HP: Hogwart's Journey

September 1, King's Cross Station.

Cliff stared at the ticket Robert had handed him with an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?" The information on the ticket was oddly perplexing. 

A one-way ticket from London to Hogwarts, Platform 9 3/4. 

At that moment, they were standing at a very peculiar spot. A tall brick wall towered in front of them, with a large plastic sign reading "9" on the left side and "10" on the right. Yet, in between, there was nothing at all. 

The train was set to depart at 11:00, so the question was: where was the platform? And more importantly, where was the train? 

Robert knew exactly where the platform was, but the problem was that he wasn't supposed to know. He could've used the excuse that "my parents left a diary with all the details," but Robert decided to go with another explanation. 

"Fred said they'd try to get here a little earlier. We'll go together since first-timers wouldn't know how to get on the platform," Robert explained, silently mocking the Weasley family's tendency to be forgetful. 

If he recalled correctly, they had made four trips back and forth when Ginny started school! This time, it was Fred and George both heading to school. He figured that 10:49 might be their limit. 

At 10:48, Robert saw a large group of redheads approaching. 

"Ah, they really did come early," Robert muttered, lazily greeting the Weasley family. 

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley, good morning, Mr. Weasley, good morning Charlie, your badge is quite fancy, congratulations on becoming prefect. Good morning Fred, George, Ron, Ginny..." Robert paused as he noticed the last person. He had not seen Percy in Diagon Alley last time. 

Seeing Robert's puzzled expression, Mrs. Weasley quickly started the introduction. 

"Good morning, Robert, this is Percy," she said in a hurried tone. "Oh, dear, time's running out. You can chat on the train! Hurry up, children, get on!" 

Seeing this, Cliff was about to walk over to see Robert off, but Mrs. Weasley stopped him. 

"Oh, Cliff, my friend, thank you so much for what happened in Diagon Alley. You know, we've been struggling with the kids—clothes, shoes, books, wands… Oh, I shouldn't be going on about this, but we really appreciate it. Maybe it seemed like a small favor to you, but to us, it meant so much..." Mrs. Weasley choked up, prompting the little redheads and Mr. Weasley to step forward and comfort her. 

"Alright, alright, you two hurry up. The train is about to leave. Oh, what was I going to say... Oh yes, Cliff, Elsa, it seems your hopes might be dashed. You see, Platform 9 is a hidden platform, only accessible to wizards and witches. As Muggles, you might…" She didn't finish her sentence, but Cliff and Elsa understood. 

"Looks like we're not quite ready to uncover the mysteries of the wizarding world yet," Cliff shrugged. "Kid, remember to write to us when you get to school." 

"Don't worry, I'll see them on the train and come back!" Mr. Weasley promised, patting his chest. 

Robert waved to them, then bid farewell to the rest of the Weasley family before following George and running into the wall between platforms. 

This was the entrance to Platform 9 3/4, the future holy ground for many fans of the series. 

A slight pressure and darkness enveloped them, and when the light returned, they found themselves on the new platform. 

The station was packed with travelers. A deep red steam locomotive was parked on the tracks, its sign reading "Hogwarts Express." Looking up, Robert saw an iron arch above the columns, labeled "Platform 9 3/4" 

Robert silently thought to himself, *Hogwarts, here I come.* 

By now, it was 10:58. They weren't paying attention to the train carriages and hurriedly boarded the train. 

With the twins' help, Robert quickly stowed his luggage—though it wasn't much to begin with. 

After a quick wave to Mr. Weasley, they hadn't even found their seats before the train started moving. 

The three of them walked down the long aisle and found an empty compartment at the back of the train. 

"My gosh, we almost missed the train!" Fred exclaimed, patting his chest with relief. 

George, too, wore a frightened expression. 

They settled their luggage and were about to talk about their recent adventures when the door was suddenly pulled open from the outside. 

"Fred, George," came the voice of their brother Percy. He didn't even look at Robert but addressed Fred and George. "I have to remind you both, once we're at Hogwarts, you'd better behave. If you pull any pranks in front of me, I'll write straight to Mum." 

Fred turned to his brother, "What pranks have we pulled at Hogwarts?" 

His brother shrugged and gave a helpless look. 

"See, Percy," Fred said happily, "we haven't even reached Hogwarts yet. By the way, have you seen our new robes?" 

He stood up and spun around in front of Percy, making Percy's face turn pale. 

"And the shirts," George added, removing his robe to reveal a bright orange shirt paired with beige suspenders. The outfit made him look tall and slim. 

"Of course, we also have these beautiful shoes." The twins proudly displayed their shiny black leather shoes, made from some unknown magical creature's hide. 

Percy's face had gone as dark as a kettle, and he slammed the door shut, marching off. The sound of the twins high-fiving echoed behind him. 

Robert couldn't help but laugh at these two. They explained, "Robert, you'd better stay away from Percy. Ever since Bill became Head Boy, he's started thinking he's the prefect now. Oh no, he's always acted like the prefect." 

George mimicked Percy's voice, "Fred, George, if you mess with Ron again, I'll tell Mum!" 

"Oh, come on, prefects don't run to their mums whenever something happens," Fred teased. "They only report to professors!" 

The two of them burst into laughter. 

"Alright, Robert, how've you been lately?" Fred changed the topic. "Thanks to you, we got brand-new wands." 

As they spoke, both twins drew their wands. Robert wasn't a wood expert, so he couldn't immediately tell what wood their wands were made from, but he could tell that both wands felt very similar. 

(End of Chapter)