Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Before Harry knew it, September first had arrived. He was so excited at finally being able to escape from the Dursleys, even if it was just until the end of the school year, that he was up at the crack of dawn ready to go to Kings Cross.
He was currently sitting in his bedroom. Of course, most of the stuff in his bedroom was Dudley's broken things. However, it was a little bit better than the cupboard under the stairs. Part of him couldn't believe that it had taken the threat of him knowing about wizards now to get his Uncle to give him Dudley's second bedroom. However, in fifteen minutes he would be on his way to Kings Cross station.
He had been able to convince Uncle Vernon to take him to the station. Although, he knew they weren't making a special trip for him. He had to laugh at the real reason they were going to London. Dudley had to have the pig tail removed before they sent him to Smeltings, Uncle Vernon's Alma matter. As Harry remembered that wonderful night that Hagrid had arrived at Uncle Vernon's hiding place and gave him his Hogwarts letter and Dudley a pig tail, his Uncle hollered up the stairs, "Boy! We have to get going!"
Harry lugged his trunk downstairs to the cupboard under the stairs where his uncle had wasted no time in locking up his magic books and wand the minute he had returned from Diagon Alley. He quickly put the remaining packages in his trunk and got in to the back of his Uncle's car.
Half-way to the station his uncle asked him, "What platform is the train leaving from?"
Harry looked at his ticket and said, "Platform nine and three quarters."
For the second time that summer, the first one being when Harry had mentioned a flying motorcycle, his uncle almost wrecked the car. "What did you say, boy?"
"Platform nine and three quarters."
"Platform nine and… there's no such thing as platform nine and three quarters!" His uncle roared. But by this time they had already arrived at the station. Harry was surprised, considering the outburst his uncle had just had, when Uncle Vernon carried his trunk into the station. As Harry retrieved a trolley, he couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed. He knew that look on his uncle's face. It was a look that said, "I told you so." Harry looked and saw platform nine right next to platform ten. Everywhere Harry looked he could not see a sign that said platform nine and three quarters. Nor a sign that said anything about Hogwarts.
He turned around just in time to see the Dursleys driving away, each of them laughing. Harry decided to go and ask the security guard where the platform was. The security guard looked at him funny and walked away mumbling something about hoodlums. It was then that Harry heard the word he knew only a wizard or witch would know…muggle.
"This place is always packed with muggles." A large woman with red hair said as she moved briskly in between platforms nine and ten. Following her were four boys and one girl each with the same red hair. Harry followed the family from a distance watching carefully how to get on the platform. He must have blinked because one minute the oldest boy was there, the next he seemed to have vanished. It was then Harry realized that two of the boys were twins.
"Fred, go on." The mother was saying to one of the twins.
"I'm George." The twin responded.
"Can't you tell us apart? You are our mother." The second twin said.
"Sorry, George. You can go through the barrier."
The red haired twin laughed and said, "I'm only joking. I am Fred."
Before the mother could respond both him and the twin called George had disappeared much like the oldest boy.
Harry knew that he had to act fast before the mother and the last two children disappeared also.
"Excuse me," Harry said hurrying forward.
"May I help you?" The mother asked as she watched Harry push his trolley forward.
"Can you tell me how…?" Harry began than trailed off not sure how to word his question. Luckily, the mother understood what he was trying to ask.
"Are you going to Hogwarts, dear?" the mother asked.
Harry just nodded and said, "But no one told me how to get on to the platform."
"It's easy enough." The mother said, "You just walk straight towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. If the thought of walking in to a wall makes you nervous, it's best to run at the wall."
Harry couldn't believe what he was being told. He was supposed to walk into a wall and not hurt himself. However, he remembered his recent trip to Diagon Alley and decided to trust the mother.
Harry took a deep breath and wheeled his trolley around to face the wall. He started running with his eyes closed as he headed straight for the wall. He waited for the crash to come. It didn't come. He opened his eyes to reveal an amazing red train with the words Hogwarts Express painted on the side of the train.
