Harry's last month with his aunt and cousin was fun. True, Dudley was now so quiet that it was almost as if he wasn't there, while Aunt Petunia fussed over him almost constantly, but, Harry thought it could have been worse.
They seemed to almost never be at home in those last, golden days of summer. Years later, Harry would reflect on those days of innocence and would marvel at how much brighter the world had seemed then, running around the park with his aunt and cousin, where it seemed no darkness could touch them.
There was only one member of the little family that did not seem to enjoy running around the park or swimming in the community pool; Harry's new cat, Fidelius. It had been strongly suggested by Harry's Hogwarts letter that he bring an animal to school (cat, toad, or owl). Harry had innocently pointed out that fact when Aunt Petunia had gone to purchase Harry's school books (she wouldn't let him go with her-something about drawing attention). Aunt Petunia absolutely refused to purchase an owl or a toad (too messy) but had acquiesced to purchasing the little black cat.
The cat, it was discovered, was a fiercely independent creature, and seemed to go wherever he pleased whenever he wanted to. Aunt Petunia had positively fallen for the arrogant creature and had named him Fidelius, because, she said, it was a magical word she had heard Harry's mother use.
But no matter how enjoyable his day had been, every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.
The morning of September 1st, Harry woke at five o'clock in the morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his newly purchased wizard's robes- he'd wanted to, but Aunt Petunia had pointed out that such apparel would draw attention. He all but flew into the kitchen, only to discover his aunt already busy preparing breakfast in front of the stove.
"Good morning darling." She smiled before kissing him on the forehead and setting a very full plate of eggs, fruit, and toast in front of him. As Harry dug into his hardy breakfast, he got the feeling that he might miss Apartment 2B, just a little.
Two hours later they were all fed, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into Aunt Petunia's shabby, years-old car, Harry and Dudley were squeezed together in the backseat, and they had set off.
They reached King's Cross at a quarter after ten.
"Come on you two." Aunt Petunia beckoned them, lifting Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeling it towards the station. Harry and Dudley followed closely behind her. Petunia walked with purpose, as though she knew where she was going. She strode up to the dividing pillar between Platforms 9 and 10, and then stopped to look over her shoulder, lean down to their eye-level and whisper;
'Watch me very carefully."
Then she stood, and, pushing Harry's luggage in front of her, walked directly though the solid brick pillar!
Harry and Dudley gaped at one another for a moment. Aunt Petunia had just melted into a wall! Then, remembering his aunt's words, Harry braced himself and charged towards the wall. Instead of hitting brick, Harry ran into something quite soft that smelled vaguely familiar.
Aunt Petunia chuckled as she reached down to embrace Harry just as Dudley came bursting though the wall.
"See? That wasn't so bad was it?" she asked.
Harry didn't—more couldn't—answer her. He simply gaped at the scene in front of him. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with hundreds of strangely dressed people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.
They had made it.
"Alright dear." Aunt Petunia leaned down to his level, her blue eyes meeting his green, "this is your stop. I'll take care of your bags darling, you get on the train."
Dudley sniffled.
Harry reached up and caught his aunt around the neck, pulling her down into a tight embrace.
"I love you Aunt Petunia, I'll miss you." He whispered, trying not to sound like he was going to cry.
"I love you too Harry." Aunt Petunia whispered, pulling Dudley into the hug so that all three of them were huddled together on the platform for a few moments.
"Alright." She said, pulling away, "Get on the train now."
"Bye Harry." Dudley whimpered, whipping his nose on his arm.
Trying to hold back his own tears, Harry made his way over to the train and clambered on. He spared one last look behind him at his aunt and cousin, before turning his back and stepping onto the Hogwarts Express.
The first few carriages were empty, (they had arrived at the station a bit early) so Harry sat himself down in the first compartment he came to. He amused himself with watching student after student trickle onto the train. Some of them would sit quietly in their seats, others would hang out of the windows to talk to their families, others fighting over seats.
