Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything to do with Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: I would like to give credit to Octanek for beta reading this chapter.

Discovery: Chapter 1

Harry Potter was in a daze. He had never been one to fantasize, to dream of the impossible in the hopes that it would become reality. For to think that such a thing could happen would be the delusions of a fool. Or so Harry would have thought.

Harry had thought of a lot of things a little more than a month ago. He had thought that he would never escape the Dursley's until he was of age; he had thought that no one would ever know his name;he had thought that he would never sleep a full night outside of his cupboard, but more than anything else, he thought he could tell reality and fantasy apart. After all, how could he not? He had spent his entire life in the same grotesque routine, never feeling true happiness. It wasn't possible that wonderful things existed, for they would have come for him long ago. So if Harry was told something, he could tell if it was real or not. This wasn't such a simple task anymore for Harry, as he had learned a valuable lesson on his birthday: reality and fantasy are both ridiculous.

Ridiculous enough in fact, for both of them to feature wizards and magic. Now, there is no problem with fantasy featuring wizards and magic. But for reality to do the same? The world had flipped itself around, and Harry didn't know up from down. He had made this rather clear to Hagrid, the enormous, bearded wizard with an umbrella for a wand that Harry had encountered on his birthday. According to Hagrid, Harry was a wizard and Hagrid had been sent to inform him since the Dursley's had made absolutely no effort on their part. It was even more unsettling when the Dursley's confirmed it. But it didn't end there with Hagrid; He told Harry about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and that Harry had had his name down since birth. He had taken Harry shopping for his school supplies and retrieved a curious little item from Gringotts, the wizarding bank. Finally, he had taken Harry near King's Cross station to board the Hogwarts Express, the train to Hogwarts.

There was a bump in the road, however: Hagrid had just run off, and Harry had no idea how to board the train, or where it even was. It was in King's Cross, of course, but beyond that Harry only had his ticket to give him directions, and that caused the second bump in the road; it said that the train was at platform 93/4. Now, Harry had originally been quite reserved about this, even trying to ask Hagrid about it right as he ran off. Yet the closer he became to the station, the less he questioned it, for who was he to decide what was real and what wasn't now? After all, the reason he was here in the first place was because of a man thrice the size of a normal one, who gave his cousin a pigs tail with a pink umbrella. His thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt however. Harry had just entered King's Cross, and could no longer dwell on such things, he had a train to catch. Rather than wander blindly though, Harry decided to simply ask for instructions. And who better to ask than the Ticket Warden.

"Excuse me, but can you tell how to get to platform 9 3/4 please?"

"Platform what? Think you're funny, do ya? Get out of here and stop wasting our time."

Utterly perplexed, Harry had no idea what to do. He was standing near platforms 9 and 10 and could see quite clearly that there was no platform 9 3/4. It was a stroke of pure luck then, that Harry was within earshot of a young witch trying to find her way to platform 9 3/4. Scarcely ten feet from where Harry stood, there was a girl looking quite worried at a small piece of parchment clutched in her hands.

"It should be here..." Harry heard her mutter. Harry was sure that she meant platform 93/4. She even had all of her school things like he did. Approaching the mystery girl, Harry was able to make out more of her appearance as he drew closer. She was the same height as him and had jet-black hair that fell to her shoulders. Just before he reached her, he noticed her eyes were the same shade of green as his.

"Um, hi," Harry said.

"Uh, hi," the girl replied back. Harry thought she sounded quite worried about his presence.

"I was wondering, are you looking for platform 9 3/4?" Harry asked. There was no point in skirting around it, he thought.

"You... you're a... um, yes, I'm looking for the platform. I'm Susanna Richards." Harry noticed that she sounded very relieved, like a dead weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter. I tried asking the Warden, but he thought I was joking. Any ideas?" Susanna was about to answer when they both heard a third voice, one that Harry did not recognize:

"Oh honestly, don't you two read?"

As Susanna entered King's Cross station, she felt only two things: fear, and serenity. She was finally going to Hogwarts, the place she had dreamed of for 7 years now. The mystical school of witchcraft and wizardry. But she would be leaving her old life behind, not to see her parents until next June. She wouldn't know anybody there, and she knew no magic at all. Why shouldn't she be scared?

