AN: Prompts will be displayed at the bottom to avoid them potentially giving away things.
reaching out (for you, brother)
AlwaysPadfoot
Dorea was apprehensive.
Today would be the first day she had spoken to her brother since the day her parents cast him from the house for being a Squib. He would probably hate her for not fighting for him, maybe he would yell, perhaps he would throw her out of the quaint cafe he worked in. Dorea couldn't be sure about how exactly he would display his anger, but one thing was for sure, he would not want to see her.
Taking a slow, deep breath, Dorea crossed the road towards the cafe.
It was usually quite busy, but the sun was setting and the cafe would close within the hour. She had planned this to cause minimal embarrassment; there would be very few people in the cafe and Dorea liked to think that would make things easier.
The bell above the door rang.
Some people's eyes flickered up, but Dorea's focus was on Marius, who smiled at her. Clearly, he didn't recognise her. This was the first time she'd laid eyes on him since he was an eleven-year-old. He still looked young, like he was in his early twenties rather than his early thirties. Dorea couldn't quite bring herself to speak as her feet carried her forward towards the counter.
"What can I get for you?" Marius asked as she approached.
But then, as they came face-to-face, Marius' expression faltered slightly. He knew it was her; he knew it was Dorea now.
"Dorea?" His voice came out as a whisper, and then he moved, lifting a section of the counter and moving to her side. "Is that really you?"
Dorea couldn't speak, so instead, she nodded slowly. Her anxiety heightened, waiting for his imminent explosion of anger and accusations. It never came. Instead, his eyes widened and a genuine smile spread across his face. Marius pulled her into a tight hug and mumbled something about it being so good to see her again. Dorea was in shock; this was not the reaction she had prepared herself for.
Marius pushed her back to arm's length — smile still present. "What are you doing here?"
"I—I wanted to apologise to you," Dorea stammered.
"What for?" Marius seemed shocked at her admission. "What could you possibly have to apologise for?"
"For letting the family abandon you; for not fighting for you!"
Marius was shaking his head before Dorea could even finish her sentence.
"Don't be ridiculous. It was never your fault. I wouldn't have let you volunteer to be punished for defending me," Marius said firmly, his voice low before he spread his arms out. "Besides, look at me — I'm happy."
"You were thrown out; you were homeless," Dorea said.
"How insightful, Dorea," he laughed. "Whatever their circumstances, people still have to eat, live, and love. Within a month of being disowned, a lady took me in."
Dorea watched as he went back behind the counter and pushed the door open into, what she assumed was the kitchen.
"Mum, come out here," Marius said. "There's someone I want you to meet."
Marius' mother, Rosemary, was a wonderfully jovial lady. She had a loud laugh that made heads turn, and on top of that, she immediately welcomed Dorea in as a family member. Since there were no customers in, she insisted on closing the cafe early so that Marius could have a proper reunion. He'd told her about the magical world, how he'd proved it was beyond Dorea's comprehension, but Dorea blushed and accepted when Rosie asked for a demonstration. After all, she did already know.
Rosemary and her husband, William, owned the cafe. Marius did all of their accounts and worked regular shifts, prompting Dorea to recall him always being good with numbers. She explained that she'd finally escaped home, marrying Charlus Potter and becoming a Healer.
It wasn't until Marius checked his watch and exclaimed about it nearly being ten o'clock that Dorea realised they'd been talking, drinking tea and eating cake for nearly three hours.
She didn't want to leave. It would feel like abandoning Marius all over again.
"You'll come back?" Marius questioned as they stood.
"Oh yes, our Billy would adore you!" Rosemary flashed a wide smile at Dorea as she began to tidy the table they'd taken over in the corner of the cafe. "You must come back; come and have Sunday lunch with us, please. And bring this wonderful husband too."
After Dorea agreed, she left Marius and her to say their goodbyes.
"I'm glad you came to find me, Dory."
Dorea's heart softened at the childhood nickname he used to call her and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go. "Me too."
"I'll see you on Sunday," Marius said, sounding like he was holding back some tears.
Dorea nodded, happiness filling her up inside, before responding. "Sunday."
She had her brother back.
Comp/Challenge & Prompts:
Love in Motion: Family: Marius/Dorea
Insane House Challenge: 26. Character - Dorea Potter
365 House Challenge: 127. Event - Reunion
Serpent Challenge: 26. Egg-eater - (object) watch
Lent Challenge: Only-based prompts - 12. Only characters we don't see in the films.
Library Lover: The Supernaturalist - Eoin Colfer - (dialogue) "Whatever their circumstances, people still had to eat, live, and love.", (plot point) Looking much younger than they are, (occupation) Healer
Writing Club [Book Club]: Judge Farris: (word) insightful, (word) volunteer, (trait) courageous
Writing Club [Ambers Attic]: Marius Black
Word Count: 812 — not inc. notes, titles, or ANs.