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𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄
𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄-𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒
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Anyone would think Number Eight had grown horns overnight, given the Dursleys' horrified looks. Dudley outright avoided that side of the street and everything beyond it. He would always detour down the street below their house when going to the park. Mr Dursley himself would turn his car around whenever leaving Privet Drive, Number Six being as far as he dared to approach. They seemed to think someone would appear through the primrose bushes on Number Eight's lawn to 'shoot magic' at them.
If only that were the case. Harry had spent the entire month leading up to the end of August doing maths and science homework with the twins. Their father insisted on these 'summer studies', as he called it, which were every weekday, from eleven until one. Once they were done, they would have to set their homework aside to prepare the table.
During the afternoons, however, they had the freedom to choose how to spend their time. Ji-yoon often suggested setting off fireworks aimed at the Dursleys, but they avoided causing trouble—at least until their last day in Privet Drive. Nonetheless, Jin-woo did show Harry a few useful spells from the first-year Charms book. On the very first day he suggested this, Harry denied, worried that they would get in trouble. Students weren't allowed to perform magic outside of school.
Jin-woo laughed at that. "But you're not a student yet, are you? Not until you step foot in Hogwarts, anyway." Eventually, he got Harry to try some simple spells to get the hang of things. "The first ones are always the most complicated to master. We'll just go over the basics so you can still have some fun in class. If you master them now, they'll just be plain boring. Nothing's worse than knowing it all."
The fire-making spell caught Harry's eye, but Jin-woo wouldn't let him practise it. "It's too dangerous if it goes wrong," he claimed. Instead, he taught Harry the wand movements for the levitation and mending spells. However, he didn't perform either successfully until the last week of August. His practice cookie managed to levitate up to a meter in the air when Òliba swooped in and snatched it away without remorse.
"That's cause for celebration!" exclaimed Ji-yoon, patting Harry's back proudly. "Who wants to set off Wet-Start Fireworks on the Dursleys?"
Before Jin-woo could even begin to deny, Harry dashed to Ji-yoon's side. Being honest, he was far more interested in knowing what those famous fireworks did rather than bothering the Dursleys, but he kept that to himself, given how excited Ji-yoon was. With two of them against one, Jin-woo had to comply.
The vine wall hadn't been a good idea after all. Harry descended without trouble, landing on his feet as if he had simply taken a slide. The twins, however, got stuck behind the window, staring down at the ground as if it were filled with teeth. Ji-yoon appeared particularly pale, while Jin-woo held up a little better, but was still horribly afraid. Before either could call it quits and go back to bed, Jin-woo reached for his sister's hand and climbed over the window.
"It won't be so bad if we go down together," he said, his hand shaking in hers, making it impossible to tell whose tremble was worse.
Ji-yoon took a deep breath. "All right," she murmured, climbing down the vines with her brother and stopping at every movement to grip onto his jacket for support.
The twins landed safely, but their legs gave out as soon as they reached the ground. They needed a minute to rest before continuing their trip to Number Four, which they surrounded with Wet-Start Fireworks. Harry was familiar with the Dursleys' sprinkler timer, as he often heard it from the cupboard during summer when most windows were left open. The sprinklers quickly began to spray water, setting off dozens of fireworks over the Dursleys' home. Red, orange, and yellow waves of sparks descended onto the roof, glowing brighter than the lampposts below.
All three ran when they heard Mr Dursley's shout and the heavy sound of his footsteps coming down the staircase to confront whoever was causing the racket outside. However, he found no one there. Harry didn't have time to climb the vine-covered wall as the twins pulled him inside through the front door.
Their mother sat at the living room table, petting Kitty, with a serious expression on her face. "Did you have fun?" she asked.
"Yeah!" Ji-yoon beamed, still holding on to Harry's arm. "I've wanted to do that all summer."
"Then you won't mind going off to bed, will you?" Their mother smiled at them. "I promised your father that I'd be more stern, but oh, whatever. It was fun. Just tell him you're grounded—if he asks, that is."
Harry blinked, utterly confused. "That's it?"
"What did you expect?" Jin-woo asked.
"I don't know…" Harry replied, recalling the times he had got into trouble before. The Dursleys hadn't been nearly as understanding. "Don't you get punished? Like, no food for a week? Or being locked up somewhere?"
