A/N: Hullo, this is my first fan fiction, so if you could let me know what you think, I would really appreciate it. This story is about the parents of the students currently at Hogwarts. What I mean by that, is sort of a little vignette about each of them and how hard it must be to have such a small child in a time of war. I started with Dean because JKR has told us about his backstory a little bit, but its not appearing in the books. So this first chapter is my take on that. The other chapters will be about the other students when they're about one year old (not all of them, but a few more at least). The last chapter will be Harry's part. If anyone has suggestions for a student, let me know (I'm def doing Neville, Ron, Harry, Draco at this point I think...). Hope you like it! Oh, and props to those of you who might know who Cassandra is (she is a character from the books, but we never met her).
Dean wouldn't stop crying. No matter what his mother did to try and calm him down. They were standing in the train depot as she carefully tried to balance her travel case in one arm and Dean in the other.
"Sssh, sweetie please don't cry," she cooed into his ear. She looked at her husband pleadingly, who was pacing quickly next to her. He checked his watch and made a grumbling noise.
"Richard, will you take him? I can't get him to be quiet," she asked, catching her husband's arm. He looked up and sighed as she held Dean out to him. He took the small boy who immediately stopped crying. He stared into his father's eyes and he almost seemed to sense the importance of what was going on.
Richard looked away from his son's big brown eyes and instead, they settled on the train now pulling into the depot. He felt his wife's hand on his arm again.
"Richie, is all of this really necessary? Why can't we stay here with you? Or you could come with us? I'm sure all of this…business will be over soon. Right?" Laura searched his eyes for any sign of an answer, but what she found, she didn't like.
He gave her a weak smile as Dean grabbed his chin and pulled. "I have to stay here. Now you're going to go to your parents' house like we planned, and you're going to stay there until I come and get you. Even if you get a letter supposedly from me, telling you to come back, don't do it unless I'm there. Is that clear?"
His tone was slightly rushed and urgent, but it was also final. Laura nodded and took Dean back into her arms. Dean's lip quivered slightly as he watched his father pick up the suitcases and walk forward onto the train.
When their belongings were settled in their seats, Laura turned to her husband. She had tears glistening in her eyes. "And what if you don't come for us?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
Richard kissed her softly and slowly. When he pulled away from her, she wrapped her arms around him. "I hope it won't have to come to that, but if it does, I know you'll make the right decision." The second half of his sentence caught in his throat and he had to choke out the awful words.
She looked up at him defiantly. "Don't! Don't say that. You're going to come for us. You will. And if Dean turns out to be a…like you, you're going to be a very proud papa. You're not going to miss that, are you?"
He smiled at his wife. She held herself so strong and tall even as he was leaving her, probably never to see her again. He wasn't trying to be pessimistic, but he also wasn't going to be naïve. He kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," he whispered in her ear. Then he turned and plucked Dean from his car seat, swinging him high above his head and the little boy laughed and screamed with joy. He watched his son's eyes, those eyes that were so similar to his own. He wondered if Dean would in fact grow up to be a wizard. Then, somberly, he wondered if he would ever get to find out.
He shook himself from his thoughts as he felt Dean's small hand on his nose. He gave his father a smile and he could see a few small teeth that had only come in about a month ago. He couldn't help but smile back. "Hey Big Man, you're going to take care of your mama while I'm gone, right?" He nodded to Laura and Dean followed his gaze. In turn, he smiled at his mother as well.
"That's right, you're the Big Man now. I'll come back as soon as I can," he said in a hushed voice and Dean's smile had dissolved into a very serious expression for one so young. He looked as though he was searching for the words to tell his daddy something before he left, but he couldn't quite do it. After all, he was only one.
Richard handed Dean back to Laura and kissed them both once again. He stepped out of the compartment and off the train.
Laura watched him from the window and he didn't take his eyes off her. As the train pulled out of the station he mouthed "I love you" and she returned it.
He remained standing on the platform until the train was out of sight. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets where it found the handle of his wand, so well concealed in the station packed with Muggles. He shuddered to think about it. How he wished he could have been on that train with his wife and his son. Perhaps he could have waited for it all to blow over, out in the countryside at her parents' large house. But he knew he couldn't, "This is the way it has to be," he thought to himself as he walked out of the station and back to an empty flat.
Laura pulled her jacket closer around her and brushed the side of Dean's cheek absently as he slept.
"Is it all right if I sit here?" a voice asked.
Laura looked up and nodded at an elderly woman dressed in very odd attire.
The woman smiled at her. "What a lovely little boy you have there. Where are the two of you off to?"
Laura looked down at her son, who opened his eyes sleepily. "We're going to visit my parents. His father has some…things to do, so we're going on a bit of a holiday." She met the woman's gaze again.
The woman seemed to be able to see the anxiousness in Laura's eyes for she nodded almost knowingly.
Later, as the train made a stop, the woman stood up. "I hope your holiday is a happy one."
Laura smiled again, "Thank you," she answered. "It was nice to meet you, Cassandra," she added.
Cassandra touched Dean's forehead. "That's a special boy you've got there." The little boy laughed at her. "I see great things happening for you one day, Dean," she said quietly and left.