Chapter 136 The Sealed Platform Entrance
September 1st, early morning.
The Burrow was already bustling with activity as dawn broke.
Even though they had packed everything the night before, the urgency of the first day of school was still palpable.
As they rushed out of The Burrow, pushing their respective trunks, Aaron had just finished packing up his tent and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
He stood by the car, looking at the travel-worn WeasleyFamily, especially Ron who was still holding a half-eaten piece of bread, and couldn't help but smile, "Perhaps it would have been easier if you had put your luggage in the car last night."
"Good suggestion, I'll take it into account next time," Mr. Weasley said, then loaded everyone's trunks into the car.
Although he knew an Undetectable Extension Charm had been placed on the car, seeing it firsthand still made Aaronfeel a bit helpless and amused. Was it really appropriate for a Ministry of Magic employee to knowingly break the law like this?
Aaron was the last to get in the car. The small Ford was clearly overloaded, but miraculously, it didn't feel crowded at all.
"Amazing. From the outside, no one would guess that nine people could fit in this car."
"I put a lot of effort into modifying it," Arthur said proudly, then started the engine.
"Wait a minute!" Aaron suddenly remembered something and quickly called out to Mr. Weasley.
"What's wrong?"
"Before we leave, I suggest everyone think if they've left anything at home."
"No, I don't think so! The trunks were packed last night," Mrs. Weasley said. "I even made them double-check. Luggage, wands, textbooks, cauldrons—everything's accounted for."
"What about the broomsticks?
Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but three of you in this car are on the Quidditch team, yet there only seem to be two broomsticks in the trunk."
"That must be mine," Fred said sheepishly, raising his left hand. Then he quickly opened the car door and retrieved a broomstick from the house.
After getting back in the car, he glanced at George, "I brought your Filibuster Fireworks too."
"I wouldn't have remembered if you hadn't said anything. Thanks."
After confirming that no one had left anything behind, Mr. Weasley started the car again, and with a roar, the Ford set off for King's Cross Station.
The Hogwarts Express was scheduled to depart at eleven o'clock, and they arrived at half past ten.
Mr. Weasley took everyone's trunks out of the boot, then looked at Aaron, frowning worriedly, "Your family hasn't arrived yet, have they?"
"Platform 9 3/4. Gines should be waiting for me at the entrance."
"That's good. Children, let's go."
The group pushed their trunks to the barrier between Platform 9 and Platform 10. At this point, there was less than twenty minutes until the train departed.
Gines emerged from behind the barrier, handed his trolley to Aaron, then looked at the Weasley Family behind him. He instantly understood something, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips, but within that bitterness was a hint of relief.
"Thank you all for taking care of the young master these past two days."
"Oh, no need to be so polite," Arthur quickly waved his hand. "We didn't provide much help, and with Aaron's outdoor survival skills, he can get by anywhere."
Gines didn't deny this. He knew better than anyone how many skills his young master had learned in the past two months.
"Young master, you really know how to cause me trouble. Also, you're too willful.
I thought of everything, except that you'd be at Malfoy's arch-rival's house."
"Thanks for the compliment. I won this round after all," Aaron said smugly. "But your methods are too underhanded. The Ministry of Magic even issued a bounty for me."
"That wasn't my idea," Gines immediately clarified. "That was Number Six's idea. She said we couldn't find you, but we couldn't let you be too comfortable either.
Besides, it was for your safety."
Aaron's mouth twitched. That move was quite annoying. He hadn't dared to run around these past two days, fearing he'd be spotted by someone from the Ministry of Magic.
"Ahem! Excuse me for interrupting your reunion," Mollysaid. "But the train is about to leave. Shouldn't we take care of business first?"
"My apologies!" Gines immediately stepped aside, allowing Aaron to enter Platform 9 3/4.
After watching the young master leave, Gines gave Arthurand Molly a gentle smile, "I know you two are in a hurry. If you have time later, you can find me at the coffee shop outside the station.
Although it's a bit mundane, I still want to express the Gaius Family's gratitude to you both."
After speaking, he walked towards the station entrance.
"We should get going too," Arthur said, looking at the clock on the wall. "Ten minutes left. Fred, Percy, George, you go first."
