The Boys Who Lived | The Philosopher's Stone | (Hermione X Male Reader)

Chapter 6: The Journey From Platform Nine And Three-Quarters

Harry and Y/N's final month with the Dursleys wasn't enjoyable. True, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't lock them in their cupboard, compel them to do anything, or yell at them; in fact, they didn't even speak to them. And Dudley was now so terrified of them, so much so that he wouldn't stay in the same room as them. They acted as though any chairs with Y/N or Harry in them were empty, half-frightened, half-enraged. Although this was an improvement in many aspects, it eventually started to seem a little melancholy.

With only each other and their brand-new owls for company, the boys remained in their room. Harry had chosen to give his owl the name Hedwig, which he had discovered in A History Of Magic. Y/N had decided to call his owl O/N. It was a very odd name but he liked it at least. Their school books were quite fascinating. Hedwig and O/N swooped in and out of the open window as they pleased while they read in bed late into the night. Aunt Petunia's decision to stop hoovering their room was fortunate because the owls kept bringing back dead mice. The boys marked down another day on the piece of paper they had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first, each night before they went to bed.

They went downstairs to the living room, where they were watching a quiz show on television, on the last day of August, thinking they should talk to their aunt and uncle about going to King's Cross station the following day. Dudley shrieked and bolted from the room as Y/N cleared his throat to let them know they were there.

"Er - Uncle Vernon?"

Uncle Vernon grunted to indicate he was paying attention.

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

Uncle Vernon grunted again.

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

Grunt. They believed that to be a yes.

Uncle Vernon began to speak just as they were about to go back upstairs.

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

Harry and Y/N remained silent.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"We don't know."

For the first time, the boys realised they didn't know where it was. They examined the train tickets Hagrid had provided for them.

"We just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock."

Their aunt and uncle stared.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters."

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

"It's on our tickets."

"Barking," Uncle Vernon said, "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?"

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

The following morning at five o'clock, Y/N and Harry woke up but couldn't fall back asleep due to their excitement and nervousness. They stood up and put on their jeans since they planned to change on the train rather than enter the station wearing their wizard robes. They double-checked the supplies on their Hogwarts list, made sure their owls were securely fastened in their cages and waited for the Dursleys to wake up. Two hours later, they had their enormous, hefty trunks loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia persuaded Dudley to sit next to Harry and Y/N and were ready to leave.