Work Text:
Saturday, October 9th, 2021
“Ally?” Narcissa said a bit louder than necessary, to get her girlfriend’s attention away from her book.
“Yeah?” Alice smiled up at her from where she was sitting on the floor next to Narcissa’s bed.
“I need to tell you something….Important.”
Alice lost her smile, face scrunching up as it always did when she was concerned, as she moved to sitting on the bed with Narcissa. “What is it, babe?”
“Do you remember how when we started dating you came out as bisexual and Atticus Smith said you didn’t need to be bisexual to date me?”
“Yeah….I still don’t understand that comment?”
“Well, as you know, Atticus is from an ancient pureblood family, just like me. I know you’re a first generation pureblood, so you don’t really get all the customs, but all the ancient family kids know each other from a young age. So, I’ve known Atticus, and Lucius, and Crabbe, and Goyle, and Nott, and all of them since I was born, or since they were at least.”
“So?”
Narcissa took a deep breath, unconsciously looking up so Alice couldn’t see her tears. Black’s weren’t supposed to cry. “Well, he said that because….He and the rest of the ancient family kids know that, until I was ten, I was a boy.”
“Oh.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Why?” Alice seemed genuinely perplexed.
“I lied to you.”
“No you didn’t.”
“A lie of omission. I didn’t tell you an important piece of information leading to a misunderstanding.”
“I didn’t misunderstand anything.”
“You thought I was a girl.”
“You are a girl.”
“But, I was born—”
“A girl, yes, I’m aware. That is how gender works.” Alice cut her off.
“No, Ally….You know I….I don’t have a girl body.”
“You’re a girl with a body, so your body is a girl body. It’s as simple as that.”
“But….I have a—” Narcissa scrunched her nose in disgust, “a penis.”
“So?”
“Girls don’t have…those.”
“Sure they do, some do at least. The genitals you were born with and the whether or not you choose to change it doesn’t have any impact or relation to your gender….I mean: of course your sex determined how you were raised which changed you, but I’m talking about the most basic sense of your gender. Nothing to do with experiences or presentation, just you being a girl.”
“Is it really okay?”
“Of course, Cissa. I love you, not your body….Well, I love your body too, but I would still love you regardless.”
Narcissa quietly gasped, every “I love you” was still unexpected, magical. “I—I love you too.”