InsaneJournal

Who: Cambina Bulstrode and Dulcinea Doge
What: Mother-daughter bonding time
When: Afternoon of 1 April 1998
Where: Dulci's home in Batheaston
Warnings: Language.



Dulci had wrapped herself up in her favourite afghan in her chair in the family room of the house in Batheaston with a good book by the time Bina arrived. Dulci was, nominally, supposed to be cleared to return to work without further delay, but the truth was that she was still quite tired and enjoying a bit of relaxation while she could have it. Her tea and half of a scone she hadn't got round to finishing were sitting on the table next to her so she didn't have to get up if she didn't want to.

Even so, when Bina came into the room, Dulci disentangled herself from the afghan and stood up to give her daughter a hug. Bina might be a grown woman, but to Dulci, there was always going to be a bit of her little girl in Bina. And Bina looked so downcast that Dulci gave into her urge to mother her. "Reedy, would you please put some more tea on for Bina? And bring in some more scones. Thank you."

Bina hugged her mother before pulling back and running a critical gaze over her, taking in every last detail. "How are you feeling, mum? You look to be on the mend.."

It had been yet another small stressor in Bina's life, her mother's illness, resulting in throwing herself into work and into stress relief as well. "Do you need anything?"

Dulci was still probably thinner than she ought to be, but her colour was as close to normal as it had been in weeks. Her smile was still tired, but her eyes had most of their old sparkle. "I've got everything taken care of here, between Reedy and your grandfather. They've owled me a few things to look at from the Ministry before I go back, but there's no rush on any of it. So I'm fine, at least according to my healers, and I feel much better. How about you?" Dulci gestured to the chair next to hers and then settled back in her own seat, pulling the afghan round her knees and over her lap. The fire was roaring and there was a warming charm on the blanket for Dulci, though it was probably a bit stuffy for Bina.

Bina stripped off the dragon hide jacket that was a permanent part of her wardrobe, leaving her in just a tank top and jeans before she settled into the chair, drawing one knee up and balancing her elbow on it before picking up a scone once more appeared. "Good. You will tell me if you need anything, won't you? Not just push through?" At the question, Bina sighed and settled back into the chair. "Work is busy. More and more piling on and not enough leads. So it's frustrating."

"I'm not going to let them push me too hard, I promise." Dulci took a sip of the new cup of tea that had arrived with the scones. "I'm only going to be on a few cases at first. Nothing significant." She had been slated to be on the Macnair case before her illness, and that would have been more excitement than she needed at full strength.

"And that's Auror work in a nutshell. Nothing then nothing then nothing then nothing, and then it all comes together or you get a lucky break and you have a hard case and an Azkaban-bound Dark wizard. Or witch." Which thought Dulci raised her cup to.

Bina snorted. "I'm not sure there's anything that isn't significant at the ministry right now. Between dead aurors and the elections..." Bina trailed off and shook her head. "It's a rotten mess. And to make it worse, one of my friends is dating an ex-con."

Bina poured herself a cup of tea and sipped it. "Well, there's quite a few wizards I'd send back to Azkaban if I could, but we're not at that point yet."

"I have no doubt that Rufus will round up the lot of them once they step out of line." Dulci pursed her lips a little at the thought of one of her daughter's friends dating an ex-convict. "I hope you've talked to your friend. Involvement with terrorists and vigilantes is extremely unwise. There's always the likelihood of inadvertently becoming an accessory to crimes. And if things go the way they did in the last war, your friend might become a target. You may not remember this, since you were in school, but--" Dulci shook her head sadly "--at the very end of things, the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters were murdering each other left and right. I'd hate to see anyone innocent drawn into that."

Bina was fairly confident her mother was right about Rufus and Bina planned to be at Rufus' side when he did, helping him take them down. Bina rolled her eyes. "You don't think I know that, mum? It's all I can do not to go over and hex his brains out." Or beat him within an inch of his life and make sure he stayed away from Gwenog, but there were still some things Bina didn't share with her mother. "And then she's dating someone else as well but won't tell me who." Which certainly didn't inspire confidence in Cambina at all. And there was the insult to injury that Bina had been dumped for these men. Well, not dumped, since they weren't dating, which apparently made all the difference. "I'll do what I can to protect her, but you don't need to hear me prattle on about my friend's idiotic romantic urges."

Of course Bina knew it all, but there was a difference between knowing intellectually and the gut-level horror of watching the blood in the streets. It was bad enough hearing that one's colleagues had been murdered or seriously injured in the line of duty; Dulci hoped it would get no worse.

At Bina's last, though, there was a penetrating look over the rim of Dulci's cup. "Is this a friend, or a friend?"

"It doesn't matter," Bina said, taking another bite of scone. She would have to ask Reedy for some to take home or, more likely, to the office since that's where she was spending most of her time. "You're not going to rush back to the office, are you? I know the healer cleared you, but it wouldn't hurt to take some more time at home. Holidays are underrated."

