‘What’s going on?’ Gideon asked, meeting the eyes of the headmistress, who was sitting behind her desk.

Professor Dandridge stood up and said, ‘Gideon, your grandmother and your sister would like to speak with you.’

Gideon couldn’t imagine what they had to talk about unless something had happened. ‘Is it mum? Is she okay?’ he fretted.

‘Your mother’s doing just fine, dear,’ Annabeth assured him.

‘Then, what are you doing here?’ Gideon questioned accusatorily.

‘Let’s sit down,’ Annabeth suggested.

Three chairs awaited them at the desk, along with a tea tray. With some difficulty, owing to Tilly and Tolly clinging to him tightly, Gideon made his way over to the chair furthest from the others and faced the headmistress. He couldn’t bring himself to look at his grandmother and flinched when she extended a hand toward him.

‘I’m sorry, dear, it’s just, you look so different,’ Annabeth remarked about her grandson’s matching eyes and the hair that no longer concealed his face. She cleared her throat and turned to the headmistress while gesturing at the tea tray, ‘Do you mind, Lilah?’

‘I will do that, mistress,’ insisted Tilly, who stopped sobbing and gave a big sniff. Tolly remained by Gideon’s side clutching his arm.

‘Thank you, Tilly. Oh, where to start?’ Annabeth said nervously after a sip of tea. ‘I read about you in the Daily Prophet recently, dear. First, in the article by Caroline, and then, in the many stories that have followed since. Silly girl. I can’t bring myself to be as cross with my darling daughter as I might normally be, though, because had it not been for her foolishness, I may not have discovered that I have a second grandson.’

Gideon squinted at his grandmother and asked, ‘What do you mean?’

‘You see, dear, the article didn’t make sense to me at the time. It mentioned the “son of Marcus Maxwell”, but I knew that it couldn’t possibly be referring to Anthony. As the stories continued to expand on you and our family, I realised that something was wrong. I had no recollection of a Gideon Drake, nor a Gideon Maxwell for that matter.’

‘It was dad!’ Jennifer interjected hysterically. ‘He cast memory charms on us!’

Gideon’s mouth hung open as a mixture of shock and understanding washed over him.

‘The day that you came into my shop in Hogsmeade, I really didn’t know who you were,’ she explained before breaking down and Tilly handed her some tissues.

‘Tha-that can’t be…’ Gideon said at last.

‘I’m afraid it’s the truth, dear, and I’m ashamed to say it. My own son… When Sarah wakes up, she’ll be furious!’ Annabeth answered, shaking her head. ‘Naturally, I quickly put two and two together. I learned that the elves had been ordered not to speak of you, and you know that they can’t defy an order.’

‘We tried young master,’ Tilly declared, ‘but the mistress was in the hospital, the young mistress had moved to Hogsmeade, the masters were all at Hogwarts and the mistress senior did not remember! She did not understand our clues, and I could only bear closing the oven doors on my ears so many times a week as punishment.’

‘Oh, Tilly…’ Gideon said, understanding why the older elf’s ears were covered in bandages.

‘Caroline had been avoiding me after resigning from the Prophet in protest, thinking I was going to lecture her about her betrayal. When I finally got a hold of her, she understood and explained everything,’ Annabeth continued. ‘I had a reversal spell performed at St Mungo’s, and after I recovered, I went straight to your sister and unlocked her memory too. That’s when we contacted Lilah, I mean to say, Professor Dandridge.’

Gideon covered his head with his hands and murmured, ‘Caroline didn’t tell me she had resigned…’ He felt a headache coming on. ‘But Anthony?’ he questioned irritably.

Jennifer stopped bawling long enough to explain, ‘Anthony actually believed dad when he told us about you and blamed you for what happened to mum! Me and Gran could tell he wasn’t in his right mind, but our idiot brother went along with it. He wasn’t charmed but he didn’t know that dad later charmed us. That’s not to say he doesn’t deserve a good kicking, though!’

