Blue magic on monday, and Susan's sitting in her normal seat: Front row, off to the side. "Good morning, Lady Grabiner."
He's snickering as he says it.
"That's 'Dame Susan', to you."
"What's the difference?"
Professor Grabiner walks in, talking. "It means she's not claiming honors she doesn't have. Though we do have a rule against using titles in school." He glares at her.
"I know, I didn't have a chance to mention that yet."
He took that as barely acceptable. "Does anyone else have any comments they feel the need to share?"
"Yeah, you shouldn't have made her break up with Damien."
"And what was this all about anyway?"
"And why Susan?"
The Professor holds up a hand, and gets instant silence. He turns to Susan. "I take it you took my request to not give unneeded details seriously."
She shrugged. "I've told a few people what they need to know."
"Apparently the rumor pipeline isn't working as well as usual." He turns to the class as a whole. "Three questions should not take us past our normal starting time."
It takes a moment for the class to realize they are open for questions. "Why Susan?"
"She happened to be present at the time, and knew of the reason for my needing an heir. In addition, she had done me a small but needed service at the time, allowing me to justify the adoption under the requisite codes."
"Why did you make her dump Damien?"
He turned back to Susan. "I did not tell her to break up with Damien, though I did provide information on his background that I thought my daughter should be aware of. Last question."
"Are you really a Baron?"
"Yes I am, although it means nothing these days. And, as I said: This school has a rule against using titles in any academic environment. So it is useless knowledge to you."
"Now, as your three questions are up, I expect you are ready for class to start."
"Daughter, I need to speak with you a moment." The Professor speaks, as class breaks up.
Susan waits for the room to empty. "Yes?"
Grabiner shut the door before speaking. "When I informed the council of your adoption, they requested to know what was to done with your birth-parents. You are no longer legally a wildseed, which means you have lost certain protections that you have had. And, as by the laws of magic you are no longer related to them, they cannot be monitored in the same fashion as they have been."
"Their first impulse, of course, is to have them forget you existed. I managed to get them to wait until I could consult with you."
"Oh."
"You don't need to answer immediately. I believe I can hold them from doing anything at least until the end of the school year. But we do need to think about it."
He sighs. "I am beginning to believe Petunia's preferred course might have had merit."
"You'd rather be my husband than my father?" Susan had to giggle. "I respect you, but I'm not sure I see that."
"It would have been simpler, at least. And it appears I may need to be your father in more than name."
"I was out cold."
"My own choice, then. And speaking of such, it appears you have 'dumped' Damien."
"If he had been lying to me about that, then I didn't know what else he might have been lying to me about. The first thing I had ever asked of him was for him to trust me with the truth; if he could not do that…" She shrugged.
"Did you take the rest of my advice?"
"He left with everything he had given me that I could return."
"I approve."
"Obviously."
He pondered a moment, and Susan wondered if she was dismissed, but he spoke again. "I fear he may not be dissuaded so easily. Take care, daughter."
"I will do the best I can. I made it very clear I wanted nothing more to do with him."
"And, apparently in public, too."
Susan shrugged. "There is very little private space for students. He came to my dorm."
"Well then. You may go."
Susan stood, and walked to the door. "Father?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for the information on Damien."
"It was my duty."
Ellen was waiting outside for Susan to emerge. "What was it? Did he have more complaints? He was rough on you in class today."
"I believe I'm now being measured by the standards of a Grabiner, not that of a normal student. But no, he asked what I wanted done with my parents."
"What do you mean "done with"?"
"Well, by magical law they aren't my parents anymore. Which means they don't get treated like parents of a wildseed: They are just normal people. And normal people don't get watched over, or whatever. Apparently they wanted to just wipe their memories, so I don't have to worry about them anymore."
"Oh."
They walked back to their dorm in silence, ignoring those around them.
"Tell me about your parents, your family."
"Well, we live on a farm. It's not a big farm - a couple of horses, some fields, some woods."
"Can you ride?"
"Yeah. I never competed or anything like that, but yeah, I'm decent. Anyway, it's just me, mom, and dad. Mom dropped out of college to raise me — said it's the best decision she ever made. Dad owns a plumbing business; he's in and out, but he's always got time for us. We used to go visit grampa on holidays, but he passed away just after my Choice. I think he might have known, but I'm not sure. If he did, he didn't have enough magic to save himself, or he just would rather go with family around."
