His last month with the Dursleys before leaving for Hogwarts felt like slow motion to Harry. After experiencing even a glimpse of what he imagined to be paradise, returning to the dreary, magicless existence of Privet Drive was unbearable. The Dursleys had taken to ignoring him entirely, which, while preferable to being shouted at or ordered around, did little to console him. At least he no longer faced the horrors of being locked in the cupboard under the stairs or the threat of their fists. Still, the days dragged on and on.
Harry found some solace in Hedwig, the snow owl Hagrid had given him, and in his schoolbooks, which he devoured late into the night. He spent countless hours imagining his life at Hogwarts—living among children his own age, far from the misery of the Dursleys, learning magic, and discovering a world so far removed from the one he'd always known. His thoughts often drifted to Daphne, the girl he'd met in Diagon Alley. Did she feel the same mix of anticipation and nerves? He resolved to find her on the platform—after all, she was the first and only one of his future classmates he'd met.
Finally, the long-awaited morning of September 1st arrived. Harry was awake before dawn, pacing his small room. By the time the Dursleys rose, he was already ready to leave. After some grumbling and complaints, they drove him to King's Cross Station, leaving him there with his luggage and a curt goodbye. Harry had persuaded them to arrive early; he wanted to be sure he had plenty of time to find Platform 9 ¾. Hagrid's explanation had seemed straightforward enough, but Harry preferred to err on the side of caution.
Passing through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 was an unforgettable moment. As he stepped through, he was greeted by the sight of a gleaming scarlet steam engine waiting beside a bustling platform. The Hogwarts Express was as magnificent as he'd imagined. The platform itself was still relatively quiet, with only a handful of families hurriedly making final preparations.
At the far end of the platform, Harry's eyes fell on a petite figure with honey-blonde hair seated atop a large suitcase. Daphne. She looked just as he remembered—reserved and composed. Curious as to why she was alone, Harry made his way over, pushing his luggage cart ahead of him.
"Hello, Daphne!" he called out cheerfully as he approached.
Daphne opened her eyes and regarded him with a neutral expression. "Good morning, Mr. Potter. I see you found the platform."
Harry laughed. "Why so formal? You can just call me Harry."
She paused, as if considering his request, then gave a small nod. "Agreed."
"You're here early," he said, trying to keep the conversation going. "The train doesn't leave for over an hour. Are your parents not here?"
Daphne's face remained impassive. "They dropped me off and left. And you?"
"Same," Harry replied, feeling a pang of relief that her parents weren't around. Their last meeting had been tense, especially with her father. "My relatives are Muggles. They're not exactly thrilled about all this."
"I see," Daphne said simply. Her tone didn't invite further elaboration, but Harry pressed on.
"So... is everyone in your family magical?" he asked, eager to learn more about her and the wizarding world.
"Yes," Daphne replied. "My parents and my younger sister are all magical."
"Then you must know loads about magic already," Harry said enviously.
"I've seen a lot, but I haven't done any magic myself," she admitted.
"Still, you're miles ahead of me," Harry said with a grin. "I didn't even know I was a wizard until Hagrid told me. I didn't know anything about my parents or Voldemort either."
At the mention of the name, Daphne's eyes widened slightly. "You… you say his name?"
Harry shrugged. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to. I'm not trying to be brave or anything. I just… didn't know."
Daphne studied him for a moment before offering a rare piece of advice. "Pull yourself together. The school year hasn't even started yet. Work hard, and you'll be fine. Magic is about training and practice as much as anything else. Laziness won't get you far."
Harry smiled, encouraged by her words. "Would you study with me at Hogwarts?"
"Let's see which houses we're sorted into first," she replied noncommittally.
Before Harry could ask more, Daphne pointed toward the train. "The doors are open. We should board."
Together, they hoisted their luggage onto the train and found an empty compartment. Once settled, Daphne pulled out her Transfiguration textbook, and Harry followed suit, the two of them soon engrossed in their reading.
Time passed quietly until a woman with a snack trolley appeared at their door. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" she asked with a warm smile.
Harry, who hadn't had breakfast, eagerly jumped up. "Can you recommend something, Daphne?"
"I don't eat sweets," she said dismissively.
Undeterred, Harry bought a bit of everything and returned with an armful of treats. He sampled them eagerly, particularly enjoying the chocolate frogs, though their lifelike movements startled him. Eventually, after much cajoling, Daphne accepted a few sweets. Despite her initial reluctance, she seemed to enjoy them, much to Harry's amusement.
Their compartment was interrupted twice more—first by Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom, searching for Neville's lost toad. Hermione's rapid-fire questions and declarations left Harry and Daphne both overwhelmed. Then, by Draco Malfoy, flanked by his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy's condescending remarks about "blood traitors" were met with icy disdain from Daphne and firm rejection from Harry.
Finally, as the train began to slow, Harry and Daphne donned their Hogwarts robes. Arriving at Hogsmeade Station, they stepped off the train into the cool evening air and followed Hagrid to the boats. As they crossed the lake, the towering silhouette of Hogwarts Castle came into view, its windows glittering like stars. Harry gazed up at it in awe, silently vowing to remember this moment forever.
Chapter 2 down. Let me know what you guys think below.
I do not have a p@t r30n like many of the other people I see posting on this platform, but if you guys enjoyed my work and would like to donate to me, I would highly appreciate any Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) donations if anyone here plays! I recently got into the game and have been sucked in lol. I would be grateful for anything, gun skins, charms, stickers, cases, agent skins, you name it! (Gloves/Knives would be awesome if you are extra generous lol). I'll plug my alt accounts steam trade link here as I'd like to keep my personal life private haha(remove the space after the //): https:// steamcommunity.com/tradeoffer/new/?partner=172854453&token=C6tZ-Zrq