before just from Harry talking to me about Draco," she says.

Though Harry, unfortunately not the one here now, did have the good sense to come back and talk to Mia when he believed he was wrong.

"He can say whatever he likes. That doesn't mean I'll believe him."

Cepheus, meanwhile, has put his cheek against Rabastan's hand. He then babbles, "Ailaboo."

"He's been saying that a lot," Mia says with a soft smile. "He hears us saying, 'I love you,' so much that I think he's starting to try saying it back."

"If it was just a student rivalry I don't think it'd be as bad as James would see it."

He shakes his head. Also offers Cepheus the chance to climb up onto his lap.

"It goes deeper than that, Mia. Deeper than I've told you."

Mia watches as Cepheus climbs up.

"This is about Neville, isn't it?" she asks.

Because she knows.

"It's more than just Neville, Mia. A lot more."

"But it's related, isn't it? This is about your past. You're being called what your odious brother was."

"It is," he says. To all three questions.

She presses her lips together and sighs through her nose.

"That doesn't matter to me. That is your past. If you lived that now, I know you wouldn't tolerate a witch with no pedigree to speak of like me in your family. I know others aren't going to believe that you can be different from your past but I do."

"Mama?" Cepheus says, looking up at Mia from his spot in Rabastan's lap.

She smiles again and says, "I'm fine, sweetie," before leaning over and giving the baby a kiss.

"Not just a witch but people with no magic to their name. Muggles, all. Like Boo. I can't imagine any Slytherin in my year even considering the possibility."

He looks down. Cepheus is given a hug.

"It is all past, but there are still atonements to make. Given how far I've come though, I think it will be easier to make them."

Repudiating his former companions was the biggest, most painful [thanks in large part to Rodolphus] step towards atonement. The rest is getting on with living and letting go one step at a time.

"You do not hold all that against me. I'm grateful for it. It gives me strength to deal with it all."

Cepheus puts his little hands on his uncle's arms, clearly enjoying all of this attention.

"Rabastan, if you're seeking forgiveness for any of this, you must understand that forgiveness is not meant for the person it's given to. Forgiveness is how the person who is wronged lets go of that wrong. You are sorry and you can forgive yourself when you feel you're ready to. That's about all you can control."

She puts her hand on Rabastan's shoulder, comforting.

There are things wrong that must be set right, he protests silently. And the answer back is, It's not up to you to convince the others what kind of character you have, as long as you know what kind you have.

'You're right. I will. When it's time to."

Pause. He smiles.

"Now. What was it you needed to tell me?"

She nods. While Rabastan might argue that any of Mia's wrongs aren't as grievous as his own, that doesn't mean she's any nicer about forgiving herself for them. In a sense, this is familiar territory for her.

And now that he's okay for the time being, she can tell him what's going on in Milliways.

"This matter is actually a bit similar to what's happened to you," she admits. "It seems Ghaleon, my stepfather and our main nemesis in the war at home, has found this place as his afterlife. He has not made all of his intentions clear but I haven't seen him do anything wrong yet. If you encounter him, be cautious but please do not harm him."

However one might harm the dead here, in any case.

"And while I don't like the idea of keeping things from Mother, please keep this under your hat at home. Ghaleon was responsible for her current state and prolonged discussions about him can trigger severe headaches for her."

Oh, he's feeling much better now, knowing that none of this is secret to Mia. The details may be unknown, but the general idea is not a secret.

"I ... understand."

Ghaleon is Bound so he can't exactly return, he figures, but being here at all is not going to sit well with the people of Vane.

He figures he understands the situation.

Hey, Mia has a lot of Hogwarts friends. It was inevitable, just like her original, unflattering impression of Draco.

She nods.

"I'm not completely sure of what Ghaleon will do here but I know a lot has changed for him. He has come here not after his original death but after being revived a thousand years after our time and dying again. And yet that thousand years was little more than sleep for him, as he was very surprised that I'm no longer sixteen, much less that I have a husband and a son."

"Wait. He's not dead? Or he is dead?"

And how exactly does one do all that sleeping into the future and...?

It's a lot to think about. :|

"He is dead. It's all kind of complicated but he is certainly dead now."

Which to Rabastan means it's not really important how he got here so long as no one who shouldn't know is kept not knowing.

"Did he just get here?"

He's trying to remember what the man looked like. Yeah, there are pictures, but when was the last time he read about the war?

Mia nods while Cepheus reaches to play with her fingers.

"I've seen him here a couple of times. Draco has run into him, too. He seems to have been here long enough to know his way around but he's always liked to have that air about him."

"Aaaaaah," Cepheus coos, bringing his mother's fingers towards his mouth. It ends up becoming a sort of tug of war.

Rabastan is just going to keep his eye out for Ghaleon then.

"Oh, Cepheus. Are we not paying attention to you?"

Silly grownups talking about grownup stuff while kids are about!

"He always could do with more," Mia says, smiling and wiggling her fingers in her baby's grasp.

This makes him giggle and try to keep them still.