In response, their mother paled at his words, her expression shifting to one of horror, similar to how the twins had reacted while climbing down the vines. However, this was quickly replaced by a deep flush of anger. Harry flinched as she approached, which only fuelled her fury. She was stomping angrily, throwing her robes over her shoulders to confront the Dursleys while the twins tried to intervene.
"How dare he!" she shouted, though the twins weren't certain if she was still referring to the Dursleys. "He said it was necessary! 'His protection depends on his mother's family'. I knew that was a pile of bollocks! But now this? He allowed this? That wretched old gremlin!"
The twins didn't know what their mother was talking about, much less how to calm her down when she got to such extremes. Thankfully, their father ran up to them soon enough, dragging his small hand-knitted robes that Grandma Ha-eun had gifted him over a decade ago, to cup their mother's face in his hands. Keeping their voices in hushed whispers, they spoke about whatever had happened that involved Harry's family. Next thing they knew, the three of them were sent off to bed, claiming they would have to wake up early to reach King's Cross in time.
"Harry," said Jin-woo while they went up the stairs, "better if you don't mention the Dursleys in front of Mum ever again."
A shudder ran down Harry's spine as he nodded eagerly, their mother's flushed red face still vivid in his mind. They rolled around in their beds for a long time before Ji-yoon broke the silence past one in the morning. With the twins' parents sleeping right in the room beside them, they had to keep quiet, which often became a challenge as they joked around about the Dursleys' house state. Before they knew it, Harry no longer added to their comments, and his hand dangled off the side of the top bunk.
"Wish it were that easy to fall asleep," Ji-yoon yawned, turning to her side as Jin-woo stifled a chuckle. "How are you feeling about going to Hogwarts?"
"I guess I don't mind it." Jin-woo showed her a genuine smile. "You'll write every day, won't you?"
"I've got a life, Jin-woo," Ji-yoon smiled back. "Is every other day good?"
"It's wonderful," Jin-woo replied, watching as his sister's eyes closed, drifting her off to sleep with a bright smile on her face. "But I'll still miss you."
With an hour until sunrise, something rolled off the side of the bunk bed. Jin-woo snapped his eyes open, just to see Harry double-checking he had packed everything. No longer able to sleep, he took Harry downstairs and stole a few kimchi pancakes from the fridge. They were far better freshly made—like anything his father cooked—but they didn't mind some re-heated snacks before having breakfast. Especially since they had devoured the boxes of his mother's cookies over the past month.
The television turned on as Grandpa Seok-jin got to the living room, wobbling down a few pancakes before making himself a thick, large cup of coffee. Jin-woo watched, amused, remembering the days Grandpa Seok-jin refused to drink anything other than tea. Of course, his father's stubbornness won, and it seemed as if his grandfather couldn't be more glad about it.
"Off to Hogwarts today," said Grandpa Seok-jin in a low voice. "Thoughts?"
"About the houses," Harry said, looking at him with great awe, "which is the best to be in?"
"None and any equally," replied Grandpa Seok-jin with a brief shrug. "Slytherin's for the cunning. Gryffindor for the brave. Ravenclaw for the curious. And Hufflepuff for the kind. Whichever takes your fancy, that'll be your house."
"Didn't we have to get sorted?" Jin-woo asked, feeling rather self-conscious of how little passion he had to end up in either of the four houses.
"Well, the sorting's just a formality," said Grandpa. "Doesn't matter if you're cunning, you won't find yourself in Slytherin unless you pride yourself on it. It's our decisions, those things about ourselves that we cherish, that give us a house that reflects them."
"So, it's like values, right?" Jin-woo asked, long forgotten about his half-empty plate of pancakes. "That's why most families end up in the same house for generations, don't they?"
"Well, that's part of the reason. Yes." Grandpa Seok-jin nodded solemnly. "Not all, though. I knew a young boy—from a prideful inbreed-blood family—he hated everything that had to do with it. The poor bloke found himself in Gryffindor and had the best years of his life before the war…" His sight flickered over to Harry, but was soon back with Jin-woo. "He was unlucky. Framed and forgotten… That's not to say that Gryffindor is a bad House. They've just got… some questionable kids. Once, I got a sixth year to jump off the Astronomy Tower wearing nothing but his bathrobes…" He smiled, glancing back at a portrait of a young Grandma Ha-eun. "Good times."
"I don't mind the sound of Ravenclaw," said Jin-woo, his gaze travelling over to Harry. "Curiosity might mean they've got lots of books. What about you, Harry? Which one do you fancy?"