The answer was simple, really: There were a lot of other kids in the exact same situation. Unfortunately, she didn't know any of them. As Susanna stepped through the first gate, she could feel a third emotion overwhelming her: she was nervous. Particularly nervous of meeting other students. What if they didn't like her? She had had friends before, but they were few and far between and never lasted long. Susanna had hoped that this time would be different, but the closer she drew to the proper platform, the more a devastating truth seemed to gnaw away at her heart. She might be alone. She might be alone until next June, when she would still only have her parents to keep her company. And what then? She grows older, she moves out, and she lives on her own for the rest of her life? Not exactly a comforting thought, and the more that Susanna thought about it, the more that she grew distracted from the real world.

So distracted in fact, that she walked strait into the back of a man sipping his coffee.

"What the hell..?" he barked as he spun, only inadvertently forcing Susanna to trip and fall.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," Susanna muttered as she stood up. The man now looked rather sorry for her, but also a little angry.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going. So it doesn't happen again," he chided.

"Uh, right, I'll do that," she replied without making eye contact. And with that, she was off. Running through King's Cross isn't an easy thing at the best of times, but she had to drag a trunk behind her and the station was absolutely packed today. Maybe it was because the train for Hogwarts left today? Another fear struck Susanna: maybe she would be late and miss the train. She wouldn't get to go to Hogwarts, she would have to stay with her parents all year with nothing to do, and she would be a year behind next September. Susanna picked up her pace.

Driven by the resonating fears in her head, she made it all the way to platform 9 in a matter of seconds, only just missing a flash of vibrant orange as it disappeared. Susanna walked between platforms 9 and 10 and was now confused more than anything else. Her ticket said platform 9 3/4, and there was clearly no such thing. Maybe something had gone wrong? Maybe she had gotten the wrong ticket, or she was at the wrong station? What if it all was just a joke, and they weren't going to let her in? Her breathing was rapid, uncontrolled. She was sweating all over. She could feel her hands shaking as she read the ticket again. She didn't know if she would be able to handle this, when she heard an innocent voice to her left.

"Um, hi," a young boy said. He looked about her age and had wild, untamed black hair that was starkly contrasted by his vibrant green eyes.

"Uh, hi," Susanna said back. She wasn't going to just let her guard down around a stranger. What he said next took her completely off guard, however.

"I was wondering, are you looking for platform 9 3/4?" Susanna was dumbstruck. This kid actually knew about the platform? And then she noticed his things. Joy and serenity washed over Susanna. For the first time all day, she wasn't that scared anymore. She wasn't going to be alone at Hogwarts, she wasn't going to miss the train, and there was someone in the exact same predicament as her.

"You... you're a...um, yes, I'm looking for the platform. I'm Susanna Richards." She was still having a hard time believing that she had been so lucky.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter," he replied. Potter? Like in her book? She didn't have time to ask however as he kept going.

"I tried asking the Warden, but he thought I was joking. Any ideas?" Susanna honestly had none. She was as stuck as he was. She was about to let him know when they both heard a third voice, whom Susanna did not know.

"Oh honestly, don't you two read?" A girl about their age with bushy brown hair, buckteeth and brown eyes was walking towards them with her trunk in tow.

"I mean honestly, you should have at least read some of what you bought by now. It's all detailed in Hogwarts: A History. To get to the platform, we need to run strait through this wall."

She must be mad. Susanna was sure of it. She wanted them to run at a brick wall? They didn't even know her name!

"Um, excuse me, but who are you?" Susanna asked.

"Oh, right. Hermione, Hermione Granger. And you are?"

"Susanna Richards, and this is,"

"Harry Potter," he finished for her.

"Harry Potter? I've heard of you!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're in a bunch of my books!"

"Great," Harry quipped with no emotion at all. So it is him, Susanna thought.

"So, are we going to go through or not? The Hogwarts Express will be leaving soon," Hermione said. She sounded rather frustrated that they were still there.

"Alright," Susanna said. "Let's go." As she turned to face the wall, she couldn't help but feel worried again.

"Um, Hermione? You're sure that we're supposed to run at a wall to get to the train?" Susanna asked her.

"Absolutely certain. Hogwarts: A History was very clear," she mused without even looking at Susanna. Susanna was undecided when she remembered something.

"Harry, you've been pretty quiet. Are you OK?" Susanna asked him.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, just a little nervous," he said. He honestly did look nervous, and Susanna understood why.

"I'm fine," he said again. "Let's just get to the platform."

It seemed like she didn't have a choice now. Susanna let out a long breath, and charged.

