Homophobia.
"Jasper don't." Marlene said, as she saw Jasper stand up.
"Someone needs to go, and find him." Jasper said, and before anyone could stop him, he ran out of the library.
Harry looked out after him. He could not believe what he had just heard. A mother abandoning her own children? That was just cruel. Parents were supposed to take care of, and love their kids, no matter what. He got up, and followed after Jasper, quickly slipping past Peeves who decided to enter the library, sending it into chaos.
He saw Jasper jogging down the corridor, and Harry ran after him. "Jasper, wait!" He called. "I am coming with you!"
Jasper slowed his pace, and let Harry catch up. Jasper sighed, and looked over to his friend, still processing everything. "That...that was a lot."
Harry sighed. "I know." They turned a corner, trying their best to figure out where the brothers could have gone. "I feel bad for both of them."
"I do too." Jasper replied. "But Christopher needs to have better communication, yelling is not going to help anything."
"Where do you think they went?" Harry asked.
"A possibility is Ravenclaw Tower..." Jasper thought out loud. "But I don't think Anthony would climb all those flights of stairs when he is that upset."
"It must have happened a few years ago." Harry said. "Anthony said it happened when he was little. Has he really held on to hope that she will be coming back for that long?"
Jasper shrugged as they went down another corridor. "Sometimes people just hold on to hope, even if there is very little...it eases their mind."
Harry stared at him. "Very wise Jasper."
Jasper gave a small smile as they turned another corner, and went along another corridor, passing other students who were talking in low whispers. "I think they went this way." Jasper told him.
It all made sense, well almost. The reason why Anthony was looking through books on the Sacred 28, and other pureblood, and halfblood families. He must have remembered his mother was a witch, but told Jasper he was muggleborn since he was raised muggle, and wanted to avoid any questions. It could also be why Christopher was frustrated with his brother, but it did not explain his opposition of him, and Anthony talking to each other.
So many questions.
They headed up one of the moving staircases. "Careful." Jasper said, grabbing Harry before he could step on a trick step again.
Harry carefully stepped over it, and they continued searching for Anthony, and Christopher. "Do you think they may just want to be alone?" Harry asked. "Sometimes people need alone time."
"I know." Jasper said. "But sometimes people want someone to be there for them as well." They turned another corner. Why was this school so big? It was impossible to find people. "Plus Christopher went after Anthony, and I really don't think he wants to see him right now."
They ran into Pandora, and Harry asked, "Have you seen Christopher or Anthony anywhere? We are looking for them."
Pandora nodded. "Yeah...a lot of people are whispering, there is a rumour about their mum or something..." She bit her lip. "I saw Christopher go that way." She pointed down another long corridor. "I tried to talk to him, but no luck."
"Thanks Pandora." They both said, and they ran down that way.
They passed by many classrooms, all of which were empty because it was the weekend, but they slowed as they heard a commotion coming from a classroom at the end of the corridor.
"I don't want to see you right now."
"Anthony, I don't hate you." Another voice said. Christopher's. He sounded upset, and desperate.
"Yes, you do." Anthony said. He sounded like he was crying.
"I don't." Christopher said. "I don't, why do you think that?"
"Why do I think that?! You have been treating me like rubbish ever since I came to Hogwarts." Anthony said, sadly. "And you barely have explained why."
"I don't mean to."
"Well, you have." Anthony said. There was silence for a couple of beats until, "You didn't used to hate me."
"I've never hated you."
"You've been acting like it."
Christopher sighed. "I'm sorry. I just don't want you to look for mum, you'll find nothing, and if you do find something, it may not be what you want."
"It could be good." Anthony objected. "She may not have been able to find us."
"She's a witch, I am sure magic has a tracking spell." Christopher told him. "She could have, but she didn't."
"We could track her!" Anthony pointed out. "Just give me her name."
Christopher shook his head. "No."
"Why not?!" Anthony asked, raising his voice.
"Because I said so." Christopher said, sternly.
"You haven't even tried!"
"I have!" Christopher yelled.
Anthony stopped. "What?"
"I have tried to find her." Christopher told him. "I - I did."
"What?" Anthony asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Christopher sounded pained. "Because - because...she has a new family okay?!"
Another few beats of silence.
"She...she can't." Anthony said, shaking his head, wanting so badly to deny it.
"She does." Christopher said.
"And how do you know?" Anthony asked.
"I found her in America." Christopher said. "I searched a lot, and I found her there, and she has a new family. She is registered, and her family is registered too. She works in the MACUSA – that's the American Ministry, and her name, and her new family are listed there."
"Oh." Anthony's voice cracked.
Christopher sighed. "This is why I didn't want to tell you." He kicked something, possibly a desk. "I knew you would get upset."
"It's - it's fine." Anthony said, even though it evidently was not. "I guess...she doesn't care...but she promised."
"Well, people break promises." Christopher snapped, voice now slightly harsh. "Some people aren't good people, and you need to accept that."
"Why did she leave?"
"Because she did." Christopher said. "But it doesn't matter–"
"It does!"
"No, it doesn't!!" Christopher yelled, but then he took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for yelling."
"You do that a lot now." Anthony said quietly. "You yell at other housemates, Pandora, me, me a lot, and you yell at Jasper–"
"Oh, don't mention him." Christopher said, sharply.
