Happy Halloween ya'll!

So this chapter is early, and there won't be a new chapter this Saturday/Sunday.

Big thanks as usual to my reviewers and readers.

Sorry this chapter wasn;t posted earlier today as promised for Halloween, but I got caught up in festivities. Making pumpkin shaped cookies, cooking a fall dinner, grabbing last minute candy and applying family makeup for various costumes. Sort of let time get away from me.

Now, someone in the last chapter expressed concern that the gender and sexuality discussions, while respectfully done and in no way against their ideals, may sort of take time away from the plot. Now before anyone gets huffy, they're right; it technically does and they are more than fair in their assessment and completely polite. I understand that given the plot NOT revolving around matters of gender or sexuality and not needing either discussion in order to progress the main story. But I included the chapters because frankly, I felt that the characters needed some not death impending subjects to talk about from time to time, ways to bond and get to know each other that weren't under life or death circumstances. Also, I sort of didn't expect the conversation to get so lengthy; it just got away from me as things developed XD

So bare with me for one more chapter about gender and sexuality since Davis's friends are going to need to process this themselves.

If Someone Cared Enough

Chapter 131: The Talk. No, Not That One

The remainder of the party fortunately went well after the uncomfortable truth Davis was forced to divulge. Uncomfortable because it had not been Davis's choice to have such secrets dragged forward, not because the actually truth was unpleasant, just unusual and difficult to put into words. However, Severus honestly felt it was perhaps good for Davis to finally share since it had clearly weighed so heavily on the Ravenclaw's conscience for some time.

A brief discussion in one of the receded corners of Slughorn's office ensued after Lily had managed to find Mary. With the buxom brunette came Marlene who dragged along Peter, so of course Remus snuck away from Sirius's side to see what the fuss was about.

Severus hadn't actually intended on including the latter three into their discussion; Davis had a difficult time explaining things to one person, let alone a group that branched out beyond closest confidantes. But the studious teen was remarkably amiable to Remus and Peter's presence; it probably helped that Remus held his own secret so perhaps he would understand. So when gently prompted for an explanation, Davis gladly, though nervously, revealed the truth.

Amusingly enough, it was Marlene that had the hardest time wrapping her mind around someone not being interested in sex. Grant it, her relationship with Peter stood stronger than any previous fling without them having even gotten to third base yet, but still, Marlene's embracing of women's sexual empowerment seemed to have come with a sort of unspoken belief that people—all people—were in general inherently sexual people.

For some reason she had less qualms about Nesme's announcement that she felt zero interest in sex, probably because Nesme was the aptly dubbed 'cinnamon roll' according to Marlene and it was frankly hard to imagine the picture of adorable innocence being sexual.

It was the whole gender matter that went over far easier than expected, though it shouldn't have been surprising given that Severus's particular group of friends were more open minded than most—something Simone's penchant for preaching from a soapbox probably helped shape.

"So you're like…both?" Mary asked though more intrigued than incredulous.

Davis shrugged, "I mean, maybe that's an easier way to look at it. I don't feel like 'both', exactly, but I don't feel like neither…I guess."

"So kind of like your own category," Remus suggested, "In between the two?"

"I guess," Davis answered contemplatively.

"Do you not feel like a Davis?" Marlene asked, munching on a scone, "A lady up in Brighton who my family used to by fish from told me she never quite felt like a Franklin growing up, so she became Angela. Now she's a cabaret singer."

"No, I'm still Davis," Davis replied, "Never really thought my name definitely said 'masculine', you know? I've always liked it."

"Yeah, but if you did change your name, what would it be?" Marlene pressed, "Because I think you'd make a great Renée."

Mary raised a brow, "Really? Renée?"

Marlene glared at her, "What? It's French. It's fancy."

"Something being French doesn't automatically make it fancy," Nesme said, "Take escargot. 'Hey let's just eat these slimy things we dug up from the surf!' Not exactly oodles of class right there."

"Moving on before Nesme can descend into a snail-based rant," Remus interjected, "Renée be too feminine? Doesn't exactly sound gender neutral."

Marlene shook her head, "Uh-huh, it does. The masculine form is René!"

At everyone's blank expression, Marlene rolled her eyes, "Look, I know it doesn't sound different when you pronounce it, but the guy version only has one E at the end instead of two. Point is; it's a name for men and women."

"But wouldn't the different spellings therefore make it gendered instead of gender neutral?" Remus countered.

Nemse clicked her tongue, "He's got you there."

Marlene crossed her arms over her chest, "So we'll just spell it differently than both versions. We'll invent a gender neutral spelling."

Davis and Severus sat back watching the exchange with bemusement.

"You guys, I already said I didn't need to change my name," Davis tried to diffuse.

"You know," Lily said with a slight grin, "Technically, James is considered gender neutral."

Severus was quick to shoot that one down, "So long as I breathe, no one is naming anyone here James."

Remus snickered while Lily stuck her tongue out at Severus impishly.

"What about Sandrine?" Peter suggested in an attempt to be helpful, "That's French too."

"But entirely feminine," Mary countered.

"And it sounds like a muggle industrial solvent," Severus remarked dryly.

