Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

Wigtown Wanderers, Seeker

Prompt: "The LumberJack Song". Best lyric? "I cut down trees, I wear high heels. Suspendies and a bra. I wish I'd been a girlie, just like my dear Mama." Write about a transgender character.

Word Count: 1862, per GoogleDocs

**Warning for deadnaming**

AN: Please know that this is the prompt I was given. I was not wholly comfortable with the idea of writing a transgender character because it's not something I have any experience with myself. I didn't feel qualified to do this, even though that's what asked of me. That said, I tried to do plenty reading and research, and if I have not done the subject justice, then I pray that I have at least done no harm. Again, in case you missed it above, I'd like to warn you that there are instances of deadnaming here, so please be aware. And as always, feedback is welcomed!

Friends in the Right Places

Pine wreaths hung on every door, the aroma of mulled wine and eggnog wafted out of the Leaky Cauldron, and somewhere chestnuts were roasting. Theo breathed deeply, reveling in the Christmas atmosphere of Diagon Alley —he'd have to hunt some of those chestnuts down later.

For now, he just strolled through the streets, taking a few moments of this peace to think about what he could possibly buy Luna for Christmas. He already had presents for the rest of his friends, and he'd sent gift baskets to all his important Ministry contacts, but Luna still stumped him. Theo snorted at himself. Most guys would have found their girlfriends a gift more than a week before Christmas, but none of them were dating Luna Lovegood.

He smiled at the thought of her. Before he'd met her, he'd never thought the pretty blonde with the far away eyes would be so…down to earth. Sure, she believed in some unconventional creatures and conspiracy theories, but she had this way of putting everything that came along in perfect perspective. And her sense of humor! She could say the most outlandish, even risque things with such sincerity and innocence, a mischievous twinkle in her eye all the while. Theo loved the way she made him laugh at the unexpected.

It had nearly broken his heart to fall in love with her. He had been so sure that she could never accept him for who he was—who he had been. But she had surprised him, yet again, when she had kissed him last New Year's Eve. Theo thanked the stars every morning that his Luna was so supremely confident in who she was and what she wanted. But that also made gift-buying a little difficult.

The most logical place to start looking for a gift was the bookstore. Luna could spend what felt like years in Flourish and Blotts—maybe the clerk or shopkeeper would remember her and be able to give him some insight.

Theo wove his way through the crowds to cross the street. He took deep calming breaths, trying to ignore the constant press of bodies against his own. In an attempt not to be crushed by the throngs of people, Theo just went along with the crowd instead of trying to cut directly through it. Finally, he made it to the other side of the street several shops down from his target. He shook himself, trying to brush away the feeling of so many other people against him. He looked into the shop window to see where he'd ended up, and his breath caught in his throat.

Twilfitt and Tattings.

Theo squeezed his eyes closed and tried to breathe again. "It's just a store, it's just a store, it's just a store," he thought to himself. He quickly fought his way back down to Flourish and Blotts, dashed back into the History section—no one ever went there—and allowed himself to have a minor freakout.

He'd been avoiding that store for half a decade, and he'd done a bang up job of it so far. Why did he have break that streak today?

Theo quietly picked through every book in the store, not really paying attention to the titles of any of them. He just needed to feel their hard spines under his fingers, to breathe in that new book smell. Holding physical evidence of knowledge and truth in his hands was calming.

He selected a few titles that sounded like something Luna might enjoy and brought them to the counter for purchase. As he was paying, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Blaise!" Theo cried, pulling the man into a brief hug. "Happy Christmas! How are you?"

"Doing well, doing well," Blaise said with a smile. "Out for a bit of last minute shopping?"

"Yeah, I still don't have Luna's gift," Theo replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

Blaise laughed heartily. "Why doesn't that surprise me? It took you a month to ask her on a date even after she snogged you at the Longbottoms' New Year's party. If you're looking for ideas, though, I just picked up a very nice mokeskin bag for my mother at Twilfit and Tattings, though there were several other useful options. Apparently they've come up with a way to duplicate the skin without harming the lizard. Something about being cruelty free, I don't know. But I figure that's just…"

Blaise stopped talking when he noticed the look of fear frozen on Theo's face.

"Everything okay, man? I—shit, I completely forgot about the Twilfitt and Tattings thing. I am so sorry," Blaise muttered.

Theo shook his head. "It's fine, I promise. Just a bit shaken today with the crowds and all, you know?"

"Of course, of course," Blaise said, clapping him on the arm. "Listen, I need to head back and get these wrapped. We should catch up and have a few later, yeah?"

"Sounds good, mate!" Theo called after his disappearing friend.

He picked up his package and headed once more into the fray. Over the next few hours he visited nearly every shop in Diagon Alley, searching frantically for a present. He couldn't just buy her a scarf or mittens—Luna preferred to buy her own clothing because no one else could quite capture her eclectic taste. Jewelry was out for the same reason.

