AN: First off, I'm sorry about how long it's been since I last updated. I had pretty much finished chapter 3, when I went back to the book to reference something, and realized that a lot of what I had written didn't flow/ match exactly what happens in the book. So, I went back, and wrote my story while listening to my Harry Potter audio books lol hopefully we're all good now, though. Secondly, I'm sorry for the lack of interaction that's been happening between the characters right now, but we're entering Hogwarts, or the train, now, so we'll be seeing some more human conversations, rather than thought bubbles lol Finally, reviews and suggestions are always welcome If you have a mini idea of a Ron and Hermione conversation, or would like to see a certain scene play out, write a review, or just tell me if you like the story or hate it (although, if it's the latter, helpful critiques would be nice rather than outwardly ripping my work to shreds lol) Okay. So, that's all we've got right now. Here's the next installation.
Chapter 3: The Journey to Platform Nine and Three-quarters
(Hermione POV)
Hermione sat on her four-poster bed, reading Hogwarts: A History for the 3rd time, taking in all the information about the school she was going to be attending. She had packed up all her belongings in her trunk, which sat at the foot of her bed, and was ready to make the drive to King's Cross in the morning. It had been 23 days since Hermione had purchased her school things, and she had already gone through most of her school books, making notes for herself, and memorizing information so she wouldn't be behind on her first day. She even started practicing some simple spells from her books, delighting in the fact that she could repair certain objects, and almost made some items fly. With each attempt, she began to feel more and more confident in her future as at Hogwarts.
Hermione had learned as much as she could about the wizarding world when she returned from Diagon Alley. Before leaving, she and her parents stepped into Flourish and Blotts for a second time to find a few more books that interested her. She learned all about the First Wizarding War, and a wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort, or You-Know-Who as he was more commonly referred to. She was horrified by the cruelty and evil he displayed over the years, torturing, destroying, and killing wherever he went. She also read in several books about the boy who defeated him, Harry Potter. He was just a baby when the Dark Lord tried to end his life, but the spell backfired, leaving Harry with a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.
As she continued to flip the pages of her book, Hermione felt her eyes begin to drop. She put down the book and looked at the clock on her nightstand. 11:30 p.m. She was excited about the next day that she had been sitting in bed reading for the past 2 hours, rather than falling asleep. But as Hermione felt herself yawn, she closed her book, got under the bed. She leaned over to shut off her bedside lamp, casting the room into darkness, except for the bright stars and hint of moon that shown through the window. Hermione smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling into her pillow before falling asleep, and dreaming about her future at Hogwarts.
(Ron POV)
"MUM!" screamed Percy, running down stairs to the kitchen where his mother was currently cleaning the counter tops. Ron watched from the living room couch, flipping through a book about the Chudley Cannons. "They took it AGAIN! I need to shine my Prefects badge for tomorrow!"
"I thought you shined it earlier this morning, Percy." Said Mrs. Weasley, still scrubbing the counters clean.
"I did, but I need to shine it three times a day! And that's not the point! Fred and George took it when I was going to get my polishing potion!" Said Percy, his ginger curls falling in front of his face as he became more and more agitated.
Ron looked at his brother's scarlet face, and let his eyes travel down to the brand new robes Percy had acquired, a gift for being Gryfindor Prefect, and shook his head. He couldn't believe all the special treatment his brother was getting because of a stupid badge; new robes, new books, and even a new owl, leaving Ron with Percy's pathetic grey rat, Scabbers. The twins, who even though they didn't have any pets of their own, snickered at Ron as Percy handed Scabbers to him, before putting on a straight face and offering to show him a spell to make him yellow. It was most likely a dud, but he wanted to try it out, just in case. Ron mentally rolled his eyes every time he thought about using Charlie's old wand, as they couldn't even afford to get him a new one. Well, they probably could, but after buying Percy all new things, there was no way that they had the money to purchase him a wand of his own. Ron was brought out of his thoughts by his mother's voice.
"Alright Percy, I'll talk to them." She said, finally turning around now that the counters were done. She pointed her wand at the sink so the dishes would begin washing themselves before hollering, "FRED! GEORGE! Get down here this instant!"
The twins came skidding down the stairs, stopping at the entrance of the kitchen. George was wearing the badge on the left side of his chest, which he thrust out in mock-pride. "What is it mother? Us Prefects have busy lives, you know. I've had to polish my badge 17 times this past hour for it to shine bright enough to blind someone."
"Give me back my badge right now!" said Percy, lunging for George's chest. "You're going to scuff it, or worse, scratch it."
