The Journey From Platform Nine and Three- Quarters
*This post contains spoilers for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the Harry Potter Series.
Chapter Summary:
For the rest of the summer, the Dursley’s acted as if Harry wasn’t there. Which, Harry preferred over the usual abuse. This gave him the ability to sit in his room with his new owl that he decided to name Hedwig and go through all of his school books.
On the final day of August, Harry thought it best to ask Uncle Vernon if he could have a ride to King’s Cross the next stay to make his train. His Uncle grunted in agreement and asked where the school was. Harry said that he didn’t know but that he should catch the train for platform nine and three-quarters at 11 o’clock. Uncle Vernon told him that there is no such platform but the family was going to London the next day to have the tail Hagrid cursed Dudley with removed so he was in luck that they were already headed there.
The next day, sure enough, Uncle Vernon wheeled Harry’s belongings to the middle of platform nine and ten and no other platform was found in between. He wished Harry a good term sarcastically and left him at the station. Harry looked around and even asked a guard where the train leaving at 11 o’clock was departing from. The guard said there was no train leaving at that time
Just as he was giving up hope, he saw a family pass by speaking of Muggles.
“The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry’s in front of him- and they had an owl.”
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone
One by one the family began to disappear in between the two platforms. Before they can all vanish Harry runs up to the women and asks for assistance. She instructs him to walk straight into the platform without stopping and run if he’s nervous. He nervously did as instructed and broke through the barrier.
“A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o’clock.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
He searched for an empty cart. While headed towards the back he passed a boy named Neville who was worried about his missing toad. He eventually found an empty compartment. Two of the red headed brothers (twins) named Fred and George saw he needed help and moved his trunk into the compartment. They noticed Harry’s scar and asked if he was Harry Potter to which Harry confirmed.
The twins’ mother called them and they hopped off the train to say their goodbyes while Harry listened. The younger brother Ron was made fun of for having something on his nose and the final brother came up to the group talking about sitting up front with the other prefects. The twins made fun of him as well for mentioning him being a prefect as he had been doing it all summer.
The mother told the twins to behave themselves and that she didn’t want to hear that they had done something ridiculous like blow up a toilet. She also, told them to look after Ron.
Fred and George then told their mother that the boy she helped out was Harry Potter. The one daughter of the group, Ginny, wanted to go on the train to meet him and the twins wanted to ask him about You-Know-Who. The mother told her children to leave the poor boy alone. The boys boarded the train leaving the mother and daughter (who was too young to attend school) on the platform. As the train began to roll they waved their goodbyes.
“The door to the compartment slid open and the youngest red-headed boy came in.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Soon the youngest redhead asked to sit in the compartment with Harry. The twins stopped by to tell Ron they were headed down the train as someone named Lee Jordan had a giant tarantula. They then properly introduced themselves and Fred and George Weasley before heading out.
Ron immediately asked if he was really Harry Potter as Fred and George like to play tricks and if he had the scar. Harry said yes and showed him his forehead. Ron asked if it was really done by You-Know-Who. Harry explained that he couldn’t remember anything about that night other than a lot of green light.
Harry asked Ron questions about his family. Ron explained that everyone was a Wizard except maybe one distant cousin. He has two other brothers that Harry didn’t meet as they had already finished at Hogwarts. Bill was head boy and Charlie was Quidditch captain. Ron expresses his concern to live up to his brothers as they have all excelled one way or another while at school. He also says that he never gets anything new just hand-me-downs. He even has Percy’s old rat named Scabbers.
Harry tries to make him feel better by telling him about growing up with the Dursley’s and not being given much in terms of material things or information.
“…and until Hagrid told me, I didn’t know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort-“
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Ron shudders at the name and Harry explains he isn’t afraid of saying Voldemort because he never learned to be afraid. Harry expresses his concern that he will be behind all the students. Ron tells him that loads of students come from Muggle families and they do just fine.
A little later at lunch time, a witch pushing a cart asked if they wanted to purchase anything. Harry jumped up excited while Ron clearly didn’t have the funds to purchase anything. On the cart were candies and treats that Harry had never seen before.
“Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pastries, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry makes sure to get a little of everything and offers to share with Ron. Ron explains Chocolate Frogs to him. Harry is happy to know that they are not real frogs. They also have trading cards inside the packs with famous witches and wizards on them. People collect them. Harry’s card was of Albus Dumbledore and for the first time Harry sees a face to the name. He reads the discription on the card:
Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon’s blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.
Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s Stone
When he turned the card back over, Dumbledore’s picture was no longer there. Ron told him not to worry and that he’d be back as pictures in the magical world come and go as they please.
Harry then turned his attention to Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. Ron tells him to be careful as they can be any flavor. He bites into a green one that turns out to be sprouts.
