Harry Potter Returns to Hogwarts

Chapter 3- The Last Train to Hogwarts

King's Cross Station was crowded and noisy. The usual throngs of weekend travelers bustling to and fro gave Harry a surprising sense of comfort. It was a lot harder to attract attention when there were lots of people about. Soon enough, Harry, Ginny, and Lily were standing between platforms nine and ten, staring at the brick barrier.

As they watched, families, small and large, as well as single students blithely approached what appeared to be a solid wall and were just sort of swallowed by it. Harry kept glancing around, certain that someone would take notice that scores of people had disappeared into thin air. It never ceased to amaze Harry how truly ignorant Muggles could be. The packs of Londoners, consumed in their own affairs, went blissfully about their way, completely mindless of the magic going on right under their noses.

"Sort of makes you wonder how they survived this long, doesn't it?" Ron observed as he and Arthur approached the barrier. He greeted Harry with a friendly handshake and his sister with a heartfelt hug. Meanwhile Lily greeted her cousin Arthur by sticking her tongue out at him while he rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh, very mature."

When all the greetings were over, Ron and Harry both cast around last glances before the party advanced on the barrier. Ron and Arthur went through first, followed shortly by Harry, Ginny, and Lily. As Harry emerged from the barrier, the smell of smoke and metal nearly brought him to tears. He stood there silently, eyes closed, allowing the wonderful scents and sounds to wash over him. This was the first time he had been to platform nine and three-quarters since his final ride home after finishing school at Hogwarts. A rather persistent tugging at the sleeve of his robes interrupted Harry's nostalgic journey.

"Come ON, Daddy. I want to get a good seat," Lily demanded

Harry shook the memories from his mind and muttered, "Oh, yeah, sure, sweetheart."

Ron and Harry packed the two trunks in short order and Harry stepped back onto the platform where Ginny waited. He and Ron had been given special permission to arrive at Hogwarts that evening by means of the Express. Ginny, however, had chosen not to accompany them, stating, "You and Ron haven't spent time alone together in quite awhile. It'll be good for the both of you." When Harry had replied that he and Ron didn't need 'quality time', as it wasn't as if they were married, he distinctly thought he heard Ginny whisper, "Could have fooled me." After kissing his wife goodbye, he boarded the Hogwarts Express for what he knew would be the last time.

It seemed to Harry that his mind would burst open with the flood of memories that came to him as the train pulled out of the station. Harry could smell the musty odor of the upholstery underneath the warm fragrances of the polishes used to keep the wood and brass clean. The clattering of the train's wheels on the track, the opening and closing of compartment doors, and the rhythmic rocking of the cars as the Hogwarts Express made its way to its destination all gave Harry an abiding sense of comfort. Beneath all this was the familiar chattering of students. Smiling contentedly to himself, Harry made his way along the compartment doors and began searching for Ron. After finding several compartments full of students of varying ages that he did not know, Harry finally opened one door to discover his daughter holding a captive audience of three other girls. One frightened looking young lady, obviously another first-year, nearly jumped through the window when Harry opened the door. The other two were older. Harry guessed that they were probably in their third or fourth year. Both of the older girls were staring pointedly at Harry. It took Lily a moment to realize that her animated conversation was no longer having its intended effect. She turned towards the door and goggled at the unexpected appearance of her father.

"Have you seen your uncle Ron?" Harry inquired.

"No, Daddy, I haven't," Lily replied through gritted teeth. "Now, if you will please excuse me, I am rather busy." It was clear from her tone and the rather pleading expression on her face that Lily desperately wanted Harry to leave. He, therefore, closed the door with a smirk only to hear one of the older girls exclaim, "That is your dad? He's cute...for an old guy."

Unsure of how to feel about the girl's comment, Harry continued to search the compartments for Ron, finally locating him at the front of the train, near the prefects' compartment. Harry sat down on the seat across from Ron and the two of them sat in comfortable quiet, listening to the soothing noise of the train for several minutes. It was Ron who finally broke the silence.

"Doesn't seem that long ago, does it?" he asked.

"Not at all," Harry replied. "Strange...how close I came to missing all of this. If Vernon had found a way to keep me from getting my letters, I don't know what would have happened."

"Yeah, but he didn't," Ron replied, grinning. "And you grew up to be a bloody hero, so don't go all teary-eyed me, mate."

"Bugger off," Harry retorted, smiling.

The two friends spent the better part of the next two hours reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts. When the food trolley arrived, Harry and Ron nearly cleaned the old witch out of all her best sweets. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, and Pumpkin Pasties littered the floor of their compartment and the two grown men gorged on candies and giggled conspiratorially about how their wives would have skinned them alive had they been able to see what they, Harry and Ron, were up to. The situation became even more juvenile when Ron remarked that it was only a matter of time before Harry had his own Chocolate Frog trading card. In return, Harry threw a Pumpkin Pasty at Ron, which landed with an audible "SPLAT!" in his face.

At that moment, the door to their compartment flew open smartly, causing Harry and Ron to freeze in surprise. A burly, sandy-haired boy of about 15 or 16 strode into the compartment with an air of authority. It was apparent from the shiny badge on his chest that he was a prefect and had probably come to investigate the source of the racket. The young man was rather unprepared for the discovery of two fully-grown wizards having what appeared to be a food fight in a compartment on the train to Hogwarts. No one moved or spoke for a moment. Finally, after muttering embarrassed apologies, Ron and Harry began cleaning up the empty wrappers and the other remnants of their feast.

It took only another moment for the boy to finally locate his voice. When he spoke, however, it was not with the usual authority of a school prefect. His statement came in the form of an awed whisper.

"I know who you are," the young man said.

Ron and Harry glanced at each other while bent over cleaning up their mess. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry and both of them stopped what they were doing. It came as a surprise to both of them that the student was staring not at Harry...but at Ron.

"You were Keeper, the last time England went to the finals in the World Cup, weren't you?" the young man continued. "You're my dad's ruddy hero. He still has the team picture from that year in a scrapbook at home. Could I ask you to sign an autograph for him? He'll give birth when I send it to him...sir," the boy added with obvious respect.

"Um...yeah, sure," Ron replied. He'd clearly been caught off-guard by being the one who got recognized when in the company of his famous best friend. Harry, for his part, was trying to keep his smirk in check, occasionally snorting into his hand.

The young prefect bolted from the compartment and returned with parchment and quill in hand. Ron signed the autograph while Harry continued to snicker. The young man cast a glance at Harry and nearly fell over with shock when he saw the scar and realized who else had been sitting in this particular compartment.

"You two know each other?" the boy asked, obviously impressed.

Harry smiled broadly and replied, "Yeah, you could say that."

"Merlin's beard, wait until Dad hears this."

The young man thanked Ron again for the autograph and turned to leave the compartment. As he did, he glanced down at the signature Ron had left him and whirled around.

"You're last name's Weasley?" the boy asked.

"That's right," Ron replied.

"As in...Professor Weasley?"

"Yeah, mate, she's my wife."

The young prefect let out a long, low whistle and looked at Ron with a new measure of respect. As he left the compartment he said, "I don't know how you do it, sir."

Harry and Ron looked at each other in surprise and collapsed in fits of laughter.