A week before the start of term Dean and his Muggle parents found themselves in dingy little inn called The Leaky Cauldron. Tom, the inn keeper, showed them how to get into Dagon Alley, where they were to buy all the supplies on the list they got from Hogwats.
Dean felt cluster-phobic in the narrow alleyway, where so many witches and wizards were shopping. The noise was deafening as kids of all shapes and sizes were weaving and squeezing up and down the ally, begging their parents to buy them this or that.
He passed a cluster of kids oohing and aahing some brooms in a shop window,
"What can possibly be so exciting about a broom," he muttered, agitated, "it's hard enough to walk through this narrow street without bumping into these overexcited kids looking at some silly broomsticks."
"Excuse me," Dean heard his step-dad saying to one of the weirdos wearing gowns, "excuse me, but do you know where I can find er- Gringotts? Gringotts Bank?"
"Sure, I was just on the way there. Do you care to join me?" the man answered rather politely.
Dean was impressed. Seeing the way the man was dressed, he expected to hear abracadabra, or jargon, not a deep voice with real answers.
"You seem to be new to Diagon Alley. Are you from another town, or are you a Muggle?"
"A Muggle?" asked Dean's stepfather.
"It's what we call non-magic people. So I assume you are not a wizard. Are you here for your child's school supplies, then?" The stranger asked.
"Yes, my son is starting at Hogwarts this year," he said placing his hand proudly on Dean's shoulder.
"First-year," said the man approvingly, "my son will start his first year too. What's your name?" he asked, but before Dean's parents had a chance to answer, The man was distracted by the Goblin who was greeting them at the entrance of the bank, and leading the strange man and his family to their vaults.
Before they could say a polite goodbye, another Goblin was leading them to the money-exchange booth, where they were to exchange their Muggle money to Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts.
When they were done exchanging their money, and after their archetypal stupor at the size of the wizard's money was calmed, they carried on with their shopping.
"Let's see," his mother said, scanning the list, "you will need Wizard's robes and a Wizard's hat, where might we get that?" she asked looking around.
They looked around at the shops, and Dean spotted a store-window with colorful robes,
"look ," he told his parents, "there is a sign 'Madam Milkin's robes for all occasions' at the end of this block."
They walked into the shop, and told the Madam that they needed a black robe. "And would you also have a hat, maybe?" asked his mum.
"Sure, why don't you look around, while I measure the young boy in the back?" and turning to Dean she said, kindly, "Go ahead, sweety, there's someone back there, already being measured."
When Dean reached the back of the store he saw that a squat lady was busy measuring a young boy approximately his own age.
The boy turned when he saw Dean and exclaimed, "hey, aren't you the boy who walked with us to the bank?"
Dean, who had eyes for no one, said, "could be."
"Hi, my name is Seamus, I am beginning my first year at Hogwarts, and you are too, aren't you? Both your parents are Muggles?"
"Yes, I guess so. Your parents are wizards?" asked Dean curiously.
"I'm half and half, but I grew up a wizard. Both my parents live in the wizard world. What's your name?"
Dean was slightly bewildered by Seamus' sociable attitude. People were usually blushing and stammering the first time they saw him. But when he asked what his name was, Dean was completely taken by surprise. No one has ever asked him such a question before! Everyone he ever met since babyhood just knew that his name was Dean Thomas.
"You don't... you don't know my name?" he asked genuinely surprised.
Seamus looked at him for a moment, "should I?" he finally asked.
"My name is Dean Thomas!" said Dean with some ceremony, expecting, if not a dithering awe, then at least some respect.
Seamus merely kept looking at him, "nice to meet you," he said sarcastically.
Seamus' father suddenly appeared from behind the curtains, at the same time that Dean's stepfather walked in to the measuring room.
"Oh, hello," said Mr. Thomas, seeing the man that walked them to the bank, "I'm is Edward Thomas," he said, extending a hand, "what did you say your name was?"
"Michael Finnegan," said Seamus' father.
Dean tried not to laugh, as in his mind the song 'there was a man named Michael Finnegan...' suddenly played repetitively, but he couldn't help a snort of suppressed giggles.
Hearing it, Mr. Finnegan turned to Dean and stared. "This is your son, you say?" he asked Mr. Thomas slowly.
"Yes, why?" asked Mr. Thomas. Dean looked up expecting at least Seamus' dad to know who he is.
"You look a bit like Awce Abernathy," said Mr. Finnegan thoughtfully.
Dean was stunned. He has spent millions of dollars trying to find anyone who knew where Awce Abernathy was, but no one has ever saw or heard of him. Awce Abernathy was Dean's biological father, and he felt winded when he heard that name, just like that, suddenly and unexpectedly.
"You knew Awce Abernathy?" Dean asked, his heart pumping loudly.
"Of course. He was my friend, and a very gifted wizard. He was murdered ten years ago."
"Murdered?" Mrs. Thomas and Dean said together. (Mrs. Thomas arrived just in time to hear her first husband's name)
"He was my husband," said Mrs. Thomas faintly, "was he a wizard, then?"
Michael Finnegan invited the Thomas family for an ice-cream at Flourean's and they sat down to talk about Dean's father.
sorry, because now I can't get this song outa my head...
'there was a man named
Michael Finnegan
he grew wiskers
on his chinnegan
he cut them off
but they grew in again
poor old Michael
Finnegan,
begin again...'