Wish Come True
Chapter Three: Platform What?
August 31, a day that couldn't have been going any slower in Harry's opinion. Harry's insides were squirming; he had woken at about five am from nerves, and had spent the morning throwing the entire contents of his bedroom into his trunk, excluding the furniture. Breakfast was skived seeing how Harry doubted that he could hold anything down.
By two, he had cleaned every inch of his room until it sparkled, of course his trunk was still a mess, but his mind wasn't exactly working in the most optimal manor. The snowy owl's eyes fallowed him as he paced back and forth across the room. Harry supposed this was rather pointless, but could really think of nothing else to do.
The rest of the day passed in a manor quite similar to this, Harry stayed up most of the night from nerves and woke with a start at the sound of his aunt rapping on his door.
"Get up! Get up now or you're going to be late!" She shrieked, and with one last rap, left him to wake on his own. Harry groaned and disentangled himself from the sheets. He quickly changed into an overlarge and unfashionable outfit that had once belonged to his obese cousin. After doing one final search of his room for anything he had forgotten, he hauled his trunk down the stairs and into his uncle's car.
A while later he arrived at King's Cross Station, Uncle Vernon, in an unusual act of kindness, helped Harry heave his things out of the car and onto a cart. "Good bye," Vernon stated firmly, "And good riddance, I don't expect to ever see you again, you hear me boy?" Without waiting for a reply he got back into the car and sped away.
'That was beyond weird,' Harry thought to himself, before pulling the ticket out of his pocket. According to it all Harry had to do was take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock.
Upon further examination of Kings Cross there was no sign of any such platform. There were platforms nine and ten, but in-between… nothing. This was ridiculous, why go through all the bother of supply lists and forging the handwriting of different people, to simply have the train not exist? Harry sighed and decided to walk the length of the station in case they had somehow 'misplaced' his station.
The clock now read 10:55; Harry had five minutes to find his train before it left. Seeing how his station was neither in order, nor misplaced, he was left very little choice, and thus asked a passing guard. He didn't dare mention a platform nine and three-quarters, and instead asked if the guard knew which train was going to Hogwarts.
"What?" asked the guard in a haughty voice "is this some kind of ongoing joke? Every year the same questions, is September first the new April fools?" and the man left shaking his head and muttering about youngsters now a days, delinquents the lot of them.
Ten fifty-nine, he was certainly cutting it close, but still no sign of the train. One minute later, damn it he was late. Two minutes passed ten; the train would surely have left by now. By the time the clock had reached five passed ten, Harry was very tired, not to mention annoyed.
Harry, in a fit of frustration, started to bang his head against one of the barriers, but to his immense surprise, this was not at all what happened. He was expecting his head to hit the brick, but he instead fell, face forward, onto the ground. After scurrying to his feet, he twisted around only to find a brick wall. He cautiously walked toward the wall, his hands held out before him. Now back in the crowded station, he stared in wonderment at the wall. After pacing back and forth through the seemingly solid wall multiple times, he grabbed his trunk and headed into the concealed platform.
Sure enough it read "Platform 9 ¾" in wrought-iron. 'Great,' he thought 'I found the station, now what?' There was no train waiting expectantly, of course it was about eight minutes since the train had left, so that was to be expected. The large platform only had a few people on it, on one end was a boy that looked to be around fourteen, who was rolling his eyes at his parents' lecture, on the other end was a lone mother, with a set of twins hanging from her arms, the girl was apologizing repeatedly, tears running down her freckled face, while her male twin just stood silently, staring at the train-less tracks.
A loud pop! brought Harry's attention back over to the boy with his parents, but to his great surprise, both of the parents seemed to have vanished into thin air. Harry walked over to the blond boy. "Er… hi," He said uncertainly.
"Hey," said the boy looking up, before his face broke into a grin at Harry's confused expression. "Let me guess, it's the first time you've missed the train?"
"Uh yeah," was Harry's replay, he decided to just play along.
"Well there's nothing to worry about, a train always comes about fifteen minutes after the Hogwarts Express for anyone who was late," the boy looked Harry up and down, "You look to be about 17, you must really be a goody-to-shoes if you weren't late once until seventh year."
"No, I just happen to prefer being on time," Harry stated, so far he wasn't really enjoying the company of this boy.
The blond laughed in reply, "You sound like my housemates, you wouldn't happen to be a Ravenclaw would you?"
"Not that I know of," Harry said, growing uncomfortable, they were reaching unfamiliar ground, and Harry much preferred having an even footing.
A train whistle sounded behind them, and they turned to see a short scarlet train with silver writing along the side that read Hogwarts Mini-Express, for those who don't own watches. This was a rather strange way of referring to late-comers, but effective none-the-less.