"Is it a Prefects badge, Perce?" Said Fred. "I could have sworn it was a Pompous badge, the way you've been acting."
"Shut up and give it here!"
"Give it back to your brother right now, George." Said Mrs. Weasley, glowering at her son. "Percy has worked very hard for that badge!"
Ron went back to reading his book. He knew that Percy always worked hard to get good grades, but the Fred and George did have a point. Percy had started acting smug as hell ever since he received his Prefects badge, and as a result, the twins had been making fun of him more than usual. Ron missed the days when the Burrow was not constantly filled with yelling and screaming.
Ron set his book down on the coffee table and watched his mum work in the kitchen. He couldn't believe that tomorrow was his first day starting school; it seemed unreal. He had been taking the ride to Kings Cross to drop his brother's off at the Hogwarts Express his whole life, and it was finally his turn. I just hope I don't make a fool of myself he thought, feeling his anxiety slowly creep up on him. He shook his head before getting off the couch and picking up his book.
"I'm gonna head up, Mum." Ron said, startling his mother who was now drying the plates that had just been washed.
"Good night, Ron. Make sure you get some sleep. Big day tomorrow." His mother said, smiling at him.
Ron gave an anxious smile back. "Yeah. I'll see you in the morning." He walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. As he began to turn to head up, he felt his mum grab his elbow before turning him back in her arms and hugging him tight.
"I love you, Ron, so very much. I know your future at Hogwarts is going to be a wonderful one." She whispered. His mum continued to hold him to her for a few more seconds, before kissing his cheek and sending him off to bed.
As he walked up, he could have sworn he heard her sniffle in the distance.
(Hermione POV)
It was 5:30 a.m., and Hermione was up and making her bed, already dressed for her trip to Kings Cross. The Grangers were leaving the house at 7:00, and Hermione wanted to make sure she could go over everything, just to be sure she didn't leave anything behind.
After double checking the items in her trunks, and the extra bag for the remaining books she was taking along, Hermione felt safe that she had not forgotten anything. She stood up from the floor and went over to a chair in the corner of her room where she had laid out her outfit the night before. Once she was changed, Hermione made her way to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and held up a piece of bushy hair. She frowned as she stared at it before taming it the best she could.
Finished with her morning routine, Hermione traveled downstairs to greet her parents in the kitchen, her mother once again making breakfast at the stove, cleaning up her mess as she went, and her father sitting at the head of the table reading the paper. Hermione kissed her mother and father on the cheek. She looked at the clock and saw that it was already 6:30.
"I still need to bring my things down, dad." Hermione said, drawing her father's attention from the paper to his daughter. "Do you think you could help me with my trunks?"
"Of course, Hermione." Her father said, smiling warmly. He took a sip of his coffee, set it down, and continued, "We have to leave here in 30 minutes so we can be on the road. I hope we don't get caught in too much traffic."
Hermione was worried about traffic as well, but tried to not let it get her down. She had never been more excited about something in all her life than she was about going to Hogwarts. "We'll be fine, dad." Hermione said, hoping her positivity would make it true.
Mrs. Granger brought the breakfast plates to the table, setting one in front of Hermione and her husband while asking, "Hermione, could you get the juice from the fridge?" before settling down in her own seat.
Hermione got up to grab the pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice, and returned to the table, filling each of their glasses.
"Are you excited about your first day, Hermione?" Asked her mother, taking a bite of fruit salad on her plate.
"Very!" said Hermione, also spearing a piece of fruit before happily plopping it in her mouth.
"Now, we want you to send us an owl at the end of your first week to tell us how everything is going for you. Your mother and I want to make sure you've settled in properly, and are feeling comfortable in a new setting." Said her father. "If anything doesn't feel right, and you want to come home, just tell us, and we'll come and get you, alright?"
"I don't think that's going to be necessary, dad, but I will if anything seems off putting." Hermione said, smiling at her father and eating another piece of fruit.
The Grangers finished their meals, brushed their teeth, and whatever else they needed to do before heading off to the train station. Richard went into Hermione's room to grab one of her trunks, huffing and puffing as he carried the massive object down the stairs. He was practically sweating when he came up for the second one.
"Need a hand, dad?" Hermione asked sweetly, putting a hairclip in the side of her hair, so it wouldn't be all in her face.
"No, no, Hermione, that's alright. Just grab your extra bag over there, will you?" Richard said, heaving the remaining trunk up, and exiting her bedroom. Hermione grabbed the extra bag, and followed her dad downstairs.
