The Ravenclaw Nine || BTS Harry Potter AU

Chapter 10

Chloe's Point of View

"Where the heck is Platform 9 ¾?"

Jaelyn couldn't hide her frustration as they stood in the empty space between platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station. Chloe sighed wistfully upon noticing that Jungkook loyally clutched his sister's hand to prevent them from getting separated – she wished she had even one sibling that cared for her like that. Lately, it seemed like the only purpose she served was to keep her five younger brothers and sisters from squabbling. A touch of hope ignited in her chest as she remembered that, from then on, the burden would be passed from her shoulders.

That is, if they could find Platform 9 ¾.

"Excuse me, sir." Jaelyn stopped a passing conductor by tugging on his sleeve. "Do you know where we might find Platform 9 ¾?"

His beady eyes squinted. "Pardon?"

"Platform 9 ¾, sir – where is it located?"

He scoffed and straightened, smoothing down his jacket. "Are you some kind of idiot, or what?"

"Idiot?" Jaelyn was genuinely baffled, but the train conductor seemed to have too little patience to tolerate her innocent question.

"We are sorry to bother you, sir," Chloe said quickly. "We must have misread our tickets." She fisted the material of Jaelyn's wool coat and yanked her away from the situation. Jungkook stumbled backward, still gripping his sister's hand tightly.

"What did you do that for?" Jaelyn scowled as the train conductor mumbled something about defects of the Silent Generation and continued his stroll down the platform.

"That conversation was not going to end well, and we can't afford any trouble."

"We are a group of eleven-year-olds trying to board a train on a platform that doesn't exist. How much more trouble could you ask for?" Jungkook pointed out, leaning closer so that Chloe could hear him over the jumble of train whistles and frantic late passengers.

Across the platform, a boy and girl conversed thoughtfully. Their discussion peaked the trio's curiosity.

"9 ¾? That can't exist, can it?"

"And yet it does."

"Where?"

"Right there."

"In those three children?"

"No – behind them, you idiot."

The wealthy-looking duo approached them from across the platform. The girl had endearing round cheeks and curious eyes that directly contrasted with her sharp tone and grim expression. They seemed to be the same age as Chloe, but the boy was already handsome. His sharp jawline slimmed his chubby cheeks, and his hair was styled meticulously. They both wore tailored clothes and struggled to walk with the weight of the luggage they trailed on carriers behind them.

"Excuse us," the girl said. "We are trying to walk through that border, so if you could move, that would be great."

"Hold on," the boy hushed her softly, his eyes fixated on Chloe. A pink flush dusted across her cheeks at his intense gaze. "You three look lost. Can we help?"

"I overheard you talking about Platform 9 ¾," Jaelyn said.

"Yeah. What about it? You also think it doesn't exist?" the girl challenged, seeming anxious to conclude their conversation.

"Quite the opposite, actually. We need to find it. The three of us have recently been accepted to Hogwarts."

The girl's scrutinizing gaze scanned them up and down before settling on Jaelyn with a somewhat friendly smile. "Well, if you are trying to find Platform 9 ¾, you have come to the right place. My name is Nadya Mercier, and this is Jimin Park. From the looks of you, this is your first year at Hogwarts?"