Freaks: Year One

He's My Little Brother, Not A Duck!

"This is insane."

"Alabaster–"

"This is crazy."

"Al–"

"We are going to die."

"Alabaster!"

Alabaster looked over to Adelaide who was holding Atticus the duck, fear in his eyes. They were at Diagon Alley now, as they had just flooed from their living room fireplace. Atticus was asleep, and finally stopped quacking. It was so odd seeing a duck that was actually your baby brother asleep in your sister's arms.

"You need to calm down." Adelaide told him.

"How am I supposed to calm down?!" Alabaster asked, as they slowly walked down the dark streets. It was so empty, and eerie, just so creepy. Hoo was on Alabaster's shoulder, as he had insisted on coming with them which made Alabaster feel a tad calmer. "How are you so calm?"

"Well, I have gone out with mother, and father before." She said, as she cradled Atticus. "You just couldn't go because of your...problems."

Alabaster sighed. "I'll be out every day soon anyway, with Hogwarts starting soon..." Oh, that was a terrifying prospect.

"Exactly." Adelaide said. "So, you need to get used to going outside anyway."

"It is different when it is nighttime, and I have no magical training yet!" Alabaster told her as they walked through Diagon Alley, trying to find the Transfiguration shop. "What time is it?"

Adelaide looked at her watch. "11:30PM."

Alabaster closed his eyes, like he was going to his doom, which he very well could have been. "They could be home already!" He exclaimed, and he ran ahead.

Adelaide watched him run. "Well...if that works." She ran to catch up with him. "So I think it is over there..." She pointed toward a shop, and Alabaster was not sure how she knew that as it was so dark, but maybe she could read the sign.

Alabaster looked from side to side, and to his relief, the shop seemed pretty much empty, like Diagon Alley was besides some shopkeepers still in their shops. Alabaster would have thought they all would have been closed by now, but he was happy the shop they needed was still open.

He opened the door, and Adelaide followed him in, and Alabaster went further into the shop, but it didn't look what he would call a Transfiguration shop. It had cauldrons for potions, and vials, and bottles of different types of liquids with labels he could not identify.

"Adelaide, I think you led us into a Potions shop." Alabaster told her, and he turned to see that she was looking through different books, Atticus in one arm, and a book in the other.

He sighed, and approached her, looking around, nervously as there were the only ones in the shop. There was not even a shopkeeper. "I'm pretty sure this is a Potions shop. It has more potions than books it looks like." A pause. "Is that the Potions textbook?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but you're right, this isn't the right place. It has to be around here somewhere–"

The door opened, which startled them both, and Alabaster grabbed Adelaide's hand, and hid behind one of the isles holding big jars with eyeballs in them, and he briefly thought he saw a type of animal heart, and he felt nauseous.

"I don't think we need to hide from the shopkeeper." Adelaide whispered.

"Well, I don't know." Alabaster whispered, frantically. "What if the shopkeeper thought we were stealing or - or...I don't know...it scared me."