AN - I don't own Harry Potter or any associated properties! All characters and fictional events belong to J.K Rowling!

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Harry glanced around the platform at King's Cross Station. He really didn't know what he was supposed to do. I suppose that's the norm nowadays. He thought to himself as he began making his way up and down the platform, pushing his trolley which contained his trunk, Hedwig, and other boxes of supplies he had bought in Diagon Alley in the prior days. Hagrid had told him to find Platform 9 ¾ so he could board the Hogwarts Express. The problem was: he had no idea where that was! He stopped and looked at maps, asked porters and other passerbys, and even looked at other platforms for a way to Platform 9 ¾ . He received curious glances, scoffs, and was told to "shove off" by anyone he approached. It seemed that no one had time to search for a platform that housed a magic train.

After searching for about an hour, Harry parked his cart next to a bench on Platform 9 and took a seat. He removed his round glasses from his face and put his head in his hands. He sighed and tried to envision where he could possibly find his destination. If he didn't find it quickly, he would miss his departure time and squander the chance to attend Hogwarts. He rubbed his eyes until he saw stars and tried to think of other things he could try that didn't involve senseless pacing. He was shortly interrupted by a shout from close behind him.

"LOOK OUT!" A porter spouted. "RUNAWAY TROLLEY!"

Harry's head snapped up and his eyes flew open. Of course. He thought bitterly. Of course it's mine. He leapt up and tried to chase after his runaway luggage, but it was inexplicably far ahead of him. He wove around travelers, bumped into others, and sped past onlookers who were amused at his plight. He ran until he was within arm's length, but he stumbled slightly, missing the handle. He looked up and braced for the inevitable clatter that would come from the trolley slamming into the brick pillar that rested between Platforms 9 and 10. Harry winced in anticipation, but no sound came. He opened his eyes to find that his trolley was not in front of him. He surveyed his surroundings, thinking that he somehow ran to the wrong place, but found that his trolley was not in his vicinity any longer.

"I'm going mad." The raven haired young man groaned to himself as he brought his palm to his forehead. He closed his eyes and tried to lean back on the pillar. His back didn't hit the pillar, however. Harry continued to lean back and fell backwards through the brick! He fell back and landed on his rear, eyes snapping open in shock. What he saw instead was the other side of the pillar. He quickly twisted around and found his trolley, receiving an annoyed hoot from Hedwig at his failure to engage the brake on the trolley. Harry whipped his head from left to right, completely shocked to find some colorfully dressed witches and wizards -as well as many men and women in muggle clothing- bustling about the platform. The young man jumped to his feet, dusted off the back of his jeans, and glanced up at the sign that marked the platform: 9 ¾ .

Harry suddenly put it together: he could walk through the pillar! It was a gateway to Platform 9 ¾ ! Harry laughed to himself for a moment before catching his breath and sweeping his gaze across the train itself. It was a bright red steam engine with a black head. Signs on the front and sides of the locomotive read Hogwarts Express in golden lettering. Harry stood in awe of the train, mostly relieved he finally found it, before he was jarred from his thoughts by the train's loud, high pitched whistle. He swiftly grabbed the handle of his trolley, slipped Hedwig an owl treat for his inadvertent negligence, and navigated through the throngs of people to get to the train.

Harry hoisted his belongings one by one onto one of the train cars and balanced them on each other so he could attempt to carry them all in one trip. Surprisingly, Harry was successful in his attempt to efficiently transport his luggage onto the train. He carried the carefully constructed pyramid of his trunk, bags of school supplies, and Hedwig down the train until he found an empty compartment. He placed his belongings in the netting above his head and sat on the blue, plush seat, silently hoping that no one came to sit with him.

As excited as he was to get started in his new, magical life, Harry could not help but feel intimidated at the prospect of meeting new people. In Harry's experience, any new person he met was quickly driven away by the Dursleys' lies about what a freak he was. Harry had been abandoned more times than he could count, so he gave up on trying to get close to anyone, ultimately lessening the blow of when somebody else left him. Harry didn't know who he would meet at Hogwarts, but he didn't expect to meet anyone who would want to stick around.

Harry sat alone in his compartment staring out the window as the train shifted into motion. Harry was slightly pushed forward by the sudden movement, but quickly settled back into his seat to look out the window at Platform 9 ¾ , which was slowly moving out of sight. He watched people waving to their families as they departed, mothers crying over their children leaving for school, fathers trying to hide their sadness with overwhelming pride, and younger siblings waving goodbye to those whose rooms would now be vacant. Despite his desire to not be abandoned yet again, Harry felt a pang of sadness at his loneliness, wishing he had someone close to him that would be sad to see him go. Before he could fall too deep into his spiral of loneliness, Harry heard a knock at the entrance to his compartment. Harry turned his gaze towards the sound and was met with something rather unexpected: a girl.

