An Eighteen Year Old Secret.

Or Less.

The following day Queenie was out all day working. She usually left work at six in the morning. Poppy was usually already awake but she slept in again today. Poppy was sleeping peacefully and dreaming of sweet nothings until she felt a bucket of freeing-ass cold water poured on her. All over, head to two. "AAAHHH!" She screamed.

"SORRY!"

Poppy looked up and saw Mary-Helen standing at the end of her bed. Her wand in her hand and four empty buckets of water hovering above. "Mary-Helen!?"

She smiled and waved. "Morning," She nervous laughed. "Important."

"Huh?"

"I had to wake you up ASAP. It's important." She said. "I wouldn't if it wasn't."

Poppy sat up from her bed as she looked bewildered at her old friend. "Mary-Helen, what's this about?"

Mary-Helen tossed over a towel and some dry clothes. "It's Friday. What do you remember about the past three days since your birthday?"

Poppy, still waking up, looked at her and blinked several times. "Huh?"

"What do you remember about the past three days since your birthday?"

Poppy shrugged as she dried herself off. "I had work off Tuesday. So I woke up and hung around in my PJ's all day. Wednesday and Thursday I woke up, hung around got ready for work, went to work came back at three-thirty and slept until seven-thirty. Woke up to eat dinner and then go back to bed around eleven." She then paused and said. "Wow, this is what old is? Sleeping a lot?'

Mary-Helen said, "I don't think your sleeping is oldness. At least the big naps you take before you wake up at seven-thirty." Poppy gave her a look. "Get ready and meet me down in the kitchen."

Poppy just stared at the girl as she left the room. What in the hell was going on? She shrugged as she left for the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later Poppy emerged into the kitchen to find Mary-Helen sitting at the table biting into an apple. "Sorry, I got hungry."

"No worries." Poppy sat down next to her. "So what's this about?"

"You need to trust me on this." Mary-Helen said. "I know in the past I've sucked and left you. I followed the wrong crowd and left you behind."

Poppy shrugged. "Eh. Forgive, forget." Although she was still hurt by being left behind by her friend. "What's this about?"

Mary-Helen picked up a jeweled basin-like bowl and placed it in the center of the table. "Poppy, your mom has been lying to you."

"What!?"

"Your mom has been lying to you." She repeated. "Poppy, your dad is still alive." Poppy felt her eyes bulge out. "This is a pensieve."

"A what?" The squib asked.

"It's a dish that carries powerful and complex enchantments. They hold over the power of memories and when recreated the memories are very re-liveable and can be viewed as a third person by a non-participant." Mary-Helen explained. "I didn't want to have to use this but your mom didn't give me a choice."

"Mary-Helen, this is silly. My mom said my dad, aunt and uncle died. There is no way that she would lie to me about death. Who lies about death?"

"Well, mom's who care. But this doesn't seem right to do. Especially if someone is alive." The girl replied. "I told you all of this the day after your birthday."

Poppy rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you did, why don't I remember?"

"You mentioned it to her."

"And?"

"She had to obliviate you. I talked to you the next day and you had no idea what I was talking about. Same story. Wake up, hang out at home, get ready for work, go to work, home by three-thirty and sleep from then until seven then hangout more until you go to bed at eleven. Poppy, you don't sleep in the afternoon! You get obliviated and it just feels like sleep!" Mary-Helen shouted. "I said this all over again and again you must had told her because I came over around one in the morning and you have NO IDEA what I was talking about!"

"Bad memory?"

"No. You said that you slept after you came home from work. Poppy, haven't you wondered why the past few years you slept in the afternoon? When you were never like that growing up?"

Poppy said, "You want to sleep more as you get older."

"Not in this case."

"Mary-Helen," Poppy rubbed her temple. "None of this makes any sense. My mom wouldn't lie to me about death. Especially World War II with a husband and sister who are both in Europe and probably sent to camps because they're Jewish and the sister's husband too because he is married to a Jewish person."

Mary-Helen pushed the dish bowl over to her and said, "Look inside."

"No."

"Do it!"

Poppy glared with intensity at her old friend. She didn't believe her friend but she figured the more she did what the old friend said, the sooner the crazy girl would leave the house. Poppy looked into the bowl and saw the past memories...

