Animal [Harry Potter ~ Dean Thomas]

Where

CHAPTER ONE

Two cars were heading to Kings Cross at this moment. Finley Warren already had on her uniform and sat in the back of her father's car feeling surprisingly nervous. Finley was never nervous. She usually stayed calm and normal in these situations, but not today. Maybe it was because she'd be leaving for a school for witches and wizards in a completely different part of Great Britain. Her cat Tom lay asleep in his kennel. She stared at her cat in hopes it'd help calm her down. It didn't. Finley was jittery. Her mother noticed this and told her that she'd write every week and that it wouldn't be that bad. Finley hoped her mother was right. She'd just have to wait and find out.

Dean Thomas sat silently in another car. His sisters were at home. He had already said his goodbyes to them. His sisters weren't like him. They didn't quite understand what it'd be like at the school he'd be attending. Dean had his sketchpad in hand along with a pencil and a small sharpener. He figured it'd keep him busy on the train ride to school. Dean looked at the ticket he had stuffed in his pocket. Platform 9 ¾, it read. But there's no such place! Then again, he didn't believe in Hogwarts, this British boarding school that teaches kids about magic that he just learned about in June.

The cars parked on completely different parts in the parking garage. Dean's family hurried to the station while Finley's took their time. Dean rolled his trolley over to Platform Nine as his parents walked behind him. Dean wondered if this was all a prank that this "Platform 9 and ¾" is where those so called wizards would reveal the joke.

When he showed up at the platform, he saw a mother with her son. He was a short boy with sandy hair walking along with a trolley and a cloak hanging off of it.

"This is Platform 9 and ¾?" the boy asked his mother. By the sound of his accent, Dean could tell he was Irish.

"This is it," she confirmed.

"Hey!" Dean called out. He hurried over to them. Dean's parents had just arrived and saw their child going up to the Irish strangers. "Did you say Platform 9 and ¾?"

"Erm, yes," the woman said. "Are you going to Hogwarts, as well?"

"Yes, I am. Where is the platform? I never heard of it before."

"You must be muggle-born, but oh, no worries!" she remarked cheerfully. "That right there," she pointed to the barrier in front of them. "is 9 and ¾. Just run into the barrier and you'll find the train."

Dean's parent's kept an eye on him as he talked to the lady. Dean eyed the barrier. This woman is mental, telling him to run through walls!

"I can't run through it," Dean said. "I'll get hurt."

"I can assure you, I've been that barrier many times and I was fine! Here, we'll show you. Seamus," she said to her son. "you ready?"

"Yeah, Mam."

The mother put her arm around her son. The boy was ready to run. He hurriedly pushed the trolley in front of him. The two of them barged toward the barrier. Dean squint his eyes, worried to see the impact of the trolley ram into the stone barrier. But it didn't happen. The mother and son had almost disappeared. They did it. They really did go through the barrier!

"Oh my," Dean's mother responded as she saw the two of them enter the platform.

"Is that what you have to do?" Dean's step-dad asked. He nodded his head.

They gripped on to the handlebar of the trolley. His step-father grabbed on to it as well to help him push it. His mother put her hand on Dean's shoulder. Together, the three of them ran into the barrier and appeared on the other side, greeted by the scarlet train's grey smoke.