Choo Choo Solo Finished

The loud choo, chug and chuffs of settling trains, casual chatters of now simple-humans (Enrico had already gotten used to the idea of him being a wizard and automatically superior to mere mortals), and the heavy breathing caused by all the running he had to do whilst also pushing all of his things inside a trolley, was all he could hear whilst rapidly making his way towards the eerie Platform nine and three-quarters. He was certain that there had been a mistake. Three-quarters? Enrico was horrible at mathematics, but this was simply outrageous. His entire family had been just as confused. Even the household dog, Roger didn’t know the answer.

Regardless, naturally, the little boy was more than thrilled for this long-awaited moment. He had always enjoyed magic, be it from reading fantastical books to watching it take place on a big screen. Everyone said that it was not real, that the things he saw were just enhanced by modern technology. Well? That was a lie, cause according to some hag-in-a-hat, he was now a wizard, prepared to undertake the best journey his life was ever going to face. It took plenty of days for such information to sink in. But eventually, Enrico realized that this was not just another birthday surprise. It was all real! There had been plenty of things that made the boy excited throughout his childhood: One time there was the birth of a new cow at the farm, convincing his mum to buy him a set of mismatching socks, nearly setting his older sister’s bedroom on fire… good times. The thought of them made the boy smile dreamily.

But now - he had to focus on the task at hand. He was already late, further delay was not going to help! He could hear the echoing voice of his loud mother calling out his name - the only problem was that it was not solely in his head, she was actually screaming it at the top of her lungs. The poor woman had to endure the boy’s rowdy nature for eleven years, and even at the last moments prior to departure, she had to exhaust herself at his behaviour. Her walking became faster and faster by the second, and Enrico’s little legs hurried up their pace the closer she got to him.

At a sudden halt, the boy stopped, all of the objects in his trolley pushed themselves forward at the sudden break, sending some of his belongings forward as a rattling sound announced his stop. His big brown eyes gazing at what was above him. A sign with the number nine on it. It was at this moment and time that Enrico wished he remembered what the visiting witch had told them about the unique platform. But luckily for him, as always, mother was ready to save the day. But before that…

She snatched him by one of his ears, her thumb pressing on it until it flashed red. He let out a little growl and then proceeded to apologize quickly.
“Don’t go running off like that, I’m almost certain you bumped into at least a dozen other persons. Just because you’re some sort of… of… magician? It doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you please. You hear me?!”
“A wizard mum, a wizard! I’ve always told you they’re real, and now your son is one of ‘em. Do you remember that one time I never told you what I wished when I blew the candles on my fifth birthday? This is what I wished for! Or that one time I made a fairy wand out of a plastic straw?” Enrico spoke enthusiastically, lost in his own world and time, but his mother definitely wasn’t.
“Yes yes, I remember all your shenanigans, trust me. Now, you’re already late! I’m assuming you’ve stopped cause you cannot remember where you have to go. You better pay more attention than you have lacked here when you arrive at that… school!”

Muggle school was boring. There had only been a few subjects that the boy had genuinely enjoyed. Meeting his friends was another perk, and outings were also always so open for adventure, but it could never compare to what the new school had to offer.

“Just tell me where I have to go, mum!” Rico squealed, feeling his stomach perpetuating with butterflies, any second now - he was going to puke.
“Ugh, I don’t know, this all seems a bit odd to me! You have to… I don’t even know if I heard it correctly now-”
“Ma, I literally got a wand. We saw frogs and owls, old people with pointy black hats, brooms and a whole more lot, and you’re afraid this might be a little off?”
She gave him a glare - he was right, she couldn’t deny it.

“Alright then you little cheeky monkey,” she lowered her back and approached him, pecking a gentle kiss on his fiery-red cheeks. He could never deny affection from his mother, he flashed a wide, bright smile, his braced teeth reflecting the lights, a yellow flower had been stuck there by its stem since last evening. His mother pecked it off.
“So, run into this wall, try to go at it a little bit slowly, if the information we were given is wrong, I wouldn’t want you to bump into it and set all your things loose.”

“Right,” Enrico replied calmly. As he suddenly pushed the cart and himself forward heading straight into the wall, as fast as he possibly could, immediately ignoring his mother’s advice.
“Goodbye ma! Don’t forget to tell brothers and sisters goodbye too!”
“Don’t forget what I told you! Brush your teeth every morning and before bed! Don’t pick off your braces and don’t eat any candy given to you or your teeth will fall off!”

Those were the last few words he could hear as Enrico somehow vanished into the wall and found himself at a similar location - yet, almost the same. There was a train. Red and ready to go, steam flying up high in the air as it chooed. The numerous children and accompanying adults in strange clothing only meant that Enrico was at the right place. The grin on his face had remained still, only he smiled wider at such a glorious sight. The short lad was so excited he started giggling on his own, receiving some weird looks while at it, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to get on the magical train as soon as possible.

And that’s exactly what he did, eager to find what adventure laid in front of him… what trouble he could get in. The thrill, the excitement, the magic! It was all real.