The clamor of bustling crowds at the station overwhelmed Harry as soon as he arrived. Moving along the platform, he felt a knot of anxiety twist in his stomach. Every experience he had encountered so far had been overwhelming, from discovering that he was a wizard to learning he would be attending Hogwarts. It was all so surreal, like an unending dream that he couldn't escape.
Trembling with fear, Harry couldn't help but think of the mocking nicknames he had heard whispered about him: "The Cursed Boy", "The Boy Who Should Have Died"... The mere thought of being recognized by anyone, especially those who could cause him harm, made his heart race with fear. The weight of his cursed existence seemed to bear down on him, suffocating him with a constant sense of dread.
A scene of terror played out before Harry's eyes: "You're the cursed boy, aren't you?" They hissed at him. "Kill him now!" They shouted, their eyes filled with malice. Harry's heart raced.
The wise Headmaster, Dumbledore, had divulged to Harry the secrets of the curse that had been plaguing him since birth, and had warned him to keep his face hidden while making his way to Hogwarts. Harry knew he could trust the Headmaster, for he was the only person in Harry's life who had ever shown him any kindness.
Harry's aunt and uncle constantly reminded him of his worthlessness and the fact that nobody cared for him, including his parents who he never had the chance to know, If he had any.
He was an unwanted burden, a nuisance in their lives. Every time he dared to ask about his family, they scoffed at him and made him feel like he was nothing. Love was nothing but a distant concept to harry, something he couldn't grasp no matter how hard he tried. The darkness that surrounded him was suffocating, swallowing him whole and leaving him with nothing but pain and loneliness. The small glimmer of kindness that occasionally shone in his life was like a ray of light in the midst of the darkness, fleeting and rare. Harry knew he couldn't trust anyone, except for the wise Headmaster Dumbledore.
With a sense of trepidation, Harry pulled up the hood of his cloak, shrouding his face in darkness. He felt acutely vulnerable and exposed amidst the swarming crowds, knowing that any moment he could be discovered. But he had no choice but to heed Dumbledore's warning and keep himself safe, no matter what the cost.
Harry clung to Dumbledore's instructions like a lifeline, repeating the directions for Platform Nine and Three Quarters under his breath. As he navigated his way through the sea of people at Kings Cross station, he kept a vigilant eye out for any indication of his destination. Despite his best efforts, however, he found himself lost in the labyrinth of platforms, circling nine and ten repeatedly with a sick feeling in his gut.
Harry was jolted out of his thoughts by a sudden voice that rang through him. His heart raced with fear. Was this woman onto him? Was she going to expose him and put him in danger? The possibilities raced through his mind, making him feel utterly helpless and vulnerable.
"Are you lost, Is this your first year at Hogwarts?" The woman's simple question cut through the fear that had been settling over him at the thought that he wouldn't be able to get to Hogwarts.
As Harry's nerves began to calm, he realized that the woman's voice was friendly and welcoming. She seemed to notice his unease and asked if he was lost, inquiring if it was his first year at Hogwarts.
Relieved that she didn't recognize him, Harry responded with a shaky "Yes."
The woman then shared that it was also her daughter's first year, "We can go to the platform together if you'd like?" she kindly offered.
Harry gratefully accepted her offer, "Yes, thank you."
At that moment, A little girl tugged on her mother's hand and exclaimed, "Mum!"
Harry looked at the little girl who was looking at him intently, The girl looked under harrys hood, her eyes fixated on Harry's face with a mixture of awe and curiosity, or maybe he noticed the scar that ran through his forehead like a bunch of lightning strike.
As Harry stood there, lost in thought, a Girl's voice interrupted his reverie. Startled, he turned to see a beautiful girl with white - platinum hair and sapphire-blue eyes, her eyes almost melted harry away, who appeared to be his age, holding the hand of an older man who must have been her father. Harry couldn't help but feel intimidated by her piercing gaze that seemed to see right through him.