He tried not to think about his little family, who had looked even smaller and more out of place when he had left them on the platform. Harry hoped that they had already gone, because he was fighting the sudden urge to jump off the train and run after them.
"Is this seat taken?"
Harry turned. A tall, dark boy with friendly eyes stood in the compartment doorway. Harry smiled
"No, it's not."
"Don't mind if I sit then." The boy said cheerfully, plopping down on the seat across from Harry, "My name's Dean Thomas, what's yours?"
"Harry Potter."
Dean nodded. "Cool."
Harry glanced out the window next to him. A family on the platform caught his attention. There seemed to be an awful lot of them. A mother and four boys, all with bright red hair. Two of the boys looked like carbon copies of one another-Harry guessed that they were twins. They were so loud he could hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.
"Ron, you've got something on your nose."
The youngest kid in the group rolled his eyes, but offered little resistance as his mother grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.
"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.
The one called Ron rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
"Don't pick on your baby brother George." The mother scolded, "Where's Percy, I wanted him to get Ron settled on the train."
"I don't need help getting on the train Mum." Ron said, "I'm not a baby."
"Here's Percy." Said one of the twins.
The oldest boy came striding back into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.
"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I can get Ron on the train and then I have to be up front. The prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"
"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, just as Ron exclaimed "I don't need help getting on the train!"
"Hush Ronnie, mind your bother." said their mother fondly, kissing Ron on the cheek. "All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there."
She kissed Percy on the cheek and he seized Ron by the elbow, practically dragging him onto the train.
"Go find yourself a seat Ron." Harry heard the eldest boy's voice in the train hallway, "I have to be up front."
"I can find a compartment Percy." An exasperated voice answered him.
The train began to move. Harry looked out the window again saw the boys' mother waving, slowly growing smaller and smaller in as the train left Platform 9 and ¾ behind.
Seconds later, the door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in dragging a suitcase.
"Hello." He said cheerily, "Any seats open in here?"
Dean smiled and nodded to the seat across from Harry.
"Have a seat mate.
"Thanks." Ron said, shoving his trunk into the luggage rack above them and sitting down with a contented sigh.
"So what are your names?" Ron asked, looking at both Dean and Harry, "My name's Ron Weasely."
"I'm Dean Thomas." Said Dean.
"And I'm Harry Potter."
Ron gaped at Harry.
"Did you just say you were Harry Potter."
Harry was taken aback.
"Yes. I am Harry Potter."
Dean looked from Harry to Ron, bewildered.
"Do, do you have the…." Ron pointed to his own forehead.
Harry nodded and pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar.
"Wow. Bloody hell." Said Ron, staring at the scar with wonder, and what looked like fear.
"What's going on?" asked Dean.
Ron turned to him, "You don't know who this is mate?"
Dean shook his head, glancing at Harry who shrugged.
"This is Harry Potter. He defeated one of the darkest wizards of all time when he was a baby."
"You did?" Dean turned to stare at Harry as well.
"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it. I was only about two when it happened. He killed my parents that same night."
"Oh." Said Dean, furrowing his brow, "I'm sorry."
Harry waved him off, "It's fine. My mum's sister raised me. I don't even remember my parents. You can't feel sad about something you don't even remember right?"
"I guess not." Said Dean.
"How did you not know about Harry Potter?" Ron asked, turning to look at Dean.
"I didn't even know I was a wizard until a few months ago." Said Dean, "I don't know anything about this world."
Harry smiled at Dean, "Don't worry, I don't know that much either."
Ron turned to look at him in shock, "You don't?"
Harry shook his head, "Nope. Just what my aunt told me, but she's not a witch."
"Your aunt's a muggle…oh…non-magic person?" Ron asked.
"Yep."
'Wow." Said Ron, leaning back in his seat.
"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron seemed to find him.
"Yes." Ron nodded.
"So you must know loads of magic already."
