Freaks: Year Two

The All Star Game

Referenced suicide attempt.

The All Star quidditch game was happening that very day.

The common room was empty except for one person. He was pacing back and forth.He was waiting for the last of the students to exit but he soon realised she definitely was not coming.

Christopher really could not blame her.

He made his way down the stairs and went down the corridor that led to the girls' dorms. He went to the fifth door. He knocked. "Everhart?"

"Christopher?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"I know. I know your voice by now."

"Are you coming to the game?"

"Why would I?" Opal asked. "There is nothing for me to see."

Christopher was quiet. "Alright. What's the real reason?"

He heard Opal let out a heavy sigh. "You know how I really liked the Bells."

"I know, yeah."

"It's stupid because it isn't like we were best friends or anything. Not like Bilius Weasley or Lily Evans, but...I don't know, I remember how in my first year I was left out of flying class and Derek noticed and he took me on his free period and taught me how to fly himself and, well...I am a little hard to teach with not seeing where I am going and all..." She let out a sigh. "But he tried. He taught me how to fly all by himself and...I can't just forget that."

"Not asking you to forget it."

"You know what I mean."

"Right, sorry."

"You can come on in, I know you would rather."

Christopher was quiet. Why was he so bad with this sort of thing? She needed comfort, why could he not give her that? He opened the door, seeing Opal sitting up on her bed, her seeing eye dog, Quasimodo at her feet. He was off harness so Christopher gave him a pat.

"You know what else he did?" Opal asked. Christopher looked over to her. "He comforted me after my dad was murdered." Christopher looked away. He always hated getting that reminder. Opal's muggle father had been murdered during Voldemort's massacre of muggles and muggleborns. She had been so heartbroken. It had killed him to see her like that. He wanted this war to end, but he had a feeling it was just the beginning.

After all, that is what Derek Bell's death signified – that they could ignore it no longer.

"I think he did that with a lot of the students who lost their parents," Opal continued. "Even when he was dealing with the loss of his whole family, he still took time to comfort others."

"He was a good person," Christopher said. No one could deny that. The Bell family were all good people. The mother and father were targeted by the deatheaters due to protecting muggles in their neighbourhood and it was evident that their goodness and bravery had been passed on to both their children. Yes, Christopher and Opal had not known Derek or Alice well, but they were the sort of students you knew of, the ones that helped others even if they were hurting themselves.

Christopher could not forget when he had been a third year losing himself and Derek Bell was the one who had brought him to the infirmary. Christopher had thought he would have left as soon as he had fallen asleep, but when he had awoken, he had been there and he had a whole lot of words to say.

"It's stupid," Opal mumbled. "I didn't know him that well."

"You can still be sad, you know. I'd be right sad if someone who showed me kindness was killed, even if it was just a couple of small moments. They have an impact you know?" A pause. "And it is quite evident that both Derek and Alice had that impact."