As the crowds thinned, Theo found himself back in front of that store. He was out of options. There had to be something in here. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he remembered.

With a deep breath, Theo pushed open the door.

The little tinkling bell that announced his entrance sent chills up his spine. It still smelled like incense and roses, the way it did in his nightmares.

"I can't do this," he muttered under his breath as he quickly turned to leave.

"Theodora!" Vesta Caywood called after him.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. No matter how much the woman made his head spin and his stomach roll, it would be in very poor taste to just leave without speaking to her now. Afterall, she had friends in very high places. Damn his mother and her violent insistence on good manners.

He turned and shot her a grimace. "It's still Theo, Mrs. Caywood."

The papery old woman tsked. "You're still about that nonsense of being a boy? I told your mother you'd grow out of that if she'd just help you act like a more proper young lady."

"It was nice to see you, Mrs. Caywood, but I really must be going," Theo whispered. But he should have known that wouldn't be enough for Vesta Caywood.

"Now come," the old woman said, grabbing him by the arm, "I got a new shipment of dress robes that you must see. I even have some that can accentuate that, um, rather small bust of yours. Yes, pink is definitely still your color—"

The door in the back burst open, and a figure appeared in the doorway, the bright light from the stockroom framing her silhouette. Theo wasn't sure if he believed in God, but he prayed it was an angel sent to deliver him from this evil woman. His next choice was for the ground to open and literally swallow him whole, but he was really hoping for an angel.

"Theo!" the angel cried, flinging herself at him in a tentacled-hug. "It's so good to see you again!"

Lavender turned to the wizened proprietor. "Mrs. Caywood, would you mind terribly if I caught up with this old school pal of mine? Thank you so much!" she said quickly, tugging Theo away.

Mrs. Caywood harrumphed but headed back to man the register.

Seeing the terror and anxiety still etched on Theo's face, Lavender pulled him into the stock room. She sat him down on an empty crate and pulled a butterbeer from some unseen place. "Drink this. It's probably not as strong as you'd like, but it's what I keep on hand."

Theo mechanically downed the butterbeer, each sip slowly loosening the tense knot of panic in his gut. When he'd finished the bottle, he swiped a hand across his mouth. "Thanks, Lavender. I owe you one."

She shrugged. "No big deal. I have to work with the crazy old biddy every day, and I don't have any real history with her. I couldn't imagine facing her if I was in your shoes."

Theo shook his head mournfully. "I really thought when I got to Hogwarts and the castle automatically put me in the boy's dorm that everyone would just accept it. Even my mother had come around by that point. But through everything—weddings, Christmas dinners, the Yule Ball—Mrs. Caywood has insisted on trying to put me in a dress and calling me that name. I haven't come back in here since I needed dress robes for the Yule Ball…"

"I take it that didn't go well?" Lavender asked softly.

"Not in the slightest," he replied. "Mother stepped away to look at dresses, and Mrs. Caywood shoved me into a dressing room and, and, and… she charmed me into a giant pink dress. It was more than a bit traumatizing, if I'm being honest. And I… Well let's just say I found out I wasn't too old for a fit of accidental magic."

Lavender blinked at him owlishly. "You're the reason Vesta needs to keep replacing that section of the ceiling?"

For the first time since he'd arrived in Diagon Alley, Theo chuckled. "I suppose so. Serves her right, if you ask me."

"Agreed!" Lavender laughed. "So what made you decide to face down your demons and walk in here today?"

"Still need a Christmas present for Luna," he said. "I couldn't find one anywhere else, so this was kind of a last ditch effort. I ran into Blaise and he said something about mokeskin bags."

Her face lit up. "Ooh, yes! Vegan mokeskin is the next big thing I promise," she said, leading him back into the main store. She prattled on about shapes and sizes and patterns, and Theo found her chatter oddly comforting. He even tried to listen as she explained the Muggle concept of veganism, though he was pretty sure it would never catch on in the wizarding world.

With Lavender's help, Theo picked out a lovely multicolor messenger bag for Luna. It was large enough to stick pretty much anything in—Theo would have to remind her that just because an animal could fit inside didn't mean that it should.

"I couldn't have done this without you," Theo said as Lavender rung him up. "Thank you."

"It was nothing," Lavender shrugged. "But if you ever need to come in again, just send me an owl the day before, and I'll keep an eye out for you, Vesta be damned. I've got your back."

Grabbing his purchase, Theo grinned at her. "It's a deal!"

"Have a happy Christmas!" Lavender called after him, waving.

Theo stepped out into the brisk winter air, took a deep, cleansing breath, and smiled. It was good to have friends in high places, but it was even better to have friends in the right places.