August 2nd, 1888 - London

Even though the fog had all but clearer the afternoon prior, it had still been a bit of a surreal experience to wake up to a true sunset. One with plenty of bright rays to be seen unhindered by the dusty smelling fog. Suffice to say, it was the kind of morning to put anyone in a good mood. Especially if they were someone that had been stuck in the fog for nearly two months. Gideon was no exception.

After a quick morning routine, he'd wandered down into the shop but left the closed sign on the door. He'd begun gathering up a couple of cases that fit well within each other, all of them with their own varying containers inside. He needed to replenish some stock so that he wouldn't be missing anything needed for the busy days to come. Surely, there were plenty of young witches and wizards just chomping at the bit to get their first wands. He also had a few repairs to see to. But first, a trip into London to visit with some suppliers then off to Diagon Alley to see more. He'd just finished getting all of his things ready when little Billie had all but barged into the shop with his usual chipper demeanor and grins. Gideon thought that the grin would nearly have broken his face in two when he'd invited Billie along with him. He'd need some help after all, and Billie deserved a little break from being stuck in the fog as well.

He'd held Billie against him as they appareted into one of the magical streets of London just near where his supplier would be. He'd quickly gotten that work taken care of and one of the cases meticulously filled before the man and little boy duo went about on their way. There were a few more stops to make in London before getting into Diagon Alley and they had to cross about in some of the muggle streets of the town as they went. Being in a good mood, Gideon simply smiled as the little lad prattled on. He was clearly excited by all the things he was getting to see, especially since Billie had likely never been much further than Hogsmeade.

After another quick stop, he treated the boy to an ice from a street vendor before they were on their way again. "One more stop around here," Gideon said, smiling down at the lad, "Then we can head off to Diagon Alley."

---

  

London!

Never in her wildest dreams had Billie thought she would end up in London, or that it would take so little time to arrive there. When she had barged in on Gideon that morning to point out the obvious and offer up her help, she hadn't expected an invitation. And they weren't just going to muggle London, but to Diagon Alley, too! She had heard other children chatter about their trips there. She had accepted the offer before the poor man had even finished fully extending it.

Apparating took her by surprise. She had assumed they would take a train or maybe a carriage, but the instantaneous, nauseating teleportation, left her emptying her stomach on some poor soul's doorstep. However, that did not dash her spirits in the slightest. She recovered quite quickly and merrily accompanied Gideon on his various errands. Billie tried not to ask too many questions, but exuberance got the best of her. She proved to be quite an acceptable helper, albeit a chatty one.

Ice cream had also been unexpected. At first, the waif hadn't quite known what to do with the frozen treat. It was something she wished would linger on her taste buds forever, but it melted into soup rather quickly. All in all, she LOVED it. If there was a world record for the amount of thank yous in one breath, Billie probably took the prize.

"This is the best day!" She chirped, her little legs hurrying along next to Gideon. "Ya sure know lotsa people." She added in response to his declaration of another stop even before Diagon Alley.

With a spring in her step, she continued along, winding down one street after the other. She looked about to comment on a particular shop they had just wandered past when a confused shout rang out behind them.

"Billie?"

Whirling about, the child turned and stared at a boy who stood quite a few heads taller than she did. They had the same colored hair, but his curled, and his wide eyes were brown instead of a blue-ish green. He had moved up in the world and had joined the same household as his mother, as a lowly boot boy, but he was proud none-the-less. The two siblings gaped at one another for a few long seconds before Billie broke the silence.

"Joe! What's ya doin' here?" Before her brother could answer, Billie had turned to Gideon excitedly. "That's my brother, Joe!" Could the day get any better? The last time she'd seen him had been a few weeks after she had transformed herself into a boy and had decided to leave town. Presently, she gave no thought to the possibility that her mother might be accompanying him. Instead, she busied herself with happy running one circle around her brother and then back to Gideon's side. "This is Mr. Ollivander."

  

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

Gideon chuckled lightly as the little lad exclaimed it being the best day. He couldn't help but to smile knowing he'd been able to make it such for Billie. He'd gotten used to the kid being around, after all, and quite enjoyed his happy optimism even if he was a bit of a scoundrel. He definitely didn't have proper manners or even speak properly most of the time but none of that really mattered. For all Gideon knew, he'd been on the streets his whole life. He'd never really pried into Billie's life before, not feeling it was all that proper to do. But he still hired him to do little jobs whenever and definitely wanted to see the kid succeed as well as he could. He'd do what he could help.

