The Clarkes arrived at King’s Cross Station an hour early because Claire absolutely refused to miss a magical train simply because it was parked behind an invisible wall.
Navigating the morning crowds with a cart carrying Adrian’s heavy leather trunk and a pewter cauldron strapped securely on top earned them several strange looks, but they eventually reached the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
Peter walked up to the solid brick pillar, stopped, and firmly tapped the masonry with his knuckles.
Claire gave him a flat look.
“Just checking if it was solid,” Peter said, quickly lowering his hand.
Following the instructions included with Adrian’s ticket, Peter pushed the cart forward, broke into a brisk walk, and vanished through the brickwork.
Claire took Adrian’s arm, drew a deep breath, and followed Peter through the barrier with him.
Brick filled Adrian’s vision for half a second.
Then the cart rolled onto another platform beneath clouds of white steam, surrounded by the roar of a scarlet engine and hundreds of overlapping voices.
The platform was packed with returning university students greeting one another after the summer.
Fitted uniforms, open academic robes, short skirts, heavy boots, trunks, owls, and loud reunions filled every available stretch of stone.
As they moved down the platform, Adrian spotted two tall, red-haired students fighting a losing battle with a battered trunk.
The trunk’s heavy brass latch kept violently snapping open and shut like a jaw, attempting to bite the ankles of anyone walking past.
Adrian tucked his robe box more securely beneath one arm and stepped closer.
The latch snapped again.
Adrian noticed the loose leather strap dragging beside the trunk and planted one foot on it before the lid could open fully.
The strap pulled tight, holding the lid down.
“Now,” Adrian said.
The two red-haired students shoved the latch closed together.
“Cheers,” the twin on the left said, wiping his forehead.
“Thought we were going to have to stun it.” The twin on the right offered Adrian his hand.
“I’m Fred.
This is George.” “I’m Fred,” the twin on the left corrected.
“He’s George.” Adrian shook the offered hand.
“Adrian Clarke.
And you’re testing me.” “Standard procedure for new faces,” the right-hand twin said.
“Which one am I?” Adrian pointed to the twin on the left.
“You’re George.” “Wrong.
I’m Fred.” “I know.
Fred is the one with blue ink on his left cuff.” Both twins looked down.
A dark stain marked the left twin’s sleeve.
They looked back at Adrian with matching grins.
“We’ve already been warned by three different professors before we even boarded the train,” the ink-stained twin said proudly.
“I’ll treat that as a recommendation,” Adrian replied.
Adrian set his robe box on top of the twins’ trunk and bent to help lift it.
The movement shifted the box lid open, revealing one corner of Madam Malkin’s private catalogue between the folded robes.
Its gold lettering was clearly visible.
George’s attention moved to it immediately.
He reached for it.
Adrian smoothly pulled the box back, tucking the catalogue firmly out of sight before George could flip the cover.
“What was that?” George asked, his curiosity instantly piqued.
“Required reading,” Adrian said mildly.
Adrian helped the twins drag their trunk into an empty compartment, then returned to the platform.
The next forty minutes passed quickly.
Peter helped Adrian load his own trunk into the same compartment, Claire bought three cups of tea from a platform stall, and Adrian answered the same questions about writing home, eating properly, and keeping his room clean several times.
By the time Claire checked Adrian’s ticket for the fourth time, only a few minutes remained before departure.
The train gave a loud warning whistle.
Steam hissed over the platform stones.
Claire stepped forward and straightened Adrian’s collar.
Then, unsatisfied, she smoothed it down and straightened it a second time.
Peter offered his hand, then pulled Adrian into a brief hug instead.
“Write to your mother,” he said.
“And do not test unknown magic on load-bearing walls.” “I won’t,” Adrian promised.
Claire held him a little longer than usual before finally stepping back.
“Christmas will arrive faster than you think,” Claire said.
Adrian nodded, although the castle suddenly felt much farther away than it had from his bedroom.
Adrian picked up his robe box and climbed aboard as the final warning whistle sounded.
He looked at the corner of his vision, half-expecting the system to congratulate him.
[MAIN MISSION: GO TO HOGWARTS] [Reach Hogwarts on September 1st] [Status: In Progress] The mission remained open.
Apparently, reaching the platform only counted as the beginning.
He waved to Claire and Peter through the glass as the train lurched forward and slowly pulled out of the station.
“Right then,” Fred said, sliding the compartment door open behind him.
Adrian turned around.
Both twins stood in the corridor wearing the same expectant grin.
Adrian looked at the twins, listened to the rhythmic clatter of the train tracks, and realized this journey was probably going to feel much longer than expected.
Adrian looked at the twins, listened to the rhythmic clatter of the train tracks, and realized this journey was probably going to feel much longer than expected.