Peter gave Severus a flat look, something he never would have been brave enough to do even a year ago, "I'll be sure to tell my grandmother what you think of her name."

Severus blinked, sitting back startled, "I-I…I didn't mean—"

Peter smirked, "Got you. Her names Helen."

Severus relaxed, letting out a breath, "That was cheeky."

Marlene threw an arm around Peter, "I'm bringing him out of his shell."

"Hey guys, focus," Nesme said sternly, "We're talking about names here."

Davis sighed, "Guys, I already told you, changing my name is unnecessary. I don't mind being Davis. I mind more about being…"

Davis trailed off uncertainly.

"Well…about being a he, more or less," the teen finished lamely.

Remus looked at his friend inquisitively, "You mean pronouns?"

"I thought you were fine with 'he', Davis," Severus pointed out, confused.

Davis shrugged, "It's not necessarily that I mind it or am fine with it. It's just…the closest thing that fits…but still doesn't fit? It's complicated; I know I'm not a she, but there isn't an in between I can call myself so he's the best I've got."

Lily reached out and patted Davis's knee sympathetically.

"That does sound confusing," Mary stated.

Nesme tapped her lips, thinking, "What about…they?"

Everyone looked at her.

"Nesme, that's plural," Marlene chided, "Davis is one person in between, not two people in one body."

"Okay first of all excuse you," Nesme said tersely, "the Ilvermorny book of Native American Magic says that two-spirit is a thing."

Marlene raised her hands in surrender at Nesme's glare.

Nesme continued primly, "Second of all, 'they' can be singular. Haven't you ever found someone's property in the library without a name on it? You say to your friend, ' Let's leave it with a teacher in case they come back,'. You're talking about one person returning; not a group of people. Hence, 'they' applies for a single person." She crossed her arms and sat back proudly.

Severus stared at Nesme for a moment, hands steepled in front of him, "It's weird to hear something intelligent come out of your mouth instead of the usual insane and sporadic babble."

Nesme held her head high, preening, "I have my moments."

"As unexpected as that useful information is coming from Nesme," Severus said, "She makes a good point. 'They' could probably work."

He turned to Davis, "Would that be preferable?"

Davis took a moment to consider it, still unsure.

"It…does fit better," Davis said finally, "I'm used to be called a he, but it felt so off because I don't really see myself on firmly in one camp or the other. But it's not like everyone else would use it. Nobody would understand."

"Then how about we just use it in our group?" Lily suggested, "It's not like it's anyone else's business how we talk to each other."

"It might be healthier for you two get some reaffirmation," Remus pointed out, "Being called Moony actually really helped me come to grips with who I was…and see it in positives."

Davis looked around at everyone, eyes going wet, "It wouldn't be weird for all of you?"

"It will probably take some getting used to," Mary conceded.

"And we might slip up at bit at first," Peter added.

Nesme threw her arms around Davis, "But we want you happy, Davis. We'll do whatever it takes."

Davis blinked rapidly, trying to hold in their tears, "They it is, then."

Nesme cheered, hugging Davis tightly.

"Can we go back to the sex thing?" Marlene asked, "My tits don't even give you a tingle down there?"

"Marlene!" Lily cried out, scandalized.

Mary shoved Marlene off the couch, forcing Peter to drag his girlfriend off the floor with a bemused snort.

"Let's pretend that question wasn't asked," Severus drawled.

Davis gave Severus a gentle smile, "You can't blame her for being curious. I get that it's not the norm."

"We've established before that normal isn't really a thing when it comes to magic," Remus reminded everyone, "Or rather, I suppose that all the standard abnormal things are actually what is normal because they're so common."

Lily nodded, "Let's just say we're happy being normally abnormal."

Davis chuckled, "Yes, I suppose so. But you can't deny that even with everyone's hang up on sex and the taboo of talking about it, it's still a prominent thing in society. You're expected to do it at some point, expected to consummate a marriage with it or pass over into adulthood by losing your virginity. To not want it at all isn't exactly considered a possibility to most; you're raised to expect sex at some point, be it for pleasure or obligation of having a family or being a 'dutiful wife'," they used finger quotes for the last part.

Mary scowled, pursing her lips, "Sounds like my Catholic neighbors; not allowed birth control but Mrs. McCullen is expected to 'honor and serve' her husband whenever he wishes. No wonder they've got six kids; and she didn't even want more than one."

Davis gestured towards Mary, "You see? That piggish, sexist concept is still considered the right mindset. And they raise boys to see sex as something vitally important to rating how much of a man you are. So for me to—pardon my language—have a dick, and not want to use it on someone is the last thing anyone expects to hear from a male."

"Then good thing you're a they and not a he," Severus said firmly, "Sounds to me like you don't have to follow sexist stereotypes when you don't even belong firmly to either gender. I say fuck what anyone thinks."

"And don't worry about the love thing either," Mary interjected, "That one might be more common than we think. There are plenty of straight people who enjoy sex without emotional attachment, without commitment and everyone assumes they're just loose or a heartbreaker. But maybe some of them honestly don't feel romantic love and just don't know how to put that into words. Maybe it isn't that they wanted to deliberately lead someone on, but that they didn't know how to explain that they don't love romantically and have it taken seriously."

