A Journey At Hogwarts

Prologue: One Goodbye is Not Enough

Warnings: mentions of physical abuse, swearing. 

Summer of 1981, the height of the wizarding war. Death has become such normality in the newspapers. They stopped giving out names a while ago and now all casualties are numeric, to be forgotten by everyone except the people that cared for them. Some have been fighting while most are hiding at their homes. Others have the fighting in their own home. A cottage up on the cliffs of Fife at the coast of Scotland, hidden by a fidelius charm who are currently experiencing that exact situation. There, was a young boy, a man by legality and a little girl, huddled up in the attic. Jacob is reading a book out loud in their makeshift fort of blankets and pillows. Trying to drown out the sound of their parents yelling.

"What do you mean yer done!?" The voice of a usually soft-spoken woman echoed loudly through the house.

"I'm fucking done! I'm fucking done with you and the kids!" Jacob stopped reading at the last word. Kids, not Jacob. Kids. Juniper was included there. Jacob was fuming. The fighting raged on, "I'm fucking done with Scotland, Britain and everything included! This country can go to shit!"

Jacob dropped the book, "Wait here Pip. Don't come downstairs."

He rushed downstairs and joined in the commotion. The yelling intensified as Juniper reached out to grab her stuffed toy rabbit. It's used to have a beautiful shade of bright green but after many washes, it's faded to ugly lime colour. She squeezed it tight hoping a slither of comfort would come to her. Tears that she has been fighting streamed down her face in isolation. The yelling is interrupted by a smack. Juniper couldn't bear waiting any longer and headed downstairs, greeted by a door slam and her mum fussing over Jacob's cheek.

"Pip, what are you doin' here? I told you to wait upstairs." Jacob asked concerned.

"I did but Pa hit you again!" Juniper cried, "I couldnae let him do that."

Jacob pulled her into a tight hug. Their mum joined them reassuring them that everything will be okay over and over again. She said it more for her own sake, to keep calm. They all knew that he would not be coming back any time soon. That it would be just the three of them now, right? Juniper slept in her mum's bed that night, neither could bear the thought of being alone that night.

Jacob stood by the window in his bedroom in the attic. Waiting for a special message. Moments later, a fiery brown owl swooped in and dropped a note on his bed. He picked it up;

Jacob, it's now or never. Meet me at Borgin and Burkes,

Rakepick

A woman with not many words. His heart sank, knowing that not only had their dad left, not even for a full day. Now he had to leave. For ma and for Pip. For Madam Rosmerta and Hagrid. He needed to protect them. Jacob grabbed his bag and chucks in some clothes, books and a few other items that could be useful. He ripped out paper from a used school jotter and scribbles down his message. It might be his last words to them, a thought he doesn't want to entertain. He left by the window, the floorboards downstairs are too creaky and would alert them. The young man disappeared out of sight of the cottage and disapparated into the unknown, and without the knowledge of how his actions will affect the future of others.