"Well Joaquin we need everyone to go and sort out our branches all around the country for a few weeks. "Said Fabon.
"So who's going where?" asked Joaquin.
"Well I'm going to Hogsmeade," said Jabaz
"I'm going up to Yorkshire," said Indrio
"I'm staying here," said Fabon.
"I'm going to Cardiff," said Ezra.
"So where am I going?" asked Joaquin.
"To Ottery St Catchpole." said Fabon.
"Great." smiled Joaquin.
"Really?" asked Fabon surprised that his stepbrother had agreed so easily.
"Of course. Why not?" asked Joaquin with a shrug. Though he had a deeper reason for wanting to go there that his stepbrothers didn't know about.
"Ok well their manager is expecting you there tomorrow," said Fabon.
"Great. I'll go pack straight away." smiled Joaquin getting out his seat.
"Here's the information you'll need on the accommodation." said Fabon.
"Guess, I'll see you guys in a few weeks." said Joaquin picking up the information before he walked out the office.
As he went out the shop he noticed the assistant was wide-awake and attentive.
Joaquin apparated home to the Manor where Darius was sat reading a book.
Odessa and Pato are still at Hogwarts and wouldn't be back till Easter, leaving the manor quiet and Darius with lots of spare time on his hands.
"Hello their Joaquin. I wasn't expecting you home till lunch," said Darius looking up from his book.
"I've come home to pack," said Joaquin.
He did like his stepfather but he'd always figured Malays were violent and dark hearted people.
He'd asked Darius about that once and he'd been surprised at his Stepfather's response.
"There is only a small percentage of evil Malfoys Joaquin. Only the Malfoys on my cousin Lucius' side are like that. My brothers, my uncles, my father, other cousins and my sisters are not that way. Something caused Lucius' side to be the way they are. You just have to not confront them and treat them like normal people." Darius had said.
Joaquin consider his stepsiblings and his stepfather part of his life.
"Pack? Where are you going?" asked Darius.
"My step brothers want me to sort out some business at another branch of our business," said Joaquin.
"OK, Well I guess you'd better get going." smiled Darius.
Joaquin went to his room and began to pack his trunk for the next few weeks.
His room was covered in posters of Quidditch players...Female super models in tiny bathing suits and the odd picture of his mum, a family picture before his mum had died and a smaller family picture of Joaquin, his mother and his biological father before his biological father had gone.
Joaquin had found the picture in his mother's bedside table and had used it to recognise his half brother.
Now it was perched in a frame on his wall.
Every time he saw that picture he wished he had seen his real father so he could give him a piece of his mind abut deserting his son and first wife.
But obviously his real father would never know now he was dead.
Joaquin finished packing and locked it before levitating it and taking it down stairs to see Darius before he left.
He saw his stepfather had moved to the kitchen and was sat sipping a butter beer.
There was another one on the table for him and Joaquin left his trunk to join his stepfather for a butter beer.
"You know Joaquin, you've been like another son to me. We've been closer than my actual sons and me. I just wish sometimes you were actually my biological son." smiled Darius.
"I do too. You are so much nicer then my biological father was to my mother," said Joaquin.
"Was he really that bad?" asked Darius.
"Well he left me and my mother when I was only three. Not exactly the best thing for a father to do his first wife and his child." sighed Joaquin.
"I knew your biological father you know," said Darius looking at Joaquin, knowingly, over his butter beer.
"Really?" asked Joaquin.
"Yep. He was a good man. He played pranks during his time a Hogwarts, he was good friends with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew." said Darius.
"What? He was friends with a murderer, a Werewolf and a dead man?" asked Joaquin.
"James was never prejudice against anyone Joaquin, which made him a good man. He supported Lupin during his time of need. Of course I was only a Slytherin so I just watched all this from afar." said Darius.
"Really? Well if he was such a good man why did he leave his wife for that Evans girl?" asked Joaquin.
"Didn't you know Joaquin?" asked Darius.
"Know what?" asked Joaquin.
"Your mother and James were set up by their parents. They couldn't get out of it so they agreed to make it work...since if they did they were liable for huge trust funds from their parents. So they married and had you." Said Darius.
"What does Evans have to do with it?" asked Joaquin.
"Well James had been together with lily since the beginning of Hogwarts. When James found out he had to marry your mother he still saw lily on the side. He married lily after marrying your mother and he had your half brother three years after you. In the end he couldn't stand the half lives he had so he left you and your mother for your half brother and his other wife lily," said Darius.
"How do you know this?" asked Joaquin.
"Many a time my cousin Lucius would gossip about what he had heard from his wife Narcissa. Of course Narcissa had left a lot out," said Darius sipping his butterbeer.
"Why? I though she hated James?" said Joaquin.
"Joaquin, you know the guy you labelled the murderer? Narcissa was in fact Sirius' cousin. She had respect from Sirius and of course for Sirius' friends so she left things out so Lucius wouldn't know the full truth," said Darius.
"I still don't get it," said Joaquin.
"Well it was widely known on my side of the Malfoy family that Narcissa had had a soft spot for James. She and him had briefly dated a few times when James and Lily had broken up. In fact Narcissa had loved James but had still been pushed to marry my cousin by a long thing set up at birth by her mother and my cousin's father.
I remember Narcissa had begged me to bring James to her before the marriage but I'd been told by my uncle Dejan that I wasn't to do that for her own good.
James had come to the wedding though, been invited by Sirius, and when the vows were being said I watched Narcissa's eyes look at James almost pleading him to get her out of this.
But James had looked at the floor the whole time." said Darius.
"What happened?" asked Joaquin.
"Narcissa was put under lock and key, Lucius was very possessive of her and Narcissa never saw James again. My great nephew Draco doesn't know that his mother had countless steamy nights with the deceased Potter, it would probably knock him to the grave." said Darius.
"Well I could always tell him. I mean him finding out that his great cousin is a Potter is going to be as bad as finding out your mother had an affair with a Potter too," said Joaquin.
"Don't Joaquin. I promised myself I would never tell Draco about that. Besides Lucius would never forgive me for telling you let alone his own son." said Darius.
"I suppose. I'd better be off," sighed Joaquin downing the last of the butterbeer.
"Don't mention anything I told you about your father to your step brothers... it'll be in the family grapevine by dinner time other wise." said Darius.
"I won't Darius I promise." assured Joaquin.
"I'll see you in a few weeks then Joaquin. Take care." smiled Darius charming another butter beer for himself.
"Bye Darius." said Joaquin before he apparated with his trunk.