Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Early that morning, Mrs. Weasley's roars echoed constantly through The Burrow.

"Percy! Percy! Where are your robes and Cauldron? And what's with this bag stuffed full of letters? Clean them up!"

"Fred! George! How many times do I have to tell you? You are not taking those weird candies to school. Get rid of all of them!"

"Ron! What time is it, and you're still asleep? Get up right now and check your luggage again. If I don't see you downstairs in five minutes, I'll throw you into the Pond, lock you in the cellar, and forget about ever going to Hogwarts!"

"Merlin's beard, one day you lot will be the death of me!"

"You really ought to learn from Vaughn. He packed two days ago. Not only did he bring all his school supplies, he also packed a whole load of potions and ingredients. He's worked so hard..."

Molly wiped at the corner of her eyes, then suddenly saw something. She furiously waved her Wand. "Scabbers Accio!"

A fat old mouse flew in from outside, squeaking frantically, and was snatched in her thick hand. With a squeak, its legs went stiff.

"Ronald Weasley! Where exactly are your eyes? You can't even keep watch over your own mouse... Oh, Sweetie Tea, darling, if I hadn't seen you chasing it, it nearly would have gotten lost. Come here, Mummy has Dried Fish~"

"Meow~"

The chaos continued for over two hours. Only after Molly checked everything again and again and confirmed that everyone had packed all their things did a car horn sound outside.

Molly took the lead, carrying Vaughn's case of potion ingredients while her sons followed behind.

As soon as they stepped outside, they saw a car parked in the open space before the house. Arthur Weasley stood in front of it, proudly patting the roof. "Get in, Children. Dad is taking you to the station the Muggle way today!"

An ordinary car naturally could not fit so many people, but Arthur was a Wizard. Even though he worked at the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, no one should expect him to follow the rules.

There was a shed beside The Burrow specifically for parking it. All summer, Arthur had been trying to magically modify it. Whenever Vaughn, Fred, and George had nothing better to do, they would go help him.

The passenger compartment and trunk had both been enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, leaving them enormously spacious inside.

Arthur had even tried to make it fly, though he had not succeeded yet.

The family stuffed their luggage into the roomy trunk and noisily climbed into the car. Molly's shouting barely stopped throughout it all—Fred and George were roughhousing, Percy was sulking after his letters had been thrown away, and Ron clutched Scabbers tightly, kicking his feet and yelling for Sweetie Tea to go away.

Almost every moment, someone could be heard crying out in pain after Molly twisted their ear.

Arthur was utterly used to it.

He eagerly turned the key, starting the car while reading the instruction manual and map.

Vaughn sat in the passenger seat, utterly speechless.

"Dad, do you even know how to drive?"

"Of course, of course I do. I've practiced for at least three days... Oh, Vaughn, help Dad see what this means. Clutch? Let it go? Gear? How do I adjust it? Woohoo—unbelievable! Muggles are amazing!"

Ten minutes later, the car had not even gone fifty meters...

Unable to endure it any longer, Vaughn kicked him out of the driver's seat, cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm on the car, and took the wheel himself.

Although his son had stolen his fun, Arthur, childish as ever, did not mind in the slightest.

"Just as expected of my son, the genius of the Weasley family! Dad knew you liked Muggle things too. Don't worry, son. When you come back for the holidays, Dad will definitely have learned how to drive it. Then I'll take you... what do Muggles call it again? Right! For a drive!"

Vaughn rolled his eyes at him.

The car sped all the way there. Thanks to the Muggle-Repelling Charm, they were not stopped by the traffic police, but by the time they reached King's Cross Station, it was already half past ten. The family noisily piled out, squeezed into the station, and searched through the dense crowds for Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Percy, who had been in a foul mood ever since his letters were thrown away, complained as he was squeezed about. "Too many Muggles!"

"Silly child, this is a Muggle station. Of course there are lots of Muggles."

"There! The third pillar!" Ginny, sitting on Dad's shoulders, spotted their destination with sharp eyes.

The family hurriedly squeezed their way over.

"Percy, you go in first... Good. Fred, you're next!"

"I'm George, Mum!"

"Oh—sorry, darling. Mummy got you mixed up."

The Twins grinned wickedly. "George" mischievously rubbed his cheek against his mother's. "Actually, I'm Fred. Hahaha—"

He pushed his trolley into the pillar, laughing all the way.

Following behind Molly and Arthur, Vaughn looked around at Britain's oldest station.

This was his first time here, and honestly, he was a little disappointed.

Perhaps because it had been built so long ago, all sorts of facilities were old and worn, with many places falling into disrepair. Only the great arched roof retained a trace of its former glory.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a furtive figure following behind them, pushing a trolley Piled Full of luggage and an Owl cage.

It was a little boy who looked malnourished—short and skinny, wearing a pair of broken glasses and looking rather dull and foolish.

Compared to him, even Ron, the family's usual punching bag, seemed tall, sturdy, clever, and lively!

The boy also noticed that Vaughn had seen him. He stood there at a loss, seeming to want to come over but not daring to.

Nervously, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, revealing a Lightning-shaped Scar.

The instant Vaughn saw that Scar, he knew who this foolish-looking kid was—Harry Potter!

The legendary Boy Who Lived.

"Quick, Vaughn, get in front of Ron... Oh—" Molly, who had turned around to call Vaughn, also noticed Harry Potter. Of course, his Scar was covered by his hair again, so Molly did not recognize him.

But the sight of a lonely child undoubtedly stirred Molly's maternal instincts.

She quickly waved Harry over. "Child, are you a new student this year too?"

"Y-yes, ma'am." Harry nervously rubbed his hands against his trouser legs. "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, ma'am. I don't know where it is or how to get in..."

"It's all right, child. Look over there. The third pillar between Platforms Nine and Ten, where there's a ticket booth. Push your luggage trolley and run straight at it."

Following her instructions in a daze, Harry closed his eyes and trembled as he charged toward the pillar as though marching to his death. Then he vanished.

Vaughn followed behind at a jog. There was no resistance, no sensation at all. He only felt the world darken for a moment, and when it brightened again, he saw a deep red steam locomotive waiting beside a platform packed with passengers.

The sign on the train carriage read:

[Hogwarts Express]