Case of the Cintimani Stone: A Hammer Mystery

Chapter 6

The September weather outside of King's Cross station reminded the Hammer of a ruddy little nowhere airstrip in French Morocco - but even with that feeling of grounding, there was a sense of being out of order. He had woken in the darkness of the morning and finished what little remained of his packing, choosing to wear his hat and coat to the station instead of the wizarding robes that would be his school uniform. He could change on the train if it mattered that much to them. They had arrived an hour and a half early, leaving more than enough time to wile away the peculiarities of wizards and say their goodbyes.

Petunia was more doting than when she had brought him home from that grade school fight - taking extra time to wipe away the smudge marks she was leaving when she hugged him. The idea had never really sunk in before that she was the last blood relation he had left and he would be leaving her and his whole life that he had known before behind when he boarded that train.

Grant had done his best to look stern and proud, but even that facade had begun to crack when he embraced his son. When he let go, Grant pressed something small and metallic into the Hammer's hand, letting go of it and standing after giving his hair one last tousle.

"What's this?" Harry asked, turning his hand to look at it.

It was a small brass rectangle with years of patina on it. Harry opened up the lighter to see that it had a fresh wick and flint.

"It was mine back from when I smoked," Grant replied with a little cough, "I figured if these wizard blokes want to fool around and say magic won't let our stuff work, you can find out if they can stop fire."

The Hammer grinned in response and hugged his father again.

"Thanks, Dad." The Hammer was gladly on the case.

Harry checked his watch, a mechanical one they had gotten him earlier in the summer after discussing the same idea, and realised it was almost time to go.

"Remember, Harry if -" Petunia was still all anxiety.

"Any trouble I can't handle, come home. I know, but I've got a job to do too. Where I'm going, you can't follow." The Hammer had been practicing this one in front of the mirror, "What I've got to do, you can't be any part of, mum. I'm no good at being noble but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that."

His mother was smiling with glistening eyes, and Grant was doing his best to contain laughter at Harry's pitch perfect impression. Petunia lifted up his hat and kissed him on the forehead and spoke, "Here's looking at you, kid."

Harry rolled the luggage behind him, taking out the ticket and looking at it again. He hadn't mentioned it was platform 9 ¾ to them, that felt like it was meant to be the first mystery for him to solve as his introduction into the world of magic. World of Magic. He rolled it around again just to get comfortable with the idea.

He stood with his back against a column and watched the pillar separating platform 9 & 10, pulling his hat down and taking notice of the people walking around him. It was his first test as a wizard and as a detective and he didn't want to fail.

"-packed with muggles, of course-" Harry watched a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of the boys was pushing a plain trunk, and one of them had an owl.

"Now what's the platform's number?" the woman asked,

"Nine and three-quarters!" the small girl holding her hand replied squeakily, "Mum, can't I go..."

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."

The oldest of the boys marched towards platforms nine and ten. Harry tilted his hat up to see just to make sure he wouldn't miss it. A crowd of tourists passed by between his position and the direction the eldest boy was walking - by the time they had cleared, the boy was gone. Harry said a word he had caught his father saying under his breath, it did make him feel just a little better about the situation.