Hogwarts Express

The Hogwarts Express waits at Platform Nine and Three Quarters in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a scarlet steam engine that carries students from London to school at the start of every term and home again at its end. Reaching it is the first test of a new student's nerve: the platform lies behind the apparently solid barrier between platforms nine and ten at King's Cross, which must be walked through, ideally at a confident pace. On board, a witch with a trolley sells wizarding sweets, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Pumpkin Pasties, and the compartments fill with owls, cats, and eleven-year-olds meeting for the first time. For generations of students, the journey north is where Hogwarts begins.