August 29th, 1888 — Ollivander's Wands, Hogsmeade

Billie was too much a wild soul to be cooped up in a shop all day. Poor Gideon probably found her missing at least twice a day to dart about the Hogsmeade streets or to pester those she had befriended. Her first venture was always before breakfast, and the other was usually sometime in the late afternoon when her restlessness was at its peak. She was rather unapologetic about it all, even though she worried that her disappearances made Gideon angry.

It was from one of her afternoon outings that she returned, shouldering her way into the shop. First, she checked to make sure Gideon didn't have any late in the day customers before she shouted. "Mr. Ollivander! Look!" The child raced in, wielding what looked to be a slightly damaged, wooden cane as if it were some sort of pirate sword. She slashed it through the air once and then grinned proudly. "I found it! It was just layin' there in the dirt. Who the heck gets rid a somethin' like this?" Hopefully, she hadn't accidentally stolen some poor soul's walking stick. She hadn't exactly looked around for any potential owners before she had snatched it from the dusty street. Oh well.

She was oblivious to the fact Gideon might have been in the middle of something.

  

---

MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

With the departure for Hogwarts coming, Gideon had seen quite the wane in customers again. It was to be expected though. It happened every year. This year, unfortunately, had been hindered by the fog so he'd had nearly two months of hardly any activity at all. The customers had hit with a vengeance once the fog had lifted though. He'd worked more hours in those few weeks right after than he'd worked all summer. As a result, he'd had hardly any time to actually get to know Billie. His daughter. It was still a surreal sort of realization.

With only a handful of customers throughout the day, Gideon had waited until he knew Billie would go off on one of her little adventures. He knew she wasn't one to be cooped up so her little forays out into Hogsmeade hardly bothered him. There was only so much she could do in the shop and only so much he could teach her for the time being after all. He'd flipped the sign on the shop to closed and gone down to the pet shop and come back with a little ball of fur meant just for her. A way of making some amends for not being able to give her much time and for having missed the first eight years of her life.

Sitting in the back room, he'd been petting the little kitten in his lap. Adonis wasn't at all impressed, lying on the table and glaring at Gideon for such an intrusion. The kitten had nipped at the older cat's tail as soon as Gideon had brought it home and it was clearly not something he'd been all that keen on.

"In the back, Billie!" he'd called out when he heard her yell out for him before she raced in and waved her "sword" around with the childish innocence she so often showed in her activities. He grinned, chuckling lightly at her words. He'd have to be careful with leaving stuff about so she didn't stake a claim on something that truly wasn't for her. "Have a good adventure then?" he asked, eyes twinkling with amusement as he continued to gentle pet the purring ball of fur on his lap, waiting for her to take notice of it.

---

  

At first, Billie hadn't realized Gideon wasn't simply petting Adonis, so she bobbed her head up and down quickly in response to his question about her adventure. "Yes! I got tha' idiot boy, Jim Fletcher, real good, and he felled on his head. That'll teach him to throw rocks at them birds at the park." She had a strange sense of justice that she thought very little of. To her, it seemed as simple as blinking that she should seek revenge on behalf of the birds.

"An' then--" It was then that her attention moved to the kitten in Gideon's lap, and she let out a gasp, completely abandoning her tale of mischief. She scurried closer and crouched down so she could get an even better look at the tiny, black poof. "Who's this?"

Billie grinned up at Gideon, a curious wideness to her eyes. She assumed that perhaps a stray had wandered in, or maybe Adonis had found it. At that thought, she turned to smile at the poor, irritated older cat and chirped out, "Didja finda new friend, Adonis?" She never would have guessed in a million years that the kitten had been acquired especially for her.

  

---

MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon's brow narrowed just slightly as he listened to his daughter's tale of getting the best of the little Fletcher boy. There was a part of him that was instantly proud but he also knew it wasn't really something a young lady should be doing. But, then again, no one knew Billie was a little girl. No one except him and Quincey and Quincey only knew cause Gideon had told him. Merlin's beard he needed to find a woman to help him with all of this cause he really didn't know where to begin. But, luckily, the story was prevented from continuing when Billie finally took notice of the black ball of fur purring in his lap.

The narrowed gaze was quickly replaced with the crinkling of eyes and a wide smile. That smile managed to even widen when Billie directed her question to Adonis. The white cat responded with turning over on the desk to face his back to the two of them. That brought a bout of laughter form Gideon that startled the cat just enough for it to wake up and peer up at Billie with big round eyes.

"Adonis isn't really a fan," he said with a smaller chuckle before giving a slight shake of his head, "He's yours, Billie. I thought you might like one of your own. A companion to have in your room with you at night." He'd felt bad relegating her into a small room at the back of the shop and not up above the shop where he stayed but they had to keep appearances up for the most part. At least, until he managed to find himself a wife.

---

  

When Adonis turned away, Billie bit her lips to try and keep from laughing at the poor creature. She felt bad, of course, but it was difficult not to giggle at his reaction. She couldn't give it much though, though, for she soon heard Gideon, and all her attention was on him once more.

