Chapter 63 - Reaching Hogwarts
Soon enough, September 1st arrived, the day of departure.
Harry and Dudley had been likely awake before sunrise. I found both of them already dressed and sitting near their trunks downstairs as if they were afraid that the train might leave without them.
Harry and Dudley looked excited and terrified at the same time.
To be honest, the entire house felt little strange that morning.
It was too quiet and too emotional.
Mum had already cried twice before breakfast. Dad had spent almost ten minutes checking the boys' trunks.
"You packed everything?" Dad asked them for perhaps the sixth time.
"Yes."
"Books?"
"Yes."
"Robes?"
"Yes."
"Underwear?"
"…Dad."
"Important question."
Mum smacked his arm weakly while wiping her eyes again.
The truth was simple. For the first time, all three children of the house were leaving together.
And unlike normal boarding schools, Hogwarts was different. They could not simply drive there whenever they wished. Letters took time to reach. Visiting the children was impossible. The magical world still felt distant to them in many ways.
Mum hugged them suddenly while he was trying to eat toast.
"You will come back for Christmas," she said firmly.
"We will," Dudley promised immediately.
Dad looked toward me seriously. "Arthur."
"I know," I sighed. "I'll bring them back safely."
Only then did they relax slightly.
The drive toward London felt unusually quiet after that. Harry and Dudley kept staring out the windows while Hedwig occasionally hooted softly from her cage. Tom remained inside Dudley's carrier with the expression of someone deeply offended by transportation. Brigid was on my lap looking utterly uninterested at the emotional atmosphere.
Eventually we reached King's Cross Station.
The station was crowded exactly as always. People rushed everywhere dragging luggage. Trains whistled loudly. Announcements echoed overhead.
And right between platforms nine and ten stood the solid barrier hiding Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Harry and Dudley immediately slowed down and stared at the wall.
"You've seen me do this before," I reminded them.
"Yes," Harry admitted nervously.
"But running into a wall still feels wrong," Dudley muttered.
Fair enough honestly.
Mum meanwhile had reached emotional collapse again. She pulled both boys into another crushing hug.
"My babies…"
"Mum," Dudley wheezed weakly.
Harry looked equally trapped.
Dad turned his face away slightly, pretending to examine a timetable very intensely. But his eyes looked suspiciously red too.
It honestly took some effort separating Mum from the boys.
"They'll miss the train at this rate," I said gently.
Mum sniffed loudly and finally let go.
I turned toward Harry and Dudley.
"Right," I said. "Close your eyes if needed and just run straight forward. Don't stop halfway."
Harry swallowed nervously.
Dudley looked like he was approaching execution.
But finally excitement overcame fear.
Dudley showed his carefree confidence gripped his trolley tightly and ran first straight into the wall. Or rather, through it. He vanished completely.
Harry stared in shock for half a second before panicking and running after him. He disappeared too.
Mum gasped every single time despite knowing exactly what would happen. Magic really never stopped confusing her.
I turned back toward my parents one last time.
Dad folded his arms. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"Aren't you going?"
"Oh, I am."
I adjusted my trunk casually, then paused dramatically.
"You know," I said thoughtfully, "with all three of us gone now the house might become terribly quiet."
Dad narrowed his eyes immediately.
Mum looked suspicious already.
I continued innocently, "Maybe you two should consider getting another one to overcome the boredom."
For exactly one beautiful moment, Dad actually looked like he was considering the logistics as his eyebrows raised and there was a glint in his eyes.
Then Mum's face turned bright red, like it would burst any moment now.
I immediately ran through the barrier before the incoming attack could reach me.
The last thing I heard was Dad choking on laughter while Mum shouted my full name in outrage, "ARTHUR DURSLEY!"
Worth it.
The magical platform appeared around me instantly. Harry and Dudley stood completely frozen near the edge of the platform, mouths open.
The scene had overwhelmed them entirely.
Harry stared at the enormous train like it was the greatest thing he had ever seen.
Dudley turned slowly in circles trying to look everywhere at once.
