No one could possibly have missed them, all six of the bustling red-heads. Each were bundled up in maroon and amber and chestnut jumpers, and the four boys were all pushing packed trollies. The troop leader was a plump but friendly looking lady, with rosy cheeks and kind eyes. Harry - subconsciously - pictured this woman stood over a mixing bowl, concoting delicious delights for her family to eat. He smiled at the thought.
The five children, four boys ranging from perhaps sixteen to Harry's age, eleven, and a young girl, Harry assumed was nine or ten, all had inherited the fiery red hair, and freckled skin from their mother. Two of them, the tallest of the lot, were exact replicas of each other, and insisted on precariously nudging one another, despite their mother's protests.
"Fred, George! For heavens sake boys, could you stop that! Or else someone will end up flattened on the tracks!"
"Yeah, George, stop it" snickered the other twin, Fred.
"We don't want some squished corpse on the train tracks, now do we?" George replied, smirking, as he continued to poke and prod his brother.
The eldest, snooty-looking with a turned up nose and horn-rimmed glasses, whipped his head round.
"Will you two please refrain from drawing any more attention to use, please?" he sighed.
"You're right Percy, your big head already attracts to many stares" the little girl chirped, looking up at her brothers.
Fred and George howled with laughter, and bent down to hi-five their sister.
"Okay Ginny, say goodbye to your brothers, this is it. Platform 9 and 3/4."
Harry pricked up at the mention of Platform 9 and 3/4, and bound over to the family, careful not to knock his owl's gleaming cage off his suitcases. He approached the mother, and nervously coughed, gaining their attention.
"Excuse me, but do you know how I could get to the Platform 9 and 3/4? I'm a little lost, you see."
The woman beamed at him, making Harry feel warm and welcome.
"Its okay dear, it's Ron's first time to Hogwarts too."
The youngest son looked at him, and gave him a friendly smile. Harry repricocated the smile.
"See what you have to do, is to run straight at that wall."
She gestured to the brick wall inbetween Platforms 9 and 10. Harry's eyes widened, and started to wonder if this was some cruel trick. The woman spotted this, and gave him a reassuring look.
"Percy, you don't mind showing this nice boy how it's done, do you?"
The snobby boy from early shook his head, and began to run towards the wall. Harry prepared to look away, grimancing, when he was pleasantly surprised. Percy had disappeared. As if by magic.
Harry mentally scolded himself. It was magic.
The twins shortly followed, and soon enough, they had vanished too.
"Are you okay to go through?" the woman asked, gently.
Harry nodded, breathing in cautiously.
"Good luck" spoke a little voice beside him. He glanced down, and saw the tiny redhead, smiling an encouraging smile. He appreciated her kind words, and grinned back.
And then he disappeared through the wall, with the last of her brothers.
Just as the mother and daughter turned to leave, Ginny tugged on her mother's sleeve, eagerly.
"Mummy, did you see his forehead! Did you see it?"
"See what, Ginny dear?"
"That scar! It looked like a lightning bolt!"
"That's ridiculous, nobody has a lightning bolt shaped scar, except . . . "
"Except Harry Potter."