"F...for me?" Wide, astonished eyes blinked, unsure how to react. It was clear that acts of kindness were still new to her, but the fact that Gideon had gone out of his way to procure a cat just for her was in a new realm altogether. Her mother would never have done such a thing. Anything she had received from the woman had been necessities, patched up clothing, hand-me-down boots, and bits of food. No thought put into it.

She just couldn't fathom why Gideon would give her a cat of her own.

Gingerly, she reached out for the tiny kitten, and hugged him against her chest. Billie nuzzled the top of his tiny head with her cheek and just stood there, swaying with it as if she were soothing a human baby. A delighted, soft smile stretched to her eyes, and she appeared as if she was near to bursting with happiness. She kept glancing from Gideon to the cat and back again, just grinning.

"Thank ya." She finally managed to whisper out, her tone grateful and still shocked that Gideon had given her a kitten of her very own.

She loved the little fur ball, already.

"Don't worry, Adonis, I'll still play with ya too, okay?" She commented, as if the thought of her suddenly loving another creature would offend the poor feline.

Shuffling closer to Gideon, she plopped down on the floor near him, the little black poof in her lap.

"Thank ya, Mr. Ollivander."

  

---

MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon nodded in response to her initial confused question of the kitten being for her. He was still rather amused by Adonis's reaction but his attentions were focused solely on little Billie. He'd always enjoyed watching her with his own old and ornery feline so it only made sense to get her one of her own. She deserved it, even if Adonis did quite like her and gave her far more time than he would anyone else. The girl had been through hell, he was sure, so giving her something that she could call her own seemed the best way to go about things.

He watched quietly, a smile on his features as he took in the sight before him. He didn't think he'd ever seen her so quiet before. It was a bit strange to see but it was still pleasant. He found he quite enjoyed it. It made him feel in that moment that he was actually quite grateful he'd come across her and that they'd found out she was his daughter. He'd never really thought he'd be much of the fatherly sort but she had quite effectively changed his entire world. And, surprisingly, he wasn't bitter or upset in the slightest as some might suspect he'd be as a result. No, he really did enjoy her presence.

The moment of reverie was broken by the loud meow Billie got as a response from Adonis. The feline didn't roll back over to face them but he did start purring so he obviously wasn't too cross with either of them. How could he be?

Gideon turned his smile back to Billie then as she sat on the floor in front of where he sat. "You're welcome, Billie," he said pleasantly enough, glad she did seem to be learning some manners and to use them a bit more consistently, "And you really don't need to call me Mr. Ollivander. Gideon is just fine." Sure, it could raise some brows if she called him that in public but he didn't really mind. He'd even suggest she call him dad, in private, if he felt that wouldn't be too extreme of a change right then.

---

  

---

Love MJ Sets

Laughter immediately escaped from her mouth when she heard Adonis answer. At least, it seemed he didn't suddenly hate them. It was hard to tell with cats, after all; they were always so fickle.

Luckily, Gideon was spared from the rather lengthy commentary that seemed to be going on in the small girl's brain as she fondly stared at whom she'd deemed to be her new best friend. It was a mixture between aww-ing at his cuteness, and all the plans she had for the tiny, black feline. Some of which would have to wait until he was a bit more grown, of course.

Gideon's comment tore her away from her thoughts, and she turned to watch him with rather furrowed eyebrows. "I can? Is that allowed?" It was obvious, he didn't seem to mind if Billie called him by his first name, but she wasn't so sure everyone else in the world would think the same. Weren't they supposed to be hiding the fact that they were related? Not to mention, most adults didn't like it. Was this a trick?

"Nobody's gonna be mad?"

  

---

MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon was a bit lost in watching her with the kitten. He swore he could see the cogs and wheels turning in her mind as she looked at the kitten, already planning all the mischief they could get into together. He was sure they would and he'd probably come to regret the decision but, it was all worth it just to see the way she'd lit up at the gift. He'd do everything he could to see to it she remained as happy as he could possibly make her now that she was there with him. She deserved that if her life before had been anything like what he'd seen at the hands of that awful woman. What had he even been thinking?

He nodded in response to her initial question though. "You can," he answered simply, grinning at her obvious concerns with doing so, "And I'm giving you permission to. That's all that matters. You shouldn't call someone by their first name unless they tell you it is okay to do so." He doubted anyone would draw any conclusions to her being his daughter just by her using his first name. If anything, it may be expected since most thought her to be a little street urchin with no manners. He was working on that though.

"Nobody will be mad," he said with a chuckle as he leaned forward and ruffled her hair. "It'll be just fine," he said before adding, "But if you aren't comfortable with it, you don't have to."

---

  

---

Love MJ Sets

As far as her manners went, Billie had at least grasped that it was respectful to call most adults by their surname. That was likely a result of her mother growing angry at her insolence and making sure she learned the error of her ways. She didn't like to be humiliated, and Billie was already embarrassing enough as it was. However, she never did quite get the hang of calling women anything else but 'Miss.'

