As he sat on the bench trying to figure out what to do…
Wait for Hedwig? Sneak onto the train with my invisibility cloak? Walk 50 kilometers to London? Fly on my broom? Try to find Hermione's phone number?…
Harry realized how hungry he was.
Blimey! I can't get things out of my staff out here in public.
He wondered if there was a public loo at the train station. He stood up and quietly said, "Navigant men's toilet" to his staff and it started directing him to one just to the left of the ticket window. He touched the staff to the door and it helped him find the handle. He went inside, muttering "Navigant empty stall." Choking on the smell, he held his staff up and squeezed it twice rapidly for a description of the stall. He didn't want to step in anything nasty. He learned that there was a hook on the back of the door and summoned his school book bag out of his staff and hung it up and emptied it into the staff, then summoned the sandwiches, apples, and water, and his invisibility cloak (as quietly as he could, waiting until the other men using the toiletleft) and put them in his bookbag with his bag of galleons. He transferred his anagnóstis into a pocket in the bag, too, along with the note from Healer Smethwyck.
He used the loo and washed his hands, then made his way back out to the platform. He couldn't decide between using his invisibility cloak to sneak on the train or waiting for Hedwig. He ruled out flying on his broom as much as he ached to do it.
People would see me.
I'd get in big trouble with the Ministry, maybe even expelled from Hogwarts.
I'd fly into a tree.
He didn't want to stand around in his invisibility cloak on the platform since it would be hard for him to stay out of people's way and he wondered how he'd avoid getting sat upon if he snuck onto the train and found a place to sit. Also, it would be hard for him to know if he had a toe sticking out from under the cloak that was visible to everyone around him.
That could cause a scene!
Sighing, he found an empty spot on the bench again, collapsed his staff, put it in his pocket, and took out a sandwich to eat while he struggled internally with what to do. He was lost in thought when he heard running feet.
"Harry! We found you!"
"Hermione?" Harry started, his sandwich suspended in mid-air before him. "What are you doing here?"
She skidded to a stop in front of him and he braced himself, expecting her to hug him. But she didn't. She sat down next to him and put her hand tentatively on his arm. It felt warm and comforting. He lowered his sandwich to his lap and turned to face her.
"Harry, my dad and I came to take you to your training. Did Hedwig give you my note? No, she must not have, else you wouldn't be here," Hermione continued on, panting and out of breath.
Harry heard other footsteps approach them that stopped in front of them and he turned his head toward them, "Your dad?"
"Hi, Harry," Dr. Granger said in a voice that conveyed concern even in its friendliness.
Harry stood up, stuffing his sandwich back into the plastic bag and his book bag. He stuck out his hand, "Hi, Dr. Granger." There was a moment when Harry stood there with his hand sticking out and then Dr. Granger grasped it in a handshake and released it. Harry flushed, overcome with emotion.
Hermione stood up, too, still touching Harry's arm. She was trembling.
"You came to get me? To help me get to London?" he asked. "How did you find me?"
"Oh, Harry… your face is bruised. What happened? Are you okay?" Hermione talked over him.
"I just ran into a few doors, that's all," he said, but winced as she squeezed his arm where he had another bruise.
"You look thin, too," she said.
"It's been a rough month," he admitted.
"Harry, where are your Aunt and Uncle?" Dr. Granger asked, "Hermione said that they wouldn't help you get to London. Is that true?"
"They are at home. And yeah, they said 'no' when I asked them," Harry mumbled, hating to have to confess this to an adult.
"Hmm. Well, that's… " He seemed to bite off his retort. "Did you already buy a ticket for the train?"
Hermione said at the same time, "We just arrived on the train from Heathgate, we were headed to your house to pick you up."
"I haven't bought a ticket yet, I didn't have any mug—pounds… Dr. Granger, don't you have to go to work?" Harry asked.
"He doesn't go in until after lunch on Mondays, Harry—so he said he'd come with me this morning," Hermione explained.
"That's very kind of you, Dr. Granger. Thank you." Harry was humbled and embarrassed that Hermione's father—someone he'd only met once before very briefly—was more concerned about him than his own family. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he blinked them away.
"It's no problem, Harry. I'm happy to do it. Hermione's been very worried about you. Hermione, I'll go get our tickets," Dr. Granger said.
As he walked away, Harry leaned toward Hermione and asked, "How early did you have to get up to get here? It's only half past six, Hermione! Did you convert my galleons—did you give the pounds to your dad so he could buy the tickets? Isn't this a lot of money for you to come all the way here to get me and take me to London?"
"Hush, Harry. It's okay. I've got your money here," she said as she pressed the bills into his hand. Harry tried to push it back into her hand, but she wouldn't let him. "Dad says he wants to pay for it. Don't worry, please. It's okay."
"That's too much, Hermione."
"Harry. You don't have to do everything on your own." Hermione said, with a seriousness in her voice that she usually reserved for lectures.
"What do you think happened to Hedwig?" Harry asked Hermione, suddenly worried about his owl.
"I don't know, Harry. It is a long flight to Hogwarts, maybe she's still making her way back?"
"I guess. But she's been doing it pretty quickly until this time. Do you think she'll be able to find me in London?" He was worried.
How do you track a lost owl?
"She's really smart, Harry. I think she'll be able to find you."
Hermione pulled on Harry's arm, guiding him back to the bench to sit down. "Let's sit down. You look tired, Harry." Concern laced her voice.
"I'm okay, Hermione," he said, more confidently than he felt.
"So, how were you going to get to London if you didn't have money to get a train ticket?" she asked.
"I was trying to figure that out. I just had to get out of the house. I couldn't stand to be there any longer," Harry confessed. "I was thinking about walking or trying to sneak on the train with my invisibility cloak. I'm really glad you came, Hermione. Thank you."
"How did you get here?" Hermione asked.
"Didn't I tell you about the staff St. Mungo's gave me? It's pretty brilliant," Harry lit up, taking it out of his pocket to show her, "it has that navigation spell you wrote to me about and an extendable charm for storage! I guess it looks like a white cane to muggles. When I use it to find my way, it speaks through this little apparatus on my ear"—he touched it—"guiding me around obstacles. It even warns me if someone—er—something is about to hit me."
"And the Ministry doesn't send you letters for using it outside of school?" Hermione asked skeptically.
"No, the healer at St. Mungo's said that the Ministry's been alerted to my… er… need to use it. I think that if I used my wand it would be different, but this has a lot of built-in charms. Like, it just starts telling me what is around me when I'm using it to find my way."
Dr. Granger came back over, "Here you go, Hermione, Harry." Harry held out his hand and Dr. Granger placed the ticket in it after a second.
"Thank you, Dr. Granger," and he held out the folded bills that Hermione gave him.
"No, Harry. This is my treat. I think you'll need those pounds while you're in London this summer."
"Thank you, sir. It means a lot to me… thank you," he said as his voice caught.
Dr. Granger grasped his shoulder in a comforting way and released him. Harry put the money in his pocket.
"Okay, kids, we better go to the platform, the next train is due soon," Dr. Granger advised.
Harry felt a wave of relief. He was getting away from the Dursleys and he didn't have to figure it out all on his own. He squeezed Hermione's hand as she led him to the platform behind her dad.