The three of them passed through the barrier one after another, followed by Ginny, and then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
"It's our turn," Harry took a deep breath, pushing his trolley and accelerating through.
Bang!
A trolley crashed squarely into the barrier. Harry was knocked to the ground, and Ron, who was following him, wasn't much better off, rear-ending Harry's trolley.
The commotion attracted the attention of a nearby guard, who walked over and shouted, "What's wrong with you two?"
"Sorry, the trolley malfunctioned," Harry said, clutching his throbbing arm.
The guard didn't make a big deal of it, shook his head, and turned to leave.
"Why can't we get through?" Harry looked at the entrance to Platform 9 3/4, his eyes filled with worry. He had a feeling this wasn't an accident.
Ron touched the barrier, feeling its undeniable solidity, and his face fell. "The passage is blocked."
"At this time?
Even if the Ministry of Magic wanted to inspect the passage, it should be after eleven o'clock, right?"
"Who knows?"
Ron began to push the wall with all his might, seemingly trying to force the entrance open.
Harry went to help him, not even caring that they were surrounded by onlookers.
But a clock not far away continuously eroded their psychological defenses; their nerves tightened with each tick of the hand.
It wasn't until the hands pointed to eleven that the two had to give up, because that was the train's departure time. Even if they got through, they wouldn't catch the train.
"Harry," Ron said with some despair, "if we can't get through, then my mum and dad can't either.
And if it's worse, they might not even know we're stuck here."
"Let's just wait by the car first!" Harry said helplessly. "Your mum and dad can't have forgotten the car too, can they?"
"The car?" Ron's expression shifted slightly, and a hint of eagerness appeared on his face.
Harry also thought of something and said with difficulty, "That wouldn't be good! Your mum would be furious if she found out."
"In truly urgent situations, underage Wizards are allowed to use magic. There's a clause for that in the law.
I know it sounds a bit exaggerated, but what if we get expelled from Hogwarts for being late?
I'd be fine, but you..."
"Say no more," Harry calmed down. He was absolutely unwilling to be expelled from Hogwarts.
"But I don't know how to drive!"
"It's okay, I do."
The two pushed their trunks, quickly threaded through the crowd, left the station, and arrived outside the side street.
However, as soon as they put their trunks in the car's boot, they heard a familiar voice.
"Harry Potter? And Ron Weasley?
Why aren't you on the train?" Gines asked, puzzled.
His coffee had just arrived when he saw Harry and Ronrunning out of the station. But the problem was, it was already eleven o'clock; they should have been on the Hogwarts Express.
"Sir," Harry said anxiously. "The station entrance was blocked, so we missed that train."
"Hmm? Wait for me a moment."
Gines frowned and looked towards the station from a distance.
His gaze passed through the crowd and buildings, stopping at the entrance to Platform 9 3/4, where he saw Dobby, the House-elf, frantically banging his head against the wall, continuously muttering 'I'm sorry'.
"So that's it."
"Mr. Gines, did you figure something out?" Ron asked.
"I can only tell you that this is not a coincidence, but I can't say more."
Gines didn't know the reason Dobby had blocked the passage entrance. What if it was Malfoy's order?
Aaron had just visited their house a few days ago, and if he revealed the truth, it would inevitably cause some unnecessary misunderstandings.
"However, I can unblock the passage entrance for you. It'll only take a minute."
"No need, the train has already left," Ron said with a wry smile. "Even if we went in now, we'd only see an empty set of tracks."
"Then how about this? I can write a letter to Dumbledore, briefly explaining the situation.
That way, you won't be punished for being late."
"You can?" Harry's eyes filled with hope. If someone specially requested their absence, they definitely wouldn't be expelled.
Gines nodded. This was a trivial matter for him.
Besides, Dumbledore valued Harry immensely and would do his best to look after him within his capabilities.
"Um... Although it's a bit embarrassing to ask, do you have any way for us to catch that train?" Ron asked, blushing.
"Ron," Harry tugged at his sleeve, "this isn't the time to push your luck."
"But today is Ginny's first day at school. If we're too late, we might miss her Sorting Ceremony."