Located in the heart of London's King's Cross district was a rather special station.
Its name was King's Cross Station.
What made it special was the presence of a magical place hidden within the terminal, a platform known as Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. On that platform, one could already see countless wizards who had been waiting for quite some time.
Because this afternoon, the station was about to welcome home the young witches and wizards returning from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
...
Robes and wands, House-elves, owls occasionally swooping overhead, and wizarding crowds clearly set apart from the rest—all of this formed the distinctive scene of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
For most wizards, this was no longer anything unusual.
Now, whether pure-bloods, half-bloods, or even adults who could hardly be called wizards at all, everyone shared the same feeling.
They were parents, eagerly waiting to see their children return safely to their side.
Still, if one looked closely, it was easy to notice that a small number of wizards wore troubled expressions. They were clearly worried about something.
Judging from their attire and the House-elves following behind them, these wizards were almost certainly either wealthy or powerful.
Compared to them, the rest of the adults seemed far more relaxed.
Just then…
Woo—woo—woo~~
The whistle sounded, announcing the arrival of the Hogwarts Express.
As the train rolled into the platform and came to a stop, Hogwarts students began to appear one after another. The moment they jumped down from the Express, they rushed happily toward their parents, who were waving to them.
The older students remained fairly calm, but the first-years, who were experiencing such a long separation from their parents for the first time, were far more emotional. Some were even crying outright, unable to hold it in.
That was only natural.
In fact, even the Slytherins, who were often seen as cold and aloof, couldn't help but show more expression now. Their carefully maintained aristocratic composure at school seemed on the verge of collapsing.
...
The scene shifted to the Slytherin carriage.
The moment Hermione stepped off the train alongside Draco, her eyes immediately scanned the outer edges of the crowd, even the corners of the platform.
Those spots had more or less become the fixed gathering area for Muggle parents.
There, aside from Hermione's dentist parents, one could also see other adults who were likewise from Muggle backgrounds.
Without even realizing it, those who usually felt a sense of separation from other wizards had found a different way of coexisting here.
Setting those rather practical matters aside.
Seeing her parents made Hermione's homesickness surge, and a bright smile spread across her face. But the very next second, when her eyes fell on Draco, a hint of reluctance crept into her heart.
"My parents are here."
"Mm. I'll have Wolf bring you a letter then."
The Wolf Draco referred to was a barn owl. It had a pair of brown eyes, and perhaps because they shared the same eye color, Hermione seemed especially fond of it and naturally remembered its name.
"It's a promise. Don't forget to write to me. I'm going to be the first one to see our secret base."
"In your dreams, Granger. I'll be first."
"Hmph. I won't give in so easily this time, Parkinson."
They had already agreed to take a trip to Romania during the holiday, which was why Hermione said that. As for Paris, it wasn't something Draco was considering for now.
"Anyway, Draco, if you dare leave me behind, I… I won't forgive you!"
Noticing that her parents seemed to be paying attention to them, Hermione lost any desire to keep bickering with Pansy. She tapped her luggage with her wand, causing it to float beside her, then flicked her hair and strode off.
That final "I won't forgive you" honestly carried no real threat at all.
Mm… even though she had already made her feelings clear to Draco, Hermione, who still occasionally bared her claws like a little cat, seemed to have kept all her own charm and personality intact.
…
As Hermione left, the rest of Draco's followers, at his signal, went off to find their own parents or relatives.
Before long, only five people remained: Draco, Pansy, Astoria, and Goyle and Crabbe.
It wasn't that Draco had deliberately kept them back to say something. Rather, it was because, including his own family, the relatives of Pansy and the others didn't seem to have appeared on Platform 9¾ at all.
"Late?"
"Or did they get the time wrong?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, Draco? Do you know what's actually going on?" Pansy snapped back irritably at Goyle before turning a questioning look toward Draco.
Astoria, who had been standing quietly to the side, also fell into thought.
Clearly, whether it was being late or getting the time wrong, neither explanation made sense.
One odd thing might be a coincidence, but when so many things happened at once, it definitely wasn't.
Besides, Draco didn't believe that his father, a man who had nobility etched into his very bones, would ever forget the time or arrive late.
"Looks like something happened that we don't know about."
No sooner had Draco finished speaking than a sharp crack sounded beside them.
The familiar noise made Draco raise an eyebrow in surprise.
The only beings capable of ignoring magical restrictions and Apparating directly to a specific location were House-elves, creatures outside the wizarding magical system who nonetheless wielded powerful magic.
"Young Master, by my master's order, Nait is here to take you home."
Nait was the steward of Malfoy Manor and its most loyal guardian, a House-elf who served directly under the current head of the Malfoy family.
Though he also possessed an exaggeratedly large pair of ears and eyes, unlike the rebellious and twitchy Dobby, the Nait standing before them was far more "normal."
His flawless aristocratic etiquette even brought to mind the black-clad butlers from films.
Only…
What exactly did you mean by that?