As they were nearing their next stop, he heard someone call out Billlie's name. Both stopped and Gideon turned to look and see who it was that had called his name. A brow raised when he saw the taller boy standing there and looking at them with obvious confusion. He'd already taken note of the familial similarities when Billie had turned to him and exclaimed the other boy was his brother. He couldn't help but to chuckle again as the little lad ran a circle around the two of them, telling his brother who Gideon was.

"Gideon Ollivander," he offered simply as he stuck his hand out to the boy to shake. He didn't know anything of the boy before him or of Billie's past even if it was now presenting itself to him. But as such, he wasn't about to mention Hogsmeade. He didn't know if the other boy was a wizard as well or just a muggle but if he had to guess, he'd go with the latter.

---

  

Joe seemed to have better manners than his sister, but only because he had slowly been learning so he could eventually move up in the ranks of his workplace. He returned Gideon's handshake with a small grin and replied with a simple, "Joseph Farrow. Pleased to meet ya--erm, you, sir."

Before Joe could say anything else, Billie interrupted, spouting out a question that burned in her mind. "What are you doing in London?" Her eyes widened, since he was the last person she had expected to see out on their travels. Then again, it had been months since she had seen him last.

"I should ask you the same question!" Joe laughed out, clearly delighted to see Billie, but a bit of worry scrunched up his face as he attempted to answer the smaller child's question. "Well, we--" We. He cast a quick glance around and seemed to decide on a different course of action. "Hey, how long are ya here for, Billie? Maybe we could meet up some other day because--"

Disappointment clouded Billie's face. Another day? She could never explain that they were only there for just the one, or how they would soon be far from London in an instant. She looked about to protest, but another voice rang out on the street that had her dashing over to Gideon's side. She shot him a pleading look, somewhat hoping he would decide it was time they moved on before the woman took notice of them, but it was too late.

"Joseph," Anna barked sharply. "I told you to wait for me by the--" The woman's brown eyes zeroed in on the small girl who tried to make herself appear as small as possible. At first, Anna didn't recognize the child, assuming she must be just another urchin wandering about the London streets, but once look at Billie's face had her scowling. "Wilhelmina." She spat out as if even just the word itself were poison.

"Mum, I think we--" Joseph cringed and attempted to draw Anna away, so that Gideon and Billie wouldn't have to deal with such an unpleasant encounter. However, his mother's gaze drifted up to the man who accompanied the little wastrel, and it immediately soured.

"You." Anna jabbed a finger accusingly in Gideon's direction. She dressed differently than the last time he had seen her, more put together and neat. Her curly hair was pulled back into a bun so tight that it pulled at the corners of her eyes. The stench of liquor did not hang around her, and she seemed more serious than the somewhat giggly mess she had been that night.

The following 1 user Likes Billie Farrow's post:1 user Likes Billie Farrow's post
   Aldous Crouch

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

Gideon was pleasantly surprised and a bit irritated by the young man's obvious manners. Surprised, because he was Billie's brother and Billie had never been the most polite when it came down to manners. Not that he thought him a rotten child. He was just a bit rougher around the edges. Irritated, because clearly this taller boy, Joseph, didn't live on the streets and was enjoying a better upbringing that what Billie clearly had had. He felt bad for the little lad, wondering further just why he'd be cast out and forced to fend for himself.

But, it wasn't the time to delve into such thing, nor was it really his place to do so. Instead, he watched quietly as the two spoke, taking note of the obvious enthusiasm Billie showed over seeing his brother. It fell when the older boy started to mention meeting another day. Clearly he didn't have a clue where Billie was living or how he was living if he thought it would be that easy. But before anything could be further discussed, the sharp voice of a woman greeted them.

Hazel eyes turned up to look at the woman coming toward them. She looked rather.. severe. And with the way Billie hid behind him, he could only imagine why the little lad had left. But..Wilhemina? The name was decidedly feminine and quite clearly directed at Billie. He looked to Billie with a raised brow, the confusion evident as he regarded the little lad. But as the other boy started to try and diffuse the situation, Gideon looked up in their direction and soon the stern woman turned her attention on him and jabbed a finger in his direction.

