Chapter 3: Platform 9 ¾

September 1, 1994

Harry, stood at the entrance to Grand Cross people running past him ignoring the young teen. His luggage cart was piled with his trunk and Hedwig's cage, platform 9 ¾ apparently that existed. Pushed around the station, Harry searched out platform 9 and 10. Leaning against one of the stairwells he watched the interactions on the platforms. Plenty of men and women moved around in pant suits. Some families pushed back and forth trying to get to their destination. This early in the morning he felt so out of place no family and no job. Just him trying to figure out a magical mystery. A smile played across his face thinking about the people around him, he had a secret and they would be so jealous if they knew. His cousin had been, his shoulder and ribs still hurt from the beatings from the last month. A family entered the corridor from one of the stair wells, they were obviously magical. For Pete's sake the mother was brandishing a wand as she walked through the station. How did i not see things like this before. the family thought they were be clandestine as they pushed through the barrier, could they be more obvious. The family slowly pushed through the barrier on one of the walls. Harry walked up after the family had left and pushed his cart against the wall. It disappeared and he followed it through to find the bright red Hogwarts Express. and a platform a bustle with wizards already. Three hours before departure and the platform was already nearly a party. Harry, mused about his trip to Diagon Alley and how similar the platform was now. Kids running about chasing each other wands held high jinxs and minor hexs sputtered and flew between the children. Students amassed in random groups robes setting apart the older mages.

"Sirs, may I take your trunk." Harry jumped at the small creatures words he turned finding one of Hogwarts many upkeep elves. The creature maybe reached his waist and had a polite smile on, he wore an ill fitting white cream robe with a patch sewn to the front left breast.

"Umm, yes…" The elf smiled back at Harry's reply quickly grabbing the trunk and carrying it away. The trunk being larger than the elf didn't seem to bother the little thing. Harry grabbed Hedgwig's cage from the cart and wandered down the platform, finally recognizing what he was looking for another person from the mundane world, evident by the family's blue jeans. He strode over to a cute brunette girl. Her Hair was a mass of curls down her back, her parents stood behind her fear or maybe just anxiety evident on their faces. The platform was a bustle with hundreds of students and their parents already, the blatant use of magic unsettled Harry, he could imagine the difficulty that, mundanes would have with their child going off to this world. That they stood still had to be a near miracle.

"Ahhh hello is this seat taken?" The mother jumped in surprise but the father looked up in a controlled fashion.

"No, Young man, please feel free to join us. I'm Daniel Granger, My wife is Emma and our daughter here is Hermione." The man extended his hand forward, and didn't miss the momentary recoil from Harry before the boy reached forward. To shake his hand.

"Harry Potter, its nice to meet another mundane."

"Mundane? oh, you mean non-magicals? Like my parents. Why is that nice? Aren't you excited about the school? You have read about it right? Hogwarts a History is required reading. Very good if you ask me. Have you done any magic yet? You do have a wand right? Getting into Diagon Alley can be tricky." The girl carried, on till her mother touched her shoulder lightly. "sorry. It is just so exciting."

"It is though, I find the idea rather freeing." Harry smiled at the girl, she was so full of life and showed the excitement of every mundane born out their.

"Harry, how long have you known of Magic?" Dan, smiled at the boy.

"Oh the professor only stopped by my house a month ago on my fourteenth birthday, and you?"

"My birthday was in September so we have known for nearly a year. Have you tried any spells?" That explained their calm they had known about this for a year.

"No I haven't tried any spells the wand maker said I would need to be careful and should wait till I was under supervision before trying."

"Probably wise he would know more about magic than us. Why aren't your parents here Harry?" Dan and Emma tensed at their daughters statement. You don't just ask something like that.

"My parents died when i was just a baby, my Aunt and Uncle take care of me."

"Oh," Harry smiled at the awkward pause of course he wished for a family it was his fondest desire but, he had never really had parents they were just a distant concept. People that cared for him didn't exist.

"Well Harry, its nice to meet you. What area do you live in?" And thus the conversation continued Harry, was happy to have someone to talk to it was a long wait before the train. They Dan and Emma were dentist a profession Harry understood. Hermione seemed to be constantly bustling with questions and seemed to have just as many answers. She claimed she had read the entire years books already and memorized them. It was quite amazing. With twenty minutes until the train left they began to load onto the Express. Dan and Emma held their daughter tight before wishing, her well. Harry received a hug from Emma causing him to nearly have a panic attack, followed by a keen sense of loneliness. Hermione followed him onto the train, for yet another surprise. The inside of the train was massive meters wider than the outside the 'compartments' were large rooms that could easily hold a dozen people or maybe more. The Teens entered a unoccupied cabin. and continued to talk. a few minutes later, a unassuming boy entered the cabin he had a small cage with a rather large toad in it.