"Excuse me," she said. "A lot of the other compartments are full and I was wondering if I could share this one with you."

Harry took a good look at the young woman. She had bushy, brown hair and chocolatey brown eyes. She wore a denim jacket over a pink, zip up jumper and black jeans. The young man looked back into her eyes and nodded gently, giving a small, polite smile. She sent a slightly larger smile in return and began putting her trunk and bags in the overhead storage. Harry would have offered to help, but she was finished quickly. The mysterious visitor shifted some things around for a moment before plopping herself down in the seat across from Harry.

"Thank you for letting me sit with you," she started. "I don't exactly fancy sitting in a crowded compartment with a bunch of strangers."

"It's no problem," Harry spoke for the first time since he boarded the train. "I'm not a big fan of that kind of thing either. As I walked by, it seemed like a lot of them knew each other."

"I noticed that as well! I was thinking that a lot of the people attending Hogwarts had grown up in the magical communities I read about, allowing them to meet each other prior to accepting their invitations," she said.

"That's a pretty astute observation." Harry replied. "I suppose it would make perfect sense that there are magical communities out there. After all, a lot of people seem to be very aware of Hogwarts. Almost like they've been there before."

The young woman considered this for a moment, nodding as contemplated Harry's words. Suddenly, it appeared as though she remembered something rather important as her eyes widened and she sat up in her seat.

"I'm sorry! I haven't properly introduced myself!" She exclaimed as she thrust her hand out. "I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger."

"I'm Harry Potter." He said in return, shaking her hand without the hesitation that would precede his involvement in such an interaction. For whatever reason, Harry didn't feel unease at Hermione's presence. In the few words they had exchanged with each other, Harry actually felt quite comfortable with her. She seemed kind and considerate, which was all Harry could hope for when he met someone new. It wasn't often that the young Potter came across someone that wasn't put off by his presence, and him put off by theirs. He hoped that wasn't about to change as Hermione abruptly halted their handshake and stared at him, mouth slightly agape.

"Harry Potter?" she asked, seemingly confused. "You said you were Harry Potter?"

"Yeah?" Harry's eyes grew wide with worry. "Is…Is that going to be a problem?"

"No! Of course not!" Hermione withdrew her hand from his. "I just didn't expect to share a compartment with Harry Potter of all people!"

"Why is that I might ask?" Harry inquired, genuinely curious at her knowledge of him.

"Well, you're quite famous in the magical world!" She said matter of factly. "Though I'm sure you know that…"

"That's the thing, though. I've noticed that a lot of people that I don't know are aware of who I am. The problem is: I don't know why!"

"Wait…You don't know why you're famous?" Hermione asked, eyes going wide once more. "No one has told you?"

"No! It's getting rather annoying too! I hate the glances I've been getting on the street from everyone who apparently knows me better than I know myself!" Harry furrowed his brow and looked to his feet. This anger had been building ever since he walked into the onslaught of attention in the Leaky Cauldron on his first day in Diagon Alley. Harry knew he shouldn't have gotten annoyed with Hermione: he should have expected that a lot of his future classmates would know of his apparent fame. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten frustrated with you. I can understand if you want to find a different compartment to sit in…"

"It's alright. I'm just a little shocked you haven't been told…" Hermione trailed off as an unpleasant thought popped into her head. "Harry?"

Harry brought his gaze to match hers, silently letting her know that he would listen to her question. Hermione took a deep breath, apparently steeling herself.

"Do you know what happened to your parents?"

Harry's eyes softened and he looked back down at his trainers, trying not to let his frustration over that issue slip out.

"No," he said quietly. "I don't know what happened to them either. Not really anyway…"

Hermione sat stunned for a moment. She couldn't believe that Harry Potter didn't even know how his own parents died. She felt anger bubble up inside her at the gross oversight of his caretakers to not tell him about his parents. She couldn't help but wonder what other important things were kept from him while he was growing up. His parents? His magic? She quickly quelled the anger inside of her, for this was no time to be angry. While she had only just met him, Hermione couldn't help but realize that Harry Potter wasn't some legend out of a story: he was just a normal young man.

