Hogwarts School - Elsewhere

It was odd to come back here after so much time living away. Joey loved living with Atlas; it was everything he could’ve ever wanted. But sometimes he missed the sheer chaos of so many people in the same house at the same time, and those were the times he stopped by for a weekend.

The Croft was much more empty than it had been growing up, of course. It was only the school-age kids who didn’t make money to pay rent somewhere else now. And that was only because it was summer. During his occasional school year visits, he just hung out with Mum and Delilah, and soon there wouldn’t even be Delilah. Somehow they were all growing up. More than half of them were full-fledged adults living on their own. Soon, one more would join them.

It was him Joey sought out now. He’d spent time with Wyatt and Delilah this morning, but he was especially eager to find Parker. His brother was about to enter his seventh year, and he had a lot going on. Like Joey, Parker was dating someone high above their “station”, except Joey was a lot more wary of the Amberghasts than he was the Undergroves. He was about to have to deal with N.E.W.T.s, which had been a bloody nightmare for Joey. And, well…Joey was still worried about that Ministry visit a couple years ago. Parker was coping, he knew from letters, and was probably worried about other things now. But, as he was wont to do, Joey worried anyway.

Joey came to Parker’s bedroom door and knocked lightly. “Anybody in there?” A smile twitched at the corner of his lips. He didn’t know if Parker had seen him come in this morning—Joey hadn’t seen him—so he hoped it would be a surprise.

Historically, Joey was not a political person. It wasn’t that he didn’t care; he just didn’t think about it. He didn’t fully understand its intricacies or his involvement in it, beyond the civic responsibility of voting. Although Joey liked people quite a bit, he liked animals even more, and it was those he tended to focus on. It was their complex social relationships and hierarchies that he knew a good deal on. People? Not so much.

Everything was different now.

With the announcement of the Minister election, he’d started to pay attention. In his lifetime, there had never been another Minister but Hir. This was revolutionary, potentially life-changing, just on its own. It was even more so with such radically different politicians. Truthfully, he would’ve been fine with Rivera or Bianchi. The latter turned out not to be an option, which was okay with him, since Rivera specifically mentioned more funding for the Magical Creatures department, and, well…didn’t seem like he hated everyone who wasn’t pureblood.

The election results had disappointed him, but soon enough, he realized they could mean much worse consequences than he thought. Almost immediately, at dinner with Atlas’ parents, Apollo had made comments (he had plenty to say) about how he reckoned Bellestorm would love to bring blood status badges back. He’d seen a lycanthrope rights protest on his way to work a few days ago. And more than anything, he heard talk. He saw a few more judgemental looks than he was used to, as if they could somehow see his blood.

Truthfully, his blood was polluted by far worse things than a lack of magic. Lying, cheating, betrayal, perhaps those reflected badly on him if anyone recognized the drama behind the name McCormick. There shouldn’t be such a big deal about Muggles in anyone’s ancestry. They could still do magic; who cared? But these were their beliefs, apparently, beliefs that were finally being validated.

So went the conversation at the table next to him. Through a combination of circumstances, Joey was spending his lunch break alone, and he’d ended up next to a lively conversation. Something about how Bellestorm would revolutionize the Ministry—hell, the whole country. He was going to protect them and their children. He was going to ensure wizards’ legacies or whatever. It was all drivel to him, and it grated on his ears. Damn his love for socializing, he should’ve just eaten in his office today. (He had his own office! That was still exciting.)

He glanced over at the table a few times, unsure if he should say something or move or what. It took a few minutes before someone else walked by, first past their table, then his. Joey flashed a smile and widened his eyes, as if to say, can you believe that? “Want to sit?”

If he had to listen to this alone one minute more, he was leaving.