Queenie walked into the home and tossed her rain soaked stuff into the basket. "Poppy?" She called out. No answer. "Poppy?" Again, no answer. "Rosie? Rose?" She called. No answer. She heard a mug be placed into the kitchen sink so she knew her daughter was home. Queenie walked into the kitchen and saw Poppy at the counter. "Poppy!"

Poppy glared at her. Eyes knitted together and, if fire could emerge from eyebrows, a volcanic eruption would burst.

"What's wrong, Poppy?"

Poppy sat up with arms crossed. "You lied to me." She said.

"What?"

"You. Lied. To. Me."

"What are you—" Queenie began but then read her daughter's mind (You said Dad and my aunt and uncle died but they're ALIVE!) "Who said that?"

"Doesn't matter. You lied to me." Poppy said. "How could you do that to me?"

"Poppy—"

Poppy sat up quickly, knocking the chair behind her, shouting at Queenie. "WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO ME ABOUT THAT? ALL I EVER WANTED WAS A DAD BUT I NEVER COULD BECAUSE NO GUY WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO BE A DAD AND HUSBAND! WE HAD SOMEONE, MOM! WE HAD A DAD AND HUSBAND!"

Queenie stared at Poppy frighteningly for a second before calmly saying, "Your father was a coward."

"Coward?"

"A coward?"

"Mom!" Poppy threw her arm and hand out. "We're talking about someone who was in the first World War and probably World War II—"

"Not that. A coward to not want to date me properly."

"What?!"

"Honey," Queenie rubbed her temple. "MACUSA forbids any sort of interaction between the wizarding community and non-wizarding community. There's laws that forbid us for being together."

"SO WHAT?" Poppy shouted. "THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT!"

"ROSE!" Queenie shouted. "I could care less if MACUA learned about us. I wanted to be with your father and I knew, I knew, he wanted to be with me. But he wouldn't do a thing about it."

"Because of the law!?"

"Yes."

Poppy shook her head and tried to think it over for the millionth time. "Mom! Runaway to Canada! You said to me Canada is like Europe or England!"

"I didn't know anything about MCG at the time. I didn't know their rules. Had I known that the rules about the Magical Canadian Government allowing the wizarding community and non-wizarding community to interact with one another; I would have told your father we should move here!"

Poppy shook her head at Queenie. "No. No, I don't believe any of this."

"It's true."

"Who is he?"

"Your father?"

The teenager rolled her eyes and said, "No, the president of America right now. YES MY DAD!"

Queenie eyeballed her daughter. A smile came to her face. "In the cabinet behind you there's a white box with blue birds on it." Poppy nodded, knowing what her mother was talking about. "All the information is in there."

Poppy turned around to the cabinet. She picked up her chair and dragged it across. While she did so, Queenie grabbed her wand from the table and slowly walked over. Poppy stood on the chair to grab the item. Just as she was opening the cabinet and searching for the white box with blue birds decoration, Queenie quietly walked over until she was a few inches away from Poppy.

"Obliviate."

Poppy turned around a few moments later with a large yawn. "You ever wake up but realize you aren't awake until minutes later? Like, you don't even realize you fell asleep or even woke up? Either that or I'm not getting enough."

Queenie smiled. "You're just a little lady, night owl."

Poppy blinked several times. She had Mary-Helen replay this scene for her three more times. It still didn't hit her. She was...she was obliviated? By her own mother? Her own mother!? How could her mom do this to her? All these years she could have possibly known who her father is. She didn't even realize she had tears falling down her cheek, not untl she felt Mary-Helen wipe them away. "Oh my Mercy Lewis," She stuttered. "She...She oblivated me." She looked over at Mary-Helen. "How long has she done this?"

Mary-Helen shrugged as she said, "At least the past couple of days. Maybe even the past few years if you met your father. Do you have any idea who he could possibly be?" Poppy shook her head. "I'd say ask your mom, but what else could she tell you?"

A few hours later Poppy was wide awake in her bed staring at the crescent moon. Her mom was downstairs drinking coffee and reading a book. Poppy played it cool today. She gave no hint or even thought about Mary-Helen's visit. Her mom seemed to believe it since she asked no questions. Poppy looked up at the sky as millions of questions crossed her mind. How could her Mom lie to her like that? Who was her Dad? Was there a way to find out?