"Not a clue." Harry shook his head. "Any's fine."
Jin-woo turned his head back to his grandpa, who sipped his morning coffee with great delight. "Say we both end up in Gryffindor. We won't get disowned, will we?"
"That might take some time to get used to." Grandpa Seok-jin smiled faintly. "But one's house is like a part of oneself. Denying it is denying them. If you're Gryffindors, we'll get you matching scarlet robes to boast about it around Diagon Alley any day."
"I'm fine with mine as they are," Jin-woo mumbled, a tad more eager for the day ahead than he would like to admit.
An hour later, for breakfast, the twins' father made some special dishes Jin-woo hadn't seen for a long time. He engulfed about three full plates of fideuà like he hadn't known food for months, while his sister preferred to monopolise the paella. Harry was the sole person allowed to try either of those dishes, though their mother didn't need permission to get a plate for herself, nor for Iaia Cruz. Avi Antonio was far more interested with his plate of cold meat, which some he ate as it was, and other he made into small sandwiches.
"The train ride ought to be long," he said while making a chorizo sandwich. "Fancy anything to bring along?"
"Can I get fideuà in a lunchbox?" Jin-woo asked, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes.
His father sighed. "De acuerdo. But be careful not to spill it. And clean after yourself, especially the lunchbox."
"Prometido!" Jin-woo nodded.
After eating enough to roll through the main door, Harry and Jin-woo packed their heavy trunks into the back of Grandpa Seok-jin's car and climbed inside. Harry was surprised to find that the interior was much larger than it appeared from the outside. He joined the twins at the back, where they could sit together. Hedwig's cage rested at his feet, while Hedwig perched on his lap, similar to how Kitty roamed between the twins' laps.
They arrived at King's Cross around half past ten, their trunks secured on individual trolleys as they made their way through the station. Harry hesitated for a moment, pulling out his ticket and glancing up and down the platforms—clearly, there was no platform nine and three-quarters to be seen. The Kims laughed and urged him to keep moving. Soon enough, they stood near the entrance, and everyone's doubts—except perhaps Grandpa Seok-jin and Grandma Ha-eun—were clear at the sight of a brick wall.
"That's impossible," Harry said, unable to continue talking as he watched Mr and Mrs Kim walk through the barrier calmly. "How...? People must have seen them, though."
Jin-woo nudged Harry toward a passing guard. "Ask him, then. See if he knows anything about the platform."
Harry followed instructions, pushing his trolley over to the man who looked quite outraged at the mention of the platform. "Platform nine and three-quarters? There ain't no such thing! You're the seven hundredth kid to ask me that today. I still refuse to believe it exists."
The twins couldn't help but laugh. The Ministry failed in some aspects regarding Muggle security, but that they hadn't contemplated that muggleborns would ask for help baffled them. Their Avi's fascination with the fake wall led to a comical fall, leaving Iaia Cruz to rush to his aid, worried about his prosthetic arm. Harry turned to the twins, who were chuckling while watching the still brick wall by their parents' side. He went to join them, but a large family of redheads rushed ahead, pushing trolleys equal to his as the woman on the lead said, "Packed with Muggles, of course—"
"Wizards?" Harry asked the twins as the family of six—four boys, a little girl, and their mother—finally passed by.
"I suppose so," Ji-yoon replied, watching as the group carried on to the brick wall. "You should go after them. You better to find a seat on the train before it gets too crowded."
"You're not going with us?" Jin-woo asked, alarmed.
"I don't think I can," replied Ji-yoon sadly. "It's wizard stuff, isn't it? Muggles like me won't be allowed in."
The large family either couldn't see them or simply paid them no mind, as the twins, their parents, and Harry stood mere meters behind. They came to a halt at the barrier, close enough to overhear the ordinary wizard conversation. When the oldest boy, Percy, ran through the brick wall instead of walking, Jin-woo fidgeted with the handle of his trolley. He hadn't even considered if his parents and Ji-yoon could pass through, and just before the woman and her children vanished through the barrier, he had to ask.
"Excuse me," Jin-woo called, leaving his trolley for his sister to watch over as he approached the boys' mother. "I'm sorry. Um…"
"Hello, dear," the woman replied with a kind smile. "Are you perhaps lost?"
