Chapter 10: The Journey Begins at Platform 9

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September 1st arrived all too quickly. That morning, when Tom woke up, the house was filled with a heavy atmosphere. It was mainly because their only daughter was about to embark on her journey to a foreign world for her schooling, and the gloomy weather outside seemed to reflect the mood.

Hermione had woken up at five in the morning, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Unable to fall back asleep, she sat up in bed, hugging her knees to her chest. She noticed her old tiger plushie perched at the edge of her bed, looking at her intently. So, she scooped up the plushie and nestled it in her arms, making sure the tiger's head was tucked between her breasts. She then meticulously combed its fur, and after it was neat, she'd ruffle it all over, repeating the process again and again.

"Little Tiger, I'm going to a distant place for school; please watch over me," Hermione whispered, touching her nose to the tiger's nose, and then offered a silent prayer. The plushie's eyes gleamed, but hollowly, as if it were saying, "Sorry, I'm just a little plushie."

Hermione buried her head into the plushie's belly, which smelled delightful. She took a deep breath, inhaling its pleasant scent, and her heart began to calm down. Glancing at the daylight outside, she felt it was about time to get ready. She jumped out of bed and changed into the clothes she had prepared earlier.

First, she put on a white blouse with a delicately tied ladies' tie. Then, she layered a gray wool sweater over it and wore a long gray skirt. By the time she finished dressing, the sun had risen. She checked her trunk again, comparing it to the Hogwarts shopping list, making sure she had everything she needed. Satisfied, she went to freshen up.

As she emerged from the bathroom, she met Tom, who appeared to be ready as well. Two hours later, they loaded their heavy trunks onto the Granger's car, with Mr. Granger behind the wheel, Tom in the passenger seat, and Hermione and Mrs. Granger in the back. They set off together.

Fortunately, they encountered no traffic jams around the train station that day, and they arrived at King's Cross Station at half-past ten. Mr. Granger loaded their luggage onto a trolley, and they entered the station. European train stations were slightly different from those in the UK, as they lacked the concept of ticket gates and security checks. A few steps inside, you could already see the platforms where the trains were stationed.

Mr. Granger led the family to a halt between Platforms 9 and 10.

"This is Platform 9, and that's 10 over there. But where is the Platform 9 the ticket mentioned?" Mr. Granger frowned, "Haven't they built it yet?"

They saw a platform with a large plastic sign displaying the number 9 and another platform with the number 10 between two sets of tracks. However, there was nothing else in between.

This joke wasn't very amusing, and Hermione furrowed her brow as well. But then Tom nudged them, nodding towards a wall.

They saw a family standing by the wall, glancing around suspiciously. Then, they leaned against the wall and disappeared.

"I suppose that's the entrance," Tom said when he noticed a guard approaching them, then quickly added, "Hurry, we can't afford to miss the Hogwarts train."

Upon hearing the word "Hogwarts," the guard stopped in his tracks, turned, and walked away in the opposite direction.

They pushed the luggage trolley toward the wall. Tom saw three people behind it, looking around cautiously before pressing against the wall—they vanished.

"I think that's the entrance," Tom said when they reached the wall, adding, "Quick, don't miss the train to Hogwarts."

Hearing "Hogwarts," the guard stopped, turned, and walked away.

They moved the luggage trolley up to the wall. Tom noticed a group of red-haired people nearby, with a short and stout red-haired woman at the head. They were helping people carry their suitcases, and a silver "P" was pinned on the front of their Hogwarts robes. The plump woman was wiping the nose of her youngest child.

Tom smiled at them, and the plump woman at the front returned the smile and gestured for them to go ahead. So, Tom and Hermione carried their luggage through the wall.

They closed their eyes as the wall approached, and when they opened them again, they were on Platform 9.

There was a deep crimson steam engine waiting on the platform. The sign on the train read "Hogwarts Express."

Stepping onto this platform felt like traveling back a hundred years. Steam filled the air around the steam engine, and there was a constant buzz of conversations, children laughing and playing, and the cries of pets brought by young witches and wizards. Some students were leaning out of the train windows, talking to their families, while others were horsing around in their seats.

As they entered the platform, Tom received a notification about a change in the progress of his "Worldly Wanderer" task. The second phase had gone from 0/2 to 1/2.

King's Cross Station, Platform 9, was now unlocked.

Hermione was saying her goodbyes to her father, and Mr. Granger hugged her tightly. He then kissed her on the forehead before Tom had already taken their luggage onto the train.

"Alright, remember to keep in touch!" Mr. Granger released his daughter, rubbed his eyes, and watched as Hermione and Tom boarded the train together.

"Hermione, this way!" Tom found an empty compartment and rushed inside. He opened the compartment door, placed the hand luggage on the luggage rack, and then one by one, he carried Hermione's and his own luggage up.

"You've done a great job," Hermione said apologetically, taking a small container of strawberries from her bag. "Here, let me treat you to some strawberries."

In Hermione's eyes, the idea of a boy helping a girl carry things wasn't a given, even in the UK where gentlemanly manners were prevalent. There was no reason why seven or eight boys should carry the belongings of over thirty girls to their dormitory.

The two of them quickly settled into seats facing each other. Hermione looked out the window and noticed that Mr. Granger had already disappeared into the crowd. She saw the group of red-haired people she had encountered earlier; a set of twins was helping others with their luggage, and the short, plump woman in their family was wiping her youngest child's nose.

A red-haired youth in a Hogwarts black robe with a shiny silver "P" on his chest was talking to them.

The whistle blew, and three boys scrambled onto the train. They leaned out of the train window, saying their goodbyes to their mother. Their little sister, holding their mother's hand, began to cry again.

The train started moving. Hermione saw the mother waving them off, and the youngest girl was still crying while running alongside the train, waving until the train picked up speed,

  leaving her behind. The platform became less crowded, and she also spotted her father standing alone on the platform. She had never seen her father look so lonely and helpless before.

Hermione's eyes welled up, and a glistening tear trickled down her cheek. But before it could reach her chin, it was absorbed by a tissue. She noticed Tom was staring at her, holding a tissue in his hand.

"Hurry and say goodbye to your dad," Tom urged.

Hermione realized it and opened the window, leaning out and waving to Mr. Granger. He spotted her quickly and waved back, and they continued to wave until the train turned a corner, and they could no longer see each other.

(End of this chapter)