"Not really." said Ron. "You're not allowed to do magic outside of school. My mum's really strict about it, she has to be, with the six of us running around."
"You have five siblings?" asked Dean.
Ron nodded, "I'm the youngest in my family. Mum really wanted a girl, but after the sixth boy, she and Dad figured the fates had spoken. I guess you could say that I've got a lot to live up to. My oldest brother Bill was head boy and the second, Charlie, was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect (as you can see). Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny."
"It's better than sisters." Dean said, "Try growing up in a family where every Saturday is dedicated to dance lessons."
"That's rough mate." Said Ron, "I'm glad I don't have any sisters. Ouch."
Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was awake and eyeing him crankily.
"No scratching Scabbers." Ron said, and then glanced up at Harry and Dean, "This is my rat Scabbers. He's useless, he hardly ever wakes up." Ron smiled down at the rat, "He used to be Percy's, but I begged him to let me have him. Tradition you know?"
Harry and Dean nodded.
"Anything from the trolly dears?" a kindly looking old woman pushing a huge cart filled with pastries and candy had stopped outside their door.
The boys pooled their money and bought as many sweets and they could. They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans and sharing Chocolate Frog cards. Harry got Albus Dumbledore's card, who his Aunt Petunia had mentioned in passing from time to time. The pictures moved just like his parent's wedding picture. The man on the card looked friendly and winked at Harry as Harry examined the man's biography. Harry winked back.
The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.
Suddenly, their compartment door slid open. Three boys entered, two were large and hulking, with thick necks and beady, dumb eyes. The boy in the middle was pale, with blonde hair and a narrow face.
"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
"Yes," said Harry, not taking his eyes off of the large boys on either side of the pale boy.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron scoffed. Draco Malfoy looked at him, his blue eyes narrow.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
Draco turned to look at Dean, "And I don't recognize you."
"Dean Thomas." Said Dean coolly.
"Muggle-born." Draco said dismissively. He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.
"I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.
Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and mud-bloods, it'll rub off on you."
With that, Draco turned on his heel, and he and his cronies were gone.
"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly, sitting back down in the seat he had risen from. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."
"You-Know-Who?" Dean asked.
"That's what people call the guy that Harry defeated." Ron said, "People still don't like saying his name."
"His name was Voldemort." Harry said quietly.
Ron gasped, but Harry said nothing. Draco's words had bothered him more than he had let on. How dare that boy say anything about Harry's parents! Harry's parents had been good people, and they had died because they loved Harry, and Harry was not about to let some bully degrade their memory in any way. Harry resolved that he did not like Draco Malfoy and would not let him say anything like that again.
It was getting dark, Harry noticed as he gazed out the window. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky and the train had begun to slow down.
The boys decided to change into their Hogwarts robes just as a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
The train slowed right down and stopped a few minutes later. Dean, Harry and Ron along with what seemed like hundreds of other students pushed their way toward the train doors and out on to a tiny, dark platform.
Harry couldn't help but be a little nervous. Aunt Petunia had never been able to tell him much about Hogwarts. He hoped that whatever happened next didn't involve him demonstrating any magic.
A lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a loud, booming voice. The largest man he had ever seen came into view. He was at least eight feet tall with a thick, black beard and a huge lantern.
"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
First years (the smallest and most terrified looking students) began to congregate around the large man. They followed him down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. Nobody spoke much, and Harry tried to stick as close to Dean and Ron as possible.
"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the large man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!" and Harry gasped at the sight before him.
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. Hogwarts.
"No more'n four to a boat!" the man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry, Dean and Ron got into a boat with another boy, who introduced himself as Seamus Finnegan.
"Everyone in?" shouted the large man, who took up a boat by himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"
The boats began to move across the lake on their own. They were guided under the cliff where the castle was perched and seemed to enter a underground harbor. They got out of the boats and followed their large guide up a flight of stone steps to a huge, oak front door.
Harry shivered. Finally, he was going to enter Hogwarts.