m something you had to do,
like tappihird bri the left to get into diagon alley. he
wondered if he should get out his wand and start tappi
iors staforms en.
at that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he
caught a fehat they were saying.
”-- packed with muggles, of course --”
harry swung round. the speaker as talking
to four boys, all with flaming red hair. ea ushing
a trunk like harrys in front of him -- and they had an owl.
heart hammering, harry pushed his cart after them. they stopped
and so did he, just o hear what they were saying.
”now, whats the platform number?” said the boys mother.
”hree-quarters!” piped a small girl, also red-headed,
who was holding her hand, ”mom, t i go... ”
”youre not old enough, gin. all right, percy,
you go first.”
what looked like the oldest boy marched tolatforms nine
and ten. harry watched, ot to blink in case he missed it
-- but just as the boy reached the dividiween the
two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front
of him ahe last backpack had cleared away, the boy
had vanished.
”fred, you he plump woman said.
”im not fred, im gee,” said the boy. ”holy, woman,
you call yourself our mother? cara you tell im gee?”
”se, dear.”
”only joking, i am fred,” said the boy, a. his
twier him to hurry up, a have done so,
because a sed later, he had go how had he do?
hird brother was walking briskly toward the barrier
he was almost there -- ae suddenly, he wasnt anywhere.
there was nothi.
”excuse me,” harry said to the plump woman.
”hello, dear,” she said. ”first time at hogwarts? rons new,
too.”
she poihe last a of her soall,
thin, and gangling, with freckles, big ha, and a