"Not really, no." Jin-woo's cheeks flushed pink as he noticed the three boys and their little sister staring curiously at him. "I just wanted to ask if… is there any way for Muggles to get inside the barrier?"
The woman raised her head to meet eyes with the rest of his family. "Oh, don't worry, dear. They can go in with you. It's better if they hold on to a trolley along with you or your brother, though. It makes it easier for the barrier to recognise not to repel them."
"Oh, he's not… that's good to know. Thank you," he replied, smiling as he shuffled away, his cheeks bright red. He approached his sister and whispered so that only she and Harry could hear, "No backing away now. You've got to go in with us."
"All right, Fred, you're next," the woman called to one of her two older boys, who, as Jin-woo had only just realised, were almost identical.
"He's not Fred. I am!" said one twin, presumably not Fred.
"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother," said the other twin, who was most likely Fred.
"Oh, I'm sorry, George," she apologised while still gesturing for him to run into the barrier.
"I'm only joking. I am Fred." Before his mother could scold him, Fred ran into the barrier, George following closely behind.
"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, though he didn't seem to realise he had spoken out loud.
"First time at Hogwarts?" The woman smiled at them, making Harry aware that his thoughts had been overheard. "Not to worry, dear. It's Ron's first time, too."
She pointed at Ron, the youngest of the boys, who could very well compete in height with the redhead twins. He waved at Harry, who nodded back. The woman then waved them off, grabbed hold of her daughter's hand, and ran with Ron through the wall, disappearing from sight.
Their turn came, and Harry stopped dead, his face getting paler as he looked at the brick wall. The twins' mother stopped beside him, rubbing his back as she grabbed a hold of the trolley, and told him "Let's go, Harry. You and I." They were gone in the blink of an eye. Jin-woo gripped onto his trolley's handle, reassuring himself under his breath as Ji-yoon and their father joined him, running up to a sure concussion.
They opened their eyes to a scarlet steam engine waiting next to a platform packed with people, surprisingly safe. A sign reading Platform Nine and Three-Quarters hung off the side of where the brick wall had once been. Jin-woo pushed his trolley through the crowd, almost running into many students as they waltzed through the platform, chatting with their families or looking for their friends. They were near the end of the train when they ran into Harry's trolley, left about while Harry took Hedwig inside to an empty compartment he had found.
"This is it," mumbled Ji-yoon, glancing away from the train as soon as Kitty crawled into Jin-woo's hood. "We'll see each other at Privet Drive for Christmas, won't we?"
He had no time to reply, as Grandpa Seok-jin but in, "No, that he won't. Nor will Harry."
"But Grandpa!" Jin-woo exclaimed.
"No buts," said Iaia Cruz, holding tightly onto her cane. "I agree with Seok-jin on this. Hogwarts is a bright new experience for the both of you. You can always have family Christmas next year, but Hogwarts won't be forever. Besides, Hogsmeade's lovely during winter. I'd be delighted to spend a few days there. I'm sure, so would everyone else."
"Harry can't go to Hogsmeade yet," said Jin-woo matter-of-factly. "Even if he could, students aren't allowed into Hogsmeade outside of the planned visits."
"That's where something I like called ignoring the guidelines comes in handy." Grandpa Seok-jin smiled mischievously. "How else do you think your grandma and I got together?"
"We made an awful promise to your mother when she was little—'You'll get to see Hogwarts one very special day'—we ought to abide by it," said Grandma Ha-eun.
"Mum, I'm perfectly fine with not seeing Hogwarts," argued their mother.
"Well, I'm not." Grandma Ha-eun offered a smile that let them all know the decision was final. "Now, the trunks. They won't get into the train by themselves."
"Isn't that what magic is for?" Jin-woo asked, pulling his trunk off the trolley. Seeing as his grandparents didn't want to make life easier for him, he dragged it up the steps to the compartment, where Harry was still in awe. "We've got ten minutes left at best, Harry. Better get your trunk."
Harry had only gone down the steps when Ji-yoon darted inside, checking the compartment herself as Jin-woo pushed the trolley under his seat. They were chatting idly when they noticed Harry struggling to lift his trunk. One of the redhead twins beat them to help him, exchanging a few words with Harry before he turned to somewhere in the crowd and shouted, "Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"
"It's fine." Jin-woo marched down the steps to face the boy, George, if he remembered well. "We'll help him. No need to bother."
