You know, while I don’t really care about Peregrine in general, because – as I said in my previous post – I’m not planning on including him in any form in my story… I find it kind of funny how different Christopher Ellis is from him. And I’m not talking only about the fact that he’s actually a decent father to Helena and Jacob because I believe that it’s pretty common in the fandom.
No, but seriously. Christopher is an adorkable nerd, a high school science teacher, and a Muggle. He not only wouldn’t sacrifice family for his career – he actually did sacrifice his academic career once he had to take care of his parents. On top of that, he did it so his sister could continue her career.
And I swear I’m not coming up with it just now out of spite towards Peregrine.
I finally succumbed and wrote an AU fanfic where Jacob dies. It focuses on a few moments between the siblings over the years after the Cursed Vaults. And to be fair, death aspect aside, most of it is basically canon for their relationship.
And yes, the title is a reference to the song by Kansas because it does make me think of Jacob.
Words: 5560
Autumn, 1991
When Helena declared that she wanted to stay longer at home after her graduation, her parents seemed to take it as an obvious decision. Physically, she was completely well even before September. She wasn’t going to waste it, so she started helping at the grandparents’ bakery. Mentally, however… She still needed to heal. And they all needed some time together.
Jacob stayed at home as well. He insisted that he wanted to pass his N.E.W.T.s, and with some help from Dumbledore, he managed to get permission to take exams in June next year without going back to school. He was studying a bit, but usually, he was spending his days similar to his sister: trying to find his place. It had to be more difficult for him because of his absence. Some things had changed their place at the house, people had altered some of their customs. He got new habits too. For their mother, it was especially hard to accept his smoking. Nevertheless, they were surviving, learning each other anew. Helena liked in particular when they were catching up on all pop culture Jacob had missed. It felt familiar, almost like childhood. Almost like it could be normal again.
The days weren’t the worst with all their distractions. When the nights fell, though, it meant either sleepless hours or endless nightmares. If Helena woke up with a scream, Jacob would always run into her room, sitting on her bed and cradling her.
“Shhh. It’s okay, you’re safe,” he’d say, stroking her hair. “I’m here, I’m finally here. It’s just a dream…”
But it hardly was just a dream. Usually, it was her memories - and Jacob knew that.
“Will you sing to me?” she asked quietly once when she calmed down.
He chuckled softly. “Aren’t you too old for that?”
“Please?”
He sighed, left without a choice. They both got more comfortable on the bed, although Jacob was probably too tall for that. He cleared his throat, yet his voice was rather raspy when he began. It didn’t occur to her that he probably hadn’t sung in ages. Still, it quickly turned into a sound she remembered from years ago. Only before the last verse, he made a longer pause.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.
Please, don’t take my sunshine away.
Spring, 1992
They were sitting at the table, and she was sceptically watching him staring at his books.
“You don’t need it, Jacob.”
He glanced at her before starting to browse pages. “But I want it.”
“Then why you’re just pretending that you’re studying?”
He cracked a smile, already knowing where she’s going with that. “Because I know most of those things.”
“See? Then you don’t need it.” She leant back in her chair. “Admit it, you’re just stalling before moving on.”
“Fine, maybe a little,” he replied, finally looking at her again.
She shook her head and sighed. “Bill should be here any moment now. I’ll go get my things.”
She left the room and went upstairs. She’d packed most of her belonging, but she still wanted to double-check everything. Besides, it’d take her mind off Jacob for a while. She was a little worried about him, but she didn’t want to nudge him. It was always hard to recognise if he was going through something because he was great at redirecting people’s attention, but it wasn’t even about him suppressing his emotions. It seemed like he was trying to get back the stolen time and feared that leaving would make it lost forever. As a result, he was stuck. He was offered a job at Gringotts with Helena, but he refused, making excuses about his exams. She wanted to do more for him, but she was ready for the next step, and she felt that if she wouldn’t take it, she’d got stuck as well.
She gathered her luggage and was about to get back to the living room when she heard Jacob and Bill talking.
“You sure you don’t want anything? Tea, water?”
“No, thanks.”
There was a moment of silence before Jacob spoke again. “You know, I never got a chance to thank you.”
“Hm?”
“For being a brother to her. When I failed--”
“Don’t,” Bill tried to interrupt him.
“No, I mean it. Thank you for taking care of her.” He took a deep breath before continuing, more tentatively. “It’s weird to think that you probably know her better than I ever could...”
Another pause preceded Bill asking: “What was she like as a child?”
“Oh.” Jacob got surprised by that question, but when he started to talk, Helena could almost hear him smiling. “She was like sunshine. Brightening your day and pissing off when she shone straight into your eyes. I suppose you know how it can be with younger siblings.” Bill laughed, and Jacob went on. “She… she was so curious about everything. They say there’s a certain age when kids won’t stop asking questions, but for Helena it was permanent. And she always had to defend everyone. Y’know, when Snape started teaching us, I complained about him back home, and she was like: you can’t say that, you don’t know him.” He modified his tone slightly to imitate her. “Maybe he has problems. You’re sometimes mean when you’re upset, too, but you’re a good person.”
