9

### Chapter 9: Nine and Three-Quarters Station

September 1st, King's Cross Station.

The conductor rubbed his tired eyes.

Every year on this day, he had to explain patiently, yet people still asked.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have Platform 9 and 3/4 here!"

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before another person would come up with the same question.

And they were always children!

Not only that, there were always peculiar people at the station.

Whether it was their behavior or attire, they were different from ordinary people.

For example, the man in front of him, a burly figure with a full beard, was inexplicably wearing a long floral-patterned robe.

The conductor felt nauseous just looking at it!

A girl with messy black and brown hair stood beside him, also perplexed. Before she was introduced to the magical world, she had thought such people were performance artists.

It wasn't until today that she realized these were wizards who were clueless about the Muggle world!

"Wizards tend to have an inherent disdain for Muggles, and their arrogance often prevents them from understanding Muggle life."

"It's not surprising that such confusion arises."

Hermione turned in surprise at the gentle voice behind her.

"Hello, I'm Augustus Grindelwald, a first-year student at Hogwarts."

"Hermione Granger!"

Just as expected!

Augustus's smile grew wider. "You're a first-year at Hogwarts too, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes, yes! But I haven't been able to find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and I don't know where the conductor is!"

Hermione looked distressed and complained to Augustus.

"Of course the conductor doesn't know. You should ask those people who look unusual—they are wizards!"

"Yes! Why didn't I think of that!" Hermione said, her eyes lighting up with realization.

"No need to worry, come with me. I'll show you the way."

Noticing the trunk in Hermione's hand, Augustus took out his wand and pointed it at her luggage.

"Reducio!"

The trunk instantly became the size of a matchbox. Augustus picked it up and placed it into Hermione's surprised hands.

"Let's go, we're going to be late!"

Finding the pillar between platforms nine and ten, Augustus led her and walked straight into it.

It wasn't until Hermione was seated in the carriage that she realized what had happened.

"You used the shrinking spell? Is that something you learn in first year? I don't remember learning it."

"No, I need to review the first-year books again!"

Oh, for the love of scrolls, stop rolling!

Though Augustus was also a fan of books, he wasn't as obsessive as Hermione.

It's no wonder she was always top of her class.

"Don't bother. The shrinking spell isn't covered in the first year. It will be introduced in the second semester of second year."

"If you want to learn it, I can teach you."

"Really?" Hermione asked, surprised, quickly covering her mouth to avoid revealing too much.

Augustus was unperturbed and began to teach Hermione how to perform the spell.

Not long after, two red-haired boys who looked exactly alike entered the carriage.

"Hey, George, look at this! We interrupted a couple discussing spells!"

"No way! Who would have thought our dear Ron would abandon his poor brother for new friends?"

The twins were grinning, their clothes a bit worn and showing signs of fire damage.

Augustus recognized them immediately.

The famous Weasley twins!

"Hermione and I just met at the station, and we were discussing spells."

"If you two can't find a seat, you're welcome to join us."

Augustus opened the carriage door for them and gave Hermione a reassuring smile.

"Oh, Merlin's beard! Are the first-years this advanced now?"

"When we started, we didn't even read the textbooks, and now they're already discussing spells!"

Fred pretended to be amazed, then sat across from Augustus with a grin.

George sat down next to Fred and pulled out a pile of parchment from his bag.

"Don't talk about it, Fred. Finish your homework quickly. I wanted to borrow some, but Percy was too close to me!"

"If we don't finish it, Professor McGonagall will definitely make things difficult for us."

"It's a shame our experiment isn't finished yet. If Ron hadn't complained, we'd have been done!"

Hermione stared blankly at Fred and George, her world view shaken.

Before boarding the train, the only wizards she had closely interacted with were Professor McGonagall and Augustus, who had guided her to Diagon Alley.

Both were elegant and composed!

Although the wizards at the station were somewhat... eye-catching, it was only because they didn't understand the Muggle world.

She had always assumed everyone in the magical world was like Augustus—knowledgeable, polite, and refined.

But these two...

"George, did you finish your History of Magic homework? Can I borrow it?"

"I think it's done. Let me find it!"

George's searching method was unbearable for Hermione.

"You're doing it all wrong! Homework should be done by yourself!"

"Another Professor McGonagall! If you were in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, you'd know this is quite common!"

George wasn't upset by Hermione's comment and teased her lightly.

After handing Fred the History of Magic homework, he immediately began catching up on Potions.

"Hey, Fred, where does the Besor Stone come from?"

"From the stomach of a dog? I think, but I can't remember clearly."

"Just fill it in randomly..."

Hermione, who was standing nearby with a thick book, pricked up her ears, clearly trying to recall what they were saying.

Hearing their answers full of inaccuracies, she couldn't hold back any longer.

"No, it's not from a dog's stomach!"

"The Besor comes from a goat's stomach!"

"Is that true?"

George's eyes lit up, though he looked doubtful.

Hermione's cheeks puffed with frustration. "I'll tell you the answer, whether you believe it or not!"

"If I recall correctly, the Besor is indeed taken from a goat's stomach and is highly effective in detoxification."

Augustus's response made George's eyes widen with excitement.

"Hey, don't lie to me. These are things learned in third year, which means Snape will cover them in advance!"

"If you're referring to the second section of Chapter 3 of *Advanced Potions*, then I should be correct."

"Chapter 3, Section 2? Dude, you didn't memorize the entire book, did you? That book is half a foot thick!" George said in disbelief, covering his mouth exaggeratedly.

Hermione, who was beside Augustus, couldn't remain seated.

When Augustus was explaining second-year material to her, she noticed something odd!

Originally, she thought the other person was just preparing like she was, but with much more content.

She hadn't even memorized the first-year books yet, but Augustus seemed to know third-year material inside out!

How could she, the usual bookworm, tolerate this!

"I haven't memorized it, but I do remember most of the content."

"Wow, you're our savior!"

Fred and the others looked at Augustus as if he were a beacon of hope.

Ignoring Hermione's pouty face, Augustus nudged her aside.

"Help me check this, the ingredients needed for the shrinking potion."

"Daisy root, fig peel, caterpillar, a drop of leech juice, and mouse spleen."

"Here, the use of wormwood..."