𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒, oliver wood

prologue.

00

CURSED

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Each year, returning to Hogwarts got harder and harder. As June stood on platform 9 3/4, there was an every growing pit of anxiety filling her stomach; growing as she witnessed families hugging, crying and waving. She looked around, the escort that her parents had sent her with had already disappeared. She was alone. Again.

For many, Hogwarts was a sanctuary where they would learn and grow with the support of their parents, siblings and friends for which ever career they planned to follow. Yet, for her, it was a prison in which she was forced to follow her parents wishes like her sisters had. But the mere idea of working in the Ministry of Magic sent shivers down her spine.

The only way that the girl was able to escape the shackles of expectations was by flying. When she was on that broom, soaring within the clouds, all her troubles were left on the ground. The only time she was ever truly happy was when she was in the sky. So she signed up for quidditch in her second year, becoming the only female player for Slytherin.

Juniper almost smiled as she thought of how close she was to playing quidditch again, it had been a long and boring summer. She barely had time to sneak out of her family home without the house elf snitching on her. So the closest she got to living her fantasies, was watching her owl. With her curly hair sprawled across her windowsill, Juniper often fell asleep watching Dawn flying in the night sky. Wishing she was at her side.

She was suddenly brought back to the reality of being on the platform when an overeager first year stepped back, nearly knocking the bird cage from her hands. "Watch it," she hissed down at the child, her tone similar to that of a snake. Much like the one embroidered on her uniform. Sam promptly handed her over to one of the conductors, a silent farewell said between Dawn and Sam.

However, on the other side of the platform, a cloaked figure started to push through the crowds of emotional family gatherings. With a wand clutched firmly in their black gloved hands, an incantation was muttered. Barely loud enough to be heard by those passing by, but still loud enough that the curse was sent writhing across the room. A black wisp of smoke swivelled up June's leg, disappearing under her cloak and setting over her heart.

She gasped, clutching her chest. She bit down on her lip in pain as she looked around to see what had happened, instinctively clutching her wand at her side. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary; just an endless see of students and their families. 

Maybe it was just a panic attack. She hadn't known the word for it until her third year. It was rare to find a muggle book lying around the school, but a dictionary was a great find. She spent hours reading each word and their definition; many of which she found that she already knew. But so many were undiscovered until she read those pages. She had been having panic attacks for much longer than she had realised, starting years before her enrolment at Hogwarts. At first, her mother labelled it as a tantrum. But she wasn't being spoilt, she was stuck under a constant wave of worry and fear. 

That's why Juniper didn't take much notice of the curse sinking in her veins under her robe. If only she knew how wrong she was, and that one simple mistake that day could have costed her life.