Chapter 6: Journey from Platform 9 and 3/4
In chapter six of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Harry finally, temporarily escapes the Dursley’s, we meet 6/9 of the Weasley family, and Harry makes a new nemesis.
(Please be advised that this is a reread and I will be discussing book and movie spoilers.)
Harry’s left at the train station, Hagrid forgetting to tell him how to access platform 9 and 3/4, when he sees a family nearby with an owl, trunks like his, mid conversation about Muggles. The Weasley’s are generally pretty bad about Muggle stealth, to be honest.
It’s here a question I’ve always wondered resurfaces; if the only way to access the platform is to run through a brick wall in a train station packed with Muggles, how are the hundreds of witches and wizards trying to get to the Hogwarts Express around the same time never spotted? Swarms of weirdly dressed people with owls in cages disappearing into a tiny spot on the wall? I know, I know.
We’re introduced to 2/3 of the Weasley family, friendly and motherly Mrs. Weasley, joking twins Fred and George, rule following prefect Percy, little sister Ginny, and Ron, Harry’s equally awkward new friend. The two are lifelines to each other, neither having anyone to sit with on the train, which is a first day nightmare many of us know too well. Ron is worrying about being poor and having to follow in the footsteps of his well known and successful brothers, Harry is worrying about his lack of knowledge of the wizarding world and his magical abilities. They are drawn to each other, and it’s interesting to speculate whether they would’ve been friends or not if they hadn’t met and bonded on that first train, mutually relieved they aren’t the only one who doesn’t feel confident. For my money, I bet they would’ve always made friends eventually, they’re just too compatible.
We also meet a bossy girl named Hermione, and a tearful boy named Neville missing a toad, but neither grabbed my attention too much at this point on my first read. Malfoy shows up with what seems to be large henchmen more than friends, and tries (badly) to make friends with Harry as well. However, D-Malfs makes the mistake of doing so by insulting Ron, and since Harry is already firmly #TeamRon Malfoy has to shred his Malfoy +Potter 4ever t-shirts with a tear in his eye. Boys, can’t we all just get along?!
Ah, that’s better.
The confrontation between the boys is staved off by Scabbers the rat attacking Goyle, and Ron gives us some more backstory on the Malfoy family and their dodgy past. It does make me wonder how cognizant Peter Pettigrew was at this point, and if he attacked Goyle out of impotent revenge for his current status, or just out of boredom. We know it can’t be because Goyle tasted delicious.
Hermione shows up again to nag Ron some more, and we have another iconic moment at our first sight of Hogwarts by boat.
It’s in this chapter that we see how strong Harry’s sense of right and wrong is, how he immediately deems Ron, who is poor but kind-hearted worthy of his friendship over a rich and influential snob like Malfoy. Harry’s bravery is also more in the forefront of this chapter, in that he’s willing to vigorously defend Ron against three people, two of whom are much larger. And it’s also here that we get our first look at fun wizard candy like Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott’s Beans.
At this point, I couldn’t wait to flip the page and see more of the castle called, inexplicably, Hogwarts.
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