The man, was dressed in a sharp black business suit, and his hair was carefully slicked back. As they approached, neither of them seemed to notice Harry at first.
"Edward, Daphne, where have you been?" the woman, asked.
Edward shrugged. "You should know how Daphne is, Elizabeth. After all, she does take after you."
The comment seemed to elicit a familial response, but Harry was more focused on the imposing figure in front of him. He could feel Edward's sharp blue eyes on him, and it was clear that he knew exactly who Harry was.
"The cursed child," Edward thought. "Are you a first year at Hogwarts?" he asked knowingly.
Harry nodded, avoiding eye contact and feeling his heart race faster and faster.
"I think I know you," Edward said, studying Harry closely.
Harry tried to play it cool. "You may have mistaken me for someone else, Sir!" he replied.
Elizabeth seemed to pick up on Harry's discomfort. "He doesn't know the way to the platform, Ed," she said sympathetically.
Edward nodded. "Muggle-born?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Harry took a deep breath and decided to play along with the secret he was keeping. "Yes, sir," he replied.
"What's your name?" the woman asked.
"It's Harry, just Harry," he replied, omitting his last name to protect his identity.
"You have a wonderful name, dear!" the woman commented before suggesting, "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves properly. I'm Elizabeth Greengrass, and this is my husband, Lord Edward Greengrass. These are our two daughters, the Daphne and Astoria."
"And this little one here," she whispered, her voice taking on a more sweeter tone, "is our son and heir, Ciel." Harry hadn't noticed the baby in the stroller before, peacefully sleeping, almost unnaturally so. He couldn't help but wish for such tranquil sleep himself, but sleep rarely found him, casting dark shadows beneath his eyes that made him look more of a freak.
Edward extended his hand in a formal greeting to the young man. Harry shook it nervously, feeling a sense of apprehension at the man's sharp gaze. He knew that edward had recognized him as the cursed child, but Harry tried not to show any sign of fear or discomfort. He just hoped that his cover wouldn't be blown.
Indeed, As soon as Harry revealed his first name, edward's suspicions were confirmed. "The cursed child, Harry Winters" edward thought to himself, his eyes narrowing as he observed the young boy.
Edward Thought, The first son of james Potter, cast aside like garbage. Edward was disappointed when he learned what his friend had done to his own son. He understood the reasoning behind it, fearing that Voldemort might target the "boy who lived." Through his oldest son. However, he couldn't fathom how his friend had the heart to give up his own son to an muggle family. Edward couldn't help but feel pity for the abandoned child. But he Couldn't do much house matters are to be solved within the house and he was not a potter so he had no say in that matter.
Life is Cruel and this boy know it all to well.
Edward looked over his shoulder to see the clock now read 10:50. "We should get to the platform."
"We need to get going," Ed ushered them across the platform intersecting nine and ten. The Greengrass family stopped at a brick barrier and then turned back to Harry. "All you have to do is go through the barrier."
Harry tilted his head, believing that they were having a laugh on him. He looked from the serious looking family to the very solid brick barrier. "Ahh," was his response.
Edward smiled. He gently put a hand on Harry's shoulder. He didn't comment on Harry's instinctive flinch. "I'm going to lead you so that you know we're not joking."
"Okay," Harry couldn't see any traces of mockery or deception on the man's face. but he didn't truly knew the man's intentions.
Ed moved to grab Harry's trolley too before they began to push it forward, picking up speed as they went while the brick barrier was hurtling towards them. They were about to hit the bricks, but then they didn't. They passed right through it to find himself staring at a sign that read: Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Excited and relieved to have made it, Harry only was able to appreciate the sign for a second or two before a sudden whistle brought him to look at the beautiful crimson painted Hogwarts' Express. It looked so new and clean that it made him think of model train sets especially the ones that were never taken out of their box.
On the platform there were dozens of families crowding under the shadow of the train. There were parents giving teary-eye goodbyes while envious or sullen siblings silently watched their brothers and sisters depart for Hogwarts.
