looking into the fire

"I'm Andrew," Andrew said. "So does everybody wear robes here? Even the grownups?" He was still struggling to figure out why they needed them. "So how old are you?" Andrew asked. "And we all sort of live here together? Ok, so--um..where do we eat? I'm hungry."

"yes we all wear the robes," luke said "im 16. you dont look 13. so how old are you?'he asked then went to andswer his other two questions. " we all live here together. this is like a family a home away from home. and we eat downstirs in the grate hall. you know you come into the entrance hall then the bigg tall dubble doors its in there. they always have food."

"Eleven," Andrew said, busy looking around, "I don't do families. Well, I just never had one. I live by myself mostly. Take care of myself. My dad didnt'...doesn't..want to be bothered. My mom's dead. It's just...dad and me. So, I take care of myself. How come they won't let me bring my frog? I had a really cool frog. They said no. Said I could have some narly old toad if I wanted. I don't want a toad. I miss my frog. He was just pocket sized. And a very cool green color, and I was starting to teach him tricks too."

hey come here have a set for a second."luke said to andrew "i want to explaine something to you. and a short story to. " he thought of hise parents trying to permber what they looked like all he neknew is that his grandparents always said that Colby looked like their mother and that he looked like his father.

Andrew went over to him and sat down in one of the big chairs nearby. A bigger kid? One that would talk to him? That was just weird. He was starting to figure out he had a lot ot learn. This castle, though, it would take a lot to learn it all. He had lived in a really nice great big house too, but nobody ever came to visit, nobody ever cleaned it, and nobody ever opened the drapes like these were to let in the sunshine. And Andrew really like sunshine. Far more than he liked the dark. Maybe--just maybe--Hogwarts would be different. Maybe there was more to life than what he had had. And maybe some of these kids would help him find out what it was.

Luke scuatted on the floor infront of him. "andrew most adlts are like your fatehr dont want to be bathered but they love you even if they don't show it." he said "now about the frog thing. you see i live with my grandparents when im not here. My grandmother hates frogs ans snakes and any creepy cralwlys you can find. well once befor i knew this i broght a frog home. she told me to get read of my new friend. well i couldn't do that. so i went out side and hid where she couldn't see me from the windo and put the frog in my pocket. when i went into the house she my grandma asked if i had gotton read of it i told her i set it down just didn't tell her were or how long. i went up to mine and cloblys room and put it in a box it stayed there for ever and its still their today. int the box just not im my room. my frog is upstirs. they didn't know i brought it and i could never get read of my friend." he said "the parents thing i wouldn't know what eals to tell seeeing as i don't have my parents any more. i never knew them."

"My dad wasnt..isn't worth it," Andrew said, "All he thinks about is firewhiskey. Nothing else. Spends most of his time with these drunken old men he knows. Maybe if I can find whoever is in charge I can ask them about my frog. But its a long way home from here. I had to hitchhike just to get here. Tell me--what's a family really like? Well, what's it supposed to be like? Sounds like you had a better one than mine. And who do I go to to learn how to do things here? I guess, well, I've been making my own rules for so long that I'm not sure they're the same as the rules here."

"love." Luke said "a family is people who care for you no matter what. your not connected by the blood in your vaines but by the heart. there are many familes like yours but i guess they really cant be counted as familes. would you like to be apart of a family?" he asked andrew "a real family with two older brothers to look out for you?"

"You mean so the bigger kids don't pick on me?" he asked. He couldn't imagine having anybody that would look out for him. He'd never had it. But it sure sounded nice. Not having to watch his back all the time. "Yeah. That would be nice. Not sure it exists, but it sure would be nice."

"it dose. colby always steps in when they piced on me and i always step in for him. we could do the same when people pick on you. give you advies when it comes to girl." he said glanceing at ana . "i think i love her." he wispered to andrew. "but don't tell her that."