Dawn Rivera

Aboard the Hogwarts Express

Mrs Weasley has braved the telephone in the village Post Office to order three ordinary Muggle taxis to take us into London.

"Arthur tried to get Ministry cars for us," I hear Mrs Weasley whisper to Harry and Danny as we stand in the rain-washed yard, watching the taxi drivers heaving six heavy Hogwarts trunks into their cars. "But there weren't any to spare...oh dear, they don't look too happy, do they?"

I don't like Mrs Weasley that Muggle taxi drivers rarely transport over-excited owls, and Pigwidgeon is making an ear-splitting racket. Nor does it help that a number of Dr Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks go off unexpectedly when Fred's trunk springs open, causing the driver carrying it to yell with fright and pain as Crookshanks and Lizzie claw their way up the man's legs.

The journey is uncomfortable, owing to the fact that we are jammed in the back of the taxis with our trunks. Crookshanks and Lizzie take quite a while to recover from the fireworks, and by the time we enter London, Harry, Danny, Ron, Hermione and me are all severely scratched. We are very relieved to get out at King's Cross, even though the rain is coming down harder than ever, and we get soaked carrying our trunks across the busy road and into the station.

I am now used to getting onto platform nine and three-quarters by now. It is a simple matter of walking straight through the apparently solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. The only tricky part is doing this in an unobtrusive way, so as to avoid attracting Muggle attention. We do it in groups today; Harry, Danny, Ron, Hermione and me go first; we lean casually against the barrier, chatting unconcernedly, and slide sideways through it...and as we do so, platform nine and three-quarters materialises in front of us.

The Hogwarts Express, a gleaming scarlet engine, is already there, clouds of steam billowing from it, through which the many Hogwarts students and parents on the platform appear like dark ghosts. Pigwidgeon becomes noisier than ever in response to the hooting of many owls through the mist. Harry, Danny, Ron, Hermione and me set off to find seats, and are soon stowing our luggage in a compartment halfway along the train. We then hop back down onto the platform, to say goodbye to Mrs Weasley, Bill and Charlie.

"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," says Charlie, grinning, as he hugs Ginny and Misty goodbye.

"Why?" says Fred keenly.

"You'll see," says Charlie. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it...it's "classified information, until such a time the Ministry decide to release it", after all."

"Yeah, I sort of wish I was back at Hogwarts this year," says Bill, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully at the train.

"Why?" says George impatiently.

"You're going to have an interesting year," says Bill, his eyes twinkling. "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it..."

"A bit of what?" says Ron.

But at that moment, the whistle blows, and Mrs Weasley chivvies us towards the train doors.

"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs Weasley," says Hermione, as we climb on board, close the door and lean out of the window to talk to her.

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs Weasley," says Danny.

"Oh, it was my pleasure, dears," says Mrs Weasley. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but...well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with...one thing and another."

"Mum!" says Ron irritably. "What d'you know that we don't?"

"You'll find out this evening, I expect," says Mrs Weasley, smiling. "It's going to be very exciting - mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules -"