July 11th 1988, (Flashback)

John Avery sat in the dining room the rather lavish Avery home, crystal chandelier overheard, dark wood curling around the bottom half of the walls matching the floorboards and furniture including the table he sat at. The top half of the walls were sky blue and decorated by dark fleur-de-lis, the colors also carrying through to the upholstery on the chairs. It was all very resolute, everything had a place, it was supposed to all have an air of regal elegance befitting of the proud pureblooded Avery name. John thought it was kind of stuffy.

"John, focus," his tutor chastised him and the seven year old John rolled his eyes as he turned back to his parchment of math sums, scribbling down the last few answers with his quill.

"I'm done them, can I play outside with my brothers now?" John asked as he shoved the paper over towards his tutor, the man picked up the paper and eyed it disapprovingly while John leaned on his arm and drummed the table idly.

"Mediocre at best, your mother shall not be pleased."

"Is she ever?"

"Very well, you may go but we will work more on your multiplication tomorrow. Not to mention to mention posture, sit up straight."

John sat up straighter as he was expected to, the tutor inclined his head in approval and John could eagerly bound away. He hurried through the familiar halls and into the kitchen which had the back door he wanted to get outside, he was surprised to find his two older brothers were actually there rather than outside.

Edwyn Amos Avery III – who went by Amos - was the eldest at eleven, he was due to start Hogwarts in September. He had darker hair like John, their father and grandfather as well as the darker eyes he alone shared with his namesakes. Ezra was the younger at ten, he alone of the three had inherited wavy blondish hair like their mother and like John shared her cerulean eyes. They were both leaning against the counter eating cookies from the jar.

"Hey guys," John greeted them cheerfully as he reached them, "Can I have a cookie?"

"No," Amos scoffed but Ezra handed him one anyway, Amos slinked a scowl at his brother while John took the cookie, "Mother didn't say John could have one."

"Mother's not here," Ezra pointed out with rather poor timing as their mother took that moment to sweep into the room.

"Mother is now," Mother announced but didn't pay them any mind instead heading for the wine rack to select a bottle, she shooed at them with her hands, "Skedaddle. Go on now, go play outside. Mother needs some alone time."

"Yes, Mother," the three chorused and made to leave, however she snatched the cookie out of John's hand.

"No eating cookies without permission, John! You know the rules."

"May I have permission to have the cookie then?" John asked politely as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, Mother's eyes narrowed darkly however.

"No, you may not."

"Can I have the cookie?" Ezra asked instead and she handed him the cookie with a smile.

"Of course you can, my sweet boy," Mother assured him before shooing them again with her hands, "Now go play, don't waste your childhoods."

They followed Amos outside obediently into the bright summer sunshine and the garden, full of vibrant colors as the flowers were in bloom and the herbs were plentiful. As soon as they were out of the view of the kitchen door, Ezra handed him the cookie behind Amos' back and gave him a wink. John gave him a grateful smile before munching on the cookie.

"Sometimes I don't think Mother likes me very much," John admitted after finishing the cookie as they continued the trek through the neatly cobbled pathway to get to the open area they could play in.

"That's what you get for being a boy when Mother wanted a girl," Amos said with a shrug, John scowled at this and turned to Ezra.

"Is that true?"

"I don't know, I don't really remember," Ezra admitted disinterested as they left the hedged off section to the spacious grassy area that climbed up a massive hill with an old willow tree at the top they often played in, or at least when they let John play with them.

"Last one to touch the tree is stinky Nundu breath!" Amos announced with a smile before bolting into a run towards the hill, Ezra and John raced after him but as usual John was quickly left behind them.

"Wait up!" John yelled desperately, wishing he was taller like his brothers. Despite his best efforts, he could never keep with them. Aside from being older then him, they were also faster, stronger, taller and smarter. John hated being the youngest.

"Haha, I win!" Amos called back to him proudly as he reached the tree, followed a second later by Ezra before finally John and the eldest Avery boy smirked while folding his arms, "You lose baby brother. Again."

"I'm not a baby, just a loser."

"You're not supposed to admit to being a loser, you're an Avery not a Weasley," Ezra complained while pulling himself up onto a branch and starting to climb.

"But I did just lost," John admitted and tried to follow his brother's example, however he couldn't quite reach. Instead he grabbed a smaller, lower branch that broke off and caused him to fall back onto the grass.

"And now you just fell," Amos laughed at him while John got up still holding the stick that had broken off, "Now you're a loser and a faller."

"Hey guys," Ezra called back down to them, "Check it out, there's a bunch of muggles having a picnic."

