Tommy Oliver and the Winged Survivor

Chapter IV

Chapter IV

September 1st, 1993

The day Thomas was due to Ilvermorny was both stressful and exciting. He woke up at exactly five o'clock in the morning with nervousness and set about getting ready for the day. While pulling on his baggy clothes, he rechecked his Ilvermorny list again to make sure everything he needed was packed. From that point, he waited for his relatives to get up.

A few hours later, they arrived at the station with Thomas being hastily dropped off amongst the Mourys guffaws. While on the way to Command Center Station, Uncle Vile had asked him which platform his "freak school train" was on, and when Thomas had said "Platform nine and a half," they'd proceeded to laugh all the way to their destination. For what? He did not know.

Now Thomas walked through the station struggling to push his cart of things as he searched for the platform. He spied number five and headed that way. He walked past number six... seven... eight... nine!

"Ten?" Thomas stopped beside a large family as he glanced around confused. The platform should've been right there between nine and ten.

"Excuse me, sir?" Thomas asked a nearby security officer. "Where's platform nine and a half?"

"There is no platform nine and a half," he simply said, looking at the boy weirdly before walking off. Thomas then realized exactly why the Mourys were laughing.

"This can't be all a trick," he thought, feeling slightly hysterical. "It must be magical like the entrance to Mariner Bay." Thomas shook his head and closed his eyes. Ernie said he would be able to do magic, so he raised his hands, trying to sense a magical aura.

"Mommy! Mommy, what's that boy in the baggy clothes doing?" Thomas opened his eyes when he heard a little girl from the large family say while he futilely sensed the air. His cheeks swiftly turned red, and at that moment, he wished he had taken Ernie up on his offer to get regular clothes.

"I don't know, sweetums," the mother didn't even spare the child a glance as she went back to fussing over her boys, and she had a plentiful amount of them. The little girl continued to stare and after ten minutes of this, Thomas began to get frustrated at her gaze.

"Everyone sure they have everything?" the mother put her hands on her hips. They nodded in unison like drill sergeants. "Alright then, head to the barrier, we barely have time to spare. Wesley, you first."

"I can't, Mom. That no-maj is blocking the entrance to the Express," the one named Wesley replied. Thomas' eyes widened when they used the same terminology Ernie had used. "They must be magical," he mused.

"What do you mean blocking the entrance?" The mother's eyes landed on Thomas with a warm sternness. She imperceptibly glanced at the trunk and cage beside him.

"Don't worry Ma, I'll handle this," one of the bigger boys said, punching his fist to his hand. He looked like a bigger size Mordant – if that was possible – but meaner. Thomas was getting ready to ditch and run when one of the other boys put a hand on the huge boy's chest and pushed him back.

"Step back, Bulke," the scrawny teen boy who pushed him smirked. He had really greasy brown hair and wore shades and a leather jacket, the appearance of a biker. "I got this." Thomas gripped his cart fearfully as the teen headed for him.

"Schulle, leave the boy alone!" yelled the mother as she walked toward the fearful boy, smacking both Bulke and Schulle upside their head as she passed them. She squatted in front of him. "Do you need help getting on the platform, dear?"

Thomas just nodded, trembling a little.

"Hmm. You oughta be ashamed of yourself Bulke and Schulle. You've gone and scared the boy," the woman chastised her sons over her shoulder before turning back and smiling warmly at Thomas. "It must be your first time?"