Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Farewell on the platform

The first of September came at once. When Tom woke up that day, there was a depressing atmosphere in the house, mainly because the family's only daughter was leaving to study in a strange world, but also because of the cloudy sky outside.

Hermione woke up at five in the morning, so excited and nervous that she couldn't go back to sleep. She sat up, curled up in a blue ball with her back on the bed and her arms around her knees. She saw the stuffed tiger on the bed watching her intently, so she picked up the doll in her arms, put the tiger's head on her chest and carefully brushed the stuffed animal's fur, then rubbed it, then messed it up, and so on.

"Tiger cub, I'm going to school in a faraway place, you'll have to bless me...," Hermione whispered a prayer as she pressed the tip of her nose against the tiger cub's. The doll's eyes were bright and hollow, as if to say, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little doll."

Hermione buried her head in the tiger's belly, the doll was scented and smelled good, Hermione took two deep breaths and calmed her mind. She glanced outside and, feeling it was time, jumped out of bed and put on the clothes she had prepared.

She put on a white shirt with a smart lady's tie, a gray sweater and a gray skirt. By the time she had finished dressing, it was already dawn. She opened her suitcase again and checked the items against the Hogwarts shopping list, making sure she had everything she needed before going to the bathroom.

When she emerged from the bathroom she met Tom, who looked ready to leave. Two hours later, their large, heavy suitcases were loaded into the Granger family car, with Mr. Granger driving, Tom in the passenger seat, and Hermione and Mrs. Granger sitting next to each other in the back. The four of them were on their way together.

Luckily, there was no traffic at the station and they arrived at King's Cross at half past ten. Mr. Granger put their luggage in the trolley and helped them into the station. European train stations are a little different in that they have no security checks or ticketing rooms, and the platform is a few steps from the outside.

The Granger family stopped between platforms 9 and 10.

"This is platform 9, that's platform 10, where is platform nine and three-quarter ticket?" Mr. Granger said with a scowl, "Haven't they had time to build it yet?"

As far as the eye could see, there was a large plastic sign with the number 9 on one platform, a large plastic sign with the number 10 on the other, and nothing but two tracks in between.

The joke wasn't funny and Hermione frowned, but then Tom nudged them, pointing towards a wall.

They saw a family standing by the wall, then furtively looked around for a moment, and the next thing they knew they were leaning against the wall... and then they were gone.

"I think that's the entrance." Tom saw a man dressed as a guard approaching them and hurriedly said, "Hurry up, don't miss the train to Hogwarts."

At the word 'Hogwarts', the guard stopped and went in the other direction.

They pushed the cart towards the wall, and Tom saw a large group of redheads approaching not far behind them, led by a short, plump woman with bright red hair. They were also pushing suitcase carts with an owl.

Tom smiled at them, and the fat woman leading the group smiled back and gestured for them to go first. So he and Hermione took a deep breath as they looked at the wall, which seemed very solid, and then they ran, closing their eyes as the wall got closer and closer, and then they 'ran through' the wall to Platform 9.

There was a dark red steam locomotive parked on the platform, and the platform was full of passengers with luggage bags.

The train's sign read Hogwarts Express.

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The platform was filled with the smoke of the steam locomotive, the hum of voices and the chirping of pets brought by young wizards and their families, and the first carriages were already full of students, some leaning out of the windows to talk to their families, others playing in their seats.

As soon as he entered, Tom's mind was alerted to the change taking place, and the second stage of the mission he had undertaken earlier in Diagon Alley had gone from 0/2 to 1/2.

Platform 9 at King's Cross station had also been unlocked.

Hermione was saying goodbye to her father and Mr. Granger gave her a big hug and a kiss on the forehead, by which time Tom had already taken the luggage into the compartment.

"Well, keep in touch!" Mr. Granger released his daughter, rubbed his eyes and watched her walk with Tom towards the train.

"Hermione, over here!" Tom found an empty compartment and, with a leap, jumped up, unlocked the door, placed the suitcases on the shelf and brought Hermione's luggage and his up, one by one.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled apologetically. She pulled a small bag from her bag, "Here, let me share some strawberries with you."

In Hermione's eyes, there was no such thing as a boy carrying a girl's things, even in England, where chivalry was the norm, there was no such thing as a boy of seven or eight boys to help with a girl's heavy luggage.

The two were soon sitting face to face in the compartment.

Hermione looked out the window and saw that Mr. Granger had drowned in the crowd, and what caught her eye was the group of redheads she had met earlier, one of the twins helping to carry suitcases, and the short, plump lady of their family wiping her youngest son's nose.

A young red-haired boy in a black Hogwarts robe with a shiny silver letter P on his chest was talking to them....

The whistle blew, the three teenagers boarded the train, leaned out the window to kiss their mother goodbye, and the little girl their mother was carrying cried again.

The train started to move. Hermione saw the children's mothers waving, her little sister running after the train, crying and running, until it sped up and fell behind, still waving to them. The crowd thinned on the platform, and she saw her father standing alone on the platform, a father she had never seen so alone and helpless.

Hermione's eyes watered and a crystalline tear escaped from the corner of her eye. But before it could cross her cheek, it was sucked away by a handkerchief. She saw Tom staring at her, handkerchief in hand.

"Hurry up and say hello to your father," Tom said.

Hermione came to her senses, opened the window, leaned out and waved to Mr. Granger, who saw her at once and waved goodbye until the train rounded the corner and they were out of sight.

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