Chapter 21. The Know-It-All, the Little Chatterbox
"Walk faster, Ron!" Mrs Weasley urged.
"Mum, it's still early!" Ron complained, heaving his trunk along.
The crowded throng along the way made things difficult for him, forcing him to stop every so often, then use even more force to get going again.
The repeated motions cost him a lot of energy, and soon he was panting.
"Ron, you really ought to exercise more." Fred sauntered past, pushing his trolley with ease, glanced at the sweat on Ron's forehead, and said with a disdainful shake of his head, "You're far too feeble!"
"Yes, starting to gasp after such a short distance with a trunk is hard to believe." George, pushing his own trolley on the other side, chimed in. "Look how relaxed we are!"
After they finished mocking Ron, Fred and George shouted for people to make way, then swept forward with their trolleys as if showing off their sturdy bodies and abundant energy.
Ron stared after the twins, glanced at the trunks on their trolleys—both even larger than his—and began to doubt himself.
He muttered under his breath, "Is my stuff too heavy? Or is it really like Fred said, that I'm just weak?"
"Perhaps there's another reason." Duncan, carrying his trunk, walked a step away at Ron's side.
Hearing Ron's mutter, he nearly failed to hold back a laugh and let it slip out.
"What reason?" Ron turned his head quickly to look at Duncan.
"Fred and George fiddled with your trunk earlier." Duncan explained with a smile. "They used magic to make your trunk heavier and then made their own trunks lighter, which is why they look so much more at ease than you."
Ron froze with one foot hanging in mid-air.
No wonder pushing the trolley felt like shoving a boulder and was even harder than carrying the trunk by hand.
At first, he had thought Muggle tools weren't very good, but it turned out Fred and George were playing tricks!
Anger flared up in Ron at once, and he shouted, "Mum, Fred, George—"
He had only got halfway through when he noticed people all around turning to look, their eyes curious upon him.
Ron's face flushed in an instant.
Wrapped in embarrassment, the rest of his words stuck in his throat.
He hurriedly lowered his head and pushed his trolley forward, catching up to Mrs Weasley ahead.
"What is it, Ron?" Mrs Weasley asked curiously when she saw him hurrying over with his head down.
Ron turned slightly and said in an irate undertone, "Fred and George used magic to make my trunk heavier!"
"Oh!" Mrs Weasley started in alarm and asked at once, "Did they take out their wands in front of all these Muggles?"
"It's fine.
They must have done it when we got off the car, while I wasn't paying attention," Ron said.
"That's all right then..." Mrs Weasley breathed out.
At least Fred and George hadn't done what she had feared.
"Mum, shouldn't you be telling them off?" Ron was dissatisfied with Mrs Weasley's response. "And make my trolley lighter as well.
I can hardly push it!"
"We're almost there.
We'll talk once we're inside the station." Mrs Weasley soothed him. "We can't use magic in front of Muggles."
"But..."
"If you really can't manage, Ron, just say so and we'll help push for a bit!" Fred called back with a grin.
"Fred, be quiet!" Mrs Weasley scolded.
"Mum, the number nine sign—we're here." Ginny gently shook Mrs Weasley's hand and pointed up at the plastic sign marked with the number nine.
Bringing up the rear, Duncan turned his head and looked around.
His gaze roamed among the Muggles, searching for that legendary figure.
But after a full turn he still didn't see the bespectacled, black-haired boy—Harry Potter.
Well, they had come half an hour early, after all.
Harry Potter was probably still in his uncle's car, tearing down the street!
I never thought the butterfly's wings would start flapping before I even entered school...
I hope Harry meets a kind soul to show him the way!
Just as Duncan was letting his thoughts run wild, a clear, pleasant voice sounded behind him.
"Excuse me, are you going to Hogwarts as well?"
Following the voice, Duncan looked over.
On his left stood a little girl with her face tipped slightly up, hair fluffy, and the trademark cute rabbit-like front teeth.
No introduction was needed—his mind supplied her name at once: Miss Know-It-All, Hermione Granger.
"Yes," Duncan nodded.
"Wonderful!" Hermione said, delighted.
Her nerves eased all at once, a smile blossoming on the small face that had been tense.
She held her hand out to Duncan with open confidence. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger.
These are my mum and dad."
Hermione turned and pointed to two plainly dressed middle-aged people wearing awkward smiles, then continued, "No one in our family can do magic.
When I got the letter delivered by an owl, Mum said it must be a scam!
We didn't believe any of it until we went to Diagon Alley...
Are you from a wizarding family?
Do you learn magic from childhood?
What's it like?
I read lots of books over the holidays, but I had a great deal of difficulty with actual casting, and over the whole summer I only learned one or two extremely simple spells....
Oh, right, I haven't asked—what's your name?"
Duncan stared blankly at Hermione, whose little mouth was firing off words like a machine gun, and only when she asked did he come back to himself.
"Duncan Scamander, also a first-year," he said quickly.
Hermione seemed to recall something when she heard Duncan's name, but before she could speak, Mrs Weasley's voice came from ahead.
"Duncan, come on.
We need to hurry in."
Duncan let out a breath. "We'll talk later.
Let's get onto the platform first."
"All right!" Hermione nodded happily. "We actually got to the station ages ago, but we've never figured out how to get to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
The books I read didn't say either.
They really ought to include that!"
"Mhm, that's right," Duncan replied, walking to Mrs Weasley's side.
Fred, George, and Percy had already gone through to the platform.
Left were Mrs Weasley, Ginny, and Ron.
Duncan introduced Hermione to the others.
"Just aim for the barrier between platforms nine and ten," Mrs Weasley said gently. "Don't be afraid and don't stop.
Walk straight at it.
It's very simple.
Ron, show her."
"Thank you, Mrs Weasley." Hermione stared fixedly ahead, afraid to miss a single detail.
Ron pushed his trolley and dashed forward with all his might.
The instant he touched the wall, he vanished.
"Did you get it?" Mrs Weasley asked.
"Mm-hmm." Hermione nodded hard, then pushed her trolley and shot forward.
Mr and Mrs Granger followed right behind her.
Once Hermione disappeared, Duncan also lined himself up for a run at the wall.
Harry Potter still had not appeared.
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