Chapter Text
July 8th, 1972
The house was always quiet… before Tilda started shouting.
Home has always been a war zone.
Some days it was a plate shattering against the wall. Other days it was a fork thrown hard enough to leave a dent in Aaron’s bedroom door. Once, it had been because he chewed too loudly. Another time because he hadn’t answered quickly enough.
There didn’t have to be a reason. Tilda always found one.
Aaron had never felt a mother’s gentle touch nor love. He grew up with Tilda and her violence, he had only known the touch of her hands when they were pulling his hair, hitting his skin, or slaps across his face. Aaron had never received a single hug or just a word of affection, encouragement, or support.
He had only knew that he was his mother’s mistake and disappointment. Aaron knew because Tilda said it right into his face when he was washing the dishes after dinner.
He could vaguely remember the touch of her palm hitting across his face, “You damn child!, If you can’t even wash a single dish I might as well send you to the orphanage!”
A single hitch was made in the silence, Aaron had turned the sink off only to turn around to feel the burning pain in his cheek. The moment Tilda yelled, Aaron quickly raised his arms to block another attack.
”I can’t believe I gave birth to such a disappointment!” Tilda wailed, she closed her eyes while crying her eyes out. Aaron could only stand and watch as his own tears started welling up in his eyes.
He shook with fear and the sadness of his mother’s cries, “If only I had just given you up and not had taken you back would I have been so happy without you! Instead you make everything worse, you can’t do a single task i tell you! Your might as well be my greatest mistake!”
Aaron froze, he could only hear his mother’s voice slowly faded as he was in a trance. ’A mistake?’
The word kept repeating into his head.
Mistake
Mistake
Mistake
Mistake
Mistake
He came back to himself the moment he was shoved down onto the ground with Tilda towering over him with her arms flailing in the air.
Tilda was showing obvious disgust as she looked Aaron up and down. She finally scoffed and walked away to her bedroom probably towards to the bathroom for the pills. Aaron could only stand up quietly and finish the dishes before showing and heading to bed.
—
Aaron was setting down the plates for breakfast until a sound of a letter was heard from the door. He looked up and saw a envelope on the ground, Aaron took a slow step towards it before picking it up. The envelope had purple wax seal containing a coat of arms, lion an eagle, a badger, and a snake rounding around a large H.
”Huh..?” He turned it over and saw that his name was listed on the envelope. “It has my name on it..”
Mr. A. Minyard
The Bedroom on the first floor, second door of the right side of the hall.
California, San Jose
As he was able to open it a hand intercepted it before he could even rip it. Tilda was glaring down at so hard that Aaron shrank back. “What the hell do you think your doing.
Aaron could smell of alcohol on her immediately, he had gotten use to the smell by now at least. “The letter was slipped into the door! I don’t know what it is but it has my name on it…”
Tilda didn’t even open the envelope. The moment she saw A. Minyard written across the front in emerald ink her lip curled, “Junk.”
She tossed it into the trash and Aaron’s stomach dropped as he could only stared after it. His name.
It was the first letter he had ever received with his own name on it. His fingers twitched at his sides, but he didn’t move. He had learned long ago that moving too quickly around Tilda only made things worse.
then slowly recovered and remembered that the letter had his name on it so he rushed to the trash to dig it out. Tilda’s sharp grip hurt like hell as she yanked Aaron back hard. “Don’t you even dare try to open or even touch the letter! Do you understand me!”
Aaron only flinched and slowly nodded as Tilda let go of his arm. She aggressively pushed him away and walked back to the dining room. Aaron stared at the ground but then slowly looked towards the trash can.
He debated his options and then looked to see if Tilda was watching. She back was faced away so Aaron took the chance to run over to the trash can and grab the letter. He quickly stuffed it under his shirt and threw his hand over it to hide the bump. Aaron hurriedly walked to the kitchen to get the food for breakfast.
—
Aaron spends the entire morning distracted.
The parchment felt impossibly heavy beneath his shirt. Every time he bent down to scrub a pan or reached for another plate, the corner of the envelope brushed against his skin. He wanted to know what it said. More than that, he wanted to know who had written to him.
“What’s under your shirt?”
Aaron froze mid step. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as Tilda narrowed her eyes.
”Nothing,” he whispered. She stared at him for another long moment before turning back to the stove.
After breakfast, Tilda leaves to run errands or steps outside. Aaron takes the chance to bolt to his room, locks the door, and finally opens the envelope.
The parchment was thick and warm beneath his fingers. No matter how many times he wiped away the dirt from the trash, it still looked untouched. Almost as though it had never belonged there at all.
The handwriting was unlike anything Aaron has ever seen. Elegant, careful, and beautiful.
His own name has never looked so important. He lightly rips open the envelope to pull the letter out of its pocket.
He carefully reads the paper, “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…” Aaron was momentarily confused by the name, “Hogwarts..? Witchcraft and Wizardry.. what?”
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sore., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confred. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Minyard
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minvera McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Aaron was stunned into silence, wizards and witches were real…? And he was accepted!?!
He stared at the parchment until the words blurred together.
Witches
Wizards
They were real.. and somehow they wanted him..?
”Albus Dumbeldore..” the name meant nothing, “Minvera McGongall..?” Nothing. He thought about the names but nothing came to mind, ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’ neither does the school… Aaron had never heard of any of it.
Aaron frowned at the final line, We await your owl, Owl?
He’d seen pigeons, crows, sparrows nesting, but never an owl…
Aaron desperately wanted to go but he couldn’t even meet the requirements even though he was already accepted. He needed to go but he still couldn’t get too because of Tilda…
He folded the letter with trembling hands and tucked it safely beneath his mattress. It was the first thing in his life that truly belonged only to him..
Whatever Hogwarts was.. he was gonna find it.
He needed to hatch a plan fast if he truly wanted to attend Hogwarts.