"Oh, that's fine," mumbled George, his eyes dancing between the twins and his own brother. "Our prefect of a brother is the true bother. This is nothing."
With the redhead twins' help, Harry's trunk got into the compartment in a matter of seconds, which he quickly tucked away into a corner. "Thanks," Harry said, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.
"What's that?" said one twin, pointing at the scar on Harry's forehead.
"Blimey," mumbled the other. "Are you—?"
"He is," the boy paused. "Aren't you?"
"What?" asked Harry.
"Harry Potter," chorused the twins.
"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."
The redhead twins gawked at him, making Harry's cheeks go red, and bothering the twins enough to stand between the boys and Harry. "Heard someone calling your names."
As if on cue, the woman from before called out, "Fred? George? Are you there?"
"Coming, Mum."
Sparing one last look at what little they could see of Harry through the twins, the redhead boys shuffled away to their family, leaving the Kims to themselves. Harry got off the compartment shyly, too aware of the looks he received from passersby. Jin-woo pushed his hair back to his forehead and pulled him to say their goodbyes to everyone. Iaia Cruz had to force Jin-woo to stay still with a spell to place her customary two kisses on his cheeks in front of everyone, and she made them as noisy and uncomfortable as possible. Jin-woo had only wrapped Ji-yoon in his arms when he overheard the redhead family by their side talking about the oldest, Percy, the prefect.
"Oh, are you a Prefect, Percy? You should have said something. We had no idea."
"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it. Once—"
"Or twice—"
"A minute—"
"All summer—"
"Oh, shut up," Percy told the redhead twins.
"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one twin, who Jin-woo couldn't distinguish. Unable to see their faces, he hadn't much to work with to tell.
"Because he's a Prefect," said their mother, kissing Percy on the cheek. "All right, dear, well, have a good term—send me an owl when you get there." Her gaze was soon on the twins. "Now, you two, this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling you've… you've blown up a toilet or—"
"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."
"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."
Ji-yoon stifled a laugh, turning her head over to the family before looking back at her twin, whose concentration had lost itself in the family's interaction. "Seems like we've found you some partners in crime."
"I'd like not to get into much trouble, thank you very much," Jin-woo replied, groaning when he thought about how likely it was that he would have to skip curfew to roam through the library. "Merlin, have mercy."
"Harry Potter!" The little girl's voice snapped the twins' attention back to the family, who didn't seem to notice that the group beside them stood with Harry close enough to overhear. "Oh, Mum, can I go and see him, Mum, oh please…"
"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"
"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there—like lightning."
"Poor dear," said the woman, her gaze lowering to the ground. "I wonder if he wasn't with that family as I thought… but he looked so much like that Muggle man, I didn't dare assume…"
"Pretty boy was with him in the compartment," George said. "They looked close."
A whistle echoed through the platform, forcing Jin-woo and Harry to give one last quick round of goodbyes before climbing into their compartment. Harry settled near the door to listen in to the conversation, lacking an entertainment other than that. Jin-woo couldn't blame him, though he nudged him to wave goodbye at the window.
"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat," they heard one of the redhead twins say, followed by their mother's yell, "George!"
"Only joking, Mum."
Just like that, the train began to move, leaving Platform Nine and Three-Quarters behind, along with the people waving goodbye. Jin-woo leaned back in his seat, bombarded with a sense of uneasiness that he couldn't shake off, no matter how long he tried to concentrate on his conversation with Harry. He hardly reacted when the youngest redhead boy came in, taking a seat across from Harry under the excuse that everywhere else was full.
"Hey, Ron." The redhead twins were back, standing under the compartments' door frame as they let people walk through to find empty compartments or their friends. "Listen, we're going down the middle of the train—Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."
"Right," mumbled Ron, not the least bit interested.
"Harry, pretty boy," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother."
"Nice to meet you," said Harry, refraining himself from saying 'I'm Harry' over again, but at the eternal silence, he felt obliged to say something. "This is Chris, my… my friend."
"Jin-woo Christopher's the full name," added Jin-woo, glancing from Ron to the twins. "Christopher alone is fine, though. You can call me that." He patted his trousers, uncomfortable at the amount of eyes on him. "Harry, I think I'll go look for Dalia. You'll be fine staying here with Ron, won't you?"
"I'll be," Harry reassured, waving him off as Jin-woo squeezed through the twins to head down the train, hearing them leave the compartment soon after him.