Siddartha Datta
It was a cold, cloudy winter morning on the first of September. I was running along King's Cross station, carrying a heavy backpack to get on the 11.05 am train. My parents had already boarded the train and were waiting for me. I leaned on the ticket gate between platforms nine and ten because I was so tired of running. That's when I fell into Platform 9 3/4.
At first, I thought I had slipped. The train started to move, and I got into the nearest compartment. All the compartments were filled with children who appeared to be of school age. After a long search, I finally found a compartment with only two boys inside. One of them was tall, thin, and had flaming red hair. The other was short and thin, with long, jet-black hair that reached to his forehead. I asked if they were okay if I sat down. They didn't mind, so I sat down next to the jet-black haired boy. I introduced myself, and the one with the red hair told me his name was Ron Weasley and the other one was Harry Potter. Another girl entered the compartment and said her name was Hermione Granger. But when they put on long black robes, which was the school uniform, I started to feel like I had gotten on the wrong train. When we arrived at the Hogsmeade station, there was a giant man who, as Harry told me later, was none other than Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid was clamouring for the "early years," and as my friends Harry and Ron progressed, so did I. I boarded a boat with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and another boy called Neville Longbottom. We glided silently over the icy, black lake, and reached the main gates of Hogwarts. There, the stern-looking Professor McGonagall ushered us into the lobby. After a while, she entered the Great Hall of the Sort. There was a dirty, patched, frayed hat on a stool next to Professor McGonagall. Suddenly, a tear in the brim of the hat opened wide, and the hat sang an incredible song. Professor McGonagall began calling people's names to be sorted across the four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw.
The queue began to dwindle, and my panic, which had ceased during the train ride, reared its head once again. When the roll calling finally finished, and my name wasn't called, people started looking, pointing, and muttering at me behind my back.
Professor McGonagall led me to Professor Dumbledore with a puzzled look on her face. I told Professor Dumbledore everything, starting from King’s Cross Station to Hogwarts. He then explained to me that I was a Muggle; a person who could not perform magic. However, I had the ability to see through magical enchantments which were used to keep Muggles away from the magical world. He assured me that I would be sent back to my parents safely. Dumbledore also gave me permission to do something magical that I would not be able to do normally. I chose to ride a broomstick, as I had been fascinated by them during my early childhood. It was an amazing experience to soar through the air effortlessly, the wind whipping through my hair. The next day, Dumbledore turned an old tin can into something called a Portkey. When I touched it, it suddenly glowed blue. I felt a jerk just behind my navel, felt a rushing sensation, and landed on the bed on which my parents had been sleeping. They woke suddenly, and saw me on the bed. They instantly hugged and kissed me in relief that I was safe and sound. I told them all my adventures with them listening in wonder, then we all fell on the bed and slept like logs.
Even to this day, whenever I go to King’s Cross on the First of September, I peek through the ticket barrier between the Platforms Nine and Ten to see the many Hogwarts students boarding the scarlet Hogwarts Express. I will remember that magical day when I stumbled onto Platform 9 3/4 forever.