Darren Shan was walking up to Mr. Tall's van when he heard the voice he was hoping he would never have to hear again. That voice belonged to none other than Mr. Desmond Tiny. Now, Mr. Tiny was an old timer, literally, he had supposedly been alive since the beginning of time. Not only was he as old as time he could also travel through it. Being a time traveler there were a few rules, most of which Mr. Tiny somehow found a way to get around. One of those rules was that he couldn't meddle with the affairs of mortals. But like I said, he found loopholes. And if I remember correctly he also ate children. So, the fact that he was there was a very, very bad thing, and Darren was instantly on edge.
"Hello me boy!" Tiny boomed the second Darren opened the door of the van. Mr. Tall, Tiny's son, shot him an apologetic look.
Through gritted teeth Darren said, "Hello sir, what brings you here?"
"Oh, don't pretend to be civil with me Shan; I know what you're thinking. Remember?" Tiny said. (Oh, yeah. Did I mention that Mr. Tiny was also a mind reader?)
"Ok then. What the hell do you want?" Darren practically yelled.
"Ah, now that's better." Tiny sighed. "I just thought I would stop by and say hello to all of my friends at the Cirque."
"Ha, right!" Darren snorted.
'Oh all right. If you must know, I'm here to take you into a different dimension and to switch you with a boy about your age who resides there. Said boy will then be taken here to live your life while you live his." Tiny admitted nonchalantly.
Poor Darren didn't even have time to respond. Because the second that Tiny finished talking he grabbed Darren and they both were transported to a dirt road. The road looked as if it went on forever, but then Mr. Tiny, still by his side, turned him around to face a giant castle. There was a sign post standing off to the side. It read Hogwarts.