AN: Hey, guys! Thanks so much for reading! I probably won't be able to update next week... unless I update on Christmas... Maybe I'll do it early and make that a present for you. Sorry to all my readers who do not celebrate Christmas... I do not know exactly where this chapter is going to go... Yay! Surprises!

Chapter 6: Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Express

Hagrid showed up at the Dursleys during breakfast and broke down the door with a tip of his umbrella wand. Vernon shuddered and moved to apprehend the half-giant, but Harry waved his new wand around a bit, and his uncle sat right back down. Goodbyes and affection in this family were as rare as thestrals, so Harry left with only a nod to his housemates.

Once outside, Hagrid clapped him and the back and then grabbed him by the shoulder to put him into the side car. "This used to be your godfather's mot-never mind," he stuttered. "Hope you don't mind."

Harry shook his head-after apparating to Diagon Alley, he could do handle anything in the way of traveling. With a wink, Hagrid revved the engine before waving his umbrella over the street and zooming down the Privet Drive runway. Harry had never flown in a plane before (the Dursleys always left him with Mrs. Pince on holiday) but to him, the motorcycle was better than even the Concord. Hagrid hit a button and they became invisible to muggles below milling around King's Cross Station. Hagrid half-crash-landed, half-landed normlly on the roof of the station, and Harry tumbled out, becoming plastered against the domed window nearby.

Running towards the boy, Hagrid threw off his helmet before scooping up Harry and sprinting to a door next to them. The city was laid out for Harry like he had never seen before, but little did he know that in the coming years he would see it from such heights over and over again until it become banal.

The stairs led them down a corridor that opened up into a steel bridge that spread over the tracks. Hagrid muttered a spell and Harry's belongings and tickets appeared in his hand. Harry took the ticket as Hagrid said, "Don't be a stranger. Make your parents proud-they were the finest witch and wizard of their year. Bye, 'Arry."

Harry muttered, "Goodbye," and paused to ask about his ticket, but the half-giant was already gone, perhaps having hidden himself in a crowd or perhaps apparating or perhaps running up the stairs. Harry grabbed the handles of his cart after giving Hedwig a quick pat on the head and balancing his feet on the bottom rungs near his trunk so that he could coast to the elevator at the end of the bridge. He took it down without any muggles but was deposited into a sea of them.

With his curious ticket-where was Platform 9 3/4?-he navigated the waters until he found a train conductor in his flat-billed hat.

"Excuse me, sir, but could you tell me where platform 9 3/4 is located?"

"Stop pulling me leg, kid," the man mumbled before turning around.

Someone grabbed Harry by the elbow and started dragging him and his cart towards a brick pillar towards the end of platform 9. "This way, me boy. Percy, you first." Harry stood spellbound as redhead after redhead ran through the brick wall, all of them wearing hand-knit sweaters and scuffed-up shoes. "Now, what's your name?" The woman clad in a granny square shawl with frizzy red curls ushers him towards the wall. "Just run."

Harry gulped and slid his feet off of the cart to get a running start. He gained speed, and when he passed through, it felt for a split second like the thrill of apparating. He coasted towards a red train with gold and black detailing as someone appeared behind him-one of the gingers wearing a tan coat and corduroy pants with holes in the knees. He ignored the other boy and handed off his cart to a handler after grabbing a handful of change from the side pocket of his trunk. Following the flow of people, Harry climbed the steps to the train with his knapsack in hand and found a room near the middle/back of the train with no other occupants.

He was just about to get some shut eye when someone slid open the door to the compartment, muttering, "Oh, sorry, I didn't know someone was in here."

"No, sit down."

The tone of Harry's voice suggested 'pureblood' to Ron, but he sat down anyway and slid his roller blades under the seat.

"Oh, you skate too?" Harry asked before Ron looked up.

"Yeah, practically everyone on this train does-oh Merlin!" Ron finally looked up. "You're Harry Potter."

"Oh, um, yeah, is this going to be like it is with everyone?"

Ron's jaw dropped as he fidgeted with his hands. "Well, gosh, I hope not for yer sake, wow. We thought you were dead, but there were rumors of you reappearing about a month ago to skate at the Malfoy's rink. Guess, they have some truth to them." Ron closed his mouth and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "You got the scar?"

"Yeah." Harry shrugged as he pushed back his bangs.

"Wow."

Harry nodded.

"I'm Ron. Ron Weasley. Pleasure to meet you."

Harry nodded.

Ron peeked his head out of the compartment as the train started rolling along. "Wanna go skating?"

"Sure." Harry jumped from his seat and fetched his skates from his knapsack on the luggage rack above them. Ron pulled his on in seconds and the two boys were out in the wall, skating around like Snoopy and the Peanuts gang in "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

They raced each other down the halls and did not even notice when other people closed their shades but welcomed other studetns who ventured out to join them. A couple of the new additions stopped in their tracks to introduce themselves to Harry, and one of them, a taller boy with sandy-blond hair whisked him into an empty compartment. "Name's Oliver Wood, Harry. You seem like a good skater." Olive pulled on a cord to illuminate the room. He towered over Harry who hunched his shoulders and kept his eyes downcast to keep from staring at this heartthrob. "We'll meet again, I'm sure," Oliver said tersely before skating out to deal with an intruder.

The intruder, a girl with buck teeth and bushy hair, weaved in an out of the skaters, admonishing them for breaking the rules and asking if anyone had seen a toad. Oliver grabbed her wrist, and she blushed as he led her out of the train car. "The gal's right though." He sighed. "We need to get our robes on."

His announcement was interrupted by the arrival of the trolley woman who sent the kids running back to their compartments for sickles and knuts. Harry skated back and grabbed a couple galleons, noticing Ron sitting dejectedly staring out the window.

"Something interesting out there, Ron? Just looks like plain, ole countryside to me."

"Yeah," the boy chuckled.

"Don't you want anything from the trolley?" The lady rolled the cart past their door.

"Nah, I have food," he mumbled, holding up a chicken sandwich of some sort.

Harry shook his head and flagged down the woman. "I'll take two of everything."

The boys ate away the Potter fortune with frosty lips and glazed eyes, constantly wiping their fingers on their pants. Chocolate frogs jumped around the room and wizard cards lay everywhere amidst cellophane that sparkled magically and Fizzing Whizbees that would not stop humming. A Prefect rapped on their door with his knuckles and shook his head before instructing them to get their robes on.

They stripped down with their backs to each other and avoided stepping on any of the remaining sweets as they pulled on slacks and button downs under sweater vests without any color on them. The train skidded to a stop on a foggy platform illuminated by one lone lamp and the voice of Hagrid who came onto the scene carrying a gas lamp.

"First years, this 'a way," he bellowed.

Harry dismounted with Ron in tow and followed the swinging light to the best night of his life since he had met Draco-the blond boy who was presently running up to tap Harry on the shoulder in greeting before running back to the other Death Eaters.

"Ugh, Malfoy," Ron moaned.

No, not just Malfoy, Harry thought to himself as they paired off into boats. That boy is the cutest thing I have ever seen.