The Girl on the Platform

1

Rain sluiced down in cold, hard streaks across the cloudy sky. Drops pattered heavily across the pavement, forming large puddles in the cobbled road. These large droplets of water cascaded of the sign of 'Wool's Orphanage' onto Dumbledore's umbrella. He approached the door determinedly, rapping on it with his knuckles. It was quite for a moment, then a scuffle from behind the door, before it was opened by a middle aged woman. For a moment, her brow creased, then her face brightened.

"You must be Albus; you're here to visit Tom?" She smiled tentatively.

"Yes, that's correct." Dumbledore returned the smile, "Would you mind if I come in, it's awfully wet out here"

"Of course, please come in" The woman opened the door further and stood back to allow him to pass. As he stepped into the building, the woman shut the door firmly behind him, before leading him up some stairs, past a few children playing in the hallways. As they were walking up the flight of stairs, she turned to him, almost hesitantly.

"I must admit to some confusion on receiving your letter, Mr Dumbledore, in all the years that Tom has been here, he's never once had a family visiter." She said. They continued in silence before turning down a hall way, the woman stopped and leaned in a little closer to Dumbledore, as if someone were listening. "I must warn you, in his time here, Tom has been in incidents with the other children. Nasty things."

"Does he have any friends here?" Dumbledore inquired, tilting his head slightly.

"Well, he has one friend, a girl. Neither of them get on with the other children, and they seem to have some sort of secret language with each other" she replied. The woman carried on, before stopping at a door. Gently, she knocked, then pushed it open "Tom, you have a visitor". She sighed quietly, glancing at Dumbledore uncertainly, then leaving silently.

"How'd you do, Tom?" Dumbledore smiled slightly, striding into the room. Tom glanced at him and turned away. Dumbledore paused slightly before deciding to slowly sit down.

"You're the doctor, aren't you." Tom stated quietly.

"No. I'm a professor." Dumbledore corrected, shaking his head slightly.

"She wants me looked at. They think I'm...that I'm different" Tom continued.

"Well perhaps they're right."

"I'm not mad." Tom's calm face briefly slipped away to show the fear on his face.

"Hogwarts is not a place for mad people, it's a school. A school of magic" Silence settled between the two for a slight period. "You can do things, Tom, can't you? Things the other children can't."

"I can make things move without touching them;" Tom turned his head slightly, "Make animals do what I want without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me...or to Ophie. I can make them hurt, if I want. Who are you?" Tom said, with a slight edge to his voice.

"Well, I'm like you Tom. I'm different." Dumbledore replied.

"Prove it." Tom said back. A second passed, and the wardrobe by Tom's bed burst into flames. A ghost of a smile flickered on Tom's lips.

"I think there's something in your wardrobe trying to get out, Tom." Tom walked over to the flaming wardrobe and opened it, leaned in and picked out the box, which he set on his bed. "Thievery is not tolerated at Hogwarts. At Hogwarts, you'll be taught not only how to use magic, but to control it. You understand me?"

Tom said nothing, continuing to stare at Dumbledore. As Dumbledore turned to leave, Tom called out: "I can speak to snakes...and so can Ophie. They find us, whisper things to us. Is that normal for people like us?"

"This...'Ophie'. Is she your friend?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes." Tom replied. "She's the only one who understands me. We both can do things other children can't. I don't want to go to your 'school', if she can't go."

"Well who's not to say your friend can't come too?" Dumbledore smiled. "Do you think 'Ophie' will mind me talking to her?"

Tom shrugged and sat down at his desk, turning his back on Dumbledore once more. At this moment, the woman who'd shown him in appeared. "Hello again ma'am. Would you mind if I visit another person? I am quite interested to talk to Tom's friend, Ophie."

"Oh, you mean Ophelia?" the woman asked, slightly surprised.

"yes, I assume that's the one. Thank you for your time, Tom. Expect a letter in the post" Dumbledore stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind himself. "Could you please show me to Miss Ophelia?" he continued.

"Yes of course, this way please" the woman replied, leading Dumbledore away.

*

Children filed down the hallways, joyfully shouting and calling to each other. Tom joined the line of children, sitting down at the large dining table in the orphanage. A few minutes, later, a girl with bright red hair sat down next to him. She turned to him and whispered, in Parseltongue, "Who was that man? Matron Brown said he was your relative."

"I'd never met him before today." Tom replied quietly.

"...He wants us to go to his magic school?" Ophelia asked.

"I'll only go if you go, Ophie." Tom continued. Ophelia half-glared at him.

"Don't call me that." she pouted. Tom was about to say something when the woman who'd shown Dumbledore in, Matron Brown, rang a small that drew the attention of those seated in the large room.

"Children, please say grace." She smiled, and took her seat at one of the tables.