Mother, Mother... a glimpse into Grant's childhood Title:Mother, Mother
Authors: sevs_lil_secret and unbroken_halo
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Company belong to JK Rowling. No money was made writing this bit of fiction.
Characters: Marvin/Rachel, Hummingbird, Lee and Magpie
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Little Hummingbird is special, everyone says so. Everyone that is, except her father
Warnings: Violence, spouse and child abuse, home correction, language, racial prejudice
AN: Set 1941 Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
Mother, Mother
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"You know I can't do that, Marvin. She's winkte. She can't be around the other boys." Rachel looked at her husband and shook her head. "It's not my fault."
The look on Marvin Stillwater's face said it all as his wife once again mentioned why his oldest child, his son, his little boy, who for some damned reason just had to be raised as a girl.
"I don't want any child of mine to grow up being some damned homosexual whatever. Just because your mother said he's special, you're sticking him in dresses and giving him dolls to play with," he shouted, towering over the small woman, his face a mask of rage. Picking up one of the homemade rag dolls that Hummingbird carried around, Marvin tore it to pieces in front of her and threw the pieces around the small living room.
Rachel sighed and hung her head for a moment. After her initial surprise of little Hummingbird, she had come to terms with the child. She still didn't know what exactly to do with her but her mother was helping the best she could. "She is special. It's been many years since a winkte was gifted to this tribe. It's not only mother that says so. Elder Red Crane says so as well."
Marvin snorted in derision. "Bunch of ass backwards mumbo-jumbo Rach, and you know it. The only thing special about him is the fact he thinks he's a fucking girl. I keep telling you that you need to move up to Rapid, then you could raise our kids normal like and the boy would know what he is," he snapped. He worked away from home for several weeks at a stretch, living in Rapid City and only coming back to the reservation to screw his wife and get drunk with his buddies. It would be better if the woman and kids just moved to Rapid; he could find a one room apartment or something for them.
Rachel gasped. Leave the reservation. Go out into the white man's world? She couldn't do that. There would be nothing normal for them. Different as it was, they had a life here on the res. "You know I can't, Marvin. Mother needs me. I'm learning the medicine songs and Hummingbird will too. She's to stay here and bring honour and prosperity to the tribe."
Marvin sneered at Rachel and then looked over at the small child sitting quietly in the corner. Dressed in a patched hand me down shift the child was barefooted and clutching a worn rag baby to it's chest.
Wide brown eyes watched Marvin's every move, one finger coming up to hook into the child's mouth as it stared at the unfolding scene in silence. Marvin shuddered for a moment and glared at his oldest son; damned kid was creepy.
Growling softly, Marvin suddenly took a step towards the child, arms outstretched as if to grab the tiny body. Hummingbird's eyes widened even more as she darted quickly away from her father's hands, intent to get away before he could hit her again.
"Get back here you little shit," Marvin snarled and then rounded back on Rachel. "Damned kid probably isn't even mine, is he? Doesn't look like me."
Rachel bent and patted Hummingbird on the back. "Go on baby. Go play with Magpie and Lee." She looked up at Marvin then shook her head. "Don't say things like that, of course she's yours."
Hummingbird watched Marvin with fear filled eyes, not wanting to leave her mother alone with her father when he was like this.
Marvin glared down at his child, his hand snaking out and grabbing the front of Hummingbird's shift, pulling the child off of her feet. "Scat you little bastard, get out of my sight!" he snarled.
One tear rolled down Hummingbird's cheek as she picked herself up from the rough wooden floor, running into the bedroom she shared with her little sister and brother. Silently, she looked down at them busily playing on the old quilt Grandmother had made for them to sleep under at night.
Magpie looked up when Hummingbird entered the room, giving her a toothless grin and stretching out to her with chubby little arms. "Birdie."
Lee looked at his sister and went back to playing with the wooden blocks, stacking them higher and higher in a little tower.
In the other room the argument raged on as Rachel tried to convince her husband Hummingbird really was his own.