A hand came up to point at himself, brow still raised in evident confusion as he looked at the woman. "Me?" he asked, tone confused just like the look on his face, "What of me? Do I know you?"

---

  

After her full, first name had been practically shouted in the street, it took Billie quite a few moments to clue back into the conversation. Why was she here? Billie had hoped the day she'd been thrown out was the last she'd ever see of her mother. The small girl had walked as far as she could and found a place where she thought the woman could never locate her, but, somehow, they had crossed paths in London.

And then she had to go and blow her cover! People were much less likely to allow girls to help with certain tasks, and it was, frankly, safer to be a boy out on your own. But she knew nobody would ever understand. Chewing fiercely on the neck of her shirt, she worried Gideon would be angry that she lied, and she wouldn't be able to assist him around the shop anymore. Maybe he hadn't noticed? She peeked up at Gideon as if trying to gauge his reaction, but her own attention was pulled to the two adults as they spoke to one another. What was going on?

"Don't play the fool," Anna snapped, fully assuming that Gideon must remember her, and he was just choosing to pretend that he did not. After all, it wouldn't be the first time a man has done so to her, especially one she had met while plastered. "The Jolly Juggler." She stated with narrowed eyes, naming the pub they met at. It was a ridiculous name for a drinking establishment. Before the wandmaker could respond, she had rather accusingly added, "September 1878."

Anna shot a ferocious look at the pair, and Billie stumbled a few steps backwards as if trying to give everyone more space. She clearly expected Gideon to remember their brief affair, and the rage at him having forgotten broiled, near ready to erupt. To say Anna Farrow was a short fuse was an understatement.

Joe attempted again to steer his mother away, but she ignored him.

  

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

Gideon hadn't forgotten Billie was next to him but he didn't have a chance to look to him again. Or her. He didn't really know what in Merlin's beard was going on in that moment. One minute they'd been happily seeing to errands and being introduced to Billie's brother and the next a woman was all but yelling at them. Worst of all, he didn't have a clue who she was. He didn't remember her in the slightest.

Until she started snapping at him further. He remembered the name of the pub she mentioned, he'd drank there plenty of times. It was out of the way enough that he wasn't recognizable by the locals and he could often have a bit of fun without worry. At least, that had been his thought back in his younger years. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been there. Until she said a date. That was probably the last time he'd been there. He remembered taking a particularly intoxicated, but willing, young woman to bed one night around that time.

Eyes narrowed slightly as he gave the woman yelling at him a thorough looking over. He supposed she could have been the woman from nearly ten years ago. She was a lot more stern and angry now though. Back then she'd been fun and giggly. She hadn't been awful in bed either. But, the look of realization was unmistakable on his face as he started putting facts together. The hand that had been pointing at himself came up to rub the back of his neck.

"Looks as though you've done well for yourself.." he said, leaving the ending a bit open as he really didn't remember her name or if he'd even gotten it. He'd never seen her again after, obviously, so it was all a bit awkward. Especially considering there were children present.

---

  

The two children lingered there, both unable to intervene. The younger of the two definitely didn't understand what her mother seemed to be insinuating, while the elder turned pink about the ears. Joe and Billie gawked uselessly while the woman continued her tirade.

Anna's eyes narrowed at Gideon's comment, and she almost seemed appeased, but she soon took the comment as an insult. "No thanks to you," she spat out in a tone that seemed to indicate she blamed him for every hardship she faced since their escapade nearly ten years prior.

Anna shot her son a warning look not to follow and quickly closed the gap between her and Gideon. While Joe had attempted to show his manners, his mother had decided to throw hers away, making it completely clear where Billie had learned hers from. "You're the reason for this...this--" She jabbed a finger in poor Billie's direction while she searched for the right words to fill in the blank. "Unnatural devil."

He had to be. The dates lined up. He was the lone candidate in long stretches between her conquests. He was also the only true stranger she had slept with. The rest had been village farmhands or gentlemen who wanted more than what they were getting from their wives. They were so normal and simple that she couldn't fathom someone such as Billie being created by them. It had to be Gideon. She'd convinced herself as much, and the timeline fit perfectly.