They both chuckled.
“Well, she did change her mind on Snape, I can tell you that,” said Bill. “But other than that, sounds pretty much like Helena I know. Give her some time, Jacob. Give yourself time.”
The silence between them was longer now, so Helena took a few steps back to get some natural speed and pushed the door open. Two wizards were standing opposite each other and got startled when she entered.
“I thought I hear you,” she grinned at Bill. “What are you two plotting here, hm?”
“Oh, nothing at all,” the redhead replied with an innocent expression.
“Just gossiping about you,” Jacob added casually.
She gave them a suspicious stare. “Is that so?” She’d love to tease them, but they had to arrive with Bill at the appointed hour, so she glanced at her watch instead and then at her friend. “All right, I think I’m ready. We can get going.”
“You sure you have everything?” asked Jacob. Their parents said their goodbyes in the morning before leaving to work, so he took the responsibility of sending Helena off. “Mum left you package in the kitchen, did you take it? Do you have sunglasses? The cooler ones? What about sun cream?”
“I have everything,” she stopped his babbling with a hug.
“Be careful there, okay?”
She tightened her embrace in respond, feeling his ribs against her body. He still didn’t put on much weight.
Winter, 1994
Dear Jacob,
What the fuck do you mean you’re not coming? It’s Dad’s sixtieth birthday. SIXTIETH. You have to come. I don’t care what other plans you have - you knew about that day. Tell that pretty girl (or whatever you’re busy with nowadays) that you have responsibilities at home.
Seriously though, I know that you want to be here too, so… Please, try to make it.
Love you always,
- Ellie
“I can’t believe he didn’t come.”
“It’s all right, Ellie,” said Christopher. “I’m sure something just came up. He can visit us at the weekend.”
“Something came up? On your birthday?” Helena spat. “You know, but it’s not even that. He could’ve just let us know, say anything. It’s hard for all of us, but why he shouldn’t be trying too?”
Alice gave her a stern look. “Well, now you’re just picking on him.”
“I’m not! Mum, you got him a job at the Ministry. A good job. And what did he do? He quit--”
“That job was a bad idea from the beginning. You’d probably quit as well.”
“No, I wouldn’t!”
Alice only smiled softly. “You’re really not that different. Believe me, I know.”
The truth was that Helena was picking on Jacob. She indeed had no reasons to be mad at him, other than him not showing up on that specific day. He did quit his job, that part was accurate. But while she was certain that he’s getting in all sorts of troubles ever since, he never caused problems for them. He always appeared when his help was needed, during holidays or not. On top of that, Helena caught him a couple of times hiding money in places like a sugar bowl since their parents wouldn’t simply take it from him. But all of that made the current situation only worse. In the best-case scenario, it meant that he’s not telling her something big enough to stop him without giving any explanation. He could also be hurt, kidnapped, or worse…
“All I’m saying is that he has no excuse. Even if he’s too drunk or high to Apparate, he could’ve used stupid Floo Network or--”
And then, just like on command, the emerald green flames appeared in the fireplace, and Jacob entered the room, appearing quite confused.
“Did I make it?” he asked nobody in particular. He beamed when he looked at the clock. It was half-past eleven. He faced Christopher, spreading his arms wide. “Happy birthday, old chap.”
Over the whole day, the birthday man was trying to act unaffected by Jacob’s absence. Yet, he obviously got happier seeing his son.
“I’m so, so sorry that I’m late,” Jacob continued, not breaking their hug. “But! I do have an explanation!”
Helena rolled her eyes. Of course he did. Still, she got curious when he reached to his bag and took out a package covered in brown paper.
“I’ve found a lead for that a while ago, however, a bloke who was supposed to get it for me had some problems, and… let’s say he needed a reminder. Anyway, it created a delay, and long story short, I couldn’t risk not getting it at all after all the effort, so… That happened. And I’m really sorry once again, I should’ve known better from the beginning. But! At least I got some wine!”
When Christopher started to unwrap the gift, Jacob hurried to welcome both Alice and Helena.
“Oh my, is it the first edition?” Christopher was already holding an old book in his hands, studying the front page, his eyes twinkling.
“One of the first ones,” clarified Jacob. “But it has notes made by a professor from Uagadou.”
The old man looked at him excited before carefully browsing a couple of pages. “Oh, I have to compare it with my atlas. I’ll be right back.”
He left the room, patting Jacob on a shoulder while passing by. When he was gone, Alice looked attentively at her son.
“And I wonder how much did it cost you?”
Jacob shrugged and smirked. “A lovely dinner with my family.” He opened his bag again, pulling out two bottles of wine. “Did everyone leave already?”
“They did, not long before you came,” Alice replied softly.
To break the silence, Helena grabbed one of the bottles. “What about that wine? It looks fancy.”