"I'm not rushing back to the office, no. I need to go back to work again before I start to rot in this house. Also, I think your grandfather will be glad to have the house back during the day for a couple of days a week." Dulci picked up another scone and started nibbling on it. "And you didn't answer my question. Don't think I didn't notice. But if you don't want to talk about it, you can tell me all the scuttlebutt going round the office. My connection to the gossip chain is feeling thin."

"Just friends, apparently," Bina said with a shrug before gulping down her tea. She'd long stopped standing on ceremony with her mother. She could play the part of a proper young pureblood witch if necessary, but it wasn't her cup of tea and she rarely bothered. "Frustration, mostly, at the office. And you know, the general freakout that Aurors are being targeted directly."

"Aurors are the front line. Vigilante activity hits you first, when you're not the vigilantes." Dulci's expression darkened slightly, but she shook it off quickly with a slight toss of her hair. "There were procedures against this kind of thing and I'm sure they've already been reinstated. If you'd like to stay out here, though, you know you're always welcome." Batheaston had become something of a fortress in the last war, and its wards and protections were still substantial.

"Lots of things are being reinstated," Bina said with a half shrug. "Hopefully it'll give us the upper hand." Cambina stretched her legs out over the arm of the chair. "Training us in unforgivables at the moment. Thanks for the offer, mum, but it's easier if I'm closer to the office. Wouldn't feel right if I wasn't in the middle of the action."

Bina arched an eyebrow. "Did you hear Uncle Perseus might run for Wizengamot?"

Dulci shook her head. "No, he's not mentioned it, but I think your grandfather didn't want anyone to bother me with politics while I've been ill. I think he'd've banned the Prophet and taken away the wireless if he thought he could get away with it." There was a fond smile at the idea. "I'd welcome seeing him on the Wizengamot. He's sensible, and Merlin knows we can use more of that. And the Macnair trial notwithstanding, the Wizengamot usually doesn't attract too much attention from terrorists until you stand up for something or against it."

"Well, granddad does have some sense, mum, you can't argue. The healers did want you to rest. And Doge women are notorious for pushing through things that would cripple a lesser man," she said with an encouraging smirk. "I'd like to see him try to take away the wireless from you. But these are different times… or a return to old times. The jury's still out on that, I think."

"Lady Noir's not Voldemort. There are similarities to the early days of the last war, and we still have the old Death Eaters around to deal with, courtesy of Minister Black, plus the lot who managed to hide under rocks last time. But apart from the sort of--random viciousness? of some of the attacks, there's nothing organised about this. There's no 'either you do this or we'll do that'. She claims she has objectives, and people die in her name, but she's not the threat that Voldemort was. And I believe that you'll nip her in the bud before she draws enough followers to her crusade." Dulci reached out to take one of Bina's hands reassuringly.

Bina squeezed her mother's hand, still somewhat worried about her and gave her a smile. "How could we not with Rufus at the helm?" she offered. "Maybe on my next day off, we could see if there's a concert to catch? Or go somewhere for tea?"

Bina's fingers were warm to Dulci, and she was sure hers were cold to Bina. "As long as it's not the same day as the next WICCA meeting. I'm officially out of the leadership now, and I'm not sorry for that, but I should go show the flag. A concert or tea or some such sounds much better, though."

The thought of Rufus at the helm was one Dulci let slide. Rufus should have been standing for Minister by now, and then he'd be in a better position to lead for the long term. As it was, they were likely to be stuck with another moderate Minister unable to provide the leadership they needed. The field was too weak.

"Who knows, maybe I'll even let you drag me along to a WICCA meeting," she offered with a half smile, a sheer sign of how worried she was about her mother. After all, it was much better to focus on her mother than herself. Besides, it wasn't as if there was much to say, anyways. She'd gotten burned because she'd wanted more than fun with the wrong person. Obviously just more reasoning to keep things casual.

"You are worried. I think I can handle the Malfoys and Prewetts of this world even in my weakened state. None of them are Walburga Black." Dulci patted Bina's hand reassuringly. "You know, the thing about friends and friends is that you have to make your expectations and interests clear. I once told someone I cared about very much--not your father, either--that I wouldn't settle for less than I wanted. And you know what? I didn't. You shouldn't settle for less either."

Bina pulled her hand back and wrapped her arms around herself. "Yeah, but who wants to handle them? Besides, my interests don't much matter. She had other interests. Male interests so that she can find someone to marry." An eye roll told her mother what she thought of such an idea. She didn't understand why anyone would settle. "Don't worry, mum, I'm fine. Plenty to keep me occupied."

"If she doesn't want what you want, there are more fish in the sea. And why would you want to marry an ex-convict?" There was as much confusion as disdain in Dulci's voice. "I can only guess it's not a Death Eater because I can't imagine how you'd stay friends with a woman who'd involve herself with that. But they were all murderers and terrorists. Choosing someone like that to marry? To father your children? I've been a single mum and it's no treat, even with a daughter as easy as you. I hope she's got a lot of family to care for her if she marries this fellow and leaves her pregnant when he gets himself sent back."

