I'm ever so sorry but I'm not J. K Rowling in Disguise, nor do I own any of the original characters. Willy and his dad and all the others are my creations though. I dedicate this story to Tannis who will keep on reading everything I write.
The automatic doors of London Station whooshed open as a small family made their way into the station. The daughter was dragging behind her a cart laden with a large leather-bound trunk, several small boxes and a cage containing a bird. Now if someone were to view this quaint little family from a distance they might think the bird was a cockatoo or parrot or something equally innocent, but if one were to look closer they would see that it was hardly a common domestic pet but a grey owl. Of course this would seem strange in any train station, but those who frequented platforms nine and ten knew that children bearing carts with owls and other strange animals were hardly an oddity. In fact at that very moment there were exactly 7 other families in the general vicinity, each with a son or daughter who possessed similar possessions. Most of these families seemed quite flustered in the train station; in fact several of the adults wore outfits that would be considered odd even in a circus.
One man had attempted to wear a pair of classic white underwear over his lime green spandex capris while a woman was wearing a long sleeved maroon turtleneck sweater with short-shorts. Now the family of focus, the one with the daughter with the grey owl, didn't look nearly as bizarre. They all were dressed as normally as those bystanders around them and walked with a sense of purpose. In fact, the only thing that distinguished them from the civilians around them besides the owl was the daughter's hair. It was a violent shade of bubblegum pink and spiked up in all direction. As they walked through the station, heads turned to watch the florescent head of the little girl pass.
"Are you sure pink is the right color for the occasion Dora?" the girl's mother asked her as they came to a stop in front of a plain brick pillar.
"Well everyone will find out soon enough," the father sighed, "and we can't control what she wants to do."
"But Ted," the mother said, "we can at least give her the right direction."
"I'm right here," the daughter sighed, "at least talk about me as if I am."
"Oh of course, sorry honey," the mother turned towards her daughter, looking at her watch as she did so, "enough chitchat. Your train's going to leave soon, you better get going." She pulled her daughter into a tight embrace and kissed her on the cheek. "Good luck sweetie. Do us proud."
The girl nodded as she was passed over to her father. "Nymphadora Tonks," he addressed her by her full name as he held her out at an arms length, "I want you to go into that school and do your best. I don't care if you do us proud or what, just that you try your best. What matters is that we both love you for who you are no matter what happens at this school." He pulled her into a tight hug and didn't let go for several seconds. Tonks breathed in the scent of her father for what could be the last time for several months. He always smelled nice; like coffee and cinnamon.
Ted Tonks released his daughter with a smile and her mother motioned towards the plain brick wall. In the car ride to the station her parents had explained what she should do in order to get to platform nine and three quarters but it still didn't feel quite right running full tilt at a brick wall. Tonks set out at a nervous trot, pushing the cart determidly in front of her. A slight prick of fear hovered at the back of her mind that it wouldn't work. That she'd just crash into the wall like an idiot. The moment she broke through though her fears evaporated. Tonks found herself on a bustling platform not unlike the one she had just exited. All around her students were waving goodbye to their families and boarding the crimson steam engine that sat waiting on the tracks. She stood there for a moment, taking it all in. It reminded her of her brief trip to Diagon Alley with her parents last week; all the magic folk bustling about and the busy atmosphere. The squawks of various owls and birds sounded along with the many mingling voices of all the people. Above it all Tonks heard the Irish accented cry of the conductor, amplified through magic.
"All aboard!" he called, "Hogwarts Express departing in five minutes!"
Tonks hurried towards the train, looking around wondering where to go.
"Lost are you?" a kindly looking man with receding caramel hair and a goatee came up to her and eyed her full cart, "it's nothing to be ashamed of. My son William just boarded the train and I'm sure that boy couldn't have even found the train from here without my help. Here." He began to load Tonks' trunk and belongings up the steps of the train and to one of the attendants.
"Um thanks," she attempted a smile as the man finished.
"No problem at all," the man beamed, "I'm glad to help my little Willy's future classmates!" And with that he strode off back into the crowd.
Slightly dumbstruck, Tonks followed her luggage onto the train and began to drag it down the aisle in search of an empty compartment. They all seemed to be packed full of students, all of whom shot Tonks wary glances as she walked past. Maybe her mum was right and pink was too....flamboyant. Finally she reached the last compartment of the train where a brown haired boy sat alone, his head leaning against the window. His face wore a bored, almost sad expression.
"Um is this seat taken?" Tonks rapped carefully on the open glass door.
"Nope," his expression brightened as he saw Tonks and he immediately sat up in his seat. It seemed like he'd been waiting for someone to talk to for quite a while. Tonks carefully put her trunk and boxes in the overhead compartment and settled down across from the boy.
"I'm Tonks by the way," she said politely.
"Just Tonks? No last name?" the boy asked sceptically, though a smile tugged at the edge of his lips.
"No it is my last name," Tonks replied smiling as well "I just much prefer it over my first. My mother must have been crazy to come up with a name like Nymphadora." Weird names seemed to a Black family thing though. Her mum was named Andromeda while her two aunts bore the names Bellatrix and Narcissa. She even had a cousin named Regulus.
"Oh that's, um, cool," the boy replied, "I'm Willy. Willy Brown."
"I think I met your father out on the platform," Tonks said.
"Short stout and overly friendly?" Willy asked.
"Just a little."
"Then yup that's Dad. He works for the ministry. Foreign Relations. It's his job to be friendly. What do your parents do?"
"Oh, um," Tonks replied, "my mum works for Gringotts and my dad is unemployed at the moment."
"That must be neat," Willy replied, brushing a stray piece of hair out of his eyes. His haircut reminded Tonks of a certain 60s band named for insects, "working at Gringotts with all the goblins and treasure."
"Yea, I guess it is," Tonks replied. The compartment fell silent for a moment.
"Your hair is pretty neat," Willy said out of the blue, "very pink. I doubt it's natural."
"Oh it is," Tonks smiled.