King's Cross Station was alive with the sounds of chattering commuters, rolling suitcases, and the distant whistle of a departing train. Arnit trailed behind his uncle, scanning the platform signs while trying not to bump into passersby. His trunk rattled behind him, and his pet owl, Meghdoot, hooted softly from inside his cage.
Vedant scratched his head, looking at his surroundings. "Alright, we've found Platform Nine… and there's Ten. So where in Saptrishi's name is—"
Arnit wasn't listening. His gaze was fixed on the seemingly ordinary pillar made of brick ahead. Except, to him, it wasn't ordinary at all. The bricks shimmered faintly, as if they weren't quite solid. Thin, delicate rune-like structures which he has seen in his father's notes, nearly invisible to the untrained eye, pulsed softly across the surface in a language he didn't recognise. It was as if magic itself had been woven into the pillar wall, making it a gateway rather than a barrier. He looked towards his uncle and pointed to the pillar.
"You don't see that?" Arnit asked, mesmerised by the magic.
Vedant frowned. "See what?"
"The runes. The magic. It's like the wall of that pillar is shifting," Arnit murmured, watching the symbols rearrange themselves like moving script.
Seeing his uncle's blank face, he frowned, 'Looks like Uncle is unable to see the magical glow coming out of the pillar. But why do I see it? This has never happened before! Maybe this is the result of my lineage magic, which I am on the cusp of learning. All I need is just a little trigger of some kind. Or there might be a whole other reason behind it which I am completely unaware of.
Suddenly, a cheerful voice interrupted Arnit's musings.
"Ah, first time, dears?"
Arnit turned to see a plump, kind-looking woman with fiery red hair smiling warmly at them. She was surrounded by children, all with the same unmistakable red hair. Two identical boys, about Arnit's age, were practically bouncing with excitement, while an older boy stood beside them, looking more composed. There were two more, a girl and a boy, both looking younger than the twins, but clearly the girl was the youngest one. She was clutching her mother's robes, looking slightly wistful, a bit of jealousy in her eyes; she might be waiting for her chance to attend Hogwarts. The boy, on the other hand, looked thin and lanky with lots of freckles and was quite eager but nervous seeing his older siblings go to Hogwarts.
Hearing the woman's question, Vedant turned towards her and answered.
"Yes," he admitted, giving her a sheepish smile. "Not exactly sure how this works."
The woman chuckled. "Not to worry. It's easy once you know how. Just walk straight at the barrier—don't hesitate, and don't stop halfway. If you're nervous, it helps to run a little."
Arnit glanced at the twin boys, who looked like they were up to no good.
"You two going in together?" Arnit asked.
One of them grinned mischievously. "Of course! We're trying to see if we can go through at the exact same time."
The other twin nodded. "What if we get stuck in the middle?"
Their mother sighed. "Fred, George, don't be ridiculous."
Arnit smirked. He already liked these two.
The oldest boy, Percy, stepped forward first. Without hesitation, he walked straight into the wall. For a split second, the runes on the surface glowed brighter, shifting like ripples in a pond, and then—he was gone.
"Whoaa!!!" came an involuntary sound of amazement from Arnit.
Vedant just smiled softly, seeing his nephew finally acting like a kid.
The twins turned to Arnit. "You next," Fred (or maybe George) said with a grin.
Vedant clapped him on the shoulder. "Go on, kid. I'll be right behind you."
Arnit took a deep breath, gripping his trolley tightly. As he stepped toward the barrier, he felt a soft hum in the air, like a whisper just beyond hearing. The moment he touched the bricks, the world twisted—
And then, he was standing on a completely different platform.
Steam curled through the air from the magnificent scarlet train before him, having a quite magical feel to it. The sign overhead read:
Platform 9¾
A moment later, Fred and George appeared beside him, both laughing triumphantly.
Vedant stumbled through after them, looking slightly ruffled. "That was… odd."
Mrs Weasley followed, her other two children following her, then ruffled the twins' hair affectionately. "There now, all safe and sound."
Vedant turned towards Mrs Weasley and said in gratitude, "Thank you very much for your help, ma'am. We don't want to take much of your precious time, so I'll be taking your leave. Again, thank you."
Mrs Weasley smiled kindly and said in a jovial tone, "Oh, come on! It was nothing. You don't have to thank me for this."
They chatted a bit more before leaving for the train.
They reached and stopped at the entry point of the train. After that Vedant turned towards his nephew, who was clearly eager to ride the train.
"You have packed everything, right? Nothing is left behind, right?" He grabbed the boy's shoulder and asked in a slightly nervous tone.
"Don't worry, Uncle. Everything is packed. There was nothing left which I'll need in school," Arnit replied, placating his uncle to ease his worries.
"What about the pendant your grandparents gifted you?" Vedant asked in a slightly lower voice, after making sure no one was listening to them.
Arnit touched the old and weary pendant hanging on his neck. To an outsider, it was just an old normal-looking pendant, but only the uncle and nephew knew the true value of this unassuming pendant.
"I am wearing it. And please, try not to behave like a smuggler. You are creating unnecessary suspicion." Arnit said with a smirk, trying not to chuckle.
"Fine, fine. Just keep it safe, all right," Vedant said with a sigh.
"Of course I'll keep it safe. Firstly, it's a very valuable artefact. Secondly, this is the first gift which is sent by grandfather and grandmother, jointly." said Arnit joyfully, clearly in a happy mood after reconciling with his grandmother.
On his birthday, after hearing everything from his uncle, he decided that he would meet his grandmother on the same day. So his uncle contacted his grandfather with the help of a two-way mirror. With their help and with the help of the artefact, he talked to his grandmother for the first time. Of course, all of this happened secretly, trying not to alert anyone. After the death of his parents, his communication with his grandfather became very rare. Only when there is an emergency or at a specific time decided beforehand.
After knowing that it was his birthday, they decided to send a joint gift, which is definitely more valuable than any other gift he got to date.
Suddenly he heard a loud horn from the train, ready to depart, waking him up from his daydreaming.
He glanced at the train, then turned towards his uncle, still looking slightly nervous.
"That's my cue, I guess." he said lightly and immediately touched his uncle's feet as a sign of respect and to get his blessings.
Vedant just smiled at his action.
"All right, then. Go on, and don't forget to write me a letter after settling down properly," Vedant said, lightly patting his nephew's shoulders.
He looked towards his trunk. Flicking his fingers lightly, he muttered, "Leviorus", instantly making his trunk lighter.
He beamed at his uncle, showing off his magic. Vedant just smiled at his nephew's antics.
After taking his trunk off the ground, Arnit glanced up at the Hogwarts Express, excitement swelling in his chest. This was it. His journey into the magical world had truly begun.