"Hello, I'm Hermione. Who are you? How long have you known about magic? are your parents mundane to? Do you have a wand? What's your toad's name? Have you read any of the books yet? Where did you get your toad? I wonder if my cat would try and eat your toad?" Hermione was off again her questions really were continuous. After Half a dozen the poor boy looked like he was was going to explode from the overload of information.

Harry reached over touching her shoulder. She stopped.

"Sorry, nice to meet you."

"I'm Harry Potter."

"Neville Longbottom, are you really Harry Potter?"

"Yup, and you apparently are mageborn"

"Mage Born?"

"Your, Family is magical." Hermione asserted.

"Yeah, I mean as far as I know one of my Uncles thinks I'm a squib but I'm able to cast charms just fine so far he thinks I should use magic more though."

"You know charms? Can you teach me? What charms do you know? How long have you had your wand? What is it made of? Where did you get it? Have you tried any other magic?" Lucky Hermione was interrupted as four three red heads tumbled into their compartment,

"Ahh Hello." Harry spoke up as he watched the older two begin barricading the door, with the couches around the room.

"Sorry, prank gone wrong."

"Must protect ourselves." One pulled a wand out and began casting at the door.

"You must be."

"firsties cause I don't"

"recognize the lot of you."

"That is Ron." They pointed to the other boy with them.

"He is Fred."

"And My brother is George."

"Weasleys, They are a unique brand." Neville spoke up from his seat.

"I'm Hermione, are you two twins?"

"And I'm Harry." He cut her off quickly keeping her from embarrassing himself.

"It can't be."

"But it might my brother."

"Might you be."

"Harry Potter?" The young teens eyes were wide watching the twins banter.

"Yes, I'm that Harry."

"Bloody Hell, do you really have the scar?" Ron finally spoke up.

"What scar?"

"The books say you have a lightning bolt shaped scar on your forehead."

At that Harry broke into a laugh. Books about him no wonder everyone knew who he was. "Oh pray tell what these books say."

The looks of confusion passing between the Weasley brothers were quite obvious. The youngest one finally getting to his feet spoke up. "Well you they say you're a great hero. That you have killed werewolves, and cleaned Ireland of snakes. That you are friends with the king of the Merpeople after you saved their city from banshees, and that you ride on a nundu and have a entire pack of wolves as your familiar."

Harry's laughter was renewed at the ridiculousness of the words put forward. "Oh that is Royal. Well sorry to disappoint done none of those things every happened and my only lightning shaped scar is on my shoulder." Harry finally spoke pulling the shoulder of his shirt down to reveal the bright red traces of a scar across his shoulder as if he had been hit by lightning.

The brothers stood in shock staring at his shoulder, Neville's head was tilted over in a continuous look of confusion. Hermione was nearly vibrating with the need to ask questions seeing her opening she began.

"Why is he special? I thought you were mundane born like me?..." She continued to rant on the boys Slowly turned to look at her as she let her inquisitive nature take over.

"Hermione," Harry interrupted her ranting. "Why don't we let the Boys take a seat and we can relax and talk for a bit." Hermione nodded realing herself in again.

"Gentlemen, please join us apparently we need to talk." The red heads nodded taking seats around the room and pulling in a table. "Well lets start from the beginning and you two cut it with the twin speak. I'm Harry Potter, apparently the main character in a set of books that are complete fabrications and lies. I didn't learn about magic till my 14th birthday only a month ago. I lived with muggles my entire life."

"I'm Neville Longbottom, my family have been magical as far back as I can find."

"Hermione Granger, I learned about magic nearly a year ago on my birthday and have been so excited to come here since, my family is non-magical it has been quite the shock."

"We are the Weasley twins, and we come from a magical family and have a lot of siblings this is our youngest brother Ron."

"Well now that we got that out of the way anyone want to play Chess?" Ron spoke up pulling a box from a shelf in the compartment, and thus the trip continued. Bernie Botts every flavor beans, blasting caps, a minor display of Weasley Fireworks and the friendships were quickly forming.