"Would…would you like to know?" She asked uncertainly. "I know this isn't any kind of comfort, but I've read about you and what happened to your family… I could tell you if you want."

Harry met her gaze again. He was surprised by the sincerity of her offer, but he was more surprised by the lack of pity in her tone. It was the first time anyone had offered to explain what happened in his past, and she only seemed saddened by the fact that no one had ever told him before. Her negative feelings weren't directed at him, but towards those that neglected to fill him in on the most important events of his life so far. Harry leaned forward in his seat, intently listening to what Hermione might have to say.

"Yes. I would like to know." Harry said softly. "Please…"

Hermione bit her lip nervously, took a deep breath, and gathered herself to tell a famous story to the person it was written about.

"Well…This is what I know of it." She began slowly. "I've only recently read about it in the book History of Magic. There's actually a whole chapter dedicated to you…Anyway…One night, on Halloween, a dark wizard traveled to the magical community of Godric's Hollow. His name was Lord Voldemort, a master of the Dark Arts whose goal was to eliminate the status of muggle-born and half-blood witches and wizards in Britain. I suppose he could be equated to the magical version of Hitler. But I digress…Voldemort traveled to Godric's Hollow in search of the Potter family. Your parents were part of a resistance that aimed to put a stop to Voldemort's evil plans."

Hermione paused for a moment, taking yet another deep breath before continuing the story.

"According to eye witness reports, he walked up the path to your family's door, blew it down and entered. Your father, without a wand, stood in Voldemort's way as he tried to make his way through your house. He stood his ground, without his wand, and attempted to defend your mother and yourself." Hermione's voice began to waver as she continued the story. "A-after Voldemort murdered your father, he made his way up the stairs to the n-nursery. Your mother stood in his way, shielding you from him, b-but she too was k-killed."

Hermione paused again, shedding a couple tears as she recounted the tragedy of the Potters. She closed her eyes, bit her lip, and forced herself to regain her composure. Harry would not rush her. He himself needed some time to process what he was being told and to ensure that he wouldn't become a sobbing mess in front of his new acquaintance. It took only a minute, but she opened her eyes again and resumed the tale.

"After he murdered your mother, he turned his wand on the…baby that had been in the crib." Hermione choked on her tears, which began falling again despite her efforts to stay composed. "He tried to kill you, but for some reason it didn't work. No one truly knows why it happened, but the curse rebounded. I-it blew a hole in the side of your room. You were found, still in your crib, about an hour after the events took place. Nobody knows how you did it or why it happened, but you became the first and only person in history to survive the Killing Curse…"

Harry sat in shock. He had heard from Hagrid that the lies the Dursleys told him were complete nonsense, but he still didn't know what truly happened to his parents. As he listened to Hermione tell him what truly happened that fateful Halloween night, Harry was overwhelmed by a number of things. He was overwhelmed as he heard of his parents' sacrifices of love, by how well known this story must be if it's in a book titled History of Magic, and finally by Hermione's sincerity as she told the story. She didn't speak as if it were some heroic tale about someone conquering death or a scary bedtime story an older sibling may tell their brother or sister before bed. She told the story how it should be told: as a tragedy. The reason for Harry's fame should not be recounted as something to draw a legendary status towards him. Harry was grateful that Hermione thought as much.

"Thank you…thank you for telling me," Harry said quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen as Hermione finished telling the story. "It means more to me than you could ever know…"

"Harry...Thank you for asking me to tell you." Hermione smiled slightly, tears no longer spilling from her chocolatey colored eyes. "I know we don't know each other too well, but it means a great deal to me that you would ask me. I can't imagine how hard it would be to have something like that kept from you for all these years."

Harry responded with a small shrug, not wishing to speak on the matter any more. He was feeling emotionally drained from learning the truth of his parents' sacrifice and didn't want to delve into the emotions that roiled within him in relation to the secret that was kept from him for 19 years. He decided that instead of dwelling on what was taken from him, he should use the remainder of the journey to Hogwarts to get to know the first person-besides maybe Hagrid- that seemed to hold more of an interest in knowing Harry the person as opposed to Harry Potter the legend.

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Harry spent the next few hours locked in pleasant conversation with Hermione. He learned a number of different things about her: her parents are muggles, she's an only child, she loves cats, she's an avid reader, and she takes great pride in her studies. She had actually begun reading some of the textbooks that were listed on their invitations, as well as some extracurricular readings. When she asked him about his personal life, he hesitated for only a moment. He told her about his muggle upbringing, his only child status, and his work at the Horford Brothers' Hardware Store. What he didn't tell her was the abuse he suffered at the Dursleys' hands or the lies he was told about his past. Harry was afraid he would scare off the kind witch that he was finding to be more and more of a friend as they talked. He found her company extremely welcome after spending hours being gaped at in Diagon Alley. She treated Harry like a normal person, and for that he couldn't be more thankful. They chatted comfortably until they were interrupted by a knock at the doorway of their compartment.

