Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. There's also blatant misgendering and a trans person being triggered because of it; blatant homophobia and ableism, too. Overall, Karen Finch-Fletchley is very much a Karen. Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: Not really a warning per se, but because Theo is trans and pregnant, there are some mpreg feels to this piece, in addition to all the warnings above.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 12); MC4A
Individual Challenges: Aya Bribes You; Ravenclaw MC; Slytherin MC; Magical MC (x2); Neurodivergent; Rowl in Her Grave; Rian-Russo Inversion (Y); Ship Sails; Zed Era; Old Shoes (Y); Short Jog (Y); Bucket Listing (Y); Eating Cake; Green Ribbon; Greatest Gift (Y)
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 12 – Assignment 8
Subject (Task No.): Swimming Lessons (Task#1: Write about facing your fears.) [Prompt: Coral]
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Insane Prompt Challenge [337](Theodore Nott); Words [144](Horrid); Herbology Club [Individual Plots](Sharing); All is Ours Day [S01](Angst); Gwen's Candy Shop [Bowl 4](ftm Trans Theodore Nott)(Autistic Luna); Days of the Year [March 30th](Someone gaining strength in a stressful situation); Spring Challenge [07](Fresh); Color Prompts [03](Coral); Birthstones [02]("I'm not as damaged as I seem, I swear."); Flower Prompts [05](Finding out about a pregnancy); Tarot Cards [06](Belonging); Earth Element [10](Nurture); Hufflepuff Themed Prompts [T09](Earnest)
Other MC4A Challenges: SpB [5E](Pink); TrB [5E](Just In Time); Hunt [Sp Writing Diversity](ftm Trans Character); Ship [Sp Medium 1](Shared Blanket); Chim [Doug](Family/Friendship)
Representation(s): Theodore Nott/Justin Finch-Fletchley; Theodore Nott/Luna Lovegood QPR; trans Theo; Autistic Luna
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Nontraditional Sneeze Weasel; Teat Juice; Zucchini Bread; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Persistence Still; White Dress); Chorus (Odd Feathers; Pear-Shaped; Wabi Sabi); Demo (Where Angels Fear); Demo (A Long Dog)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Toad); SN (Rail; Intercept)
Word Count: 1336

(^^)
Sparking Joy
(^^)

Theodore Nott had known that Justin Finch-Fletchley was a Muggle-born when they had gotten together. He had known that their different backgrounds meant that there were going to be unique obstacles for them to surmount. Even with how long Theo had lived as himself (long enough that very few people even remembered that there had once been an heiress named Theodosia Nott), he had still not fully anticipated just how much that part of his history might affect his relationship with Justin.

Well, not with Justin, exactly.

Justin was sincerely perfect, even if he would deny that epithet.

No, the problem was not Justin.

It was his family.

The Finches were as populous as a swarm of Cornish pixies and their claws twice as sharp. Once any of them managed to get him cornered, escape as a futile as teaching a fobberworm to do tricks. He knew things about Aunt Edith's intestinal issues that he would never be able to forget. Grandmother Hortensia had grout and a disturbing degree of willingness to flirt with a taken man several decades her junior. Cousin Sophia was actually helpful with her tips for managing pregnancy issues. Theo hadn't minded that conversation until Sophia started going into far more details than a man not her husband needed to know.

That was just one side of Justin's family.

The Fletchleys were a completely different problem.

The Finches might overshare and not notice (or care) if their audience wanted nothing to do with the topic. Yet they were overwhelmingly welcoming—to the point that Theo often felt like he was literally drowning in their affection. They didn't care that Justin had chosen to spend his life with another man. When the pregnancy had come to light, most of their first question was if it was a magic thing. Then they followed up with various concerns focused entirely on his and the baby's physical health.

On the other hand, the Fletchleys had been lukewarm (at best) about their youngest scion settling down with a man. Justin's mother Karen had even asked if Justin was trying to make a point. Then she had asked if it was a part of his condition. Only Justin's hand on his thigh had kept Theo from giving into the urge to hex the woman.

The very implication that being gay was a symptom of Justin's autism was flippant.

Merlin, the woman was his mother.

They both left that dinner with every intention to never speak to the couple again, regardless of familial relation.