"Why don't you like him?" Anthony asked.
"You know why."
"He is really nice!" Anthony said. "And he is really good at everything he does. He helped me in flying, and - and he is really good at Potions too, and Defence!"
"How do you know he is good at Defence?" Christopher asked.
"I saw him hex Theodore Jackson once!" Anthony exclaimed. "It was really cool of him."
"You've been watching him?"
Anthony hesitated. "Well, I see him around–"
"This is the problem!" Christopher said, frustrated. "He is being a bad influence on you."
"No he isn't!" Anthony argued. "He has actually helped me, and he is really nice to hang out with, I really like him."
"No, no, no." Christopher said, quickly. "You can't."
"Can't what?"
"Just please stay away from him, he is messing with your head." Christopher said, worried, hoping that for once, his brother would just listen. "Making you not normal, you need to be normal!"
"I am normal." Anthony said.
"No, you're not." Christopher said. "I know you - you like him."
"I do, yeah."
"You just can't like him – not like that."
"What do you mean?" Anthony asked.
'I'm your brother, I am not stupid, I know you think you like him–"
"Jasper said it is normal to have crushes if you're 12." Anthony told him. "Ella does."
"Oh god, of course, he does!" Christopher said, angrily. "It is normal for Ella, yes, not for you."
"Why not?!"
"Because it isn't!!" Christopher exclaimed, frustrated.
"What's wrong with me if I have a crush on Jasper?" Anthony asked, upset.
Jasper's eyes widened from where he was just outside the door. Harry covered his mouth before he could gasp, as he usually did when something shocking happened. Harry was surprised he himself had not gasped, but he definitely was shocked.
"Everything!" Christopher yelled. "You need to be normal."
"I am!" Anthony yelled.
"He is messing with your head." Christopher said. "Stay away from him."
"Why?!"
"It is for your protection."
"Jasper wouldn't hurt me."
"Yes, he would."
"No, he wouldn't–"
"If he finds out you like him, he'll hurt you." Christopher said. "I'm sorry, but it is the way things are."
"Well, what if he doesn't?"
"Just stay away. You need to be normal, okay?" Christopher said, stressed out. "I am trying to protect you."
"I am normal!" Anthony yelled. "You say you love me, but you don't accept me, how does that work?!"
"I do accept you." Christopher said. He sounded distressed.
"Then stop saying there is something wrong with my head." Anthony told him.
"You - you just need to stop showing signs that you're - you're...just stop okay? Stay away from the Hufflepuff boy."
"I thought out of everyone, my brother would be okay with it, but you're not."
"I am."
Anthony said, "No. You aren't, just because you say you are, doesn't mean you mean it! You need to show it, and right now you're not. You haven't been! You have been yelling at me all the time, and you have kept saying how I am weird! That's not being okay with it."
"Anthony listen–"
"No!" Anthony yelled. "If you don't accept me, I'll find someone who does."
"I–"
"You won't have to see me after this." Anthony said, voice shaky. "If I am such an embarrassment to you, I'll leave you alone! I'll leave for good."
"You don't mean that."
"I do." Anthony said, starting to cry again. "If I don't have my family, then what do I have? Nothing." Christopher began to say something, but Anthony kept talking. "So I will find someone who accepts me, I am sure there is someone." He walked out, and went down a corridor, sobbing.
Jasper was quiet for a few beats, trying to process what they had just heard. He now felt extremely bad for eavesdropping, but as soon as he had heard the brothers fighting, he kind of just froze in place. Now, still frozen, he was thinking about what to do next. He didn't even have proper, coherent thoughts, just words of the Goldsparks conversation playing back in his mind.
He shook out of it, knowing he had to do something. He couldn't just do nothing, right? He looked over at Harry, who was silent, and looked shocked about this whole situation. "Oh, my god." Jasper whispered, finally getting some words out.
Jasper was upset. Not at Anthony, no. At Christopher. He needed to do something to make Christopher understand that he had to smarten up before he lost his brother for good.
Jasper said, "Go after Anthony. He needs support." Harry gave a tiny nod, and followed after him.
Jasper turned to the classroom door, and walked into the room.
Christopher was at a desk, with his head down, crying. Jasper had never seen him cry before, it made him feel a bit bad, but he needed to remember what he was here for. "I want to talk to you."
Christopher looked up slowly, wiping his eyes. He saw who it was. "Oh please, not you." He didn't sound angry anymore, just tired, and stressed.
Jasper finally understood his hatred for him. It was because Anthony had a crush on him. He was apparently messing with his head, it all made sense, it all finally made sense, but Jasper thought Christopher was being cruel, and if he didn't start acting like a proper brother, who knew what would happen next? Jasper didn't know if Anthony was serious about leaving, but regardless, Christopher's behaviour was ruining their relationship, and their lives.
Jasper started, "I know about your brother, and his crush on me–"
Christopher was in front of Jasper in a flash, with his wand out. "If you hurt him, I will kill you." Christopher said darkly.
Jasper put his hands up. "I won't, I promise." Christopher looked unconvinced. "But I am going to talk to you about your behaviour."
Christopher scoffed. "Excuse me? You will?"
Jasper nodded. "Yes, so sit down."