Freaks: Year Two

The Drawing

"Going home at last," Pandora said as the Hogwarts Express started to move out of Hogsmeade station.

"No more homework!" Maryrose celebrated.

"Actually, there is summer homework," Pandora reminded her.

Maryrose groaned, her purple hair turning back to brown. "What's the point of it being called summer break?"

"She has a good point," Sean Buckner said, who was in the same compartment as the Jenkins and Goldsparks, sitting next to Maryrose. "Summer homework should be illegal, I tell you."

"Get used to it Buck," Christopher mumbled.

"It's Buckner."

"I don't care."

"Christopher, don't be rude," Anthony scolded him.

"It's just who he is, Sean, don't worry about it," Maryrose said.

Christopher looked out the window, watching as the trees whizzed past. He didn't know what to be thinking right now. Going home at last. That's what Pandora had said. It wasn't true. It was for her and her sister, but not for him. Not for his brother. Even the place they had called home for almost every single year of their life was not even what Christopher considered home. The Jenkins may have taken them in, but that didn't mean it was home. It was not like it was going to be something of permanence. Sure, everyone was saying it was, but he knew it wouldn't be. The Jenkins were not going to house him and his brother forever. At least not him. Why would they house him? Christopher was sure the only reason they took him in is because they felt bad for him or only because they loved Anthony and they could not very well only take one and not the other.

"People care about you. I don't even know you and I do." He could practically hear Derek Bell's voice from where he had consoled him in his third year. "Don't throw away your life, kid. Things may seem hopeless now, but I promise it will get better."

And it had gotten better, Christopher realised. He and his brother lived with the Jenkins now, but...still, there was a part of him that feared it would just end – that he would somehow screw it up for himself.

Christopher got up from his seat. "I'll be back in a bit."

He shut the compartment door behind him. He went down the corridor, looking in each compartment to see his housemates of all ages. Some gave him dirty looks and he had no problem shooting a harsher one back. He stopped momentarily when he saw Ian Turin in a compartment alone.

Christopher was unsure what to do. He wanted to go in and talk to him, maybe he could find out why he and Anthony had stopped speaking to each other. Was it because his brother was gay? But then he never hung out with the jerks of his year. It puzzled him and whenever he tried to talk to Anthony he got all stressed and Christopher was afraid it would lead to another nosebleed so he just let it go. He had put his little brother through too much the year prior so he was trying to restrain himself from his business. Trying to.

Christopher decided to leave him alone and continued down the corridor. He passed about three more compartments before tripping over something and he let out a swear as he felt on his hands and knees.

"Oh, I am so sorry!"

Christopher rolled and sat up and saw a dog's tail sticking out. He rolled his eyes. "Really Everhart? Leaving your dog out?"

"Is that what you tripped over? His tail?" Opal indicated for Quasimodo to come into the compartment which he did so. "I am sorry, Christopher."

"It's fine." He got up. He noticed she was alone. "No friends in today?"