The Platform

At King's Cross Station, Allen Harris was saying goodbye to Penelope and the Umbrella Squad, who had escorted them onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, now packed with passengers.

Though Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was still noisy, it was far more orderly than before. Under the direction of the patrolling Aurors, the young wizards lined up in good order and boarded the train. Thick smoke from the steam engine curled above the crowd, and armed Aurors were patrolling both on the locomotive and throughout the platform.

"To prevent the Death Eaters from suddenly going mad and attacking the students, Scrimgeour has deployed three times as many people as in previous years." Penelope stood beside Allen with her arms folded, while the Wolf Mom Squad kept a vigilant ring around them, dutifully standing guard.

The buzzing chatter of the crowd, the clamor of heavy luggage being dragged along, and the piercing cries of owls made Penelope frown. She moved closer to Allen and raised her voice slightly. "Allen, in a few days I'll be leading the Umbrella Squad to Africa. Although you and Luna won't need them, Albert will send other Aurors as temporary guards for you. They'll still be useful enough if you treat them as errand-runners."

Allen turned sideways, took Penelope's hand, and gave her a hug. "Don't rush once you get to Africa. Take it steady and gather the materials as completely as possible. Also, be careful. Don't take risks."

A feeling like a bucket of ice water being poured over him washed through him as Helena passed straight through Allen. Allen watched Helena follow Luna onto the train, ignoring both him and the frightened first years who were scattering everywhere, then rubbed his nose with a wry smile. "Helena's been mad at me lately because Luna and I