Unexpected Encounters at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

When Jon woke up, it was 7 o'clock in the morning on September 1st. Sleeping in his own familiar room for the last night, Jon's waking time was neither early nor late.

"Good morning, Bella," Jon greeted as Bella was changing her shoes near the door. She was wearing a pair of black sheepskin boots, with Jon's and her small trunks placed to her right.

"Aunt just asked me to come upstairs and wake you up. We're leaving now, and since we have some time, we can grab something to eat in London. Goodness, I really crave McDonald's right now," Bella said.

Jon walked to the shoe cabinet near the door, where Mrs. Smith had prepared a new pair of small leather shoes for him. "Mom, aren't you coming with us?" Jon asked while changing his shoes.

"Yes, your father will take you. I think Bella will take good care of you," Mrs. Smith replied, her face showing a gentle smile. "I think I might need to visit the hospital now."

"Wow, you and Dad move fast," Jon muttered quietly. With Mrs. Smith's open admission, he naturally knew that his mother was expecting another child. Wizards were always sensitive to their physical conditions. He just didn't know if it would be a younger brother or a younger sister.

...

After having brunch at a McDonald's near King's Cross Station, Jon and Bella arrived at the station around ten o'clock. Lovell wanted to accompany them inside, but Jon refused.

"You can't enter this platform without magic. Dad, don't you feel sad? The feeling of desperately wanting to go inside but being unable to get it. It must be heartbreaking," Jon struck directly at Mr. Smith's heart with his words, dismissing his father's small desire.

After bidding farewell to Lovell Smith with a wave, Bella turned to Jon and quietly asked why he had refused Mr. Smith from entering the station.

"My dad is always the most curious about the wizarding world. If we let him in but don't let him come with us onto the platform, or if we let him in but he can't enter, it would be too cruel," Jon calmly explained. He took out the train ticket from his pocket, looked at it, and continued, "Let's go. We need to go to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."

Bella silently followed Jon's side. Although she liked pulling Jon along to play, sometimes she couldn't keep up with his thought process. Perhaps Jon would get along well with those professors at Hogwarts.

Jon didn't pay much attention to his cousin's wandering thoughts. He focused his energy on observing if there were any familiar faces around. He spoke the truth but didn't provide a complete explanation. Not allowing Mr. Smith to enter was partly to spare his father's feelings, but it was also because Jon feared his father might encounter other Hogwarts students' parents, like a certain enthusiastic Mrs. Weasley. Since their families had no real connections, it was best not to get acquainted with them. Randomly establishing relations with a prominent member of the Order of the Phoenix, especially when one of the trio, Ron Weasley, would be starting at Hogwarts next year, wasn't a good idea.

King's Cross Station still had a large crowd, as it was the largest train station in Europe and catered to a significant portion of transportation needs. Naturally, Jon, who already knew the plot, was familiar with the route and finding the platform was not difficult.

Bella, who was somewhat absent-minded, didn't notice anything either. After all these years, she had grown accustomed to Jon's "mature and steady" demeanor. Jon had picked a good time to enter the station, around 10 o'clock in the morning, when there weren't too many people. They hardly encountered any Hogwarts students until they hurried onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and even then, Bella didn't see a familiar figure.

"We arrived too early; the Express just arrived," Bella complained as the siblings found a compartment on the recently halted train. After placing their small trunks by the compartment's side, Jon heard Bella's grumbling. "There are advantages to arriving early."

Jon watched as the crowd gradually grew denser on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, with young wizards pushing trolleys and carrying huge suitcases, preparing to board the train. He turned to Bella, who was sitting opposite him, and said, "Just think, if we boarded the train with those wizards struggling with heavy luggage, we might end up helping them carry things and exchanging thanks. It sounds like a hassle."

Bella: "?"

Why is my cousin so indifferent? Why is he so calm when all the other young wizards are excited? This mature personality, he really should have been sorted into Slytherin, right?

It was difficult to express unspoken sarcasm solely through eye contact, so Jon didn't receive even the slightest hint from his cousin. He simply sat in his seat silently, praying not to encounter or hear any familiar names.

But fate often liked to play jokes on him.

"Bella, hello," after enjoying a moment of tranquility, a gentle and warm voice sounded next to Jon's ear. Jon looked up and saw a handsome and friendly boy standing at the compartment door, holding a large suitcase. "Can I sit here? It's rare to meet someone I know."

"Oh, of course," Bella replied instantly, putting on a smiling face. She pulled the boy's suitcase in and placed it between Jon and the boy. She then introduced the two, "This is my cousin, Jon Smith, also a pure-blood wizard. Jon, this is Cedric, he's also a Hufflepuff student. Didn't you say you wanted to go to Hufflepuff? Come on, introduce yourselves."

I said I wanted to go to Hufflepuff, not for you to get close to someone. For a moment, Jon didn't react to who the boy in front of him was. He reluctantly extended his hand for a handshake and forced a smile.

"Jon Smith."

"Cedric Diggory."

"Oh, hello," Jon withdrew his hand, allowing Bella to pull Cedric away for a conversation. But he immediately realized something.

Cedric Diggory, what a familiar name! He had been so focused on avoiding Autumn Zhang from Ravenclaw that he forgot to be wary of the boys. But why would Cedric know Bella?

Jon looked at Cedric, who smiled warmly across from him, as if he could already see the death omen floating above the Hufflepuff champion's head. It seemed like Bella was interested in Cedric. Puppy love was not a good thing. Later, he should find time to warn his cousin. There were so many attractive boys at Hogwarts. Even if she wanted to date someone from Slytherin, it would be better than choosing someone destined to die, right?