Hogwarts Herald

Upon reading again the Journey from Platform Nine and Three Quarters, I am tense with excitement for Harry. After his adventure in Diagon Alley with Hagrid, he recieves his train ticket. He spends the next month at home with the Dursleys who have taken to ignoring him completely. While this is a pleasant change from being abused daily, it does get waring after awhile. Fortunately he has the pleasant distraction of reading his school books and becoming fast friends with Hedwig. When Harry finally does find the nerve to ask for a ride to the train station, however, he is met with ridicule. Not for asking, the Dursleys are all to happy to have him out of their home. No the jeering comes from the fact that his train leaves from platform Nine and Three Quarters. Mr. Dursley calls it rubbish, that there is no such platform, but sure, he’ll take him. After all, they have to go to London the next day anyway. Why? To get Hagrid’s gift to Dudley surgically removed from his rear end before he goes off to school, of course…

“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 Nicholas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.”

Once Harry makes it to the train station, he is filled with trepidation. His uncle, the wonderful man he is, has left him standing between platforms 9 and 10, with no other platform in sight. Neither has the security guard ever heard of Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Poor Harry is lost, with only ten measly minutes before the train is set to leave the station. Finally, casting around in desperation, he notices a family of 4 boys, one girl, and a plump pleasant mom. All with flaming red hair. Upon hearing them mention Muggles, Harry decides that they must know where they are going. After watching them for a moment though, disappearing one after the other, he still can’t quite figure out how they are doing it. Finally he walks up to the mom, and she realizes that he’s a bit bewildered. She explains that he should run at the barrier between platforms 9 & 10, and he will make it through. Harry has his doubts, but does as she says, and comes out clean, in a new platform, with a scarlet steam engine called the Hogwarts Express waiting.

The red headed twins, Fred and George, kindly help Harry haul his trunk into the train, and while doing so happen to notice his scar. Impressed and amazed that he is Harry Potter, they go back and tell their mom & little sister. Ginny, the little girl, wants desperately to meet him, and then her mom reminds her that she already did, and that he is not a zoo animal to be gawked at. The eldest of the gingers, comes out with his full robes flowing and says that he will be in the front of the train, as the prefects have their own cars. The twins taunt Percy the Prefect mercilessly about the fact that he hasn’t stopped reminding them that he is a prefect. They seem a normal, loving, happy family. I can imagine that Harry, while looking at them, was feeling a mixture of longing and jealousy for what they had. After all, if you were him wouldn’t you?

Once Harry made his way onto the train and found a seat in an empty car, the youngest boy of that same family joined him, hoping for a place to sit. The twins poke their heads in, and formally introduce themselves as Fred & George Weasley, and their younger brother Ron. Ron and Harry are both first years at Hogwarts. After the twins leave, Ron just can’t control himself and asks if he really is Harry Potter. He thinks that his brothers are just messing with him. And with brothers that had to be warned by their mom not to blow up any toilets, I don’t blame him. Harry confirms that he is indeed the famous boy, and that no, he doesn’t remember anything about that fateful night except a flash of green light. The boys spend the train ride getting to know each other. Ron has five brothers and one sisther to be exact, and is siffering from typical middle child syndrome. Afraid he won’t do as well as his brothers, but knowing that even if he does it won’t be a huge celebration because 5 others have done it before him. His family, like most large families, has a hard time living with the expenses of so many growing children and Ron is quit self conscious of his lack of spare money. Harry, who has lived on hand-me-downs his entire life, can relate quite well and the boys become quick friends. They share candy, in a bonding experience unique to the world of children. Harry opens up a Chocolate Frog, and gets a bit of a shock when the picture on trading card depicting their very own headmaster, disappears. To Ron, it’s simple common sense, “you can’t expect him to hang around all day…”. Harry is fascinated at the pictures moving, and Ron is just as fascinated at the fact that Muggle pictures don’t.

The meet several other students on the train, including a pudgy boy who keeps losing his toad. His name is Neville, and at one point he is escorted by a frizzy haired know it all by the name of Hermione Granger. She has already memorized all of her school books, and tried several spells. All of which have worked perfectly. She is born to a Muggle family, and was shocked and pleased when she got her Hogwarts Letter. She then spent quite a bit of time, it seems, reading up on wizarding as a whole. Where she got the time when she was also memorizing her school books, one can only imagine. Harry and Ron also encounter Draco Malfoy again, and meet his cronies Crabbe & Goyle. Draco comes into their car and immediately begins insulting Harry’s new friend telling Harry that some wizarding families are better than others. Harry advises Draco, that he can figure out “the right sort” on his own thankyouverymuch… They nearly come to blows right there on the train on their way to their fist day of school, but then Scabbers (Ron’s hand-me-down Rat) jumps up and bites one of the boys hard. It seems Scabbers is good for something after all!!!

Soon enough the train makes it to it’s stop, and all of the be-robed children climb off. They are apprised to leave their bags on the train, and the first years all all gathered by Hagrid. They make their way down a treacherous slope to small boats. Four children to each boat please, and Harry and Ron are joined by Hermione and Neville. They get their first sight of the spectacular structure that is Hogwarts Castle, as their boats slowly make their way across a lake, as smooth as glass. They enter the castle grounds through a cavern covered by a curtain of hanging ivy. Hagrid ushers them all off the boats, and knocks hard on the enormous wooden door…

I can’t wait to see what happens next!!! Please, share with me your thoughts on this chapter. How do you like the characters so far? Who is your favorite? What do you think will happen next? Any thoughts at all?