August, 1979 Open 

Xenophilius stared at the letter in his hands. His father didn’t know he had taken it. Hell, Obadiah didn’t even know Xeno had seen it on their last trip home. But the Ministry seal was cause to draw attention, particularly when his father was acting stressed out and his mother kept worrying her lip. Obadiah wasn’t the friendliest person to have walked God’s green earth, but his mother? Debbie had never rushed him out of the house before. A quick spell had brought the spell into his hand, tucked out of sight by his leather jacket. They didn’t need to know he knew.

But he could see why they hadn’t told him. An official warning from the Ministry about use of magic in front of a muggle. Plenty of phrasing thrown in about ‘strenuous times’ calling for ‘more conscientious behavior and responsible use of magic.’ From the sound of it, it wasn’t the first letter his father had received recently either.

“He’s always use magic around her,” Xeno said, their ringed fingers picking at their lips. “Always. It’s always been in the house. And they’re married for Merlin’s sake. It’s not like she’ll tell anyone. She loves him. She loves both of us. She wouldn’t tell anyone about the wizarding world, not anyone that doesn’t already know. She’s already kept it a secret for more than two decades, even from her own family. Why- Why are they saying this? Why are they doing this now? They can’t just ... dictate who we act in our own homes.”