‘I don’t know what to do with all of this!’ Gideon snapped, his mind and heart pushed to the edge, ‘You have no idea… You have no idea what it’s been like! I-I… Oh, no. Professor, I think it’s happening!’

‘What’s happening?’ Annabeth queried.

Professor Dandridge got to her feet, swept around her desk, and met Gideon’s eyes closely, ‘Calm yourself, Gideon. Use the technique Professor Voronov taught you.’

‘Lilah?’ Annabeth pressed as the worried elves looked on between the gaps in their fingers.

Gideon took out his wand as he felt the magic within him rising to the surface and his skin begin to radiate. He sat on the floor with his feet touching each other, held his wand with both hands and steadied his breathing while concentrating hard.

After a series of deep breaths, while focusing on the tip of his wand, Gideon felt the power stop spreading and even begin to recede. It had worked. He had really prevented one of his magical episodes. Even so, Gideon continued the magical meditation exercise until he felt back to normal and opened his eyes. His wand and forearms were surrounded by a flickering orange aura.

‘Professor? What should I do?’ he asked uncertainly.

‘It’s okay, Gideon, you did well. This is just the excess magical energy that had already escaped, gathered to a point by your focusing technique. You can release it safely without using it. Just imagine you’re cancelling a spell.’

Gideon concentrated and pictured himself releasing a balloon into the sky. The energy flickered violently, then dissipated, and an invisible wave of force blew across the room like a gust of wind. Gideon sighed, then got to his feet with a pleased smile on his face. It disappeared when he remembered what had caused his near episode.

‘Will one of you please explain what we just witnessed?’ Annabeth demanded.

‘I don’t know what your intentions were by coming here today,’ Gideon addressed his grandmother and his sister, ‘but I’m not the same person I was six months ago. If you’re hoping for a reconciliation or something, I’m going to need some time. And not just to accept what you’ve said today. I need to get a hold on what’s happening to me.’

‘Does that mean you don’t want to come home?’ asked Jennifer incredulously.

Gideon was conflicted by this question. Deep down he wanted nothing more than to go home and for everything to go back to normal. However, that was not a possibility anymore. Not now. Too much had changed.

‘It’s not that simple,’ he explained, ‘you understand, don’t you, that we’re not related, not even legally? I’m a “ward of the Ministry”! Even if that wasn’t the case, after what you’ve just seen, you must realise it’s probably not a good idea. I think you also need to consider whether you really want me to come back.’

‘Blood? Paper? None of that matters. You are my grandson, Gideon, and I love you!’ his grandmother stated clearly. ‘I can’t imagine what things have been like for you, but you will always have a place to come home to, when you’re ready.’

‘Of course!’ Jennifer concurred.

‘Not if dad has anything to say about it—’

‘You leave your father to me!’ Annabeth spoke with her nostrils flaring. ‘There is something I need from you, though, Gideon. I have no right to ask it of you after everything that’s happened and what I’ve told you today, but...’

‘What is it?’

‘When the time comes, I need you to try and forgive your father.’

‘What? How could you ask me that after what he’s done to me? After what he’s done to you!’

‘Marcus will pay for what he’s done, dear, I will see to that! But I fear that the reasons behind his actions run much deeper than they appear. As Jennifer mentioned earlier, when he came home after you and your mother were hospitalised, he wasn’t himself. I dare say he was almost unhinged. I hadn’t seen him like that since your grandfather’s passing.

‘As you know, your grandfather was a great wizard. He always stood up for what was right. That made him a target and was ultimately the reason he was killed by Lord Voldemort’s supporters. At the time of his death, your father, along with anyone else in the Ministry who was deemed a threat but too well known to eliminate outright, was sent away by Pius Thicknesse, the Minister for Magic at the time, on a farcical mission to the US.

