Harry stood up and walked away from Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The platform and the wizarding couple soon passed out of his sight.
After Harry walked past several platforms, he realized that he hadn't passed a single train. There were no people around, but Harry realized that there weren't any trains in the station either. If it was the middle of the night, that might have explained the emptiness, but judging by the sunlight it was the middle of the day.
It was the middle of the day, the train station was abandoned, and there didn't appear to be a single train running.
Harry felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He drew his robes tighter around himself and started walking faster.
There were a few ways Harry could leave the train station. One way was for him to follow the train tracks. In one direction, the tracks were cloaked in shadow as the rails went under the station itself. In the other direction the tracks were cast in sunlight as they exited the station to continue their routes.
The underpass was too dark. There wouldn't be any place for Harry to walk safely, so he would have to drop into the depression that held the train tracks to follow them. If a train were to arrive, Harry would be trapped in a tunnel with a very large, very heavy object travelling towards him at high speed.
Harry didn't want to think about what would happen to him if that occurred.
The train tracks in the other direction exited out into the open. Harry could see scenery outside of the station in that direction, but he hesitated to go that way. If he did, he would have to pass by the figures he had seen earlier at Platform 9 & 3/4.
Harry didn't want to go in that direction if he could help it.
So instead, Harry walked to a set of stairs that led to a footpath overhead. Once he got to the footpath he could head to the main station, figure out which way the closest exit was, and get the hell out of there.
As Harry reached the stairs, the floor suddenly slipped underneath him.
Harry stomped his foot down to catch himself. He stood less than one pace away from the stairs that would take him where he wanted to go.
Harry waited a few seconds, then tried walking forward again. Harry felt the ground move underneath him as if he was walking forward, but everything around him stayed in exactly the same place. He tried running, but that didn't get him anywhere either.
Harry stopped running. He made a note of the section of floor that slipped underneath him. He backed up to get some space. Harry kicked into a sprint and leaped over the slippery section of floor, reaching forward with all his might.
Though he was positive he had cleared the offending section, Harry's feet shot out from underneath him. He landed on the flat floor on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
His outstretched hands landed just short of the first stair.
Harry scrabbled on his hands and feet to get enough friction to push through the offending barrier. It didn't work.
Harry flopped back onto the ground. Eventually he got up and brushed himself off. He looked around to see if anybody had noticed his behavior, but fortunately for Harry's ego the station remained abandoned.
Harry had once read a story about a trick doorway that would let you in but not out. It had been a fictional tale, but perhaps this was the same sort of enchantment. Now how had the protagonist solved that riddle? Oh, yes.
Harry turned around so that his back was to the staircase. He then walked backwards towards the stairs. For a second he thought he had solved it and this would let him through, but then he realized that while the floor felt like it was moving underneath him, the actual staircase wasn't getting any closer. Harry stopped walking backwards, as it was very disorienting.
Harry turned to face the stairs. He walked as close as he could and examined them. There were metal guardrails on both side which followed the stairs all the way to the top. There was enough room to walk a circular path completely around the landing, which Harry did. He tentatively touched the guard rails as he walked, but nothing prevented him from doing so.
An idea formed in Harry's mind.
Something obviously didn't want him to walk up those stairs, but what if he didn't walk up the stairs, exactly?
Harry stood at the side of the stairs. He saw a metal ledge protruding from the bottom of the guard rail which followed the stairs all the way to the top.
Perfect.
Harry looked around, double-checking to ensure nobody was watching him. The station remained empty, but even with nobody there he was still paranoid he would get in trouble for what he was about to do.
Harry stepped onto the ledge, grabbing the top of the guard rail to balance himself. He had to stretch to make it, but the guard rail was within his grasp.
Moving in a shuffling fashion, Harry slowly moved up the outside of the staircase. The guard rail seemed to hold his weight, but there was a slight wobble that Harry didn't feel comfortable with. Slowly but surely, Harry crab-walked to the top of the stairs.
Harry made the mistake of looking down and felt a kick in his stomach when he saw how far up he was. He quickly lifted his head up and clenched his hands around the guard rail to make sure he didn't fall.
By the time he arrived at the top, his arms and legs were sore from holding up his weight and he was shaking from the adrenaline.
The guard rail connected to the upper level station wall at a right angle. Harry shifted his weight to balance himself between the perpendicular walls. He grabbed the top of the station wall, hoisted himself over it, and-
Harry's vision and hearing exploded in white noise and static. It only lasted for a split-second, and when it ended Harry felt his butt hit a cold floor with a painful smack. He had landed exactly where he had planned to with his back to the wall, but now there were large crowds of people walking to and fro. The air was full of the noise of people walking and talking and the occasional train getting ready to leave.
Harry laughed for joy.
Finally, he thought, something's going my way.