  

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

Gideon's confusion was quickly giving way to anger. He didn't know this woman. Didn't recognize her, anyways. And the way she was speaking to him certainly wasn't doing her any favors either. But he bit his tongue. He stood there silently as the angry woman continued on her tirade and eventually even stepped closer to him. He was going to let it go. Going to simply take Billie and walk away. But calling the little kid next to him an unnatural devil was a bit of a breaking point for him.

His hazel eyes flashed dangerously as his glare focused directly on the woman before her. The insinuation wasn't lost on him. She was accusing Gideon of being the father to Billie, he realized. But that was of little consequence in the moment. What rankled him wasn't the accusation of being a father but of the child he'd grown to enjoy the company of as being something awful.

"You'll listen to me," he ground out, taking a step closer to her so he towered over her and forced her to have to look up to see his face, "You'll apologize to the child. Regardless what your thoughts may be, you never treat a child in such a way." His tone was icy and dangerous, much like his gaze was focused on her with such an intensity that it would be hard to not look away from. "And then if you see Billie again, though it's doubtful, you'll not say a word. You'll not even so much as look in Billie's direction," he added, glancing briefly to the child next to him before turning the glare back to the woman, "Nor mine. Billie will be none of your concern from this point on and will be mine alone." He could hardly believe he was saying such but he couldn't very well let the child be abandoned again, especially now that it was clear why Billie had been initially. Close minded and disgusting bitch.

"Are we clear?" he asked, brow raised as he awaited a response.

---

  

The insult stung, but it wasn't anything Billie hadn't heard from her mother before. She knew the woman feared and despised magic. In a way, the child understood. The unknown and unexplained could be terrifying, and it made sense to try and push it away. She had done the same thing after her first bouts of accidental magic. The only difference was, Billie sought to understand the power inside her. Her mother refused to even try and be open-minded. Anna was supposed to be her mother, supposed to protect her, but she had done the complete opposite. She could never comprehend that.

Gideon's reaction confounded Billie. Nobody, aside from Joseph's feeble attempts, had ever stood up for her. She stared at him slack-jawed, albeit from a sudden distance in case his wrath turned on her, as he gave the woman a piece of his mind.

Anna stood her ground. Apologize? The gall. The little cretin had nearly ruined hers and Joseph's chances at steady employment. She was too much of a risk to have around. Unfeeling eyes locked on Gideon's icy ones. She nervously smiled at him, trying to gain the upper hand once more. She refused to show that the man had won. After all, Billie was his problem now. His terms would be quite easy to meet since she didn't want to see her in the first place.

"Clear as glass," she intoned in a sarcastic manner, starting to move away. "She's your problem now." Anna stormed in Joseph's direction, refusing the apology Gideon had demanded. She would not make amends for something she felt was her right to do. She would not give him the satisfaction.

  

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

Gideon continued to glare at the woman, grinding his teeth as he waited. He was struggling to further bite his tongue and not say more, to not reach out and shake the woman bodily. And when the apology didn't come, he reached out to grab her but thought better of it with his hand in mid air. Clutching his hand into a tight fist, he dropped it to his side and simply glared at her receding form with the other boy in tow. So help him if he saw the woman again..

Taking a moment to focus his breathing, he simply stared forward for a time. It took him a little bit to regain his own calm composure. He didn't want to turn the anger on Billie. She.. he.. whatever the kid was, didn't deserve it. But, there were clearly questions that needed to be answered. Things that needed to be decided on. And.. he wasn't about to force Billie into anything. The poor kid had already been dealt a shitty enough hand and he wasn't going to had to any pain if he could help it.

Calmed enough, he turned to look at Billie and knelt to the ground so that he was closer to the kid's level. "Do you understand anything of what was just said?" he asked, keeping his tone calm and even though there was still a ferocity in his eyes he couldn't easily clear, not with the anger he still felt burning within him.

---

  

"Joseph!"

The shriek shook the older boy out of his thoughts, and he reluctantly turned to leave on the heels of his mother. Joe knew it was likely the last time he would ever see his sister, at least for a very long time. Sorrow caused his face to sag as he looked upon her. He had wished to flee with her, but he had a job now, one that would hopefully allow him to move on to better things. He couldn't just throw that away. It was his only means of escape. He wasn't like his sister.

