At King's Cross Station, a young wizard once again felt a chill of fear recalling the harrowing experience of being dominated by the Knight Bus. He almost fainted on the spot.
But apart from him, most of the others appeared calmer, thanks in part to Robert's reassuring words. Fortunately, they had a way to return to Hogwarts on time.
"Knight Bus? What's that?" Harry asked from the front of the group, frowning in confusion.
"It's a triple-decker bus," Ron explained, his face pale, clearly recalling an unpleasant memory. "Trust me, you definitely don't want to ride on that."
"It's just a bus," Harry shrugged, not taking Ron's warning seriously.
"Hurry up, you reckless fellows!" came Madam Longbottom's grumbling voice from nearby.
She hurried toward them, the vulture perched on her hat bobbing with each step, looking almost alive. Mr. Weasley trailed behind, speaking with two wizards in cloaks.
"Did you get the time wrong? Molly and Percy just went through the barrier, and now it's blocked. There are still twenty minutes until departure!"
"We couldn't have gotten it wrong. The platform only closes after the Hogwarts Express leaves," a wizard said seriously. "Maybe you went to the wrong one?"
"Wilson, do you think I don't know where Platform 9 is?" Mr. Weasley replied sharply. "I could find the barrier with my eyes closed!"
From someone else, it might have sounded like bragging. But Mr. Weasley was different. After all, he'd been sending his children to Hogwarts for over a decade.
First Bill, then Charlie, Percy, Fred, George… the tradition had never stopped.
If anyone in the wizarding world had been to King's Cross Station the most times, it was surely Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
He couldn't have possibly mistaken the platform entrance.
They rushed over, and after a quick inspection, the young Auror's face turned grim.
The entrance to the platform was indeed blocked. It felt solid—like a real wall—and no one had noticed until now.
If those stuck outside missed the train, it would definitely cause trouble.
An older Auror, around fifty, remained calm. He tapped the wall gently with his wand, then turned and addressed the group.
"Hurry up. The train leaves in three minutes. There's still time."
Harry hesitated when he faced the barrier again, recalling being bumped earlier. He paused instinctively, not rushing forward.
Seamus was the first to dart through. Only after he vanished did everyone breathe a little easier.
Robert was next, followed by Ginny.
With only two minutes remaining, the loud whistle of the Hogwarts Express echoed just as Ginny disappeared behind the barrier. Mr. Weasley, now uninterested in arguing about who was right, waved everyone on.
"Harry, Ron—hurry! All of you, go!"
...
Robert was already on the train and had found an empty compartment near the back. As he stowed away his suitcase, he could still faintly hear Mrs. Weasley's voice from outside.
"Arthur, thank heavens. What happened out there? You never came. I wanted to come find you, but the entrance was closed!"
"I don't know," Mr. Weasley replied hurriedly. "We were blocked too. But now's not the time—get the children on board!"
"Yes, yes! Ginny, Ron—hurry up!"
Amid the chaos, everyone managed to board.
With a second loud whistle, the grand red train slowly pulled out of the station, gathering speed.
Robert looked out the window, letting out a small sigh of relief. Thankfully, he didn't have to endure the Knight Bus. Compared to that, the Hogwarts Express felt like pure comfort.
But what had happened? Had the Weasleys arrived too early?
That was the only explanation that made sense. Because they arrived in advance, they didn't have to panic. Even with the barrier blocked, there was enough time for the adults to resolve things.
"Why was the platform blocked suddenly?"
"I don't know. It's never happened before."
The compartment door slid open.
"Robert?" Harry asked, surprised. "Can we sit here? Everywhere else is full."
"Of course," Robert replied. "Didn't Hermione save you seats? You three were inseparable before the holidays."
"She did," Ron said, lugging his suitcase onto the rack. "Ginny's in a compartment with her and some other girls—Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown. It felt weird to join them."
"Fair enough," Robert said with a small nod. "But you all got here pretty early."
"We could've been earlier," Ron grumbled, yawning. "We got up at the crack of dawn."
"But the morning was chaos," Harry added. "George forgot his Filibuster Fireworks. Fred left his broom. We had to go back—twice!"
"Good thing we caught those mistakes before the car hit the motorway," Ron mumbled. "If we'd remembered too late, we'd never have made it on time."
Just then, the compartment door opened again. Fred and George strolled in.
"Hey! We heard someone talking about us."
"Dear Ronald, got something to say about your wonderful brothers?"
They draped their arms over Ron's shoulders, closing in like twin Acromantulas hunting prey.
Ron stayed silent, lips pressed tightly, cheeks turning pink.
"I think Ron's right. You two were too slow," Hermione said as she entered with Ginny in tow.
The once-empty compartment was now packed.
Ginny stepped inside and her eyes immediately locked onto Harry, then flicked away just as quickly.
"Actually, I forgot something too… on the highway," she mumbled, blushing. "I remembered I left my diary."
At the word "diary", Robert looked up instinctively.
"When did you start keeping a diary?" Ron and his brothers turned toward Ginny simultaneously.
"I didn't," Ginny explained. "Hermione gave it to me. It's the prettiest notebook I've ever seen—there's a witch and seven gnomes drawn on the cover. But they don't move… still, it's lovely."
"And I don't really like writing in diaries, so I didn't go back for it."
"A witch… and seven gnomes?" Harry imagined Mrs. Weasley chasing gnomes in their garden.
He frowned, confused about how gnomes had anything to do with being pretty. They looked like potatoes with sticks for limbs.
"It's Snow White," Hermione whispered.
Harry blinked. Right. That made more sense.
Though, honestly, he still thought goblins fit better than gnomes.
"You got her a Muggle notebook?"
"Yes," Hermione said. "It looked like something Ginny would like. And since Mr. Weasley's so fascinated by Muggle stuff..."
She leaned toward Harry, lowering her voice.
"It was really expensive. Eight pounds for a diary."
Harry didn't respond. Before Hogwarts, the biggest coin he ever had was a five-pence piece. Pounds and prices were a distant concept for him.
At the same time, Robert lost interest in the topic entirely.
Ginny wasn't the only one. He, too, had received a diary from Hermione. His was black, thick, and sturdy.
Previously, Mr. Granger had mistakenly thought Robert had lost a diary at Flourish and Blotts. To make up for it, he had Hermione deliver a new one to the wand shop.
...
[End of Chapter 91]
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