"That's a good point," Lily jumped in, "Is it really that these things are uncommon or simply that not enough people talk about it for us to know there's more people like you out there than we realize?"

Everyone mulled over her words. It was true; just because something wasn't spoken of didn't mean it didn't exist or existed in only small numbers. Homosexuals have existed just as long as heterosexuals have, different societal pressures throughout various eras just kept most of them from not exposing themselves.

And according to one very vocal woman at the bar Tobias used to frequent—who once quietly confided to Severus that she was formally called 'Kevin', there used to be a vast library or something called the Institute of Sexology that contained research and evidence about the existence of different sexualities and gender variances throughout modern history. Unfortunately, Nazis burned the institute to ashes during WWII, leaving the world bereft of information vital to better understanding those who stood apart of heterosexuality.

"Lily's right," Severus said, "It's very possible that there are people the whole world over who feel the same as you, Davis, but have kept silent."

Davis hummed, "That is a nice thought. It would be lovely to not be the only one."

"But you know you're not," Nesme interjected, "I don't like sex either."

"True," Davis agreed, "You've always been quite vocal about that."

Nesme frowned, "Not that anyone listens. They're all like, "Oh, Nesme, you'll like kissing when the right guy comes around. When you meet mister Right you'll change your mind."

She grimaced, "No thank you. It's too wet and messy, too much effort to put into something that I could accomplish by myself with some music on and some candles."

It was Severus turn to grimace, "I didn't need to hear that."

Nesme stuck her tongue out at him, "I'm just saying, I'd much rather cuddle than waste time on sex. I mean sure, it feels decent enough, I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy it during. But at the end of the day, it would be the last thing on my mind when asked what I want to do for the evening. Let's go out to dinner, let's take a walk; anything is more interesting to me than laying on top of each other in a sweaty heap."

"Some of us happen to like those sweaty heap sessions," Lily said teasingly, giving Severus a nudge and making him flush scarlet.

"Moving on," Severus said, trying to bring the red down in his face, "I'll admit I'm surprised this went over so well. Davis was quite convinced that most of you wouldn't understand."

Davis gave a half shrug, "Well to be fair, you even said you don't quite get it."

"Fair point," Severus conceded, "It's sort of hard to wrap my mind around more than two genders."

Remus gave a wry smile, "To be honest, in the magical world, it doesn't seem all that uncommon for people to be one thing instead of the other; or even two things at once."

Peter nodded, "You're talking to two people who turn into animals."

"One not of their own volition," Remus tacked on, "So is it really that unheard of to fall somewhere in between an identity or two?"

Marlene righted herself on the couch, "Like I said, I already know someone who didn't always look like a woman, but that's who she is deep down. I don't exactly get how someone can feel like both or neither, but I guess it doesn't make any less sense than feeling you're a woman trapped in a man's body."

"Slughorn said things are subjective," Lily pointed out, "Some of what we define as manly or womanly seems to change with the times. Maybe gender isn't so concrete either, perhaps."

"Still say you should change your name to Renée or René," Marlene said. She sighed at everyone's blank look, "Again, same pronunciation; two different spellings."

"Why are you so stuck on that name?" Mary asked in exasperation.

"Because," Marlene replied, looking Davis in the eyes, "It's French…for 'Reborn'…"

Something flickered in Davis's eyes, a spark coming to life, "Reborn?"

"Like a new start," Marlene said, "A new you. Or I suppose what you've always been deep down, am I right?"

Davis mulled the word over, mouthing it silently.

"Renée…" they said quietly.

"You don't have to change your name publically," Remus pointed out, "We could just call you what you want among our group. What do you say?"

There was genuine happiness in Davis's eyes as they consider it, "I'll think about it."

Sirius burst into the circle, his fake tit still hanging out, a glass of brandy firmly clenched in his fist.

"HellooOoo!" he greeted tipsily, "What are we doing over here?"

Severus covered his eyes with a groan, "Please put that thing away, Black. We've talked about this."

"Hm? Oh, this old thing?" Sirius looked down at his hanging breast, "It needed some air."

"No it doesn't!" Severus snapped.

Remus fought to tuck Sirius fake breast away as James sauntered over with a devilish grin.

"He really takes the term 'You silly tit,' to a whole new meaning, doesn't he, Moony?" James asked.

Remus huffed in frustration, "Okay, you know what? I'm getting rid of the bloody thing."

"What?" Sirius gasped in dismay, trying to shield the false bosom from Remus, "No!"

"If you can't be responsible with it, than you lose the right to play with it," Remus said as if speaking to a naughty child. The entire exchange was both absurd and amusing, judging from the others trying in vain to hold in their laughter.

Sirius danced out of Remus's reach, "You can take it from me…when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!" He scampered off into the crowd.

"Damn it, Sirius!" Remus climbed over the couch and made chase, James and Peter hot on his heels while Severus group burst into raucous laughter.

Decided to end the story on a bit of levity there. Lol

Not much else to say at this moment, sort of wiped out from spooky fun times at home.

Review please :)