About a wizard that wanted to belong

It was 2007, he could remember it well, when he knew that he wanted to be a Wizard. Not wanted, no, that is the wrong word, that he was destined to be a wizard.

He had read all the Harry Potter books, over and over and over, until that reality was as real as his.

He was seventeen now, too old for Harry Potter books, they were uncool with people his own age, so he had to hide his interest so the others would not laugh at him.

Or maybe he had to hide it because, each time anyone made fun of anything Harry Potter related he hurt, he actually felt pain, like somebody was hurting his family.

Which maybe they were. Harry Potter and his world were so familiar to him like his own little room, in their quaint house, in the small village situated at one of the ends of Ireland.

His name was not Harry, although sometimes he fantasized it was, his name was Finn, he had dark, lustreless hair, a pimpled face, dark blue eyes, and in general features that, it seemed to him, will never come together to combine in a pleasant way.

Finn’s most treasured possessions in the whole wide world were his Harry Potter hard back books. It had taken him a long time and a lot of trouble to gather them, and now he was fiercely protective of them. Nobody was allowed to touch or handle them in any way.

When his younger siblings started to have an interest in reading the books (not much to do at the end of Ireland, and when it is bitter cold and windy you cannot play outside) Finn would only lend them the cheap charity bought books.

This was then though, now, seven years later, Finn was twenty five, living in Dublin, working as a plumber’s apprentice, sharing a house in Fairview with three other lads.

As he was the poorest he could only rent the box room, which was truly similar to a box. As you entered it on the left side you had a single bed ending in a small wardrobe. He also had a small table with with a stool in front of it. And that was it.

Finn was only too happy to have it. He had a window and a door of his own, and that was more than he had ever had.

He did not want to live in one of those rooms with bunk beds and many people, so he never complained about how tight the space was or how he could barely fit in the small bed.

Sometimes, on Sundays, when the world was quiet he would take out from under the bed a little wooden box, beautifully carved, and he would bring out of it his priceless Harry Potter hardback books. He would check them to make sure there is no mold or anything, he would check the bindings and then, when he was satisfied they were alright, he would start reading one of them allowing himself to slip into that wonderful world he knew so well.

The accident took place on a Thursday afternoon. It was just one of those freak accidents that become part of the folklore of the area where it took place. Only this time it would be the mythology of Ireland.

They had driven out, Finn and the registered plumber he was apprenticing with, to a house in Togher, to work on a sink that had started leaking.

When they got there they found it to be the most routine job ever, change the tap and job's a good 'un. The plumber said that Finn can do it easy, he will wait in the car.

The woman living there was busy upstairs so Finn was left by himself to finish the job.

The plumber was almost falling in a sweet, sleepy daze when the scariest scream he had ever heard reached the car. He jumped out and when he got to the kitchen the most horrific scene unfolded in front of his eyes.

Finn lay on the floor, blood everywhere, the woman kept screaming and in one of the corners of the kitchen a small animal, that looked like a fox, was frantically trying to escape or hide.

In the most unbelievable way possible, the fox had bit Finn’s left carotid artery and he had bled out well before being found.

What nobody knew was that in those few minutes while he was lying there on the floor, Finn had become a wizard, he had gone to Diagon Alley, chose his wand and had made it all the way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he was welcomed with opened arms.

Finn had never been happier in his life than in that moment when he felt he was finally going where he always had known he belonged.