Dionisia exhaled loudly through her nose, the idea of telling Ari an unwelcome one in the middle of this. Her life was a balancing act; between Elliott's upbringing, her hospital job, Ari and his secrets and the lie she'd told him, her renewed friendship with Zelda and her relationship drama, and Ben's new place in her life, she did not feel there was time to introduce confessions and more heartache.
"My biggest worry," she began, her eyes moving to the letters from Ben. She'd told him how she and Ari's relationship was founded on trust and respect, but there was also affection—not romantic affection, but a mutual trust and a mutual desire to see their son raised happily. "My biggest worry is that Ari will think I am trying to replace him, that I'm trying to push him out of Elliott's life. I'm not. But - Zelda, if I could have had a fulfilling relationship with my own blood family, I would have given up my magic. I would have." It was one of those truths that was known between them, but that they never acknowledged aloud. Zelda had been there when Dionisia was in and out of the orphanage, bouncing from friend's house to friend's house in her best attempt to stay afloat. Zelda knew how she spent the summers stressing over classwork, not because she was especially studious but because getting good grades meant staying at Hogwarts, and she needed he OWLs to get a good enough job.
"And Ben... he's not a bad person, no matter what is said about him. He shows more an interest in Elliott's growth than my father ever showed for mine, and I - I cannot deprive him of knowing. Does that make me a bad person?" she asked, craning her head around to look up at Zelda.
"My biggest worry," she began, her eyes moving to the letters from Ben. She'd told him how she and Ari's relationship was founded on trust and respect, but there was also affection—not romantic affection, but a mutual trust and a mutual desire to see their son raised happily. "My biggest worry is that Ari will think I am trying to replace him, that I'm trying to push him out of Elliott's life. I'm not. But - Zelda, if I could have had a fulfilling relationship with my own blood family, I would have given up my magic. I would have." It was one of those truths that was known between them, but that they never acknowledged aloud. Zelda had been there when Dionisia was in and out of the orphanage, bouncing from friend's house to friend's house in her best attempt to stay afloat. Zelda knew how she spent the summers stressing over classwork, not because she was especially studious but because getting good grades meant staying at Hogwarts, and she needed he OWLs to get a good enough job.
"And Ben... he's not a bad person, no matter what is said about him. He shows more an interest in Elliott's growth than my father ever showed for mine, and I - I cannot deprive him of knowing. Does that make me a bad person?" she asked, craning her head around to look up at Zelda.