Then the pregnancy had happened, and of course, one of the Finches had mentioned it in passing to the other half of the family.

"You cannot be serious, darling," Karen announced as she laid out an admittedly gorgeous dress on the armchair in Justin's living room. Theo was regretting deciding to stay after Justin had left for work. Curse the man and his excellent taste in divans. Double curse the man for having such a nosy and pushy mother. "Now that you're expecting, continuing this little act will only confuse people! And this coral will look so lovely on you."

Theo took a deep breath. He fiercely reminded himself that Justin did actually care about his mother, despite their estrangement. Just as strongly, he reminded himself that getting law enforcement (Muggle or magical) involved was just asking for trouble. He couldn't—absolutely could not—just hex her and be done with it.

It didn't matter how much he hated the coral dress she had brought him.

It didn't matter how much the very sight of it made him remember fighting with his father about appropriate attire for girls of his station.

It didn't matter how much he just wanted to vomit at the thought of being mistaken for a woman just because he was currently pregnant.

Actually, that probably did matter.

At least Karen was kind enough to rub his back as he emptied his stomach into the toilet of the guest bathroom. Theo still wished that she would either leave (taking the horrid piece of clothing with her) or stop talking about it. He couldn't handle facing his greatest fear about this whole situation, not without Justin there and not while he was just so tired.

"Theodore," Luna called from the kitchen. She had to have just used the Apparation point in the back garden. He could hear her moving closer. "Harry made fresh biscuits and thought—Oh, hello. I don't know you."

"Do you normally just walk into another person's house, young lady?" Karen asked waspishly. Theo moaned in misery. He just wanted her gone already.

"Are you normally this mean to complete strangers?" Luna asked. She sounded like she was genuinely interested in knowing the answer. Theo would have been fooled if he hadn't witnessed her using the same tone on both Ginny and Hermione when the pair had decided to challenge her relationship with Harry. "That's not a good way to make friends, you know."

"I don't appreciate your attitude," Karen said, even more snappish. "Leave my son's wife alone! She's sick!"

"Oh," Luna said as if she had just realized something. "I didn't realize that you were confused. Would you like help finding your son's wife?"

"She's right here!"

Theo peeked up just in time to see Luna actually looking around for the person that Karen was referencing. He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry more at her missing the obvious conclusion. His best friend's acceptance was just as perfect as Justin's.

Curses, he was definitely tearing up. Stupid hormones.

"Is she invisible?" Luna asked. "Is that the sickness? I think my father had a cousin that happened to—but then Throckmorton was always getting into odd pickles. Even ones, too."

The blonde's flippancy gave Theo enough strength to pick himself up off the floor. Karen was still gaping at Luna. Trying to steel himself against both tears and panic, Theo leveled his gaze at the woman who raised the man he loved.

"I think it's time you left," Theo stated. Channeling everything that he had ever learned in the elocution lessons his father had forced him to attend, he kept his voice from wobbling with the nerves filling his gut. "I think you should leave and think very hard about whether you want to be a part of your grandchild's life."

"Of course I want to be a part of their life!" Karen protested. "I just think you should stop pretending to be a man—you know, for the baby's sake. They're going to need a mother to nurture them, and how can any man do that?"

"Leave," Theo ordered. Karen looked like she was going to protest. Ruthlessly, he cut her off. "Just leave."

Luna retreated just enough to let the other woman pass. The door slammed a few moments later. Immediately, he was back hunched over the toilet. This time the sick was definitely more from nerves than morning sickness. When his stomach had settled, Luna was back. She wordlessly handed him a small glass of milk, which he downed like a shot. Then she wrapped them both in a blanket that she must have pulled from the cedar trunk at the foot of his bed.

"I'm not as damaged as I seem, I swear," he murmured after a few minutes of cuddling. "It's just…she showed up with that dratted thing, and it was like I was five again."

"I don't remember you," Luna returned, seemingly disconnectedly. "Not that way, at least. I know that you used to be called Theodosia, and that you used to be mistaken for a girl, but in my memories, you've always been Theodore. I forget sometimes that there's still people who can't see that." She shifted slightly to wrap an arm around his waist. "I vanished the dress by the way. It didn't spark joy."

Theo chuckled wetly before finally giving into the tears that had been threatening throughout all of Karen's visit. Luna held him through it.