"Goodbye, Billie."

The small girl stood, arms uselessly hanging at his side as she observed the scene unfold before her. She flinched when she thought Gideon was about to grab her mother. The woman would have certainly deserved it, but it wasn't a side of the man she wished to see.

She awkwardly lingered in the silence, a bit grateful for the moment to fully collect her thoughts and half-process what had just happened. She had so many questions, but she didn't voice them for once. When Gideon finally spoke, she blinked at him and offered him a single nod.

"W...well, erm, sorta?"

Carding fingers through her unruly hair, Billie struggled to explain. Instead she blurted out. "'M real sorry for her. She..." But any excuse she had thought she had drifted away. She was just sorry Gideon had to meet the dreadful woman. Nobody should have to deal with her.

"B...but. How come she knowed you?"

  

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

Gideon wanted to stop her from apologizing for the awful woman but didn't. There was little that could be done for it. But if he had his way, they'd never see her again. He'd do what he could to see to that. Clearly she wanted nothing to do with Billie anyways. It should be an easy enough thing to see to. He hoped anyways. But with the woman's lack of magic, it would be fairly easy to avoid her in the future. Hogsmeade would be a safe haven from her kind. He'd just have to keep Billie in the areas that the other woman could get to.

But Billie's question was a harder one to answer and a pained expression flitted over his face as a result. "Well..Billie," he started, clearing his throat some as he avoided her gaze, "Your mother and I met. Once. Though..it.. Well what happened isn't something you'd understand right now and I'm not the one to explain it." Merlin help him if he ever had to be the one to explain such things to her..

"What matters is that she made it very clear," he continued, taking in a deep breath, "That I'm your father." He stopped then, not wanting to continue further because surely she'd have questions.

---

  

Tugging and scrunching one of her shirt sleeves, Billie also avoided looking Gideon in the eye as she struggled to fully grasp what he seemed to be saying. However, his last statement seemed straightforward enough and she took a step back. "H...uh?"

How had her mother made that clear? Perhaps, it was the bits she couldn't comprehend, and the reasoning the man declined to explain. Was that why Anna had declared Gideon as the reason for her? How could she know if they had met just once? Billie knew very little about where babies came from, but she had always assumed one had to be married first. At least, that's what the church preached.

"Are ya sure?" She questioned. Perhaps, that's where her magic had come from. It would make sense, but he could never imagine Gideon and her mother being together in any capacity, especially not friendly enough to create her.

  

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

Gideon wasn't sure how much better he could explain, not without getting into major details he didn't think she was ready to know. It was clearly uncharted territory for him. But Billie's mother had made it clear to him that he was her father.

"You're not likely to understand now," he offered with a shrug, "But I'm sure. Your mother seemed sure enough anyways. And it could very well explain your magical abilities cause there's no damned way she's got any ounce of magic to her." He was certain of that much. If she had, she wouldn't have reacted so poorly to Billie's shows of magic.

"But, just cause I am doesn't mean I have to be anything more to you if you don't want," he added, hoping to soften it however he could, "I'll help you however I can, however much you want me to. You can even stay in the shop and I'll see to it you're properly clothed. But.. it's all up to you." He wanted to be very clear on that front. He wouldn't force her to do something she didn't want.

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If Gideon was also sure, then it must be true. What reason did he have to lie? "Yeah, she don't have no magic. Or Joe. Just me. His father died." She explained with a shrug. Billie imagined her mother would have had a bad sort of magic if she possessed any at all. That thought alone had the girl's shoulders scrunching up toward her ears.

The child nodded slowly, not quite sure how to respond to his offer of aid. She didn't know what a father was supposed to be like. Or any sort of parental figure, really. Her mother wasn't exactly a good example of either. Billie wasn't sure what she was supposed to expect Gideon to be.

With eyebrows furrowed, she simply offered, "I...I dunno. Can we still be friends or somethin'?" At least, that's what she had hoped she was to him. Or at least a good helper around the shop. It was clear, the girl didn't know how families were supposed to work. All she wished in life were for friends and just to get by.

  

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