Harry, the brunet, and the twins all boarded the train. About five minutes later the train pulled out of the station, no one else had boarded. It was rather boring, seeing as there was nothing to do in the sole train compartment, so Harry started studying the other passengers. The girl and her twin were building a card castle, which proved to be very difficult on a moving train. As the boy added another card the whole thing blew up in his face, his sister started laughing and he glared at her.
"First years are so cute," the boy next to Harry chuckled. Harry turned and raised a questioning brow. "Well, they're so small and are amused by the smallest of things,"
The boy took on a high pitched voice "Ooh! The castle is so-o-o-o big! Wow! You can make things float!"
"Yes, but at least we don't go around gloating that were the best just because of a few magic tricks," the girl had stopped laughing at her twin and was now glaring at the blond.
"That would be because you don't know any."
"I do too! I read all my textbooks before coming here!"
"No wonder you were late."
"Oh! I just bet you're a Slytherin, you're such a self-centered jerk!"
"I'm in Ravenclaw, for your information."
Harry tuned out the argument at about this point, because it was making less and less sense to him as it wore on. His eyes moved over to the small eleven year old boy again, he was sitting, staring dejectedly at the smoldering remains of his card castle. When he noticed Harry staring at him, he in turn stared back.
This boy had the most striking set of golden eyes; they glinted brightly behind his long brown bangs. He gave Harry a small smile before deciding asking if Harry would like to play a game of exploding snap with him.
He agreed, and started to play, it was very fun, but Harry had no luck what-so-ever for this game, by the sixth time he had lost, his face and hands were stinging painfully from the constant explosions.
The train ride passed fairly quickly, Harry had talked to his three compartment-mates; the blond was a 'raven claw' by the name of Stewart, and the twins were named Melvin and Saria. Just as the sun was setting Stewart lent Harry a book titled Quidich through the Ages. Harry opened the book and nearly dropped it in surprise, the pictures were moving.
'That's it,' Harry thought, 'I'm either dreaming or I've gone crazy, probably both, because only the mentally impaired could have such strange dreams.'
After this thought he kept to that idea, this whole thing had to be a dream, and if he were dreaming he should just play along. So he read his book, which resembled a television. "You really should change," Stewart said.
"Into what?" Harry asked stupidly.
"… Your robes," The blond replied a smile twisting the corners of his mouth. Harry took out his trunk and pulled out a black robe and threw it over his clothes, it was a few inches too short.
"So you're a Gryffindor!" Stewart said eyeing a small patch on Harry's robe.
"Apparently," Harry replied.
The train's whistle sounded loudly. "We're here!" Saria was shouting over and over, jumping up in excitement.
"Chill out, it's just a castle."
"Wow. It's huge," Melvin said quietly. He was shy and quiet, but anything that came out of his mouth was usually worth saying, though in this case Stewart wouldn't have agreed. Harry however did, the castle was now in view out of the window, it was humongous, with tall towers and walls, all in majestic architecture.
The train pulled into the station and a single horseless carriage stood waiting. Stewart climbed into it and the other three fallowed. And with a jerk it moved forward, being pulled along as though by invisible horses. After entering the castle through a pair of large oak double doors, Stewart smiled at them and said "See you later, I'm off to get detention. Sure enough he was dragged of seconds later by a ranted old man and his cat.
On their right was a semi-ajar door, from it they could hear voices. Harry and the twins moved towards this door. "Look! The sorting has already started!" Saria squeaked her voice high, her eyes were very round and she looked scared. Melvin wore very much the same expression and was looking over his sister's shoulder biting his lip in worry.
There was a line of two very nervous looking eleven-year-olds, and the one other sitting on a stool, wearing a very old and dirty hat, in front of what looked to be about eight-hundred people. After a moment the hat shouted loudly a name that meant very little to Harry and ran off to the table that was cheering the hardest.
"Weston, Kimberly!" said a very stern looking woman with square glasses and long velvet crimson robes. A round faced girl with short dark red hair went up, the hat was placed on her head, it shouted yet another meaningless name.
"Vern, Jack!" Another shout from the hat, and the guy ran to his table a huge relieved grin on his face.
"Zyth, Melvin!" He let out a small squeak of fear next to Harry and ran out and over to the stool. The hat was placed on his head, it fell down over his eyes and he bit his lip, obviously one of his signs of nerves.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" This word meant nothing to Harry, no more then anything else this hat had shouted, but Melvin looked relieved and smiled shyly as he sat down at his cheering table.
"Zyth, Saria!" She took a deep breath before moving from Harry's side and out into the large room, she stepped slowly and deliberately over to the stool and sat uncomfortably.
"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted, this word did mean something to Harry as Stewart had spent a lot of time both bragging and complaining about 'his house'. Her grin lit her golden eyes like a torch and she marched proudly over to her table.