So, it was with a titled head, and a cautious nod that the small girl seemed to agree with Gideon's logic. If he gave her permission, perhaps that meant it was okay. He was the one she was most worried about being angry, anyways.

"O...okay, Gideon."

The name felt strange. She called other children by their first name, but he was a bit tall for that. It would definitely take some getting used to, but she smiled softly. She'd never known a grown up to allow her to do that, so maybe she was doing something right. All she wished was for him to like her.

Her gaze returned to the kitten who had taken to batting at a stray string that hung off of one of her sleeves. She giggled at the sight and wiggled her wrist a bit to tease him.

  

---

MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon continued to grin even if she seemed to be a bit tentative about it. He was sure it was strange to her, especially considering that awful woman she'd been stuck with for the beginning years of her life. He could only imagine all she'd been through. It made his heart ache a bit. He had to make sure she had a better life with him, he had to make up for all the time he didn't know she had even existed.

"It'll take some time get used to," he said with a reassuring tone and smile, "But you do what you're most comfortable with." He wasn't about to push anything on her she didn't want to do.

---

  

Billie nodded slowly. She realized it would take some time to get used to, but she appreciated the reassurance from Gideon. She was never sure if she was just strange in her feelings about certain things, or if they were understandable. Other children seemed to know right away what to do in a variety of situations that were alien to her. Then again, she didn't know too many people who suddenly found out who their father was.

As if the entire conversation about names flipped a switch, the child found herself suddenly blurting out, "Soot!" She paused and beamed down at the kitten whom she decided somewhat resembled a chimney brush. Or at least a bunch of dirt. "That's what he's gonna be called."

  

---

MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon had been pondering his own things as the young lass thought of her own things. His were much more crucial though. At least, that's what he thought. Like how was he supposed to teach a little girl anything? He'd had a mother in his life that had seen to such things and then he'd had an older brother as well. When all else failed, there were tutors involved. But Billie was woefully behind. He really needed to figure some things out to start at least teaching her her letters and numbers and how to write and read. It all sounded like an awful lot and he was feeling quite inadequate as a result. He really needed to find a wife.

Her sudden shout had him thinking it was some new form of a swear word or something so he looked at her with a raised brow. She was regarding the kitten with a serious eye though along with a big grin. She followed up so he knew it wasn't some sort of a swear word the kids were using those days. "Fits'em perfectly," he said with a nod and a smile before standing up realizing how late it was getting, "What should we have for dinner, Billie?"

---

  

---

Love MJ Sets

Billie was oblivious to the fact that Gideon had thought she'd just thrown out a curse word. It wasn't uncommon for her to swear, and, most of the time, she didn't even realize she was doing it. She had probably slipped up a few times with him, even though she did tend to watch her language at least a tiny bit more than she did with other people.

"I dunno, but I think Soot and Adonis is hungry, too." The youngster glanced at the two cats fondly. Even when she had struggled to feed herself, she always thought about the appetites of other creatures. She couldn't help it.

"Maybe somethin' with meat in it so's we can all eat together? Don't ya think that would be real nice, Mr....erm...Gideon?"

Happily, she scooped the kitten up again and climbed to her feet so she could better see Gideon and Adonis. Her family. At least, that's what she called it in her head; she was much too afraid to utter the word out loud.

  

---

MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon chuckled when Billie showed more concern for the cats than she did herself when it came to eating. He was fairly certain that was a common occurrence for her. She had brought along a bag of dead rats for Adonis once after all. And though the cat hadn't actually ate them, he had amused himself rather well with toying them around for a bit. It was one of the first signs Gideon had seen in regards to the cat liking little Billie. He had a feeling the cats would always be looked well after if she were around.

"Thing is, Billie," he said as he ruffled her hair again, "The way cat's like their meat isn't exactly the healthiest for us humans." And he'd really rather not eat mice or anything like that. It just didn't sound at all appealing. "But," he continued on, not wanting to upset her, "We can feed them their cat food under the table so that they can eat with us in a way." Hopefully that would be good enough for her and the cats.

He turned then to head up the stairs that lead to his apartments. When they could, he preferred to eat up there in the little kitchen he had. Adonis, sensing it was near time to eat himself, jumped down from the table to follow after Gideon. The white cat made a point to rub against Billie's legs before he went though.

---

  

"Oh."

She commented, shaking her head a bit to get her hair to sit back into its usual mess after it had been ruffled. She hadn't exactly realized she shouldn't be feeding cats people food. She knew they liked meat, so she sometimes would give them any that she could find, even if it was the tiniest taste. She filed the information away for the future.

Gideon's compromise about eating together, but differently had her grinning, "Yeah! Then it will be pretty much like we's eatin' together. C'mon Adonis and Soot!"

She reached down to give Adonis a gentle scratch atop his head when she felt him rub against her legs. Soot was picked up so that he wouldn't have to struggle to climb the stairs. At least, not today. He seemed rather small, and the stairs were quite large, even for her own little legs.

As they climbed, she whispered to the little black puff about which things he should and shouldn't touch when they got up there.

  

---

MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you