The Potters

3

Chapter 3:
Hogwarts Express

The Boys's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of them he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut them in his cupboard, force them to do anything, or shout at them-- in fact, they didn't speak to them at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry or Carlos in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.

The brothers kept to their room, with their new owl for new company. Harry had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic, and Carlos call his Hubert. Their school books were very interesting. They lay on their bed reading late into the night, Hedwig and Hubert swooping in and out of the open window as they pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before they went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first. Carlos was learning more and more about the wizarding world, the most fascinating subject for him must be potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

On the last day of August harrt thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.

"Er -- Uncle Vernon?"

Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.

"Er -- I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to -- to go to Hogwarts."

Uncle Vernon grunted again.

"Would it be all right if you give us a lift?"

Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.

"Thank you."

He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.

"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

Harry didn't say anything.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.

"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.

His aunt and uncle stared.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters."

"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."

"It's on my ticket."

"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."

"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.

"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep, he decided to prepare himself then wake up his brother. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes -- he'd change on the train,He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage and so is hubert, and then paced the room, waiting for his brother and the Dursleys to get up. One hour later, Carlos woke up and started to get dressed, good thing he decided to buy clothes while going around shopping with hagrid.