The hogwats express
Harry
Harry stood at the edge of the cottage, his trunk beside him, the weight of it feeling strange and new. The morning was crisp, the kind of cold that made your breath puff in the air. It was a quiet, still day—too still for such a big moment.
Everything had been so busy for the last few days, and now, with the final preparations finished, it was like the world had gone quiet just for him. He could hear birds singing somewhere in the trees, the occasional creak of the cottage, and the shuffle of Marlene’s feet behind him.
“You ready, Harry?” Marlene’s voice broke the silence, and he turned to see her standing there, looking at him with wide, uncertain eyes. She was clutching her favourite teddy bear, as if it might somehow hold back the fact that her brother was leaving.
Harry gave her a smile. He wasn’t sure how he felt exactly—there was excitement, sure, but also something else. Something a little bit heavier. “I think so,” he said, though his voice wasn’t as confident as he’d hoped.
Marlene frowned, her gaze flickering to the steam rising from the nearby train. “I still don’t get why you have to go,” she said, her lip trembling just slightly. “You’re just going to leave and not come back for ages.”
He crouched down, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be back, Mar. At Christmas, and all the other breaks. You’ll see. It won’t be so bad.” His words felt hollow, but he needed to say them, to convince himself just as much as her.
“I know.” She paused, clearly not fully convinced. “But it’s going to be different.”
He nodded, because she was right. Everything was going to be different. Hogwarts. Magic. Broomsticks. A world so far removed from the cottage, it felt like a dream. But the world beyond the gates of this place had always seemed so distant, so unreachable. Now it was real, and Harry wasn’t sure if he was ready for all of it.
The sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Sirius and Remus appeared from the cottage door, their expressions soft but tinged with something Harry couldn’t quite place. Sirius ruffled his hair, a grin spreading across his face, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“You’ll be fine, kiddo,” Sirius said. “And if anyone gives you trouble at school, remember this: hex first, think second.”
Harry chuckled, a little nervous laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Remus, always the calm one, stepped forward and placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You’re going to do great things there, Harry,” he said softly, his voice warm but full of unspoken emotion. “You’re not alone, no matter where you are. We’ll be with you in spirit.”
Harry swallowed. “Thanks, Remus.”
Marlene stepped forward, her face scrunched with a mixture of sadness and determination. “Promise me you won’t forget about us?”
He felt a lump form in his throat. “I won’t forget. I swear.”
Marlene nodded, her eyes glistening. “You’d better not.”
With one last lingering look at the cottage—his home for so long—Harry turned toward the train. It stood there, large and looming, the Hogwarts Express. His heart raced at the thought of what lay ahead. It was so real now. He was leaving behind everything he’d known, everything that had made him feel safe, and stepping into a world of magic and mystery.
The platform was busy as students and families milled about, some saying tearful goodbyes, others trying to appear casual. Harry’s gaze found Ginny, standing with her parents further down the platform, her smile bright but her eyes a little damp. She waved, and Harry waved back, feeling a surge of warmth.
“Ready, Harry?” Remus asked, standing beside him now.
Harry nodded, though his stomach fluttered with nerves. He was about to step onto the train that would take him to Hogwarts, the school he’d dreamed of since he was a child. But even though it felt like a dream come true, there was still a part of him that wasn’t sure if he was truly ready for it.
As he walked towards the train, his trunk rolling behind him, the noise of the platform seemed to fade away. Everything felt distant, like he was in a bubble. He reached the door of the train, looking back one last time to see Sirius and Remus watching him with pride, and Marlene, her small form standing in the distance, her face filled with hope and uncertainty.
“See you soon, Mar,” Harry whispered to himself, before stepping up into the train.
He settled into an empty compartment, his trunk tucked safely beside him. As the train started moving, slowly pulling away from the station, Harry leaned his forehead against the cool window. The cottage, the only home he’d known, slowly faded into the distance.
And with it, the rest of his childhood.
It wasn’t goodbye forever. It wasn’t even goodbye, really. It was just the beginning of something new. He had been waiting for this moment his whole life, and now that it was here, it felt like he was stepping into a story that was finally his to write.
He had a new home waiting for him, a new family to find at Hogwarts. And as the trees and fields blurred by, Harry couldn’t help but smile. This was it.
He was going to Hogwarts.