“It is quite fancy. But this one is for Dad, and for Mum. We have the other one.” She looked at the other label and frowned her nose. “It’s the cheapest one they had, and it tastes like acid.” Jacob was clearly amused by his sister’s reaction.
Alice got up. “I’ll go bring some glasses then, how about that?” Then, she also left, letting the siblings stay alone.
“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?” Jacob asked finally.
“I thought we agreed to no secrets.”
This time it was him who rolled his eyes. “It’s no secret! I just wanted it to be a surprise!”
“Still, you could’ve told me! I’d cover for you!”
He was quiet for a moment, pondering on his words. A corner of his lips twitched faintly. “You know you’re terrible at surprises, Ellie.”
“That’s not true!” she said reproachfully. He only raised his eyebrow. “Oh, because I’d go to Dad and tell him everything, right?”
“No, but you’d tell Mum, and she’s no better than you.”
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Then, not thinking much, she opened the cheaper bottle and took a sip. She grimaced, regretting her decision immediately.
“I warned you it tastes like acid.” He was trying very hard to hold a laugh. “It gets somewhat better the more you drink.”
All four of them were sitting and talking until the late night, so by the time Helena woke up the next day, it was already noon. She got down to the kitchen where she found an unfinished bottle of wine as it turned out that Jacob brought bigger supplies with him. She took a clean glass and poured some liquor when her brother showed up out of nowhere and snatched it out of her hand.
“Ah ah ah, what do you think you’re doing?” he teased her.
She sighed. “I’m having a drink.”
“No, you’re not, young lady.”
“Jacob, I’m twenty-one. If I want to have a drink, you’re not gonna stop me.”
“I don’t care how old you are. It’s only past twelve.”
She gave him a stink eye because he was holding two glasses at the moment: hers and his own. “I’m guessing it’s your third one, you hypocrite.”
He seemed a bit perplexed for an instant, but then he grinned. “Only the second.” Still, he put both glasses on the side when Helena started brewing coffee.
“So, what you’re planning now?” she asked and covered a yawn.
“Like today or in general?”
“Both, I guess.”
“Well,” he started. “I wanted to visit grandparents’ today. That’s probably most of the day. And in general, I thought I could stay with you for a little.”
“Oh! But… I’m getting back to work.”
“I know. I wouldn’t bother you, I can get busy on my own or help you, whichever you prefer. And in the evenings, we could do something fun. What d’you say?”
Every now and then, Jacob would stop by whenever she was currently at her curse-breaking mission. However, he never stayed for long. They’d usually get out once, and after making sure she’s alright, he’d disappear. Spending more time together could be nice.
“Sure, sounds good,” she replied with a smile, filling two mugs with coffee.
Summer, 1995
Jacob was pacing between walls, running his fingers through his hair once in a while.
“We should leave,” he said eventually, stopping and crossing his arms.
Helena looked at him in disbelief. “What?”
“We should leave. I don’t know, to the States or whatever.”
“There’s a war coming, and you want to leave?”
“Yeah, exactly. You’re not gonna tell me it’s not a better solution than becoming Dumbledore’s soldier.”
She opened her mouth and closed it again, not being able to find the words. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Jacob, innocent people will be dying!”
“I know! You think I don’t?!” He started losing control over his voice. “But there are people ready to fight for them, and we don’t have to be among them! Even if Voldemort is back, he never got beyond Great Britain, so there’s no reason to think it’d be different any time soon. We’d be safe across the ocean.”
“How can you be so selfish?”
“I’m selfish?!” He made a sound between a gasp and a snigger, but when he spoke again, he was more steady. “Ellie, who helped you with the Cursed Vaults? Dumbledore? Who cared when we had to stop R which was, let me remind you, an international threat?”
“Oh, so that’s why we should do nothing now? Because that’s how we were treated? Do you hear yourself?! An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind, Jacob, and passiveness can be as bad as violence! There will be more wizards thinking like you, but if we all leave, who’ll stay to fight?”
He wasn’t looking at her, and he switched to almost a whisper. “I was never selfish in my life. Never selfish enough to let the adults deal with all the cursed mess, as they should. Though, you know? Maybe I was selfish, maybe I just wanted to feel useful, fucking protector of everyone.” He sighed. “But you know where it got me? My best friend died when he was just fifteen, I had to leave my family, and I was imprisoned for years by R. Ellie, I…” His voice cracked and he swallowed hard, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just for once, I don’t want to worry about people being in danger. If it’s selfish of me, so be it.” Their eyes finally met. “I don’t care. I just want some peace.”
“Well, that’s not how life works.”
She left, not giving him a chance to reply.
The rest of the day, she spent with some of her friends, learning more about the whole situation connected to Voldemort’s return. The first shock - caused also by Cedric’s death - had passed, and they had to focus on planning. Still, Helena kept going back in thoughts to Jacob. She probably was too harsh on him. She saw where he’s coming from. In fact, sending their parents off to the family in the States wasn’t a bad idea at all. She came home late, so she went straight to her bedroom to think things over.