"Would you dears like anything to eat?" There stood a short, elderly woman holding a cart in front of her. An assortment of different foods was splayed out on the different layers of the cart. Different kinds of sandwiches, wraps, and salads took up the top tray. Chocolates, lollipops, and other sweets resided in the middle of the cart. The bottom tray consisted of different drinks, of whose brands he didn't recognize.

"Oh no thank you, ma'am." Hermione said with a smile. "I'm not hungry."

Harry knew that she was lying. He had heard her stomach rumble several times in the past hour! Through their chats, Harry learned that Hermione had converted a good portion of her savings into the magical currency and that she was likely trying to save money by refusing the food. The young wizard pulled a small pouch of his money out of his bag and approached the cart. After observing what she had available, he turned to the elderly witch.

"I'll take two chicken salad sandwiches, two bottles of FizzyWiz, and two Chocolate Frogs." He said quietly, handing over three galleons to cover the cost. As he paid for their lunch, Harry thought of the promise he made in his vault regarding his money. Eating is a necessary expense. I don't mind paying for Hermione, either. It's not like I'm wasting money by buying lunch…

The trolley witch looked past his shoulder at Hermione, who was looking out the window at the passing landscape, and smiled. "Oh what a sweet young man you are!" she whispered to him, handing him the items he paid for. He left her an extra galleon as a tip and turned back into the compartment with the bundle of food and what he assumed was some kind of soda. He set his lunch down on the seat next to where he was sitting, and turned around to face Hermione. He held out the food in his hands and smiled when she turned to look at him.

"Harry? You didn't buy this for me, did you?" She asked, though she was fairly certain of his answer.

"Of course I did!" He stayed standing in front of her. "Don't act like you don't want it either, I heard your stomach grumbling the whole train ride."

"It wasn't the whole ride…" She blushed in embarrassment at his friendly teasing, but gave a small smile. "You really didn't have to do that!"

"Why not? I've had a great time talking with you so far today and I don't want you to be starving for the rest of the way to Hogwarts!"

She continued to smile up at him as she gratefully took her lunch from him. She made a silent vow to repay him for this as he sat back down, satisfied that he was able to help his new friend.

They ate their food at a leisurely pace, chatting about what they expected from Hogwarts and what their curriculum might be, what the teachers may be like, and what houses-Hermione explained to Harry what each house was, and who the witches and wizards that founded them were- they may be sorted into. Both Harry and Hermione were incredibly excited to have chosen to attend Hogwarts, but were more excited to have become friends with one another on their journey there.

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AN - Thanks for reading Chapter 4! Harry made his first new friend (besides Hagrid) at Hogwarts! Yay! This is where some of the major changes to the story are being made. Instead of meeting the Weasleys at King's Cross to help him find Platform 9 ¾ , Harry is aided by a bit of luck (or magic?) to find it! I'm sure you've also noticed that Ron was absent from the train ride to Hogwarts. No, I didn't forget him! Since the characters are older, I felt the stigma of younger siblings hanging out with older sibling's friends is much weaker. Thus, Ron wouldn't shy away from riding with his brothers. Don't worry! The third member of our favorite trio will be introduced! I chose to introduce Hermione first because I felt that Hermione was easily Harry's most important friend in the books and movies. She was fiercely loyal to him, saved his life countless times, and was an overall incredible pillar of support for Harry in his darkest times. In this story, you will find that there will be some serious conflicts and challenging times for not only Harry, but for Hermione and other characters as well. I wanted to establish their connection now, making Hermione Harry's first friend so that their deeper friendship can come to both their aid in the story down the line. Sorry for rambling, but I feel like this choice would need an explanation! The song for this chapter is Don't Panic by Coldplay. The song has a melancholy vibe to it that fits Harry's experience learning of what happened to his parents, but the ending of the song is the main message of the chapter:

Oh, all that I know

There's nothing here to run from

'Cause yeah, everybody here's

Got somebody to lean on.

Harry has met someone he can lean on in Hermione, so there's nothing for him to run from as they travel to take on the wizarding world! Please leave a review! See you in Chapter 5!