Packed in the navy blue station wagon once again, the Grangers made their way to Kings Cross Station, arriving at 8:30. Mr. Granger went off to fetch a trolley to carry Hermione's luggage as his wife and daughter exited the vehicle. When he came back, they loaded the trunks onto it, along with Hermione's extra bag, and looked at the Hogwarts ticket.
"Platform 9 ¾? Well, that doesn't make any sense, does it?" said Jean, looking closely at the ticket. She looked back up and spotted Platforms 9 and 10, but none that read 9 ¾. "This must be a mistake." She continued, looking back down to stare at the ticket, as though doing so would change the platform number.
Hermione looked around the train station, hoping against hope she might recognize a fellow witch or wizard going to Hogwarts as well. As she was searching, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her do a double take. She could have sworn she saw a man pulling a trolley and walking straight into a stone wall, but rather than smashing into it, he passed right through as though it were made of air. She stared at the area the man had just vanished from, and widened her eyes as she saw another person, this time a small girl, probably the same age as herself, walk through the wall as well. What was stranger was that nobody else seemed to be the wiser of it; they continued going about their daily lives, too busy to pay attention to their surroundings. As Hermione saw another person pass through the wall, she tilted her head up and saw that the wall they were walking into was between platforms 9 and 10. Hermione beamed.
"I found it!" She all but screamed, wheeling her trolley to platform 9 ¾, not checking to see if her parents were following. She could hear them jogging behind her, her mother's heels clicking on the pavement below. When she was almost there, Hermione stopped running abruptly, the trolley skidding as it came to a grinding halt in front of Platform 9 ¾.
(Ron POV)
It had been a hectic morning from the minute Ron had woken up. Fred and George thought it would be hilarious to wake up their baby brother with the sound of a horn in his ear, causing Ron to shoot out of bed swearing their names.
"BLOODY HELL! Are you fucking kidding me!" Ron screamed, rubbing his ears before chasing the cackling twins out of his room.
"Morning, Ickle Ronniekins." One of them cried before Ron slammed the door behind them. His ears were ringing as he quickly packed his trunk, shoving everything he needed into it. Who needs to be neat and tidy Ron thought to himself while cramming seven jumpers into his trunk, followed by his school robes. All of his school supplies had already been packed, and was sitting downstairs with the rest of the luggage.
"Oh, I forgot to make your sandwiches!" Ron heard his Mum cry, followed by the sounds of her scrambling around the kitchen in a last minute attempt to pack a lunch for all her children. Ron understand his mother's hectic behavior. It felt like just yesterday that he was in Diagon Alley with his family, collecting their supplies for the upcoming year at Hogwarts. Not much had happened between that day and today. His dad had his usual raids at work, his mum was always busy cleaning around the house, and the twins tortured Percy for being, in their words, "a pompous git." Ron shoved the last of his items into his trunk before closing it, which was only possible if he sat on top of it, before making his way downstairs.
His mum was still dashing around the kitchen, slicing the meat and cheese as a knife swiped mayonnaise onto pieces bread, and his dad was dressed for work at the end of the table, reading The Daily Prophet.
"Morning." Ron said, sliding an old wooden chair out next to his father. His dad looked up from the article he was reading, smiling at his youngest son.
"Good morning, Ron. Excited for your first day at Hogwarts?" His said, turning the page of the paper.
Ron didn't know what to say, as he couldn't tell whether he was more excited or nervous, so he chose to smile as a response, hoping that it didn't come across as a grimace. The rest of his brothers and Ginny came trudging down the stairs with their remaining trunks, all dressed in jeans and t-shirts, and took their seats around the kitchen table.
The family ate a quick breakfast before making their way to King Cross. Mrs. Weasley distributed the sandwiches to her children before they went to the platform. It was already 8:45, and Ron could tell she was getting nervous.
"It's the same EVERY year, packed with muggles, of course!" cried his mother, weaving her way in and out of bodies, her children keeping up best they could, racing to the platform as fast as possible.
"All right, Percy, you go first." She said, holding Ginny's hand, while Ron and his brothers waited for their turn. Fred and George were next after Percy, quickly vanishing through the wall. Ron started pulling up his trolley to go next, when a dark haired boy nervously approached his mother. The boy wore glasses, and his clothes looked two sized two large, not that Ron could really say anything about his own wardrobe, as they looked about two sizes two small. The boy was pushing a trolley that carried multiple trunks, and on top caged a snowy owl.