The next morning, however, it was neither Christopher nor Alice who she found in the kitchen – it was Jacob.
“What you’re doing here?”
“Breakfast,” he replied blandly.
“No, I mean, I thought you’d just leave after yesterday.”
“Someone has to keep an eye on everything when you’re in Egypt, don’t you think?”
“I didn’t tell you I’m going back there…”
“Yeah, well.”
He was chopping some vegetables while eggs were frying on a pan. There’s a joking rule in their family that you could use magic in the kitchen only if you’d learnt to make the dish also without it. Jacob always preferred to prepare things Muggle way, though. Helena could never match him, even with the help of the spells.
“Thank you,” she said abashedly, sitting at the kitchen island.
“For what? Food’s not ready.”
“For joining our side.”
“No, my dear. Let’s make it clear,” he spoke firmly, involuntarily pointing a knife in her direction. “I’m on no one’s side but yours. Got it?”
“So… you’re not joining the Order?”
“Hell no.”
“Well, thank you anyway,” she repeated. “And I’m sorry. For yesterday. I don’t think you’re selfish at all.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He still sounded a bit coldly, but he smirked ever so slightly. “Just…” His voice got softer as he knitted his brows in a worried expression. “I beg you, Ellie, be smart. Just because you’ll be outside Europe doesn’t mean it’ll be safe. It’ll be hell everywhere. And above all, remember: no information is worth dying for.”
“I know, I know…” She reassured him, though it felt like there’s not much she could say. “So, what are you planning to do?”
“I dunno,” he shrugged. “Maybe I could renew some connections in Knockturn Alley.”
“Oh, because that sounds very safe.”
“No, it doesn’t,” he cut in. “I’m aware of that. And that was my point. If you get involved, it’ll always be dangerous. But because you’re too stubborn to listen, I can’t simply… sit and watch, y’know. I don’t want to hear from some strangers one day: Hey, remember that cursed siblings? Yeah, the younger one just died. She was killed by fucking Death Eaters because she refused to learn from her brother’s mistakes. And he screwed up again because he could’ve done something.”
She bit her lips to hide a smile. Jacob only glanced at her, shaking his head with feigned disapproval before he focused back at his cooking.
May 1998
It was getting crowded at the Hog’s Head when Helena spotted Jacob near the door waving his hand at her. She immediately rushed to him.
“Jacob! You came!”
He frowned in confusion. “Of course. I told you so.”
“I guess part of me wanted you to not come…”
“Do you really think I’d let you go into a battle alone?” he asked raising his eyebrow.
“I’m not alone,” she replied, mindlessly pulling his flannel. “And you don’t want to be here.”
“And I don’t want you to be here either. But I know I won’t convince you to leave because Charlie’s here. And he’s here because his whole family is here. And I’m definitely not gonna discuss with all the Weasleys because it’d be both pointless and possibly stupid.” His smile faded away when Helena didn’t even react to his joke. “Hey, we faced worse before, didn’t we? At least we’re not the main target for a change, right?”
She nodded haltingly as Jacob embraced her with one arm, leading away from the entrance.
By the time they arrived at Hogwarts, the battle was raging. It was overwhelming chaos with troops of people storming to the castle. Helena was keeping both Charlie and Jacob in the reach of her sight, but as they were in the Entrance Hall, one scream caught their attention among all the noises.
“Fire! There’s a fire!” yelled someone.
“Then put it down!” they heard in a respond.
“I can’t! They had to cast Fiendfyre!”
Three of them froze. If it actually was the curse, there’s no way students could deal with it, and it’d be bad to let it spread. On the other hand, it could’ve been regular fire, looking more dangerous due to fear and panic.
“I’ll go check it,” decided Jacob. “We’ll meet in the Great Hall. Look after her, okay?” he added, smirking at Charlie.
Helena briefly squeezed his hand. “Be careful.”
In the next moment, Jacob was running up the staircase while Helena and Charlie joined the crowd moving to the Great Hall where most of the fighting was occurring. It seemed like they’re gaining the advantage over Death Eaters, but it was still heated, and spells were shooting from all sides. Helena had just helped some girls counter an attack and was looking for Charlie when she felt a sudden sharp headache. For a split second, her vision went black, which was enough distraction to not notice a beam of light speeding in her direction. She tried to dodge it, but it was too late, and the spell grazed her side, causing her to fall.
“Nell!” Charlie appeared almost out of nowhere and kneeled next to her. “Are you all right? Talk to me…”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she hurried to calm him down, though she grimaced with pain.
Charlie quickly checked the spot where she was hit. Her blouse was torn, revealing red skin, but there was no wound. “Come on, let’s take you from here.”
He helped her get up and led her to the edges of the room where he spotted Ben Copper tending to two students.
“Ben! We need you!”
