Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Early that morning, Mrs. Weasley's furious shouts echoed endlessly through The Burrow.

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

"Fred! George! How many times do I have to tell you? You're not taking those weird sweets to school. Take them all out!"

"Ron! What time do you think it is, still sleeping? 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 going to Hogwarts!"

"Merlin's beard, one day you lot are going to drive me to my grave!"

"You really ought to learn from Vaughn. He packed two days ago. Not only did he bring all his school supplies, he's bringing a whole pile of potions and ingredients too. It's so much work..."

Molly wiped at the corner of her eye, then saw something the next instant and angrily waved her wand. "Scabbers, come here!"

A fat old rat squeaked frantically as it flew in from outside. Molly's thick hand snatched it out of the air, and with a squeak, it stretched its legs straight.

"Ronald Weasley! Where exactly are your eyes? You can't even keep track of your own rat... Oh, Fruit Tea, sweetheart, if I hadn't seen you chasing it, it might have gotten away. Come here, Mummy has dried fish for you~"

"Meow~"

The chaos continued for over two hours. After Molly checked everything again and again and made sure everyone had brought all their things, a car horn sounded outside.

Molly took the lead, carrying Vaughn's trunk full of potion ingredients, with her sons trailing behind.

As soon as they stepped out the front door, 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. Today, Dad's taking you to the station the Muggle way!"

An ordinary car naturally could not fit so many people, but Arthur was a wizard. Even though he worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, no one should expect him to follow the rules.

There was a shed beside The Burrow specifically for parking it. Arthur had spent the entire summer trying to modify it with magic, and whenever Vaughn, Fred, and George had nothing better to do, they would help him out.

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

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

The family loaded their luggage into the roomy trunk and noisily piled into the car. Molly's yelling barely stopped throughout it all—Fred and George were fooling around and fighting, Percy was sulking over his discarded letters, and Ron clutched Scabbers tightly while kicking wildly and shouting for Fruit Tea to stay away.

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

Arthur turned a blind eye to all of it.

He excitedly twisted the key, starting the car while reading the manual and map at the same time.

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 go of it? Gear? How do I adjust it? Woohoo—unbelievable, Muggles are amazing!"

Ten minutes later, the car had traveled less than fifty meters...

Unable to bear 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.

Though his son had stolen his fun, Arthur, with his childish nature, did not mind in the slightest.

"As expected of my son, the genius of the Weasley family! Dad knew you liked Muggle things too. Don't worry, son. By the time you come back for the holidays, Dad will definitely know 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 police, but by the time they reached King's Cross Station, it was already half past ten. The family noisily got out, squeezed into the station, and searched through the packed crowd 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 jostled about, "There are too many Muggles!"

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

"There! The third pillar!" Ginny, sitting on her father's shoulders, spotted it with her sharp eyes.

The family hurriedly pushed their way over.

"Percy, you go in first... Good. Fred, your turn!"

"I'm George, Mum!"

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

The twins grinned mischievously. "George" playfully pressed his cheek against his mother's. "Actually, I'm Fred, hahaha—"

Laughing all the way, he pushed his trolley into the barrier.

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

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

Perhaps because it had been built so long ago, all the facilities were old and worn down. Many places were shabby and broken, and only the great arched roof retained a trace of its former splendor.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a sneaky figure following behind them, pushing a trolley piled high with luggage and an owl cage.

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

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

The boy noticed that Vaughn had spotted him. He stood there awkwardly, as though he wanted to approach but did not dare.

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, you're ahead of Ron in line... oh—" Molly had turned to call Vaughn, but she spotted Harry Potter as well. Of course, his scar was hidden beneath his hair again, so Molly did not recognize him.

But the sight of a child standing all alone undoubtedly stirred Molly's maternal instincts.

She hurriedly waved Harry over. "Child, are you a first-year student 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 the ticket booth is. Push your luggage trolley and run straight through it."

Dazed, Harry followed her instructions. With his eyes shut tight, trembling all over, he charged at the pillar as though marching to his death—then vanished.

Vaughn followed behind at a jog. There was no obstruction, no sensation at all. All he felt was a brief dimming before his eyes; when the light returned, he saw a deep-red steam locomotive waiting beside a platform crammed with passengers.

A sign hanging on the train carriage read:

[Hogwarts Express]