‘When Marcus returned and learned of Bernard’s murder, he was out of his mind with grief. He couldn’t forgive himself for not being there, especially after Thicknesse was revealed to be Lord Voldemort’s puppet. Naturally, we got our revenge, but he was never the same. Then, when you and Sarah were attacked…

‘Well, I expect it was like history was repeating itself. Marcus and Sarah are as deeply devoted a couple as I have ever known. He spoke as if she were already gone. I think his guilt caused him to attach blame to the only person he could.’

‘Me,’ Gideon finished for her. The story answered a lot of questions, but Gideon was far from ready to let go of his anger. ‘That doesn’t explain why he came to Hogwarts, though.’

‘My understanding was that he was ordered,’ Annabeth said, looking to Professor Dandridge for clarification.

The headmistress explained, ‘I’m afraid all I know is that he was the only capable candidate. I reasoned that if he hadbeen sent by the Ministry, and we were unable to fill the position, they would have appointed him anyway under Minister Granger-Weasley’s revival of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Two.’

‘I see. Well. We should be going. I never thought I’d be saying it at my age, but I have some parenting to do!’ Annabeth said pointedly. ‘Gideon dear, perhaps we’ll see you for Easter? I’ll be writing to you, now that I know where and who you are.

‘I didn’t get a chance to tell you before, but I’m very proud of you for getting into Hogwarts. I’d have preferred you were sorted into my old house, Ravenclaw, of course… But I’m told you’re doing very well, and I expect that to continue. Come, Jennifer, Tilly, Tolly.’

Tolly, however, protested, ‘But mistress, we cannot go without Master Gideon. Mother and I are preparing his favourite Christmas foods!’

Gideon felt awful.

‘Come, son, the young master must focus on his schoolwork,’ Tilly said, blowing her long nose loudly into a handful of tissues. ‘The professor lady will look after him for us.’

‘Indeed, I will,’ Professor Dandridge assured them.

Each of the departees gave Gideon a tight hug on their way out, which he had to force himself not to recoil from, and they wished him well. When the office door closed, Gideon collapsed into his chair and muttered, ‘I feel exhausted.’

‘I’m not surprised,’ the headmistress said as she, too, returned to her seat. ‘Once again, you’ve been given an awful lot to process. On top of that, you performed an exceptional piece of magical control.’

‘Do you think I did the right thing, Professor, not going with them?’

‘I think it was a difficult decision, but a wise one. Now was not the time to tell them everything that you have been made aware of, and I’m not under any legal obligation to do so.

‘I will be writing to your grandmother, however, to inform her about the incident in Hogsmeade. I’m told that it will be covered in the Daily Prophet, and she is an old friend of mine, so I feel I owe her a head’s up. Leaving without you today was not in her plans. She will undoubtedly be sending you an owl. Therefore, I suggest you attempt to ease her concerns.

‘Your attackers will be receiving punishments. In addition, I imagine the Prophet will backpedal now that they may have inadvertently caused the attack with their irresponsible reporting. Hopefully, you will be spared some scrutiny in the weeks ahead.’

‘Hopefully,’ Gideon agreed.

‘Even after what you’ve learnt today, Gideon, forgiveness doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t punish yourself for not feeling receptive right away. Give yourself time to work through this information.’

Gideon nodded in understanding. His grandmother’s absence and his sister’s refusal to acknowledge him made sense now. That didn’t erase the hurt, though. Not immediately at least.

***

With everything he had to think about, Gideon was glad for the solitude of the Common Room, where he spent much time curled up on the couch by the crackling fire, staring at the shining, silver decorations of the Christmas tree. Only two other Slytherins were staying for the holiday period, and they seemed to prefer the confines of their respective dormitories.

Gideon woke up late on Christmas Day, but when he finally did get out of bed, he was surprised to find a pile of presents and some envelopes sitting atop the trunk at the end of his bed. He hadn’t even considered that he might be getting gifts this year, let alone that they would be there when he woke up. Gideon jumped back on to his bed and tore into them with enthusiasm, starting with the envelopes.