The Healer hearing his name turned his head to them. “What happened?”
“Nothing, I’m fine,” replied Helena. “I can--”
“No, you have to rest at least,” Charlie cut in. “Keep an eye on her, Ben.”
He deflected one more spell and run back into the fight. Ben in the meantime tried to examine her, but she gently pushed him away.
“It’s nothing, really. There’s no time for that.”
She was calm but determined, so Ben didn’t push. “All right, but you’re not going back there. I need some cover when I take care of those two.”
He pointed to a Hufflepuff girl and a Ravenclaw boy behind them, both visibly scared. Helena nodded and took her position. Everyone’s attention seemed to concentrate towards the centre of the Great Hall, so they weren’t being attacked directly, but stray curses almost hit them a couple of times. Helena also managed to stop some Death Eaters, whether from escaping or assaulting the others.
Suddenly, the shouting in the middle became louder, and the whole atmosphere got more tense. Helena was too far to tell what’s it about exactly, though - until almost all went silent. She exchanged questioning looks with Ben.
“Go, see what’s happening,” he told her.
When she finally broke into the crowd, she realised that everyone was paralysed because of the encounter within the circle. The Boy Who Lived was facing the Dark Lord. She tensely watched them moving in constant distance between them, looking ready to attack. She listened to the story of the Elder Wand, of the big intrigue behind that war. And then, with just one hit from both sides, it was over. Voldemort was dead.
The joyful cheering exploded around her. Everyone was trying to reach Harry Potter now, pushing her in that direction. But she needed to find someone else. She was scanning people in search of familiar faces to finally pick up Charlie’s. She ran right into his arms, laughing with relief. However, when she made sure that he’s all right, she felt a wave of anxiety.
“Have you seen Jacob?” she asked, holding onto his arm.
Charlie shook his head and his face got graver. “There are so many people. I still haven’t seen everyone.”
“I better go search for him…”
“I’m sure he’s fine.” He sounded confident, but she knew it was only because she needed to hear that. Anything could’ve happened, and a bad feeling was growing inside her chest.
She left the Great Hall, going oppositely to the most. She didn’t get far when she met Rowan, and she almost sobbed at her sight.
“Helen!”
“Rowan! You’re all right!” she whimpered, hugging her tightly. “Oh god, I didn’t see you at all, I didn’t know--”
Her voice cracked, so Rowan started patting her back calmingly. When they finally parted, Helena noticed an open wound on her friend’s arm.
“Oh god, you’re not all right!”
“It’s not a big deal.” Rowan waved her hand. “I’ll take care of it in a moment.”
Helena frowned, but she nodded and swallowed hard. “Have you seen Jacob somewhere?”
Rowan’s eyes got wider. “No, I haven’t. I thought he’d be with you.”
“He was. But then we got separated.”
“He’s probably helping people around the castle. There’s a lot of the injured. Do you want me to help you find him?”
Helena looked at her arm and took a deep breath. “No. It doesn’t look good, you better have it checked.”
Rowan hesitated, but she agreed to go see the Healers while Helena continued her search, walking faster through the debris, calling Jacob’s name. She started to think that perhaps they missed each other and she should return… when she finally spotted him on one of the higher levels. He was lying unconscious under the wall. There had to be a cut on his head because blood covered a part of his face.
“No…”
She approached him slowly as if it could delay the terrible truth. She fell to her knees and leant over him, cupping his face.
“Jacob, can you hear me?” She brushed his cheek with her thumb. “Open your eyes, Jacob…” She laid her fingers on his neck. There was no pulse. “Open your eyes, please,” she repeated. “Don’t do this to me…”
She wanted to believe that if she waited long enough, if she’d be patient enough, he’d come back – just like Rowan. That it’s not real, just another lie in her life. But at the same time, she knew that Jacob was truly gone. It was a battle, and he was just one of the casualties. She didn’t even know how he died.
She sat on the ground, leaning on the wall, and pulled Jacob up on her chest. She wasn’t sure how long she was holding him before she heard footsteps and Charlie got down next to her. He didn’t speak.
“It’s not fair, Charlie,” she whispered, sniffling.
“I know.”
“It wasn’t his war, he didn’t even want to fight. We should’ve left as he said.”
Charlie tried to touch her arm, but she got startled, so he just sat by her side instead.
“He already saved that fucking school! And for what?!” she cried out. “To be killed like that?!”
Her last words turned into a shriek. She pulled Jacob’s body up again as it was slipping from her grasp. He was too heavy, and she was too tired to carry him. Some more time had passed before they were found by Ben.
“Helen…” he started softly. “I’m so sorry. But we have to take him to the Great Hall.”
She finally raised her head and looked at them. Ben was squatting in front of her, Charlie still in the same place. She took a deep breath and carefully rested Jacob against the wall. Then, Charlie helped her stand up once more that day, and she immediately buried her face in his chest. She couldn’t watch Jacob being taken away. When she looked at Charlie, though, she recognised that there’s more bad news to come.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, trying to contain trembling of her voice. “Who else?”
