Watching the Wheels
Disclaimer: In no way whatsoever do I own Harry Potter. This is my first fanfiction so please please please review; I would like some feedback and ideas on where to progress the story. I TAKE ALL IDEAS INTO ACCOUNT EVEN IF I DO NOT USE THEM SO PLEASE TYPE AWAY. Tom :D
I had always thought that my life was like a puzzle and one day all the pieces would finally slot together. At that moment I knew I would find myself and for years I waited for it. Finally it came, in the shape and form of Minerva McGonagall on my 11th birthday. That was the day that everything changed.
I had been out skating with my friends during the day, touring the south banks of London and trying to rack tricks at every spot we came across. Having been unable to commit myself to catch the board jumping over the handrail for the hundredth time, a dam broke inside my head and all the rage that I had bottled up inside was let loose. A blast of energy seemed to come from me and my skateboard spontaneously combusted before the eyes of me and my friends. Brand new deck. Mint condition. MY WHOLE LIVELIHOOD. Up in flames within the blink of an eye. When I finally get over the pure shock of what has just happened I observe my mates reactions.
"Oh shit son! Did you just see that? He just shot lasers from his eyes!" My friend Johnny screamed taking a step back. As I begin to recover from the shock I look up and realize the enormous pile of crap I have just got myself into. 30 seconds ago these people were my best mates but now their expressions are hostile and worried. I am abnormal. I don't belong here.
Grabbing my bag I dash along the riverbank, my reflection bouncing along beside me in the water. I will not stop running until I am safe and away from here. I can't go home though, Johnny the blabbermouth will have texted everyone he knows about my 'incident' and in two hours I will be infamous. My current guardians are deeply religious and any sign that I am abnormal I will be living on the streets. I'm not going to lie and pretend that weird things haven't happened before, that was probably the reason my parents left me as a baby and I got shunted around the foster circuit for years. However, they usually happened when I was alone and so I didn't often get in trouble for it. I was finally happy though with my latest guardians, as eccentric as they were. Although they obviously didn't love me and I would surely be disowned if they found out about my accidents, they were wealthy so I lived in comfort. Unfortunately that wealth didn't extend to my passion for skating, they shunned it and made me pay for decks, trucks, wheels and bus fares with the money I made doing housework. So now, here I was, stranded in London with tomorrow being my 11th birthday and only the clothes on my back, 3 pounds and a football as company.
I ended up walking along Charing Cross Rd for somewhere that would take me overnight. Every pub, crummy hotel or hostel was either full up or out of my budget. Spying a manky looking pub across the road named the Leaky Cauldron I was sure I had hit the jackpot for somewhere to stay. A chubby, blond woman greeted me from across the counter.
"Hello dear, you look a bit too young to be wandering the streets of London at night?" She smiled kindly.
"I know, I just had a really bad incident and I need somewhere to stay tonight, I only have three pounds for a room though." I asked nervously.
"Pounds? They are the muggle currency aren't they?" She looked at me confused.
"Muggle?" I questioned, "Is that a country?"
"Oh dear! I think I have made a terrible mistake, I need to talk to a friend otherwise we might have an extremely sticky situation."
"Minerva" she called to an elderly lady in a green cloak who was perched at the bar. "Come over here, I think we might have a muggleborn"
It was at that moment I noticed the peculiar attire of everyone around me, both men and woman were wearing full length robes and pointed hats like some kind of wizard film, I wondered if there was a function going on for a gaming convention or something but I let the issue slide as way more important issues still had to be resolved.
The woman that the barmaid had addressed as Minerva now walked over to me with a narrow smile.
"If I told you that you were a wizard right now would you believe me." She asked, a slight grin playing at the corners of her tight mouth.
"No, I would tell you that you have gone completely insane." I replied, growing increasingly worried.
"Lets start from the beginning then dear, what is your name?"
"Charlie, Charlie Jones" I answered feeling scared.
"Now tell me Charlie, have you ever done unusual things when you have been angry or frustrated. These are extreme things, things out of the ordinary."
"How did you know?" My façade of calm had begun to crumble at that statement and the slight worry I had felt prior had blown up to a full on fear. "That is why I am here today. I was feeling unbelievably angry and I set fire to my skateboard."
"Well then Charlie, do you live with your parents or are you under the care of another sort of guardian?" That tight expression she wore at the start of this meeting had faded and underneath she looked warmer and kinder.
"My parents left me when I was only a few months old, between then and now I have been shunted around foster homes, never staying anywhere for a long stretch because of my accidents. After the one today I don't have a home because my current guardians are rigid to say the least."
"I see, well Charlie have something quite shocking to tell you and I know this may be difficult to process and I will give you a few minutes if you need but the thing is, you are a wizard."
Everything went numb. I was in total shock. The puzzle was finally together. I just had one question.
"Prove it" I demanded. "Please prove that magic exists and that I don't have to go back to my other life."
Without further ado, she grabbed a glass of water, pulled out a wooden stick from her cloak and waved it. The water froze instantaneously. Suddenly I was flooded with questions.
"Is that a wand? Can I have one? Will you teach me to do that? Are there lots of people who can do magic? Is there a school we go to? Finally, what is a muggle?" I said gasping for breath by that last one.
"Yes, soon, I teach another subject, 100,000 around the world, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry, someone who cannot perform magic." She responded calmly with a slightly bored tone as if she got asked these questions every day.
Suddenly, my day had gone from a place lower than the depths of hell to a place higher than heaven itself. I was bursting with excitement; I finally had a purpose and a place. I was a wizard!
"I will get Hannah to fix you a bed for the night and tomorrow we will talk about Hogwarts. Get some sleep, I will see you in the morning." Suddenly with a loud pop and a swish of her cloak she disappeared on the spot.
"That was awesome!" I exclaimed and I heard the blond woman chuckle softly behind me.
"Come on Charlie, let's get you to bed. We will have a long day tomorrow!"
As I walked up the stairs I thought about my life and realized how excited it suddenly seemed. Hannah led me to my room and closed the door as I flopped down onto the comfortable four poster bed.
