It's Completely Genetic

(Day 4: Wednesday Afternoon)

"Do you know why I've asked you here?" asks Fairy Godmother.

Mal leans back with her arms crossed as she chews at a piece of gum, "Because I broke Evie out of the nurse's office."

"Yes, well, that and I hear you attempted to use magic on that nurse."

Mal snickers, "Who told you that fairytale?"

The headmistress politely smiles, as if enjoying the challenge that doesn't even exist, "Nurse Wendy and the student who was with you, Doug, told me everything."

"Well, they told you wrong."

"Is that so?" She folds her hands on the desk, "Okay, then. What's your side to this?"

Mal looks up at the ceiling as she recounts what had happened, "Evie fainted in class, I caught her, the teacher ordered us to see the nurse, Doug showed us the way, and when we finally got there the nurse started to ask a lot of stupid questions." The headmistress doesn't speak, so Mal continues in unpleasantness, "Nurse Wendy accused Evie of being pregnant, when she clearly isn't. Tell me, is it just because we're from the Isle that she'd think that happened? Because Evie's never been with anyone— ever. She literally just started public schooling a few years ago." Fairy Godmother frowns. "Would she have accused anyone in Auradon of this?"

The headmistress purses her lips as she thinks, "No. That wouldn't have been one of the first things she would ask someone from Auradon, but that's just because common alcohol is illegal here. We're well aware it still gets produced on the Isle of the Lost."

"So what?" Mal questioned. "What does alcohol have to do with anything?"

"It creates poor judgement due to lower inhibitions, and when drank to excess it can lead people to feel weak or ill. When alcohol is around there's always the chance that people can make mistakes. Or worse— be taken advantage of." Mal looks away. She hadn't even needed to drink for it to happen. All it took was for Harry to place that hook over her wrists, and then suddenly she became the stupid, weak girl she always feared she'd be. "Mal?"

Mal straightens up and lifts her head to look at her, "I know that, but that doesn't excuse her to ask that. Evie is the most innocent person I know. Her great evil plan is to marry into a royal family and live in a castle." Mal shakes her head, "She's so innocent and kind, and she's been way better to me than I'll ever deserve. I just hated it when that nurse made her cry like that. I had to get her out of there."

Fairy Godmother tries to smile, "You're a good friend, but staying in that nurse's office would have forced her to eat something or at the very least learn why she has to."

"She knows she has to," Mal asserts. "It's just her mother. Her mother has ordered her not to until her weight goes down."

The headmistress nods, "I know, but what's the worst thing that could possibly happen if she took more care of herself and worried less of what her mother thinks?"

Mal widens her eyes, but all she can do is shake her head, "I didn't ask. This kind of thing— it's always best if it's not talked about."

"You know," Fairy Godmother slowly starts, "the way that abuse works—"

"Who have you been talking to? Doug?" Mal interrupts, before she leans forward and grits her teeth. "Our parents don't abuse us. They care about us." She looks away for a moment and slowly sits back into an upright position, as she adds on, "In their own way."

"I know that's what you believe, but please just try to listen." Mal doesn't speak, only leaning back in the chair again as response. "The way that abuse works, the abuser will say or do threatening things that prevent the victim from coming forward and receiving help."

"I'm not a victim," Mal asserts.

"It's just legal terminology," the fairy godmother reassures. "I'm not saying you are." Mal crosses her arms and glares at her, but the headmistress is able to continue. "In an abusive relationship the abuser is also able to convince the victim that they care about them, even though they have done continuous acts that would prove otherwise."

Mal huffs a laugh, "If these 'abusive' relationships can be so easily confused with a normal relationship by the so-called victim, then how does someone know if it's abuse or not?"

"Well," Fairy Godmother begins. "Have you or your friends ever been physically hurt by your parents, maybe even regularly?"

After a moment of silence Mal comments, "These are just rhetorical, right?"

The headmistress shuts her eyes for a second, "Yes." before she continues. "The physical harm could be anything from punishment from a belt to handling a weapon. There's also emotional or psychological abuse, which can lead to a very similar result as physical abuse. In psychological abuse a parent may be neglecting the child's basic needs, or they may be putting down the child's self-worth by saying they're not good enough. As the child grows older, the parent may continuously tell them that they couldn't possibly know what's the right or smart things to do and that they should just continue to follow the parents' orders."

Mal feels her eyes burn with tears, before she angrily remarks, "Doug told you to say this. He told you to say these things."

She offers a sad expression as she shakes her head, "No, darling. He didn't."

"Don't call me darling," Mal seethes. "You're not my mother."

"No. I'm not," the headmistress calmly replies. "I'm sorry."

"Is that all?" Mal asks as she begins to stand. "Because I'd really like to leave."

"Just one more thing." Mal sits back down. "We still need to discuss the magic you used on the nurse."

Mal tries to calm down by letting in and out a deep breath, "I told you before. The hypnotism, it's not magic. I know it isn't, because my mother has been doing it." Fairy Godmother observes her with half concern, half interest, causing Mal to look away from her for a second. "It's just an ability a dragon has to separate their prey from a pack, force them into a clearing they can reach, and then immobilize them. It's not magic."

"So. You're a dragon?" she slowly questions.

"Part dragon," Mal corrects. "It's not like I can transform or anything." She looks over her carefully, "You seem shocked. What? Did you think my mother's dragon transformation was just some form of magic too?"

"Well. Ah…"

Mal rolls her eyes, "It's not. It's completely genetic. That's why my mother has horns." She touches her hair, "That's why my hair is purple. My mother's father was a very literal fire breathing dragon, and her fairy mother found a way to communicate with him, eventually giving him a potion to turn him temporarily human." The headmistress doesn't speak, and then Mal tilts her head, scrunching her eyebrows in question, "What do the history books here say exactly?"

She only smiles, "You're free to leave now."

"Oh. Cool," Mal quickly stands from the chair, before she heads towards the door. "See ya."

- "You see, when two people hate each other just a little less than they do the rest of the world... Well, do I really have to explain it to you?"... I really want to put that quote somewhere.