He hadn't even noticed Elizabeth, Astoria, Daphne and little ciel had joined them until Daphne's trolley was pushed up alongside his. She gave him a small sweet smile that Harry found himself returning awkwardly. Mr. Greengrass helped Harry with his as they made their way through the crowd, Daphne was holding onto her sister's hand while their mother pushed Daphne's trolley.
A group of people had gathered, shouting that the "boy who lived" was Here. Harry looked at the family and felt a strange familiarity with them. There was a man, a woman, and a few children, two sons and a daughter. One of the sons seemed to be around Harry's age, while the others looked much younger.
As it was time to leave, Harry saw many people crying as they bid farewell to their loved ones. He even noticed Elizabeth and Astoria with tears in their eyes as the sisters hugged each other. Even the usually stoic Edward had a small tear in his eye.
Watching all of this, Harry wondered what it would be like if he had parents. Would they have cried for him like this? He would never know.
Abruptly, Harry's ruminations were interrupted by a phrase that he would hold dear forever. "Goodbye, Harry," Astoria spoke softly, standing beside her mother. She flashed Harry a timid grin, and Harry reciprocated it.
"Thanks for all your help," Living with his uncle and aunty, made him humble of what little he got, it wasn't like his aunt and uncle was always cruel to him, sometimes they even showed kindness, he again thanked them and bidding his farewell.
"Come on, Harry, we should hurry," Daphne urged him to follow her onto the train.
"You don't have to sit with me if you don't want to," Harry said, still hesitant about making friends.
Daphne stopped and turned to face him, hands on her hips. "Why wouldn't I want to sit with you? Don't you want to be friends?"
Harry couldn't help but smile at her eagerness to befriend him. "I do, but I'm just not used to having friends."
"Well, get used to it," Daphne declared, determination in her voice. "Because you have one now."
Harry felt a warmth in his chest at her words, a feeling he had never experienced before. Maybe, just maybe, this friendship could be more than temporary
However, Harry couldn't shake off the feeling that their friendship might be short-lived once Daphne found out about his truth as the "The Cursed child."
They fell into a comfortable silence while they pulled their trunks through the train. They received a few looks, but no one seemed to recognize Harry. Something that made him incredibly relieved.
Daphne noticed his reaction, but she didn't understand why harry looked afried. They finally found a compartment near the back of the train. The two of them were able to lift their trunks on the luggage racks.
Daphne had already opened the window.The noise from the departing crowd was loud with all the different farewells mixing with each other to make a loud wave of goodbyes that was crashing down onto the train. She was trying to spot her family in the crowd while.
The train began its journey, gradually picking up speed. Harry felt a strange sensation as he realized that this was his first time on a train. Everything seemed surreal. It was difficult to believe that not long ago, he had dismissed magic as a mere fantasy, only to discover that it was real.
Suddenly, two heads appeared at the door of their compartment. "Can we join?" a boy's voice asked.
Harry's thoughts were interrupted by Daphne's excited shout as she walk towards two other students. "Tracy, Draco?!" she exclaimed as she hugged them.
"Daphne!!" Tracy exclaimed back as she hugged her friend.
As the girls chatted, Harry felt nervous standing by himself. "Who's he?" Tracy asked, noticing Harry.
Daphne quickly introduced Harry to her friends. "This is my new friend, Harry," she said, gesturing towards him. "Harry, meet my friends Tracy and Draco."
"Hey, friends," Harry said, attempting a smile but feeling slightly awkward.
At this moment, he wanted to dug a hole in crawl inside it. Draco chuckled. "Relax, mate. You're among friends here. Anyone who's friends with Daphne is cool with us."
Tracy nodded in agreement. "We're happy to have you in our group."
Harry felt overwhelmed by how quickly everything was happening - going from having no friends to suddenly having three. He couldn't help but wonder if it was all too good to be true and if these friendships would last. he asked himself maybe not..