The Hogwarts Letter

Chapter 7

Hermione and her parents stood in King's Cross, right between Platforms 9 and 10. Around them swarmed ordinary people, on their way to work or school. Hermione was already beginning to think of them as Muggles. Carefully, she approached the barrier that Dumbledore said would admit them to the wizarding world. She leaned into it and fell into an entirely different place. She looked around, grinning.
A big red steam engine stood waiting, smoke already puffing from its top. Many children, ranging from her age to about seventeen, were in various stages of getting on the train. Some wore robes, others normal clothing, and some had outfits in between the two. She saw owls, cats, rats, toads, and even something that was blowing smoke in cages. Huge trunks, each one unique, were everywhere. Families stood on the platform, waving to their children. They were even stranger than their kids---Hermione saw one family who all had purple skin and shaved heads. The platform was chaos. Hermione loved it.
She turned around as her parents fell through the barrier, looking disoriented. Hermione watched their eyes go wide as they took in all the wizards. Then she caught sight of the clock. "Oh no! I'd better get on the train. It leaves at 11 o'clock exactly, you know."
They nodded and trailed behind her as she hurried towards the train. Hermione almost quailed from the kids who were hanging out at the entrance, but instead pushed her shoulders back and hurried through them. She hated feeling like she didn't belong. But hopefully this feeling wouldn't persist for long.
Her parents stayed outside, mingling with the crowd. She found an empty compartment and heaved her trunk up onto the luggage rack. Hermione pulled a few books, her robes, and some money out of it, and left those on the seat as she went out to say goodbye to her parents. It took her a minute to find them, and then she saw them chatting with another couple who also looked perfectly normal. Probably the parents of a Muggleborn. She walked over to them, and her parents introduced her to the couple, who were the mother and father of a Ravenclaw second year. Hermione had read all about the houses in Hogwarts: A History and some other books, and it was her favorite house. She hoped she would be sorted into there.
Her parents broke off their conversation to hug her. "Goodbye, Hermione! Have a good year! See you at Christmas! Don't forget to write! You said you could send a letter with school owls, right? We love you! Have fun!"
The whistle blew and Hermione ran towards the train. She leapt on and hurried to her compartment. As she stared out the window at her waving parents, a lump grew in her throat. She wouldn't see them for three months, and she was heading into something completely foreign, utterly unknown. But if anything, Hermione Granger was up for a challenge. Yes, she was.