With the help of the twin boys he saw before entering the platform, he lifted his trunk onto the train and into an empty compartment. He thanked Fred and George as they left and then sat back in the compartment. As the train started to roll away the youngest red haired boy poked his head into the compartment.
"Is anybody sitting there?" the boy asked Harry.
"Go right ahead." Harry told him.
"I'm Ron Weasley." The red haired boy told him as he sat down.
"Oh. I'm Harry Potter." Harry stated as he watched something begin to crawl out of Ron's coat pocket. Harry suddenly had a strange feeling that someone was watching him. He looked up to see Ron staring at him.
"Is something wrong?" Harry asked.
"Y…y…your Harry Potter?" Ron asked nervously.
Harry nodded confused as to why Ron was looking at him like that.
"Is it true that you have the scar?" Ron wondered.
Harry just smiled and lifted the bangs that covered up the scar. Aunt Petunia purposely made sure that he always had bangs to hide it.
"Wow." Was all Ron could say.
Suddenly, the thing that Harry had noticed moving around in Ron's coat pocket fully emerged and climbed onto Ron's lap.
"Is that your rat, Ron?" Harry asked. He was glad to have a reason to change the subject.
"He's my older brother Percy's actually. Percy gave him to me to bring to school when mum and dad gave him an owl because he was made a prefect this year. The rat's name is Scabbers."
"Any thing from the trolley?" An elderly witch asked Harry and Ron as she passed through the aisle.
"No, thanks. My mum made me sandwiches." Ron said as he held up a baggie full of sandwiches with a disgusted look on his face.
Harry, realizing he was hungry, jumped up to look and see what there was. When he decided that he didn't know what to buy, he bought a little bit of everything.
"You can have some too, Ron." He said handing a Chocolate Frog to Ron as he sat back down.
Harry and Ron looked up as the door to the compartment opened and a girl with brown bushy hair appeared.
"Excuse me, have you seen a toad? Neville Longbottom lost one."
After they said that they hadn't seen a toad, the brown bushy haired girl sat down across from them and introduced herself.
"I'm Hermione Granger. Who are you?"
"Oh. Ron Weasley." Ron replied, his mouth half full of chocolate frog.
"I see." Hermione said with a disgusted attitude. She then turned to Harry and realization dawned on her.
"You're Harry Potter." She stated very matter of factly.
"How'd you know?" Harry asked her astonished.
"I've read all about you in the books about the wizarding world I bought last week in Diagon Alley. I'm a muggleborn. In fact, I only found out that the stuff I could do but my friends couldn't was magic about a month ago."
Just then the compartment door opened again. The same blond haired boy that Harry had met in Diagon Alley entered. There were two boys who looked like they could compete with Dudley who came in with the blond haired boy.
"I just heard that Harry Potter is in this compartment." The blond haired boy said.
After he locked eyes with Harry Potter, He said, "So you're Harry Potter are you?"
At Harry's nod, the Blonde boy introduced the two boys standing behind him. "That's Crabbe. And that's Goyle. And I'm Draco Malfoy."
As Malfoy introduced himself Ron had to hold back a laugh.
"Do you think my name is funny?" Malfoy asked looking at Ron with disgust. "I don't have to ask yours. You have red hair. And a hand-me down robe. You must be a weasley."
As Ron glared back at Malfoy, Malfoy turned back to Harry.
"As you enter the wizarding world you'll find that some families are better than others. You will want to make sure you don't go befriending the wrong sort. If you would like I can help you."
As Malfoy finished he extended his hand out for Harry to shake. Harry glanced down at his hand then back up at Malfoy and said, "I think I won't need your help with finding the wrong sort."
When Malfoy heard these words he said in a quiet voice, "You'll be sorry, Potter."
Malfoy began to reach into his school robes and was about to pull out his wand when he felt a large hand on his shoulder. All of the students followed his gaze up to who the hand belonged to.
"Oh… Hi Unc…" Malfoy began but at the look on the man's face changed his words. "I mean.. Hello Professor Snape."