The boy from earlier who lost his toad knocked on their compartment door asking if they had seen the creature. The boys told him no and he was on his way. Ron brought up his own pet Scabbers saying that he wished he was more exciting and tried to turn him yellow the other day with a spell. He then took out his wand to attempt it once more.
Just then a girl with bushy hair and large from teeth, barged into their compartment. She was also asking about the missing toad on behalf of the boy named Neville who lost it. She notices Ron about to do magic and encourages him. Nothing appears to happen and the girl tells him that it wasn’t a good spell and that she has tried a few out and all of them have worked when she tried. She also tells them that she is Muggle-born and that her name is Hermione Granger.
When the boys introduce themselves Hermione rattles off facts that she has learned about Harry and all the books he is in. She also asks them about which house they think they’ll be in as she would like Gryffindor but Ravenclaw wouldn’t be that bad. Not giving them the ability to respond she then leaves to search for the toad again stating they should be arriving soon.
After Hermione leaves Ron says that he hopes she’s not in the same house as him. Harry asks which house Ron’s family is in. He tells Harry that his entire family was in Gryffindor so he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he isn’t. Ron hopes for anything but Slytherin.
Harry changes the subject and asks about Ron’s brothers that have already left school.
“Charlie’s in Romania studying dragons, and Bill’s in Africa doing something for Gringotts.”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Ron then asks Harry if he heard about someone trying to get into one of the high security vaults at Gringotts. Apparently they never caught the person which is not a good sign because only a powerful Dark wizard could have gotten through all of the spells and enchantments.
Ron once again changes the subject to Quidditch which Harry admits that he doesn’t know anything about. Ron begins to explain the game to him when the compartment door opens once again to reveal the pale boy that Harry had met in Madam Malkin’s robe shop. He is accompanied by two other boys.
The boy asks if he is Harry Potter and then introduces the other two boys as Crabbe and Goyle. He finally gives his name as Draco Malfoy. Ron gives a slight snigger at his name. Draco immediately pegs Ron as a Weasley because they are a family of redheads who have more children than they can afford.
Draco offers his hand to Harry and says that he can help him navigate who is better than other. Harry rejects his offer. Draco threatens Harry saying he should be careful or he will end up like his parents. The two boys tell Draco and his friends to leave but Draco decides he wants some of their food. When Goyle goes to grab it, Scabbers bites his finger and the boys flee.
Hermione hears the commotion and enters the compartment.
Ron explains that the Malfoy’s were on You-Know-Who’s side. They came back to the good side after he fell saying that they were bewitched but Ron’s father never believed that as the family has always been bad. He then notices Hermione standing there and asks if they can help her. She says they need to change because they are almost there. Ron shortly asks her to leave so they can change. Hermione says that she only came in because people are acting silly in the hallways and tells Ron that he has dirt on his nose before leaving the two.
The boys changed into their school robes and exited the train when it came to a stop.
Hagrid was outside the train calling for all of the first years to follow him. He led them to the lake and instructed the first years to get into boats which moved by themselves across the lake towards the castle. When they got to the shore Hagrid found Neville’s toad Trevor in one of the boats. Neville was of course thrilled to have him back. Hagrid brought them to the front door of the castle and knocked three times.
*Spoiler reminder. If you do not want aspects of the Harry Potter series ruined for you, do not read below. Discussions about future stories and characters take place.
Hagrid Not Preparing Harry
Hagrid was the first person to tell Harry that the magical world existed. As discussed in the previous chapter, Hagrid doesn’t have a ton of information for Harry. He gives him partial answers or explanations but definitely not enough. There is no reason as to why he shouldn’t have explained to Harry how to get onto the train platform. In fact, Diagon Alley is in London so Hagrid could have easily taken Harry to the station and showed him exactly how to enter.
I can’t help but think that if another member of the Order of the Phoenix had taken Harry to get his school things that they would better prepare him. Even Tonks whose a little scatter brained would have most likely explained it. I think they would have insisted on accompanying him to get onto the train. I’m sure there were multiple people at the station keeping an eye on him but didn’t step in because Mrs. Weasley helped him first.
It would be different if there were charms on the barrier that repelled Muggles but Wizards could see it. For example, if Harry had been told to find the Leaky Cauldron in London he would have because it is not hidden by a false wall, Muggles just can’t see it.
I hope whoever explains it to the Muggle-born students does a better job.
Did Molly Weasley Know the Platform Number?
“Now, what’s the platform number? said the boys’ mother”
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
How is it possible that Molly Weasley who is about to drop off her sixth child to go to Hogwarts, and she herself went to that school, doesn’t know the platform number to get on the Hogwarts Express?
The only way I can see this being possible is up until this year, the train left from a different platform.
It could be that the platform number changed due to Harry attending the school as an added security measure. Changing the platform is not fool proof but it could delay random people trying to get a glimpse of him as they would know he turned school age that year. I don’t think it would prevent someone with nefarious intentions but that’s also why I believe there were aurors or Order members around just in case.