A man with very long silver hair stood in front of the crowd and smiled at them all. "Another year has started, and I am very glad to have you all back, but I assume you would all rather eat then listen to the ramblings of an old man. Tuck in."
And food filled each and every table, Harry's stomach growled loudly in protest, as delicious smells wafted out of the room, reminding him that he had neither eaten breakfast nor lunch. Harry had no desire to join the crowd of students but his hunger was willing him strongly to go in there and eat everything in sight. He forced his eyes away from the eating students to the old man who had spoken just before the meal.
As though the man could sense Harry's gaze on him, he looked up, twinkling blue eyes meeting emerald green ones. He excused himself and walked over to where Harry was standing. Harry stepped back, into the small entrance hall, and the man soon came out.
"Hello Harry," He said smiling, "I'm afraid I must inquire as to why you choose not to eat with your fellow students."
"You know who I am?" Harry said surprised, then his eyes narrowed slightly, "You wouldn't happen to know a crazy old man who works at some creepy vampire store in London, would you?"
The man chuckled, "No Harry, I'm afraid I do not, but I would be delighted to meet him at some point. Now down to business, you have yet to answer my question."
"Look, sir. With all due respect, I would like to inform you that you are just a figment of my imagination or a character in my dream."
"Really? And why is that?"
"Well all this crazy stuff has been happening this summer, I'm getting all these owls delivering me letters, and then I have to find a whole bunch of books for a school that I'd never heard of, and last but not least I end up here, in a castle, with floating candles and self-moving carriages!" It felt great to let all this out, even if it was just to a strange old man.
"So, you mean to say that you have never heard of Hogwarts? What school have you been attending for the past six years?"
"Nope, never heard of it, I went to Stonewall, school of all that is boring in life."
"I see," said the man, his blue eyes twinkling in a mysterious way. "Is there anything you can remember happening just before these events happened?"
Harry shrugged, "It was the day of my seventeenth birthday, why?"
"Oh, no reason," the man replied, the twinkle had still not left his bright blue eyes. "Well, as both you and I know, you are Harry Potter, and I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts."
"Uh, nice to meet you," Harry said, very confused.
"In this 'dream' if you really are dreaming, people will already know you, I don't want to explain it all now, but it really is important that you understand this. Hogwarts is a school of magic; we will teach you spells and defenses for them, curses and counter curses. Do you understand so far?"
Harry nodded, and Dumbledore continued. "I will expect you to attend all classes, and try to act as normal as possible, for the fact that you don't remember will come as quite a shock to the entire wizarding world. So, we will try to keep that information as classified as possible."
Harry nodded slowly, wondering why his dream had so many rules. "And on a much lighter note, I do believe you got to watch the end of the sorting?" Another nod. "Well, it would not be at all a proper Hogwarts experience if you don't remember being sorted, so I will let the sorting hat perform its magic for you."
Dumbledore turned back into the hall and went back to the staff table, desserts had replaced the diner foods on the table and Harry watched from the door in envy of all those who were eating happily and talking to friends. Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat. The hall went very silent, all eyes turned on the headmaster.
He talked a bit about school rules, banned objects, and other such things, and just as it seemed he had drawn to a close, he made one announcement that startled everyone. "This year, something will happen at Hogwarts, that has never happened before, we will be resorting a student." Whispers broke out through-out the hall, everyone craning their necks and looking around. "Now there is a chance that this student will end up back in his original house, but that is yet to be seen. The reasons for this resorting are classified, and I would ask you to try and refrain yourselves from making rumors to explain this event. Please welcome Mr. Harry Potter to be resorted."
Dead silence fallowed these words, and as Harry stepped into the room, he was uncomfortably aware of every eye in the hall tracking his every move. He sat on the stool and the woman who had called out students' names during the first sorting brought over the old hat. It was placed on Harry's head, and sadly it didn't shelter him as it did the first years, for it fit him fairly well now and rested firmly on his brow.
"Hmm," said a voice him his head, "Mr. Potter, how nice it is to see you again. Oh and today I shall be resorting you, what an unusual occurrence."
'Will you just get on with it?' Harry thought back angrily.
"Impatient as ever, I see. Now, where to put you, where to put you," the hat muttered.
'Look I really don't care, I'm hungry and want to eat so pick already.'
"You have no preference what-so-ever? No 'not Slytherin, not Slytherin'?
'No. You can read my mind, what's with all the questions?'
"I was just being polite." And then there was silence, the hat was silent, the students were silent, and it was starting to really bother Harry, then finally, "You're positive that you have no preference?"
'I already answered that. I feel no need to repeat myself. Could you hurry up a bit?'
"Alright… better be…"
The hat shouted a word, a word with no meaning to Harry, and he walked to that table, though this was very different from the first sorting, for there was no cheering, just utter and complete silence, and one set of crystalline blue eyes twinkling as they watched the new year begin to unfold.