His eyes were glistening. “Tonks… and her husband… they didn’t make it.” Helena covered her mouth with both hands. “And Fred--” The words stuck in his throat.
“He’s just a kid…” she murmured, hugging him again. “I’m sorry, Charlie…”
She wanted to stay with him and comfort him. She wanted to find Rowan and make sure that nobody else got hurt. But all the noises were overwhelming, and she felt like she started suffocating.
“I have to get out of here. I’m sorry…”
She somehow reached the exit, not fully registering things around her. Only some young excited wizard stopped her when she was about to leave.
“We won! Can you believe it?!”
“Did we, really…?”
He was too thrilled to notice her blank stare, and so he quickly went his way. As soon as Helena got outside, she choked on the morning air. She sat on the stairs and embraced herself in an attempt to control the shaking of her body.
“Hey, may I?”
Another minutes or hours escaped her attention. This time, it was Talbott standing above her. She nodded without a word, and he took a seat on one of the steps.
“I’ve heard about your brother. I’m really sorry.”
She bit her lips to stop a weep, but the tears fell down her face. They were sitting a long moment in silence.
“Will it always hurt?” she finally said weakly.
Talbott watched her with compassion. “Yeah.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Move on,” he replied softly. “Find something worth forgetting about the pain. And most importantly, always remember the good things.” He hesitated before patting her shoulder. “Tonks would want us to celebrate the victory,” he added with a sad smile. “You know where to find me if you need to.”
And like that, she was left alone. She hid her face in her hands. It suddenly occurred to her that her parents probably didn’t know anything yet, so she wondered whether she should go back to the castle or home. But then, she was disturbed again.
“Hey, are you all right?”
She had to shade her eyes from the sun to see who’s talking to her. To her surprise, it was Harry Potter himself. The Boy Who Lived who just defeated the Dark Lord was asking her if she’s all right. He was the same age as her when she entered the final Cursed Vault. The same age as Jacob when he joined R. She suddenly felt bad because if her experience taught her anything, probably nobody showed much concern about Harry in all of that. When the wizarding world would stop relying on children to solve their problems?
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.”
He took a closer look at her. “Do we know each other?”
“No, I don’t think so. I mean, I know you…”
“No, but I’m pretty sure I saw you at the Burrow.”
“Oh!” She smiled faintly at that remark. It was almost funny that they never had an occasion to be introduced properly. “That is possible, indeed.”
“Well, nice to finally meet you then. I’m Harry.”
He reached out his hand to her. He appeared as exhausted as she felt. “Helena.”
“Are you sure you don’t need anything?”
She nodded. “Don’t mind me. But I guess you could use some help with those blankets.”
She took a part of the armful he was carrying, and they headed together back inside. She started helping wherever it was needed. She found Rowan being tended to by Ben and who was upset with him because he didn’t let her go find Helena – but he insisted that Rowan’s wound might’ve been too serious. She spent some time with the Weasleys, grieving over Fred. She was trying to keep herself busy and bring consolation to the others.
And the same thought was motivating her in years to come, just to not let herself get lost in the emptiness. Eventually, she even learnt to be happy again. But nothing could change the fact that in the Battle of Hogwarts she lost not only brother and friends. Part of herself died that day as well.
I’m tagging anyone who reads this and would like to organise information about their MC. Please, let me know if you do it!
Created by: @cynicaljapanophile
General Information.
Name: Helena Sarah Ellis
Age: Currently 15
Gender: Female
Nickname(s): Majority of people, including her friends, call her simply Helena or Helen. During the fifth year, Charlie started calling her Nell. For family members though, she’s Ellie.
Date of Birth: 23rd of June, 1973
Astrological/Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Ethnicity: Welsh (father’s side), English (mother), American, possibly Jewish (maternal grandmother), Polish (maternal grandfather).
Nationality: She was actually born in Cardiff, Wales, so technically she’s Welsh – even though she never lived there, only visited her aunt.
Species: Human
Blood Type: AB Rh-
Blood Status: Half-blood
Family:
Christopher Ellis, Helena’s father. A Muggle with a scientific mind who’s fascinated by the wizarding world (sometimes also terrified, especially after Jacob’s disappearance). He is is a Physics teacher in secondary school. Christopher had an older sister, Margaret, but unfortunately, she died of cancer when Helena was eight. His parents passed away as well, even before Chris met his future wife.
Alice Ellis (née Kowalski), Helena’s mother. The only daughter of Queenie Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski. True Hufflepuff, kind and hard-working. She works at the Department of International Magical Cooperation in the Ministry of Magic. Way more powerful than it seems.
Both Queenie and Jacob are a big part of their grandchildren’s life. They’re also close with Tina and Newt. Now, I didn’t spend much time on developing the Scamander family, however, I had a problem with Rolf’s existence in general as he probably should have overlapping years with Jacob and/or Helena. So I decided that Newt and Tina’s son moved to the USA, and that’s actually the relatives from the Christmas SQ. At first, it felt like a stretch, but then I decided that it’s even cute – you know, Tina went to England for Newt, and their son went back to America for his love.