A green envelope contained a glittering card from Malcolm Middling. It included some clippings from a wizarding magazine called The Quibbler and a note. Gideon was heartened to read that Mr Middling had spoken out in support of him to the press. However, the Middling Academy Principal believed the Prophet hadn’t run his interview as it “didn’t fit their narrative about him”.

The other three envelopes were cards from Dorian, Eoin and Tim, which Gideon appreciated. As for the presents, the first was an astrology book from Ruby, which focused on his star-sign. He smiled, remembering that they had once joked about the duality of his magic and the coincidence that his birthdate made him a Gemini.

The second gift was from Talia. She had given him a record titled, The Stargazers: Unplugged, which he couldn’t wait to sample. In a pink package was what turned out to be a black leather wand holster. It attached to the forearm, making it easy to store and draw one’s wand. The attached note showed that it was from his sister.

Merry Xmas Gid!

Here’s a prototype sample of something I’ve designed as a side venture. Seems like an obvious solution to wand storage, doesn’t it? There’s nothing like it on the market, though, and I’ve made them in different colours. Cross your fingers that they catch on!

Lots of love,

Jen

It did seem like an obvious idea, but Gideon had never seen such a thing before. He attached the holster to his arm and slipped his wand inside, then practiced drawing it like a duellist would. It worked nicely and would certainly cut down on stories about people sitting on or losing their pocketed wands.

Next, Gideon unwrapped a heavy gift in shiny red paper. It was a detective novel trilogy that he had been meaning to read. The gift card read:

Dear Gideon,

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Best Wishes,

From Jonathan, Samantha, Alex and Lucy

It was a few moments before Gideon realised who these people were. Apparently, they were the Grimsby family. He was oddly surprised but grateful that Mr Grimsby had thought of him, but then, Grimsby had mentioned he didn’t read the books he had once lent Gideon. Did that mean Alex Grimsby had suggested the gift? No. That was a silly thought, Gideon told himself with a derisive laugh.

Caroline had sent a humongous box of chocolates based on famous puddings from around the world, as well as a pouch of spending money. The card she included with it mentioned how she had spoken with his grandmother and again offered her sincere apologies for “the whole mess,” as she put it, but didn’t say anything about her resignation.

Gideon guessed that she had purposely failed to mention it, so he wouldn’t be inclined to forgive her, which made it that much harder to stay mad at her now that he knew. Caroline’s career meant everything to her, but she had put it in jeopardy over her editor stealing her notes. This knowledge certainly didn’t make everything better, but it made a difference to Gideon.

He enjoyed delicious Banoffee Pie, Treacle Tart and Strawberries & Cream varieties of the chocolates before opening the final present. Wrapped in shimmering gold paper was a white box. Inside the box was cushioning fabric holding a crystal ball. It resembled his Glowglobe, but it was smaller and opaque. Gideon had to open the card to find out what it was.

Dearest Gideon,

The latest developments in mageology are frightening the short-sighted fools at the Ministry of Magic, so the release of my designs is being held up indefinitely.

They fear that crystal magic will make it into the hands of Muggles, but it is my fervent belief that crystals are the key to empowering the Squib community.

You, of course, are no longer a Squib. However, I feel sure that you will still find a use for this tool. It requires constant contact and the activation incantation, Dissimulo. Cancel it with three taps.

Merry Christmas. I hope to hear from you soon.

Love always,

Gran

It was another of his grandmother’s magical inventions. It wasn’t a channelling rod, though, so it wasn’t designed to cast magic. Gideon surmised it must be more like the Glowglobe, so he held the ball up to his mouth and uttered the incantation, ‘Dissimulo.’

He expected the ball to glow or give off some sort of light as the Glowglobe did, but the opposite appeared to happen. The ball began to blur, and then, disappear from sight—along with his arm. Gideon waved his arm. He could see a distortion, but it was otherwise transparent.

Moving over to the mirror at the other end of the room, Gideon realised his whole body had disappeared. Almost anyway. As he moved, he could tell there was a person-shaped figure moving about. If he stood still, however, he was essentially invisible.