More Than Besties - Harmonie (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

The Journey to Hogwarts

Harry POV: King's Cross Station:

Hagrid and I are walking along a bridge at King's Cross Station, where I will board the train to Hogwarts. He's telling me more about the Wizarding World, especially about Quidditch, a Wizard sport I'd seen written on a shop in Diagon Alley. At some point, Hagrid looks down at his watch.

"Oh, is that the time," he says, "I better get going. Your train leaves at eleven, here's your ticket." He hands me a slip of paper with the time and platform for the train. I look down and notice something silly. Written on the ticket is 'Platform 9 3/4'.

"Hagrid," I start, "There must be a mistake. This says Platform 9 3/4, But there's no such thing, is there?" I look up to find that Hagrid has mysteriously disappeared. He couldn't have walked that fast.

Accepting that this is what the magical world is like, I try to find the platform. I walk over to where platform 9 is and find nothing but a support beam between platforms 9 and 10. I decide to ask a guard if he knows where the platform is.

"Excuse me," I say, "Do you know where I can find platform 9 3/4?" He looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Platform 9 3/4? Is this some kind of joke?" He rolls his eyes and walks away, leaving me clueless. I'm about to give up hope when I hear the word muggles from somewhere nearby. I look around until I find a family of redheaded people. Two of the redheads lunge forward and run into a wall. Unexpectedly, they go straight through it! That can't be possible! I must've imagined it. I walk up to the family, trying to be polite.

"Excuse me," I say to one of them, most likely the mum, "Can you tell me how to-" I don't want to finish my sentence, in case they aren't wizards and don't know what I'm talking about. Luckily, however, they do know.

"How to get on the platform?" I nod. "Oh, don't worry dear, it's Ron's first time too." I look to my left and see another boy my age standing there. "Now all you've got to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous."

Maybe I didn't imagine it. Maybe this is how things work for witches and wizards. I aimed myself perfectly in front of the wall and ran at it, just like the woman said to. It works and I end out on the other side of a solid wall. A solid wall! In front of me is a large steam train with a sign that reads "Hogwarts Express" hanging above it. I walk on the train after a person takes my trunk and find a seat.

Hermione POV:

I look down at my train ticket and see 'Platform 9 3/4. This really confuses my parents and me at first, but then Dad remembers McGonagall telling us that I have to run through a wall.

"She's supposed to run at a solid brick wall and it's supposed to magically let her pass through?" Mum says, not believing a word of it.

"The lady wasn't wrong about Diagon Alley, so she must be right about this, too," I respond. Mom reluctantly leads us to platform 9, and I line myself up with the wall between 9 and 10.

"What if it is a lie, what if it doesn't work? She going to hurt herself!" Mum says.

"There's only one way to find out," I say. "Bye Mum, Bye Dad! See you next year!" I wave at them and Mum blows a kiss, then I charge at the wall. It wasn't all a lie and I'm standing in a brand new platform.

Harry POV: on the Hogwarts Express:

I'm talking to the boy named Ron, and we are sharing the treats off the trolley, when a brown-haired girl comes over to our train compartment. She asks us if we've seen a toad, to which we both shake our heads, and sits down across from us, giving me a better view of her; her bushy hair and oversized front teeth. She does a spell to fix my glasses, which is really cool because I can't do any magic yet. She must be really good.

Her name is Hermione Granger, she tells me and Ron, and we chat for a while. Just then, the compartment door opens and a boy with blonde hair enters.

"Well, well, well. Who's this?" he says, staring at me.

"Harry Potter," I reply.

"So I've heard, Mr. Celebrity. Just don't be going around Hogwarts making everyone think that you're the best first year, because I come from a pureblood line of wizards, putting me above so many others." I can already tell I'm not going to like this boy much.

"By the way, my name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Ron sniggers, then Malfoy turns to him.

"You think my name is funny, I bet yours can't be much better." He examines Ron, scrutinizing him. "Red hair, hand-me-down robes, you must be a Weasley." He turns back to me. "These are the sort of people you associate yourself with? I would've expected better from the famous Harry Potter."

Malfoy turns to Hermione before leaving our compartment.

"See you around, gorgeous. Hope you're in my house." He struts out.

Hermione POV:

I'm on the train, reading Hogwarts: A History chapter 42 when a boy in a nearby seat named Neville yells.

"I've lost my toad!" I stand up, annoyed with the racket, and go to another compartment. There is one with a red-headed boy and a brown-haired boy with glasses.

"Have you seen a toad anywhere? A boy called Neville's lost his." I ask. I look at the boys and notice the redhead with his wand out.

"Are you doing magic," I ask him, "Let's see then." He clears his throat and aims his wand at his pet rat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter, mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!" He flails his wand, doing nothing but scaring the rat. It's a pathetic attempt at magic, and I know because I've already memorized all the course books by heart.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well it's not very good, is it?" I sit down in the seat across from them. "Of course, I only know a few basic spells. For example," I notice the brown-haired boy has broken glasses, and I know just the spell to fix them. "Oculus Reparo." The boy's glasses are instantly fixed, but I see something I hadn't before.

"You're Harry Potter!" Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. I had read about him in a book and how he survived dark magic when he was a baby, what an outstanding wizard he must be. He lifts up his hair to show the scar. Amazing!

"I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, and you are?"

"Ron Weasley," says the redhead, talking with food in his mouth.

"Pleasure." Just then, a skinny, blonde-haired boy comes over to our compartment. He makes a snide remark about both Harry and Ron, and I know from experience to not say anything, so I don't make things worse, in situations like these. The boy introduces himself as Draco Malfoy and turns to me before leaving.

"See you around, gorgeous. Hope you're in my house." Was he flirting with me? If he was, I certainly don't feel the same way about him. I don't want to hang out with mean people like him.