Parent ask: [insert half-black and half-yellow circle because my phone doesn't have that emoji] + Jackson Knightly.
((Sidenote: I know you talked about his father, but you barely brought up anything about his mother, who seems very interesting.))
Ahh yes…the doomed love story of Cassandra Knightly and John Eglinton. A rather sad case, indeed…
One thing to know about Cassandra is that, honestly, her son takes a lot after her, in the sense that she’s an excitable and risk-taking sort who’s prone to impulsiveness and romanticization. (Except she was a Gryffindor, at school.) So much like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Cassandra ended up finding fascination in the one place her parents and the Wizarding Wirld tried to deter her from: Muggles and their world. She was the young, flighty, female Arthur Weasley of her generation, being totally charmed by Muggle objects and fads and constantly sneaking out to walk among them as if she wasn’t the gorgeous, much-pursued daughter of a wealthy Pureblood family. And on one of those such outings, she was collided with the dashing John Eglinton.
Eglinton was a day-laborer who’d just come to town and taken up a place as the local bar as their newest piano player, and he ended up coming to Cassandra’s “rescue” when she got lost on the bad side of town. Eglinton was immediately taken with the pretty lady and proceeded to put on the charm, which coupled with his slightly rough look and tendencies to grift unsuspecting rich people made for a “bad boy with a heart of gold” kind of image. It didn’t take long for Cassandra to get swept off her feet, and the two had a whirlwind courtship that ended in Jackson’s conception and Cassandra’s subsequent disownment for becoming pregnant out of wedlock with a shady Muggle conman. Jackson was born mere months after their wedding.
The honeymoon period didn’t last long, though; once times got tough, Eglinton became more prone to take his frustrations out on his wife, since them eloping meant that she couldn’t use her family’s wealth to support them. Despite how much the physical and emotional abuse hurt, though, Cassandra was so blinded by love and determine to put a happy face on for her son the way her parents always did for her that she made excuses for Eglinton, latching onto their good times as evidence that “he was really a good person, deep down.” Luckily she was able to covertly help her little family out by secretly mending clothes and growing a garden so they’d always have food to eat with magic.
The two’s relationship fell apart quickly, though, as soon as Jackson’s magic came to light. It happened several years before he was set to start at Hogwarts, since Jackson managed to float right out of a tree back down to the ground right in front of his parents. Seeing Eglinton looking so beyond shocked and thrilled encouraged Cassandra to tell him and Jackson about her magic and his own — and upon hearing everything, Eglinton’s immediate first reaction was —
“This — this is perfect! Don’t you see? This is the answer to all our problems! Your and Jackie’s magic, my showmanship and business savvy — we could make a fortune! Jack Eglinton, master magician, and his family! We’ll be rich enough to lick your folks good and proper — richer than the Queen herself!”
This, however, was finally a step too far for Cassandra. She knew using her magic that way would definitely catch the eye of the Ministry of Magic…and if that happened, not only would she get her wand broken, but she’d probably lose her freedom, her son, and even Eglinton himself, when his memory was erased. The Ministry had plenty of records about her, and once Jackson got his Hogwarts letter and wand, they’d be watched even more closely. Eglinton tried to wheedle Cassandra into giving him what he wanted by proposing Jackson be homeschooled or that they move away, but Cassandra wouldn’t budge. Hogwarts was a fine school — the best magic school, as far as she was concerned — and besides, they didn’t have enough money to move and buy a new house anywhere anyway. Eglinton got very angry and even physically aggressive, but even after the dust settled, Cassandra wouldn’t budge. Putting Jackson or herself in a position where they’d break Wizarding Law was just not something she could do.
And so Eglinton did the unthinkable. He kidnapped nine-year-old Jackson and stole away with him across the ocean, leaving his wife behind.
It took several years before Jackson was rescued from his father (thanks, Adelia @thatravenpuffwitch) and was able to return to his mother in the UK. In that time, poor Cassandra had tried to move past her trauma by throwing herself on the mercy of her family, who fortunately took her and her son back in with open arms. (Cassandra’s father Everard in particular dotes on Jackson quite a bit.) Cassandra has yet to remarry due to how much the affair with Eglinton tarnished her reputation — yet she is still as overly optimistic and slightly childish as ever, always putting a happy face on everything and sometimes coming across as a little ditzy. Even despite this, though, she adores her baby boy Jackson to pieces and is even liberal enough to embrace his other half Montelimar Bloom @cursebreakerfarrier just as much. (Something toxically masculine asshat John Eglinton never would’ve done, if he was still in Jackson’s life.)
Ask about my MCs’ parents!
