Chapter 13
On September 1st, Albert woke up earlier than he usually would, at 6:00, and dressed himself. He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, making sure he was completely awake. I checked and checked again to see if I had packed everything. I didn't want to leave anything to chance, as today is the day. Today I am going to 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. Today is the day I officially step into the wizarding world. I just can't help it. I'm just so excited.
"Are you awake yet? If you have freshened up already, go downstairs to eat." Daisy yelled while barging into the room with a spatula in her hand. "Remember to leave your witch hat and robe on your luggage so you can carry them and get changed in the car."
"Brother, do you need to take Tom with you?" Nina asked with a tear forming in the corner of her eye, hugging the shorthair cat tightly.
"No. I think I'll let Tom stay here with you to keep you entertained," Albert replied.
"Where's Snow?" Nina asked
"She will fly to Hogwarts by herself and meet me there. I told her to leave as soon as I woke up. There is an owl house at Hogwarts where all owls stay, so she'll probably be there by the time I arrive at Hogwarts." Albert said he did not want to attract too much attention by carrying an owl with him.
Breakfast at the Andersons was simple today. They were served simple tea and toast with rich tea and digestive biscuits on the side. Herb gave Albert a considerable amount of galleons leftover from shopping to use when he arrived at Hogwarts or if there was a food stall on the train. After breakfast, the rest of the family put on outing clothes and got ready to leave, while Albert used the Levitation Charm to float all his baggage into the family car.
"Did you bring the camera with you?" Herb asked, "Your grandfather wants some pictures of Hogwarts."
"Yes, it's in my bag. I'll remember to write home and take photos once a week." Albert said, making sure he made a mental note to remain in contact with his family.
After this was done, the family boarded the car and made their way to Kings Cross Station. They arrived a few minutes before ten o'clock in the morning, and Herb helped Albert move everything into the cart provided by the station. Albert pushed the cart and led the family of four towards platforms 9 and 3/4. He probed the wall to see if it worked.
"Well, then... I think I'll go in by myself," Albert said, looking downtrodden.
"Remember to write and send a letter. Don't hesitate to ask for money if you need it," Herb said frantically, as if checking off a list in his head.
"Okay. Thanks dad." Albert responded, then looked towards his sister, who looked like she was about to cry, "Nina, what's wrong?"
"You're a meanie. I want to go too." Nina ran towards her brother and gave him the biggest hug in the whole wild world that she could muster.
"Don't mess around too much and cause trouble for mom and dad," he said while holding on to his emotional sister.
"I won't," Nina said as she turned around, pretending to be angry.
"My baby boy. I'll pick you up at the start of the Christmas holiday," Daisy said as she pulled her son into a hug and kissed him on the forehead. "We'll go skiing during the winter. How does that sound?"
"That sounds great, mom." That sounds great," Albert said as he gave his family one last look before walking through the wall.
"He disappeared!" Nina exclaimed as she ran towards her mother for a hug.
"Let's go. I'm sure he'll be okay, darling," Herb said as he comforted his wife and they left Kings Cross Station.
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Platform 9 3/4, Kings Cross Station
On the other side of the brick wall, Albert found himself staring down a 4-6-0 Hall Class steam locomotive, model number GWR 5900. It looked quite impressive. On the side, it read 'Hogwarts Express'. There weren't as many people here as Albert expected. However, he did arrive one hour before departure time. After entering the new platform, a prompt popped up, notifying him that he had earned 100 experience points for discovering platform 9 3/4.
Although he had just received some experience points, he had no time for his mind to wander as people now started to appear from the wall behind him. The place where the ticket gate should have been was now replaced with a Victorian archway with 'platform 9 3/4' engraved above it. Sure enough, the surroundings perfectly matched the description in the original book.
He then pushed his cart to the next available open carriage door and entered the train. It wasn't long before he found an empty compartment, dropped off his luggage, and returned the cart before getting comfortable. He used a Levitation Charm to put his luggage in the overhead compartment space and then got changed into his Hogwarts robe. He opened the window to get some fresh air, and not long after, Snow flew in and sat beside him. It seemed we did not prepare the owl to brace the harsh Scottish gales.
"What a clever little girl!" Albert said as he poured some owl food into his hand for Snow to eat. "I almost forgot." Albert jumped up and placed the owl food down. He retrieved his luggage and found his camera before running back onto the platform and taking pictures of the train. He couldn't believe that he almost forgot, and he made his way back to his carriage.
He sat by the windows, looking out absent-mindedly. He slowly fell into a daydream, watching people walk past his window. As time went on, more people filled the platform, and the platform became bustling with activity. At that moment in time, he saw a raindrop on this window and looked up to see rain clouds forming. He was chuffed with himself for deciding to come before the rain landed. "I swear it always rains on the journey to Hogwarts in the movies."
The witches and wizards on the platform held umbrellas in one hand and waved to their children with the other. I wonder, how many named characters will I meet here? Albert expected the answer to be zero, as he arrived before the majority of witches and wizards, so he should miss Weasley, Diggory, and the Saviour himself. The rain outside got heavier and heavier, so Albert decided to close the window. Snow had already fallen asleep after eating too much. Albert got a chocolate bar out of his bag and started to munch, and it started to become noisy outside his carriage. He opened and read 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble' to pass the time. In fact, he has read it multiple times since he got it and performed every spell in the book at least once with the help of Gabriel.
"The Hogwarts Express will depart in 3 minutes," the speakers announced all throughout the train. Looking out onto the platform, Albert saw the Weasley family saying their goodbyes. Albert turned around to face the door. Someone just knocked. Who was it?