"Mom's a great cook, and she takes care of the house, and the horses. They don't actually own any these days, they just house them. Dad's good with his hands, and always makes all his Christmas presents himself. Says it means more that way. I don't know, what else can I say about them? They are great folks. Mom calls me her little sunshine." Susan had tears in her eyes.
"I used to take riding lessons, but I had to give it up when my parents got divorced. I think they got me just so dad wouldn't, sometimes. Jenny's always been the star of the family. It didn't matter what my grades were, or how well I did in track, or anything else, it was always Jenny they cared about."
"Mom and my step-dad yell at each other a lot. They get along ok, really, but when they fight they fight. I'm… Often a reason why they are fighting. What should be done with me, that sort of thing. And with the magic, and them forgetting… It's just gotten worse."
They both sat there in silence for a while. "What do you think would happen if your parent's blonde-haired daughter came home for spring break with her best friend, some British noble's daughter raised in America?"
Susan looked up, and laughed. "You want them to think you are their daughter, and have me visit you?"
"It's just a thought. I've been thinking I should have them make my parents forget I exist, but I'd rather have someplace to go 'home' to, and… Well, I'm not sure what to do about your parents."
"I could just try telling them." She pulled out the letter she'd written the over the weekend, but never sent. "I just don't know what would happen."
"You could. I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to steal your parents — I don't want to do that. But it sounds like you are a big part of their life, and I don't know what would happen if they forgot you. I think mine would be happier without me. I know it'd be awkward, probably, but you'd get to see them, and I would get parents who actually like me, even if it's not really 'me' they like."
"They'd love you for you, soon enough, I'm sure." She thought a moment. "Let's go find Professor Grabiner."
After a bit of searching, they managed to find him cleaning up the Red magic classroom. "Yes?"
"I, we have an idea. Ellen wants her parents to forget she exists. I want this letter delivered to mine. If, after reading it, my parents do anything but write back saying they are happy for me, I want them to forget the letter, what I look like, and my name. Can we do that?"
"And once they've forgotten what you look like and what your name is, what then?"
"Next time I'm expected home, Ellen will go instead. With her friend the American Baronetess. Who may have to arrive the next morning or something."
"And if they write back saying they are happy?"
Susan shrugged. "Then I'll visit with my friend Ellen. Who's an orphan, and so couldn't go home to her parents for the holidays."
Grabiner studied them for a moment, then took the letter from Susan's hands. "I will talk to the council."
"Thank you."
Author's Notes: Lots going on, for different reasons. Grabiner is a bit more free with information here, partly because it is public. In the marriage path, it's never meant to be. Also, this is an 'acceptable' relationship: He feels more comfortable discussing it.
I'm not sure if I'll do anything more with Damien, but I wanted to leave an opening.
And as for the last scenes… This is part of why I'm moving the timeline around: I want to show the effects of this decision. It's both very impulsive and not at the same time: Susan knows that something will have to be done about her birth-parents. In the marriage path, it's reasonable to just keep it a secret, but she can't do that here. She is no longer their daughter, legally. (I assume there's some paperwork going on in the background, being smoothed over magically.) This affects all kinds of things, and it will come up. The Council has an easy solution, partly based on the assumption that she wanted this.
On the other hand, she does love her parents, and knows her parents love her. That she is and has been a major part of their lives, if not the center of their lives. She doesn't want them to forget her, and knows in her heart that making them forget she ever existed will break them in ways she doesn't understand.
So, Ellen's offered solution allows her a way out, a way that hurts as little as possible. And then Susan can put it in her parent's hands: If they cause a problem, there is a solution. If they don't, then she's keeping no secrets. Waiting would only hurt more, and it's always possible the Council will act anyway, if something happens. She's not telling them to make them forget her. She's offering that compromise, if it's needed.
Ellen, on the other hand, knows (or at least thinks she knows) that her family will be happier without her. This offers her a connection to something like how she grew up, and helps out a friend. She thinks she can handle it.