05 Platform 9 3/4

Occurs during Chapter 6 – The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

 After that rather bizarre day you head up to your room. You look among the pile of strange new books in front of you thinking that you might just read a while before bed. The book ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ by Newt Scamander just seems to stand out to you. It is bright red with gold writing and has fake claw marks on the cover. You wonder just what is out there that maybe you don’t know about.

 You open the book and on the first page it says ‘This book belongs to’. This is a great time to try out your new eagle feathered quill. You go to your desk, open the bottle of blue ink and dip the quill in. At this point you wonder why they don’t use a fountain pen like at your old school, perhaps wizards have a thing for tradition? You write your name in the book and realise a quill is quite a fun thing to write with.

 You start to read the book and wonder if Newt Scamander got into these Fantastic Beasts purely because his name was Newt? As you start to read about what classifies as a beast you see werewolves, goblins, centaurs, trolls and more being mentioned. You think to yourself; ‘Is this a fiction book?’

 As you read, the need to sleep starts to take hold. Your mind starts to wander, thinking about magic, beasts and divination. Where have you heard about divination before? ‘Oh yeah, Lavender Brown mentioned it’. This whole magic thing feels very much like mythology. ‘Wasn’t Odin the god of divination, magic, death and wisdom? Huh, Odin, that would be a great name for my owl’. 

 You take one last look across the room as sleep starts to overcome you.  ‘Goodnight Odin’ you say, as you eyes close and you begin to dream of what may lay ahead.

 A few weeks later and it’s the 31st of August, the evening before you head for the train to Hogwarts. You have packed your trunk with your initials on the front. You have packed everything on the list and included your Walkman so you can listen to some music when you fancy. Strangely nothing electronic is included on the list so perhaps you’ll keep it quiet.

 Your parents have put fuel in the car, they are excited and a little sad to let you go for so long on your own. You are starting to feel pretty nervous and excited again. Thoughts about making or not making friends, maybe being lonely or missing home start to creep in.  You read a bit more of Fantastic Beasts again, you have read it three times already but it seems to help.

 The following day you wake up pretty early, excited and a little scared about the day ahead. You hope that you can meet Lavender Brown on the train and not that Draco boy. At least you’ll know someone.

 After breakfast you and your parents pack your trunk into the car. You strap Odin’s cage next to you in the back seat and you head for Kings Cross.

 After parking the car you head into the familiar station you have visited a number of times. You do feel a bit odd though, especially with an Owl in a cage. You take a look at your ticket and remember the words that Professor McGonagall said ‘Here is your train ticket to Hogwarts. Kings Cross, Platform 9 ¾ on the first of September. It’s between platforms 9 and 10.’

 You head to platforms 9 and 10 and all there is between them is a set of arches that run the length of the platform. You and your parents are stumped.

‘Perhaps it’s a bit like the entrance to that Diagon Alley. Does your ticket say anything about tapping stones?’ Says your dad.

 You read the ticket and there is nothing written about tapping stones. You look at the nearest wall and give it a shove. Nothing happens. You work your way down half the platform like this with no results. You start to wonder if you are really magical at all and maybe the platform isn’t visible to you. You parents stand around thinking and your mum goes to lean against the nearest arch wall for a rest while you look at the ticket again.

 You turn to ask you mum if she has any ideas when you realise she isn’t there. Suddenly her head pops out of the wall.

‘Look! I found it!’ says your mums head. ‘The wall is fake. Walk though, you wont believe what’s here.’

 You and your dad look at each other, cast and eye around you, shrug and run for the wall. 

 You shut your eyes just before impact but it never happens. You open them again just as your mum catches you.

 A huge scarlet steam engine is on the platform surrounded by people, owls and cats. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o’clock. You look behind you to see a wrought-iron archway where the wall had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.

 You start to realise that these wizarding folk really like to remain hidden.

 There was a boy with dreadlocks showing something in a box to a shrieking crowd of on-lookers. Another boy running around chasing a toad and you think you catch a glimpse of the boy who was with the giant in Diagon Alley. Harry you think his name was, or maybe Harold?

‘I think you need to get on’ says your dad laughing as you all stare in amazement at what is going on all around you.

 You stare at the crowd and you can’t see Lavender so you are just going to have to pick a carriage.

You can get clues about who is in what carriage from the book. For simplicity there is one compartment for first year students in each carriage.

Voting is closed

Which carriage will you chooseCarriage A is the Prefects carriage. You are not there yet.