"Mum!" Bina snapped, rubbing a hand over her eyes. She didn't want to talk about Gwen. She didn't want to think about Gwen. She wanted to catch Lady Noir and her associates and not have to worry about her friends and family. "Can we not talk about her? please? I'm not the one getting involved with vigilantes and I certainly have no plans to marry. So you needn't fear on that account."

Dulci held up a hand in surrender. "All right, all right. I just can't imagine any sensible reason why someone would want an ex-convict's company, particularly not over yours. I just want you to be happy, Bina. That's all."

"I'm fine, Mum. I don't need someone else to make me happy." It was true and generally Cambina did a good job of ensuring her own happiness. What she hadn't counted on was the ability of one person to make her unhappy. And as much as she wanted to, she couldn't just hex Fabian into oblivion and steal Gwenog back. Not when Gwen just saw her as fun and not someone datable.

That, at least, was the right attitude as far as Dulci was concerned. To want someone's company was one thing, but to really need it led mostly to heartbreak. However unconventional Bina might be, she'd at least absorbed that lesson. "Then we'll focus on other things that will bring happiness into your life. What sort of good things have happened lately?" Surely in the midst of all the chaos in the Auror Office, there was some success or pleasant news in Bina's life.

Cambina wasn't sure mentioning her evening with Madoc or her afternoon with Michael would go over well. Normally she wouldn't care, but with her mother still recovering, Bina was holding back a bit. "Planning my next ink. Thinking of getting something on my back for my birthday."

"What sort of design are you thinking of? Upper back or lower?" This was clearly a safer subject to be interested in, so Dulci leapt on it with renewed enthusiasm. The next question was mostly a tease, which Bina could tell from Dulci's tone and her sly grin. "Would it embarrass you too much if I went with you and got a small design?" There were few symbols or words that Dulci valued enough to consider permanently adding to her body, but her recent troubles might deserve some form of commemoration, if only for her survival and return to health.

"Upper. Or a full back piece," Bina said, relaxing as she picked up another scone and munched on it, realising she wasn't sure when she'd last eaten more than just a muffin in the break room. "Thinking about wings of some sort."

She gave her mother a smile. "I wouldn't mind. There's already a few people coming along to get inked."

"No, I wouldn't dream of spoiling your outing with your friends. And in any case I'd need to decide what sort of design I wanted and where to put it, and you know that will require quite a bit of research into symbolism. I'd ask what you were planning, but if you're still debating a location, I assume you haven't settled on that either." Dulci glanced at the almost-empty plate of scones. "Are they not feeding you at the DMLE again? If you're going to be there until all hours, they need to have food in. What would you like? I'll have Reedy make it up for you and we can share it."

"Well, if you decide to get one, let me know. There's still plenty of blank canvas on my body," she said with a grin. Bina rolled her eyes at the latter comment. "Reedy's scones are better than what they serve, you know that."

"This is why I want you to stay with me. Reedy will keep you from starving on sub-par coffee and takeaway from whatever's nearby." The tone was teasing but the sentiment wasn't entirely. Dulci remembered her own long days and nights in the Hit squad during the war. It had been difficult, particularly before Bina had gone to Hogwarts. Now it was her daughter facing those long shifts and inadequate sleep and food. "If nothing else, I'm going to start bringing food to the office and having you up on your break. You're not allowed to starve on duty. I'll consider it my service to the nation."

"Mum." Bina sat up and gave her mother a look. "I'll stay for dinner or whatever meal this is, but I'm not moving back in. And if you bring food to the office, then I hope you'll bring enough for the whole office. I'm not going to have my mother steal me away just to fatten me up. I'm fine."

The storm of fussing, as usual, did little to disturb Dulci's serenity. "I'm your mother; it's only natural and normal that I'm a little partisan. But, now that you say it, that seems like a good service project for WICCA: some sort of volunteer food service for the DMLE. I'll have to propose it at the next meeting. Perhaps you'll have some idea of what would be useful and necessary?"

"Mother, we are not some pet project," Cambina huffed, stretching and getting to her feet. She went over and kissed her mother on the forehead. "I should be getting back, anyway. I was going to go and put in some extra hours."

Dulci reached up to take both of Bina's hands for a moment. "It's not a pet project. It's something I can do, now that I'm no longer in the field myself. Something I wished someone had done for us when I was on the front lines. So you can serve those extra hours with one less burden on your shoulders." A return kiss, conveyed by one of Dulci's long fingers, brushed onto Bina's cheek.

She knew better than to say the other thing she was thinking: that a constant stream of volunteers might allow Bina a chance to make new friends. Or friends.

Bina gave in with a sigh, running her hand over her mother's hair with a faint smile. "Alright. You know what it's like. We're not too picky about food." She cracked a grin. "And don't worry, nothing but tattoos on my shoulders."

"I'll want to see the design if you decide on what you'll do before your birthday. Promise you'll show me." Dulci returned Bina's smile. Even if she didn't entirely believe it, she was willing to accept the reassurance, and to do everything she could to make it true.

"I promise, mum," Bina said, with only a slight eyeroll as she kissed her mother goodbye.