Christopher sat alone at the end of the table, his head resting on his hand. He shifted the food on his plate around idly rather than eating, slouched over a bit- which was a rather large indicator that he was feeling down in the dumps, since he was usually very big on posture. He didn't want to go home for the holidays. Hogwarts was the only place he'd ever felt at home, especially with his dad gone. He wasn't sure he could go a whole three months without it. Of course he'd done it several times before, but this time it was different. Not even hiding in his books all summer could change that.

He wondered if he'd ever be able to escape the tiny cottage he lived in while he was at school. Probably not, was the answer that first came to mind. But maybe someday.... Maybe after he'd graduated, he'd be able to get his own place, far from that awful Muggle village. Perhaps he could travel the world, or even come back and work for the Ministry, or as a Hogwarts professor. He knew he had plenty of time to think about it, but for now, it was all he had to look forward to in the summer. Besides being a fourth year.