"Hello, dear." His mum greeted the boy, with a cheerful smile. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." Said his mother, gesturing to him. The boy turned to Ron, looking at him before giving him a slight smile, which Ron returned. I wonder where his parents are…maybe he's muggle-born, or something, Ron thought, as he listened to the boy ask Ron's mother how to get onto the platform. Ron continued to look at him, as his mum explained how to get passed the barrier, wondering if he would get to know him better during their time at Hogwarts. He watched as the dark haired boy began slowly running towards the wall, before he, too, vanished through it.
"All right, Ron. You next, come on. Then Ginny and I will follow you." His mum smiled, giving him a little push forward.
Ron took a deep breath and stared at the wall before moving forward and passing through it like everyone else. He smiled as he saw the Hogwarts Express steaming in front of him. The platform was packed with students and parents saying goodbye to each other, having last minute conversations before the train left the station in 5 minutes time. Ron saw the bushy haired girl from Diagon Alley talking with her mother and father 20 feet away from him, before he felt his own mother put her arm around his shoulder.
"Come on, Ron. Let's go find your brothers."
(Hermione POV)
"Are you sure this is right, dear?" her mother asked, staring at the stone wall her daughter was planning on walking into. "We were rather far away from here when you thought you saw people pass through. Your eyes may have been playing tricks on you."
"I'm sure, mum." Hermione said confidently. She stared at the wall in front of her before turning back to her parents. "Just follow me after I make it through, alright?"
Her parents looked rather unconvinced, but nodded anyway, hoping that their daughter didn't make too big of a scene.
Hermione nodded, and turned back to the wall. She took a deep breath, and then started to move. The wall came closer and closer, but Hermione never faltered. The wall was a foot in front of her, and still, Hermione kept her pace, until suddenly it wasn't the stone wall that was in front of her, but rather a large, red, steaming train and a sign that read Hogwarts Express written above it. The smile that broke across Hermione's face was instantaneous. There were hundreds of witches and wizards on the new platform, helping their children onto the train, and saying last minute words to them.
"Unbelievable!" Hermione heard her father whisper behind her. She turned her head, and saw her mother and father looking in awe at the Hogwarts Express. "Absolutely unbelievable." Her father said again.
"What time is it, Richard?" her mother asked, looking over at her husband.
Looking down at his watch, Richard's eyes grew wide like saucers. "It's already 8:50! Come on, Hermione, let's find an empty carriage for you and your trunks."
The Grangers walked to the front of the train, looking for room, before finally finding a place for Hermione. Her father heaved her luggage up onto into the carriage, Hermione offering help the whole time. "Just take your extra bag, Hermione." He said, huffing, and rubbing his sleeve over his slightly damp brow. When the trunks were put away, Hermione and her father walked off the train to meet her mother.
"Five more minutes." Her dad said, looking back down at his watch. Hermione's eyes widened. It suddenly hit her that she wouldn't be seeing her parents until winter break. Three long months in a new school, where she could only speak to her mother and father by mail. She was excited to go to school, of course, but she would miss her parents dearly. As she looked up at her father with large, brown eyes, he enveloped her in a tight, warm, loving hug.
"You're going to do so well, Hermione. Your mother and I are so proud of you." He said, stroking her hair in a calming fashion, while holding her to him. Hermione hugged him back just as fiercely. "We believe in you, and know you're going to do many great things in this new chapter of your life." With one last squeeze, Richard let go of his daughter, who took a step back, only to be engulfed in an equally strong hug by her mother.
"We love you so much, Hermione." Her mother said, whispering in her ear. Hermione heard her mother sniffle into her hair as she continued to hold her tight to her chest. "Write us as soon as you can, alright?" Jean said, looking down at her daughter.
"I will, I promise." Hermione said, feeling slight tears sting the corner of her eyes. "I'll miss you." She said to both her parents.
"We'll miss you, too, Hermione. So much." Said her father, giving her one last hug.
The trains whistled behind them, signaling the first warning for students to get onto the train. Richard let go of Hermione, kissing her forehead, and Jean gave her daughter one last hug as well, before kissing her cheek.
"I love you!" Hermione said, stepping onto the train, while the second whistle made itself known in the background. Her parents waved at her, and Hermione waved back, blowing them kissed, before she disappeared onto the Hogwarts Express.
AN: So, this was the last chapter of the before really following the Harry Potter saga. Chapter 4 is going to start with Ron really meeting Harry for the first time when they are on the train, and the boys are going to be meeting Ms. Hermione Granger as well I'm also going to be following some parts of the movies as well, so I might have Hermione whip out her wand and fix Harry's glasses, rather than give her long, fast paced speech to the boys, like she did in the books. Again, I'm sorry for the wait between chapters, but chapter 4 will be posted soon!