"Muggles?" Amos repeated, his laughter fading immediately into a dark expression, "Filth like that shouldn't be allowed near our home."

"Let them keep their distance I say, that girl is hot," Ezra shrugged, shocking both John and Amos who looked up at him in confusion, "What? Haven't you noticed that pretty girls are kind of nice to look at?"

"No," John and Amos scoffed in unison, Ezra seemed surprised by his and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well they are. Even muggles."

"What's so bad about muggles anyway?" John wondered curiously and it was his turn to be looked at in surprise.

"They don't have magic, they're animals," Amos insisted as John idly drew the stick down the tree trunk.

"Yes but I like animals, we don't hate owls or cats so why are muggles so bad?"

"Because they're stupid and dirty! They're vermin, they're a plague like locusts or rats!" Amos told him, his tone darkening as his expression twisted angrily while he advanced on him, "They drove our kind into hiding, forcing us to live in their shadow! And then those mudblood filth dare to try steal our magic?! They're the worst and if you even have to ask that question then you're the worst too, John! No sympathy for the enemy!"

"But don't muggles not even know we exist so how are they driving us out?" John pressed curiously but foolishly, he wanted to know, "And why do they look so much like us if they're animals?"

Amos gave a cry of rage and grabbed the stick from John's hands, he then swung it back round and hit John around the head with it hard. John was knocked to the ground while his head rang painfully from the force of the blow, he burst into tears at the pain. But then Amos hit him again. And again. And again. He was forced to raised his arms to protect his head until Ezra jumped down, grabbing the stick off Amos.

"That's enough!" Ezra snapped.

Amos backed off, his nostrils flaring as he remained fuming while Ezra watched him for a long minute before throwing down the stick. The second he did, Amos lunged at him and slammed his fist into Ezra's face. The tumbled to the ground, Ezra tried to push Amos off him but the elder boy struck him again before biting down on Ezra's still outstretched arm. Ezra gave a cry of pain and hit Amos with his free hand.

"ENOUGH!" a new voice screamed and all three froze, turning to see their father standing there having evidently returned from his work in the Ministry. He was dressed in usual unruffled black robes, his hair was neatly cropped and his dark eyes glowering in disapproval. He wasn't the most physically imposing person in the world but nonetheless he seemed to radiate power to John, "I do not wish to come home and find my sons brawling with each other like animals!"

"But Father-" Amos started to say as he got off Ezra, the two getting to their feet.

"BUT NOTHING!"

The elder two hung their heads in shame while John sat there sniffing miserably, Father came over and scooped him up though to carry him back to the house with the other two following as he led them back into the kitchen which was now empty. He sat John down and retrieved some potion to put on the wounds he'd endured from being beaten with a stick, starting to apply it and his pain started to ease while asking them what happened. Father had a system of how to deal with the fighting, they'd each give their own account of what had happened – no interruption – and Father would deduce the truth from it to deliver the verdict.

"Ezra, you're grounded for one week," Father decided after they'd all had their say, turning to Ezra standing beside him along with Amos, "While I appreciate your efforts to keep the peace amongst your siblings, expressing attraction for muggle scum is despicable. Furthermore, you're ten. Act your age, I don't want to see you interested in women until you see your pureblooded bride that I'd have chosen for you walking down the aisle to marry you. It's disgusting and wrong to have such thoughts before marriage."

"Yes, Father," Ezra nodded and Father gestured for him to go which Ezra obediently did.

"Amos, you're grounded for two weeks," Father continued as he turned to Amos, "While you were in the right to stick to your wands about muggle scum, you shouldn't have resorted to violence against your brother. Family comes first, there are so few purebloods left and even less Averys so we can't afford to turn on each other. You're starting Hogwarts in a few months and this is how you think to act? No. John was wrong and has to learn but you teach with words not with fists, it's a very barbaric muggle way of dealing with things."

"Yes, Father," Amos nodded and Father gestured for him to go which Amos obediently did.

"John, you're grounded for three weeks," Father said as he finally turned to John who still sat at the table beside him, "Your brother shouldn't have attacked you like that but you are even more in the wrong for expressing such sympathetic thoughts about muggles, your crime was the worst of all. Muggles are vile vermin and to think otherwise it to betray not only your own kind but your own family, the very blood flowing through your veins and everything it stands for. Muggle are bad, you must learn that and you must remember that. Plus you cried, crying is for the weak and I expect better from my sons."

"Yes, Father," John nodded and Father gestured for him to go, which he did.