Hermione felt alive. She was completely ecstatic, though she might not have shown it. To finally go to Hogwarts was nothing short of extraordinary. She had endlessly read Hogwarts: A History, trying to pick up every little detail she could. She had tried on her school robes everyday to make sure that they still fit. And Hermione had been counting down on her calender the number of days until she left for Hogwarts. It had all led to this, the day that she would finally get to board the Hogwarts Express. Some people might have been nervous or scared, but Hermione was nothing but eager.

As she made her way towards the first gate, she was sure that once she was at Hogwarts, she would never want to leave. At Hogwarts, she might finally be able to find some friends. Her success in finding friends at muggle schools was non-existent. But at Hogwarts, she could be an entirely new person! There would be no one avoiding her because she was the weird kid who liked books more than people, there would be no one judging her for what they already knew. It was a completely fresh start, and one she was well prepared for. But just because she was prepared didn't mean that her mother didn't worry, and Hermione was picking up on this very quickly, much to her own disdain.

"Hermione dear, are you sure that you have everything you need? You didn't leave behind some books or something?" her mother asked when they turned a corner towards the platforms.

"Hermione forget a book? She's more likely to grow wings out of her back," her father joked. Apparently, Hermione's mother was not in the mood for games.

"This is serious, John," she barked. "If Hermione were to forget something, she might not be able to get it back once she's there. She's been waiting for this for years."

"Yeah, but she'll be fine, won't you Hermione?" When Hermione turned to look at him, the look on his face was nothing short of pleading.

With a smirk, Hermione replied "Yes, Dad. I'll be fine."

"See Karen? I told you, she'll be fine."

"But we don't know that!"

Hermione could tell that this was going to go on for a while and decided to drown them out. Just when her father was going to drag her back into it however, Hermione saw her Knight in Shining Armour, so to speak.

Over by platform 9 was a girl Hermione's age with all of the same school-things that Hermione had bought over the summer. She had jet-black hair that fell strait down to her shoulders, and was being approached by a boy that also looked their age. He looked strangely familiar somehow.

"Um, Mom, Dad, there's the platform over there and there's some classmates there too. I think I'll just go with them to the platform, is that alright?"

To say that her mother looked concerned would be a monumental understatement. Her father, on the other hand, looked fine.

"Sure thing, we'll head back to the car then," he said nonchalantly. Hermione's mother wouldn't let that slide, though.

"John, you want me to leave our daughter alone here?" she practically shouted at him.

"No, I want you to realize that she can handle herself. We can talk about it in the car," he said as he turned to face Hermione. "We'll see you in June, Hermione. We love you." Hermione's mom seemed to have every intention of arguing, but was swiftly spun on the spot and gently pushed towards the exit by her husband. With a quick "I love you" called out to them as they left, Hermione started at a brisk pace to the two students. As she drew closer, she could begin to make out parts of the conversation, namely something about neither of them knowing where platform 9 3/4 was.

"Oh honestly, don't you two read?" Hermione asked them when she was close enough. "I mean honestly, you should have at least read some of what you bought by now. It's all detailed in Hogwarts: A History. To get to the platform, we need to run strait through this wall." Hermione told them. Hermione didn't rightly know why this girl had such a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Um, excuse me, but who are you?" the girl asked Hermione. Hermione couldn't believe that she'd actually forgotten to introduce herself.

"Oh, right. Hermione, Hermione Granger. And you are?"

"Susanna Richards, and this is," she started but was promptly cut off by the boy.

"Harry Potter," he finished for her. Hermione almost didn't believe her ears.

"Harry Potter? I've heard of you! You're in a bunch of my books!" she said.

"Great," he replied. For a moment, Hermione thought that he didn't care about the books.

"So are we going or not? The Hogwarts Express will be leaving soon." Hermione asked. She wanted to get on the train as quickly as possible, preferably with Harry and Susanna.

"Alright, let's go," Susanna answered as she turned to face the wall.

Hermione and Harry moved to do the same and lined up their trunks. Hermione was excited beyond belief. She was actually going to get to do magic soon, and she had made some friends before she even got to the school. She couldn't have been happier even if she won the lottery. So focused was she on the day ahead that she didn't even look at Susanna when she asked a question. When she saw Susanna run at the wall and Harry follow suit, she knew that she would be fine, just like her dad said.

A/N: Not all chapters will be in this format (retelling the same scene, 3 times, from different perspectives). I just wanted to get the characters properly introduced in this chapter. To be clear however, this story will be multi-viewpoint, just not in this chapter's format.