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters looked exactly like something out of a fairy tale. The scarlet Hogwarts Express stood proudly beside the platform, steam billowing around it in white clouds. Owls hooted overhead. Cats weaved through legs. Families crowded everywhere saying emotional goodbyes. Students laughed loudly while dragging trunks. First years stared around in awe. Older students greeting friends after summer holidays. It was chaos.
Magical chaos.
I let them take it in quietly for a moment.
Then I nudged them both.
"Come on," I said. "If you stare any longer people will charge you for sightseeing."
That snapped them back to reality.
We boarded the train together and walked through the narrow corridor while students searched for compartments.
Harry looked toward me expectantly.
"So where are we sitting?"
"We?"
"Yes."
I stopped and pointed randomly down the corridor.
"You two are getting your own compartment."
Both blinked.
"You're not sitting with us?" Dudley asked.
"No."
Harry looked slightly alarmed by this betrayal.
"But-"
"You're first years," I interrupted calmly. "You should make your own friends, explore things yourselves and enjoy school properly. I'm not babysitting you for seven years."
Dudley muttered, "You sound like Dad."
"A terrible insult."
Harry laughed slightly at that.
I softened my tone a bit.
"You'll be fine," I assured them. "And if something happens, I'm still on the train."
That seemed to reassure both boys.
Eventually they nodded.
Harry adjusted Hedwig's cage while Dudley picked up Tom's carrier, and together they headed off nervously to find their own compartment.
I watched them disappear around the corner before finally turning away myself.
I was not worried. Not yet. Right now the train was safe. Hogwarts was still waiting ahead peacefully. And for a few more hours at least as the story had not yet truly begun.
The journey passed faster than I expected.
Most of it disappeared into noise, laughter, card games and endless conversations with my friends. Summer stories were exchanged. Without realizing it, evening arrived.
Outside the windows, the sky had turned dark blue, and the train finally began slowing down.
"Hogsmeade," someone shouted down the corridor.
Students immediately started pulling down trunks and cages. Owls hooted loudly in protest while cats complained from their baskets.
I stepped off the train with the older students and instinctively looked around for Harry and Dudley.
It did not take long to find them.
The two were standing beside a skinny red-haired boy whose ears were slightly pink while he talked excitedly with his hands moving everywhere.
Ron Weasley.
Of course.
I almost laughed quietly to myself. Some things truly refused to change no matter what happened. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley still found each other somehow. Fate really had favourites.
Ron was speaking quickly about something while Harry and Dudley listened with interest, occasionally interrupting him with questions.
Then a booming voice echoed across the station.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
Hagrid stood near the edge of the platform holding a swinging lantern high above the crowd. Even in darkness he was impossible to miss. His giant figure towered above everyone like a walking mountain.
"Come on now!" he shouted warmly. "Mind the steps there! Gather round, firs' years!"
The younger students hurried toward him immediately. Harry, Dudley, Ron and several others disappeared into the crowd surrounding Hagrid.
Meanwhile the older students moved toward the waiting carriages with the black Thestrals pulling them remained invisible to most students. The carriages rolled smoothly through the dark road toward Hogwarts.
And then finally Hogwarts appeared again.
Lit windows glowed warmly against the night sky while the enormous castle rose above the cliffs like something ancient and alive. Even after three years, the sight still hit me directly in the chest.
Soon we entered the Great Hall. The familiar ceiling shimmered with stars. Thousands of candles floated overhead. The four long house tables buzzed with excitement and noise.
I sat down once more at the Hufflepuff table beside my friends.
Then the great doors opened.
Professor McGonagall entered with the first years following behind her in a nervous line. She looked exactly like a strict mother hen leading confused chicks.
It reminded me painfully of my own first night here three years ago. And also the scene from the movies I had seen in my previous life.
The Sorting Hat rested quietly on the stool at the front. Then suddenly it twitched and burst into song once again.
The hall listened politely through the familiar yearly performance. Once the song ended, applause echoed briefly around the room.
Professor McGonagall unfolded her parchment and the Sorting began.
"Abbott, Hannah."
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End of Chapter 63 - Reaching Hogwarts