Expelliarmus

Chapter 1

"You alright, buddy?" It's 2 days to Christmas!"
Dan sat, cross legged on his bed, book in hand, his very geeky glasses sat, resting on the bridge of his nose.

Dan remained silent, not noticing that his Dad was in the room. His Dad coughed. Dan jumped, startled. "Oh, right. I'm fine. Just engrossed in this book." His dad smiled at him, ear to ear. He was so proud of him. The boy who used and knew words like 'mandatory' and 'ephemeral' at ten years old. He was one of the tallest in his class, tall and skinny. Nerdy and un-athletic.

"See you later Danny. I love you." Dan grinned back at him. "See you Dad. Love you." His dad walked out, and shut the door behind him, leaving Dan on his own to read. Around an hour later, his Mum called him and his younger brother down for dinner. "Dan! Adrian! Dinner!" Dan reluctantly shut his book, and sprinted downstairs to be greeted by the beaming smiles of his parents, and the confused look on Adrian's small face. Dan furrowed his eyebrows, looking quizzically at his family. After a few seconds of hesitation, his Mum flashed a letter, which was emblazoned in a deep red wax emblem. Dan reached his arm out, taking the letter. He opened it, and read the contents. It read :

Dear Mr Howell,
We are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Find enclosed your list of required equipment and books. We expect your owl by no later than August 18th.

You need :

Books :

Hogwarts : a History by Bathilda Bagshot.
Standard book of charms and spells by Miranda Goshawk.
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling.
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch.
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore.
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger.

Uniform :

Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)
One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear
One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)
One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times.

Students are permitted to bring either an Owl, a Cat, or a Toad.

Please also note that first years are not permitted to have their own Broomsticks.

Dan just stared up at his parents. "Eh? Is this a joke? Mum? Dad?" They continued in awkward silence for a few moments, before they actually said anything. "Dan, Hogwarts is a boarding school for people with Magic. In Scotland." You go there next September. We're so proud of you." Dan stood there, somewhere between bawling and beaming. Him? But..he was just...just Dan. He nodded at his parents, barely saying anything. "I...want...to go." His parents just hugged him.

"Merry Christmas, Dan." His Dad said as he dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief. "I'm so happy for you."

The next several months passed so slowly, and as his last few months of school went by, like a ticking time bomb, he grew equally excited, and nervous. What if no one liked him there? Sure, no one was really his friend here, but what if people bullied him even more at Hogwarts?

But, he couldn't think about it. Nobody knew at school that he was leaving. Everyone would be glad anyway. The hot summer months began to creep towards him, indicating the end of what he knew, and the start of his adventures in a new world, one full of...magic. He couldn't help but smile. "You're cheery, Dan, you freak." Yelled Will. "Oi! Boys! Freak's happy!" At once, Anthony and Jay swaggered up to Dan, pinning him to the wall. Will clenched his fest, driving it into Dan's stomach. Dan howled in pain, tears welling up in his eyes. Over the past few years, weird things had happened to him and everyone around him. Objects flying, things turning into animals and other objects. All of this was enough to make Dan their target, their punching bag. Then another punch came, connecting with his mouth, his nose, his teeth, then his eyes. They pulled him forward, and kicked his knee backwards, forcing him to collapse to the floor. He felt his head bounce off the floor, and could taste the blood trickling down onto his mouth. "Get up, freak." They pulled him up, and dragged him on his knees along the floor, and pulled him to his feet before spitting in his face and throwing him into the supply closet. "There. The closet, you like that don't you fag?" Dan sat in silence, the tears coming one after the other. Just..one..more..month. He was determined. More determined than ever, determined to prove them all wrong and live his life. Hogwarts was the chance to become someone new, and leave an impact on this world. He had no energy, no strength, so just sat there, body aching, praying for someone to realise he was there.

BASH BASH BASH

"Dan? Is that you?" Dan summoned all the strength he had, and just managed to croak out the smallest noise, but a noise at that. "Nghhhh!" The door swung open, and Dan fell down, landing on his shoulder. "Oh my God! Dan!" The girl scooped him up by the shoulder, and signalled for help. Dan's parents arrived 5 minutes later, tears in their eyes. "Who did this to you, Dan baby?" Dan just shook his head, a lump forming in his throat, one he just couldn't seem to push away. "I...don't want to tell you. Don't worry about me, don't cause a fuss, don't go out of your way just for me." Dan's mum frowned. "But Dan, you've gotta let us help you!" Dan remained silent. "Please. Let's just go home now, I'm really tired." His mum nodded. Dan's dad, who had barely said a word during the entire conversation, just curled his fist and slammed the table. His mum rested her arm on his shoulder, giving him a soft smile and whispering something barely audible. "Hey. Calm down, it's ok."

Dan felt everything building up more and more and more until...he suddenly screamed. He saw chairs fly back, and then he ran out, while it felt like everything was falling apart. He ran and ran. All the way home, ran to his room and sat on the floor and just sobbed. He just sobbed for the next several hours. One question span round his mind.
WHEN?