I did quickly go through the series and I didn’t see the platform name mentioned when others talked about attending the school. One specific example is when Dumbledore visits Tom Riddle. He only tells him to go to King’s Cross but not a specific platform.
This also makes me wonder if there are other hidden platforms in the station and where those trains would take you?
The other possibility is that she was asking Ginny to make her feel included. This way she feels as if she is helpful and to distract her from everyone else being able to head off to school. This of course is the more boring answer but it is an interesting thing to speculate.
Ron’s Fear of Spiders
Ron mumbles to Fred and George when they say they will be headed down the train to see the giant tarantula their friend Lee Jordan has. It will be later flushed out that Ron is terrified of spiders so he is probably freaking out internally that there is an enlarged spider somewhere on the train.
Green Light
All Harry can remember from the night Voldemort killed his parents was a green light. We will learn later that this is from the killing curse Avada Kedavra.
Why is Ron Allowed a Rat?
The Hogwarts letters state that students can have one owl, toad or cat. Scabbers should not be allowed at Hogwarts. If he had only been Ron’s rat, I would understand him just sneaking Scabbers in however, the rat used to belong to Percy. Percy would never break a rule so it is very odd that Scabbers has been going to Hogwarts with a Weasley for the past five years. And… Let’s not forget that the rat is actually a Death Eater in disguise so letting this one slide was the biggest mistake.
Wizard Candy and Treats
Candy is almost its own character in the Harry Potter series. Chocolate can even be used as medicine in some cases. When the trolley came to their compartment, that was the first time that Harry was able to buy his own sweets and to share them with a friend. The candies are also described so well in the series that it makes you jealous you can’t have some for yourself.
Dumbledore’s Chocolate Frog Card
Harry doesn’t know it yet but Dumbledore’s chocolate frog card will help them solve the mystery of Nicolas Flamel and what Hagrid took from the vault when they went to London.
Wizard Pictures
Harry’s First Meeting with Ron vs Draco
There is an obvious juxtaposition between Harry’s initial encounter with Ron and his meeting with Draco in the previous chapter. When Harry meets Draco, Harry barely says a word and doesn’t understand anything that Draco is talking about. Draco also never stops talking or even asks his name until it’s too late in the encounter. Had Draco let Harry respond he would have easily seen that Harry had no idea what he was talking about. Had he known that Harry lacked that knowledge he would have responded in a cruel manner.
Ron on the other hand, asks Harry questions about his life and takes the time to explain things that Harry doesn’t understand. Ron seems to enjoy teaching Harry about the magical world and doesn’t make him feel inferior. This is one of the reasons that Harry and Ron become best friends.
Character Introductions
Molly Weasley
Molly is the first magical mother that Harry has come into contact with. She will basically become his mother throughout the series as his best friend is her son and Harry marries her daughter.
Neville Longbottom
Harry and Neville seem like very different boys when we first meet them. However, they have more in common than they realize and Neville has no idea how close he came to being the Boy Who Lived.
Fred and George Weasley
The twins provide a much needed comic relief to a story that gets pretty dark. They also teach Harry, Ron and Hermione the importance of resistance.
Ginny Weasley
Harry briefly meets his future wife while she sees her brothers off to school. Ginny is an intrigal character in the second book and becomes a very capable witch.
Ron Weasley
Ron becomes Harry’s best friend through and through. With the exception of a few jealous moments from Ron. He is by Harry’s side for the majority of his most trying times. The ones where Harry has to fight alone, Ron (and Hermione) help prepare him for these tasks. Harry needs friends like Ron to get him through the seven books.
Lee Jordan
Briefly mentioned. Lee is one of Fred and George’s friends. He continues to be a side character throughout the series.
Scabbers
Ron’s faithful pet…
Until it is revealed that Scabbers is actually Peter Pettigrew hiding from those that think he is dead.
Hermione Granger
Hermione proves to be an extremely capable person. Her faults lie in her ability to connect emotionally with her peers. She is so fact based that she doesn’t see everyone else doesn’t think the same way she does. This causes some tension throughout the series and here on the train.
Luckily Ron, Harry and Hermione give each other a second chance and they become inseparable.
Draco Malfoy
This is the second time that Harry has met Malfoy but it is the first time that he is learning who he actually is. Harry finds out quickly that his first assessment of the boy from the robe shop was correct.
Draco will continue to be an adversarial character to Harry and one of the people he dreads seeing the most at Hagwarts.
Crabbe and Goyle
The two henchmen of Draco Malfoy are introduced the same way we see them the rest of the series. They are always flanking Malfoy, almost never speaking or having any charter traits for themselves. Much like their Death Eater fathers, they are there to serve, not to lead.
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