Hummingbird smiled down at her little sister, squatting down to sit on her haunches in front of her. "What are you doing 'Pie?" she asked softly as she absentmindedly handed Lee another one of the worn wooden blocks. The blocks were so old and worn by the time Rachel had found them for the children that any benefits of learning the alphabet from the letters were zilch. Age and use had long worn away all but minute traces of paint here and there.
"What are you making Lee?" Hummingbird asked as she handed him another block.
"Nuthin'," Lee answered not looking at Hummingbird as he swiped the block from her outstretched hand.
"Tower Birdie!" Magpie squawked and clapped her hands together. "'Nother, Birdie, 'nother"
Hummingbird began to rock back and forth on her haunches, murmuring softly to herself in a little sing song voice, her eyes riveted on one of the blocks sitting on the quilt. "Watch 'Pie, watch," she murmured softly as she continued to rock, her small fingers flitting about in the air and the block began to float in the air several inches over the quilt.
Lee watched for a moment then snatched the block out of the air. "Mine." He gave Birdie a glare and stretched up to place the block on the top of the tower.
Magpie's face crumbled and she looked at her brother then to Hummingbird, eyes tearing up. "Birdie, again?"
"Shhhhh 'Pie," Hummingbird murmured as she turned and looked at the small rag baby she'd sat down. "Watch."
Standing this time, Hummingbird rocked from foot to foot, her eyes focused on the doll as she began to sing Magpie a song about the doll dancing and playing with the deer. Her eyes slowly began to slide out of focus as the doll rose in the air and began to whirl and dip as if dancing madly.
Magpie gasped and clapped, rocking side to side also as if she were dancing with the doll. "More Birdie!"
Lee looked at the doll, Hummingbird and Magpie and shook his head, going back to his blocks. "Dumb girls."
Still rocking and singing her little made-up song, Hummingbird twisted her fingers slightly and the tower Lee had been building fell over and the blocks began to spin in the air just above the quilt.
Eyes closed now, Hummingbird rocked faster, her singing becoming louder as the fighting in the other room grew louder. Starting to spin in a slow circle, the blocks and doll dipped, dove and danced around the room wildly, darting just out of the reach of the smaller children.
Rachel stopped crying long enough to look at Marvin then headed for the bedroom where laughter was bubbling out over their argument. She stopped suddenly in the doorway and just watched as the blocks and a dolly floated above her twins.
She stared at Hummingbird, mouth open in an 'O'. "Great Spirit," she whispered softly and looked back at Marvin again.
"Not under my roof!" Marvin roared, lunging forward and knocking the child to the floor, smirking as the toys clattered to the floor as well. He turned to Rachel and pointed back at Hummingbird. "Out of my house and away from my children, do you hear me woman?"
Rachel swallowed and nodded. Even though Marvin was rarely at home he was still her husband and his rule still applied. "Yes, Marvin," she answered softly as she knelt next to Hummingbird and wrapped the child in her arms. Maybe her mother would know what to do again.
Hummingbird looked up at her father and bit her lip, struggling to her feet. "Daddy..." she said softly with one hand stretched out to him.
Marvin narrowed his eyes at the child. "Daddy? You must be mistaken, child." He bent and picked up Lee then looked at Rachel. "Until that bastard is out of this house I am taking my son."
Rachel jumped to her feet, pushing Hummingbird to the side as she grabbed for Lee. "No Marvin, please don't take him away. I'll send Hummingbird to my mother. Please Marvin," she begged, clinging to the man's arm, tears running down her face.
Marvin just shook his head. "Why is that creepy thing still here then?" He reached back and slapped Rachel. "Get it out of my home, NOW!" he roared and bent to pick up Magpie as well.
Hummingbird watched wide-eyed, tears rolling down her thin cheeks as Marvin slapped her mama.
Blindly, Rachel reached out and grabbed Hummingbird by the shoulder, her fingers digging in almost cruelly as she dragged her child from the room. She would take the child to her mother; Mourning Dove would keep Hummingbird safe until she could make Marvin understand.
Hummingbird lifted a small hand and waved sadly at her little sister and brother. "Bye," she whispered as she was dragged into the night.