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Joey nodded, his only focus was to try and find his old home. He couldn't stand to think of anything else. He looked proud and smug but felt horrible on the inside. By noon they had made it to suburbia, and half an hour later they were standing in front of his old home,"You know.. I came back all the time and it looked completely trashed, like it had been through hell and back.. And it was all just an enchantment."
Astoria nodded. "Many wizard families did that so no one could intrude." She said, looking up at him. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be,"Joey said, hardly in a whisper. He was terrified for his life. What if they didn't want him anymore? Or rejected him? He looked at Astoria,"Do we take my disguise off?"
Astoria turned around and made sure no one else was around. "Alright." She replied. She grabbed her wand and took his disguise off.
Joey nodded and headed up to the door, knocking slowly. He felt sick.When the door began to open his stomach became a knot.
Astoria stayed back and watched as the door opened. She was feeling nervous. What would happen if they didn't accept him? He would die.
Jorri, his little sister, opened the door and he knelt down,"Now, are you suppose to open the door by yourself?" The little girl stared at him before throwing her arms around him. One down. The adults were what he was worried about.
Astoria smiled at the sweet scene and took an automatic step back when the little girl peeked up at her. "You have a girl with you!" She said, surprised.
Joey smiled and nodded,"Yes I do. I'll explain in a moment, right now you need to go get Mom and Dad, okay?" The little ran inside the house and he looked at Astoria,"That's Jorri."
Astoria smiled softly. "She's beautiful." She said. She reminded her a lot of her little sister. She stepped forwards a little bit and patted his back. "Just be calm and be very apologetic if they act harshly. You'll be okay." She whispered, kissing his shoulder.
Joey looked up as the entire family came into sight as they approached the door. Everyone looked older, it had been a long time... The father, Michael, now had half a prosthetic leg, making Joey's stomach drop. When they all come to the front porch it was silent.
Astoria held her breath in anticipation, gently rubbing small circles on his back where no one could see. She glanced around, making sure no one was still around. She gave him a gentle nudge. They can't stay out here forever.
"Hi guys,"Joey said as he stepped forward, looking at everyone, he held out his hand to Michael, who stared at it before reaching out and taking it, pulling Joey into an embrace.
Astoria smiled in relief and clasped her hands together. She watched for a moment as the family had a pretty happy reunion. It was sweet, and she enjoyed seeing the smile on his face.
Joey could feel the water in his eyes as everyone hugged. Mother was crying and Jorri was laughing. He turned to Astoria, offering his hand,"Come in with us."
Astoria smiled and took his hand, letting him lead her inside. It was a nice house. "Have I seen you somewhere?" The father asked her. "Perhaps. I'm Astoria Dolohov." She answered politely. "Dolohov? The pure blood family?" His eyes grew suspicious. "Yes. But I assure you that I do not contribute to our evil reputation."
Joey didn't know what they were talking about and he simply nodded,"She saved my life, we've actually been living together and.. Are together,"he said, giving her hand a squeeze.
The parents looked very surprised but the mother grinned. "Well I am very happy for you both!" They went into the living room and sat down. The father is nice, though still suspicious, the mother is an absolute Gem, and the little sister is so adorable.
They talked for awhile. Mainly about how they searched for him for months after he left and never got involved in the fighting, always hid and protected who they could. Joey told his story, helping kids at the refugee home and getting humans to pass through, that didn't surprise them. They wouldn't talk about what was happening next, though. Michael rose,"Well, your room is the same, and you both must be longing for a hot shower. And warm food. Go upstairs to freshen up and we will all have diner. And we have a spare room for you, if you'd like,"he said to Astoria.
"You're very kind." Astoria said with a polite smile. His mother offered to wash their clothes, which was a relief. They got their showers, which felt amazing and she felt so clean. Once she was out of the shower she changed into clean clothes and brushed out her long hair.
Joey came behind Astoria and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her shoulder,"Thank you for everything you've done." He felt so good... Home and warm, actually clean for the first time. He was finally in clean clothes, his own clothes.
Astoria smiled and turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "No.. Thank you, for opening my mind and my heart." She whispered, looking into his eyes. "If it wasn't for you, I'd still be the scared girl who hates Muggles."
Joey smiled and rested his forehead against hers,"You ready to go eat something other than beans and soup?"
Astoria chuckled lightly. "Definitely." She replied. She leaned up and kissed him briefly before pulling back and taking his hand. Together they walked downstairs to join the family for dinner.
Everything was great, the food was delicious, the conversation was lite. Afterwards, however, when Jorri went off to play, things became serious. "What do you want, Joey? Why did you come back?"
Astoria held Joey's hand under the table and she figured she should help him out. "Joey is in very grave danger. Maybe even in more danger than when the war was still going on. He needs help." She took a deep breath. "I think the only way we can ensure his safety is if you let it be known that he is a Squib, in your family." She looked at Joey. "It will be risky for both him and you, though. If anyone found out.." She looked down. Especially if wizard s like her parents found out..
Michael sighed,"If you want protection we would have offered it before, I just don't understand why you had to wait for the war to pass to ask for it."
Joey sighed,"I couldn't risk you guys being hurt for housing a Muggle... I wouldn't do it."
"And you think the danger is gone now? It's worse, Joey. It is so much more dangerous to house Muggles now,"he said before resting his face into his hand.
Joey nodded,"I know.. I just thought that maybe... I don't know."
Astoria bit her bottom lip and looked down at her plate. "Maybe.. You can say that he's a squib cousin from far away who came to stay with you." She suggested. She looked back up at his parents. She so desperately wanted him to be safe. And if they really considered him a son, they would too.
"Michael, he is our son... No one we used to know is... Around," Laurey, the mother, said softly. Michael looked up at Joey.
"You are my son. But, I do not trust you yet... You hurt us when you left... But you will always have a home here,"with that, Michael rose and went upstairs quietly.
Astoria squeezed his hand and sighed softly. "He just needs some time. He'll come around." His mother assured with a smile. They helped clean up, then Astoria went up to the room she was staying in for now. She sat down on the soft bed and it felt so much better than the cot.
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