Affiliation(s)/Organization(s):
The Ellis family
The Kowalski family
The Scamander family
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Ravenclaw House
Occupation(s): Student
Magical Characteristics.
Form of Boggart: Her loved ones telling her it’s her fault. Helena blames herself for many things that hurt her friends, and she fears that deep inside, they think so too. She’s afraid that everything that’s happening with the Cursed Vaults is her fault, no matter of her actions. And that Jacob might be dead because she didn’t prevent it in time.
Form of Riddikulus: Probably the same people in some light-hearted situations. Like Ben thanking her for believing in him instead of blaming for everything he had gone through. That is assuming she’d be able to cast Riddikulus at all (she probably wouldn’t if she saw Jacob).
Form of Patronus: A Spotted Hare.
What do they see in the Mirror of Erised? Helena wants the most to have a normal life. Not only for the Cursed Vaults shenanigans to be over, but so they never happened. Therefore, she’d probably see herself, her hair in a neat plait, her parents not being overtired, her brother holding his cat, her diary having entries starting with “Dear diary,” instead of “Dear Jacob,”… Just an average girl with the average family.
Wand(s):
First wand:
Length: Twelve inches.
Flexibility: Pliable.
Wood: Acacia.
Core: Unicorn hair.
Description: Given by the game. It is said that Acacia wands often refuse to produce magic for any but their owner, and also withhold their best effects from all but those most gifted. Unicorn hair wands produce the most consistent magic, are the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts and the most faithful. I feel like it’s something Helena needed at that time – something unique and powerful that chose her and will stay loyal to her.
Second wand:
Length: Eleven-and-a-quarter inch.
Flexibility: Fairly flexible.
Wood: Ebony.
Core: Dragon Heartstring.
Description: Given by the game. Highly suited to all manner of combative magic and to transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves and hold fast to their beliefs. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider – something that Helena has learnt over the years.
Animagus: A doggo! Pretty similar to the model in the game – just a light brown scrub.
Amortentia: Her grandparents' bakery, petrichor, honeysuckle, grass, popcorn.
Appearance.
Height: Currently 163 cm (5’4”). She won’t be much taller by the end of school – pretty average 165 cm.
Weight: I don’t know… About 50 kg (110 lbs)? She’s a rather slim girl. She loves to eat but she easily loses weight due to stress.
Complexion (skin tone/conditions): Quite fair, probably with some acne every now and then. I mean, she’s a teenager under a lot of stress.
Hair Color/Style: Her natural hair is light brown and wavy. In the fifth year, she made it darker – similar to Jacob’s shade. She usually keeps it medium length.
Eye Color: Green.
Hogwarts Information.
Worst Class(es): Probably History of Magic. Not necessarily because of the subject (she actually likes to study it with Rowan, and she enjoyed study session with Ismelda), but because of Binns - as the teacher’s role is quite important to her in overall opinion. Also, she’s surprisingly not very good at Care of Magical Creatures. She’s a bit too confident due to everything she learnt at home and from grandpa Newt. She has the knowledge, but it’s not really structured. Luckily, she’s good at improvising and connecting facts.
Best Class(es): Charms. Again, for a big part because of the teacher. She also likes how universal it is.
Least Favourite Teacher(s): Binns. She respects his knowledge, but she hates his absolute lack of teaching skills. She also didn’t like Snape for quite a long time, but she grew weirdly fond of him. She even learnt to laugh at his jokes. Unfortunately, they’re usually not meant to be jokes…
Favourite Teacher(s): Flitwick. She loves his passion, his dedication, his approach to students. She never attended any of her dad’s class, but she often imagines that Christopher and Flitwick are similar kind of teachers: infecting people with love for their subject, sprinkling it with a healthy dose of puns.
Honourable mention: Rakepick. They have their ups and downs on the personal level, but Helena admires her as an educator and a mentor.
Quidditch: Meh. She doesn’t play herself. She’s pretty good on a broom, she understands the rules well, but when all the balls start flying around her, she feels lost. She cheers very loudly whenever Charlie or Andre play, but the social aspect of those events is more important to her than the game itself.
Favourite Spell(s): Protego and Expecto Patronum.
Trivia.
(random facts about them, future job, face claim, theme song, etc.)
Helena has a piercing in her ear done by Tonks. At some point of the fourth year, Tonks wanted to convince Helena, Tulip, and Rowan to get matching tattoos. You know, because she was always hanging out with Helena and Rowan, she started getting closer with Tulip, and most importantly, she joined the team when they went to the Cursed Vault. Surprisingly, no one wanted a tattoo, but they agreed for piercing. And Helena was stupid enough to go first… The end result is really nice, but the process itself didn’t go as well as planned, making other girls withdrawing from their decision. Also, nobody wanted to pierce Tonks’s ear, and they stopped her from doing it herself.
