Hermione perks up at what Harry figures is an obvious ploy to get her to explain something. "Oh! We have to get to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, to do that we need to walk through that pillar there. It's been charmed so that only magical people can make their way through, so I'll be alone from this point on. Well, I guess I'll have Harry with me until we get ON the train, but that's not quite the same," Hermione says, losing her momentum, and a good deal of her excitement once she realizes her parents can't come through.
Rose wraps her daughter in a hug and says: "I know we can't go any further, and maybe that's just what you need right now. Your father and I love you very much, and we know you're going to do great. This is going to be your first steps as your own woman, and your father and I are so absolutely proud of you. Now, you're going to go to this big fancy wizard school and puff your chest out and say 'I'm Hermione Granger! I'm the Best!' Can you do that for me honey?"
"Yeah, yeah I can Mom." Hermione says into her mothers chest. Harry takes a moment to ground himself after seeing this, an unfamiliar tightness in his chest appearing seeing the exchange.
"Now then, you and Harry here need to get to the train. It wouldn't do for you both to show up two hours early and not get the best seats! Harry, would you be a dear and stay with Hermione for the trip? I imagine you'll both feel better if you have a friend to ease your worries." Rose says, releasing her daughter from her grasp.
"I'd be happy to Mrs. Granger; wouldn't have even found the platform without Hermione here anyway, it's the least I can do." Harry says, excited that he has possibly made his first ever friend.
"Alright! Davie! Line up Hermione's cart for her. We'll have her go first, and then Harry." Rose says, looking at her husband.
"One thing first!" David says, before picking up Hermione into a bear hug, and swinging her in a circle. Hermione let out a squeak of surprise, embarrassment or excitement, Harry is unsure which. "You're going to do great my little Queen of Sicily, now go on before I decide you're too young to leave me and your mother."
"I'll try to write as often as I can! Maybe I'll find a wizarding family who lives close by, and we can have them pick up an owl for you so you can write to me too!" Hermione says, eyes starting to fill up with tears.
"I'll hold you to that, now off! You've got a big day ahead of you! We expect a letter by Friday at the latest!" David says, before giving her a quick push and sending her through the pillar.
Harry feels a small smile creep to his face, as he waves goodbye to the Grangers and makes his own way through the pillar.
From there he sees a most glorious sight: a bright red steam locomotive with the words "Hogwarts Express" written in gold letters on the side of the engine. A few other students with carts are seen milling about and Harry is pleased to see that he doesn't stand out quite as much as he feared he would, as many faces seemed in awe of the train, and also portrayed the same nervous excitement that Harry felt to his very core.
Harry however took this moment to internalize something that Rose has said to Hermione, and under his breath he whispers: "Hello wizarding world, I'm Harry Potter, and I'm the best."
Rose had been right in that simply having Hermione, someone who Harry knew was going through the same experience as him, had decreased his anxiety about the situation considerably. This did not mean however, that he was not anxious, just simply less so than he would have been otherwise. Hermione and he had managed to secure a spot towards the front end of the second third of the train which they hoped would maximize their chances of meeting new friendly people without overwhelming either of them with the sheer number of people on the train. Hermione had made mention of the fact that Hogwarts had between three and six hundred students on average in the past fifty years, as the population of magical Britain tended to shrink rather than grow. Coupling that with the war and the casualties from it that ended roughly ten years ago, our group is not expected to be very large at all.
"That's a bit sad isn't it?" Harry says, seeming to be disheartened by that news, "Those people went through all that effort to end the war, and its effects are still being directly felt a decade later."
"It is," Hermione starts, "but it could have been far worse. Speaking of the war, you wouldn't happen to be the same Harry Potter who defeated… You-Know-Who would you?"
"Supposedly," Harry states. "I don't know anything about it, really. My parents died and then I spent the rest of my life in the norm- I mean, Muggle world. I didn't even know who they WERE until Hagrid told me a month ago."
"Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that. That's not good at all. Well, we won't talk about that. Have you looked over any of the school material yet? I've done my best to memorize all the texts, I've even tried practicing a few spells. Would you like to see?" Hermione asks, thankfully changing the subject.
"I'd love to." Harry says genuinely. Beyond the pigtail Hagrid gave Dudley, seeing actual spells being done was something he hadn't experienced yet. "What are you going to do?"
"Well, your glasses are broken, I could fix them!" Hermione says, pulling what Harry assumes is her wand from a small bag around her shoulders.