Name: Jacob Christopher Ellis
Age: Currently 22
Gender: Male
Nickname(s): For most of the time, he’s simply Jacob. Occasionally, the adult family members call him Jackie as the distinction between him and his grandfather.
Date of Birth: 23rd of November, 1966
Astrological/ Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Ethnicity: Welsh (father’s side), English (mother), American (maternal grandmother), Polish (maternal grandfather).
Nationality: English
Species: Human
Blood Type: AB Rh-
Blood Status: Half-blood
Family:
Christopher Ellis, Jacob’s father. A Muggle with a scientific mind who’s fascinated by the wizarding world (sometimes also terrified, especially after Jacob’s disappearance). He had an older sister, Margaret, but unfortunately, she died of cancer when Jacob was fourteen. Chris’s parents passed away as well, even before he met his future wife.
Alice Ellis (née Kowalski), Jacob’s mother. The only daughter of Queenie Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski. True Hufflepuff, kind and hard-working. Way more powerful than it seems.
Both Queenie and Jacob are a big part of their grandchildren’s life. They’re also close with Tina and Newt.
Affiliation(s)/ Organization(s):
The Ellis family
The Kowalski family
The Scamander family
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Ravenclaw House (formerly)
Ravenclaw Quidditch Team (formerly)
R (current status unknown)
Occupation(s): Student (formerly, expelled)
Magical Characteristics.
Form of Boggart: Dead bodies of his loved ones. It’s not only about the fear of losing them, but also the fear of failure since he feels responsible for keeping them safe.
Form of Riddikulus: I can’t imagine making dead bodies funny, so I assume the Boggart would just vanish in a puff of smoke (similar to Lupin’s in OotP).
Form of Patronus: A Black Cat.
What do they see in the Mirror of Erised? Jacob has one main desire for such a long time now that he barely remembers being motivated by anything else: to keep others safe. He’d see his sister in a school uniform excited about something new she has learnt, his parents being calm because they know he has everything under control, Duncan standing by his side with a smirk on his face. Perhaps Olivia saying she forgives him.
Wand(s):
First wand:
Length: Ten inches.
Flexibility: Springy.
Wood: Maple.
Core: Dragon Heartstring.
Description: Given by the game. Maple wands are by nature travellers and explorers. They also have a reputation as the wands of high achievers. I decided to stick with that as I think it fits Jacob’s curious nature.
Second wand:
Length: Twelve inches.
Flexibility: Quite rigid.
Wood: Aspen.
Core: Dragon Heartstring.
Description: The proper owner of the aspen wand is often an accomplished duellist, or destined to be so, for the aspen wand is one of those particularly suited to martial magic. Those people are also strong-minded and determined, and it is said this is a wand for revolutionaries. It pretty much sums up Jacob’s mindset when joining R. Moreover, aspen wood is white and resemblances ivory so I like how it’d contrast visually with Helena’s black ebony wand.
Animagus: None.
Amortentia: His grandparents’ bakery, petrichor, old books, broom wax, coffee.
Appearance.
Height: 183 cm (6’0) by the time of his expulsion. Eventually 186 cm.
Weight: Around 70 kg (154 lbs)?
Complexion (skin tone/conditions): Fair. It used to have more peachy undertones, but with time it became paler and tired.
Hair Color/Style: Dark brown, wavy, medium length.
Eye Color: Green.
Hogwarts Information.
Worst Class(es): Jacob is that terrible kind of a nerd who doesn’t really have a class he disliked. But if he had to choose then probably Herbology. He likes to study about plants, but practical part – not so much. He also definitely doesn’t have a green thumb.
Best Class(es): He’s very good at Charms and he liked the class a lot, but his favourite was Transfiguration.
Least Favourite Teacher(s): Definitely Binns. Poor Duncan had to listen to complaints about how unprofessional the situation with Binns is at least twice per term.
Favourite Teacher(s): McGonagall. He admires her knowledge, her skills, and work ethic.
Quidditch: He was a Ravenclaw Chaser for a bit over two years, and he was doing well, but he had to quit due to the Cursed Vaults. He’d probably still enjoy playing if he had an opportunity, but he was never really a fan of watching or following the news about professional teams.
Favourite Spell(s): Stupefy and Expecto Patronum.
Trivia.
(random facts about them, future job, face claim, theme song, etc.)
From all of her sister’s friends, Jacob will have an especially good relationship with Jae. At first, it’s because of their mutual connection to Knockturn Alley. Helena doesn’t like it very much as she’d rather see both of them doing something, you know… more legal. However, she accepts it eventually. Jacob’s attention means Jae is safer, and her brother seems to enjoy having someone to mentor in the territory he’s comfortable with. And she’s right about that. Jacob will realise it too after the war so he’ll accept the Transfiguration professor position at Hogwarts.
