P for Platform Nine and Three Quarters

Let's talk about Platform Nine and Three Quarters! The gateway to the magical, wizarding world. The very first book - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - that came to me many many years ago had Platform Nine and Three Quarters illustrated on the cover. It appeared to have a childish feel to it, the Roald Dahl type. It took me a while to get to it because my exams were going on. I kept looking at the cover though, as it lay on my desk. 

My initial thoughts were that this boy in the round spectacles is traveling - perhaps summer vacation - and his tourist look made me think it would be about his adventures. Little did I know this was way bigger than what it looked. And, little did I know that one day I would be standing at the very platform myself!

When the movie released ... watching the Platform and the Hogwarts Express engine blowing steam ... I got goosebumps! I had no clue I would be watching the same scene before my eyes someday at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The platform was not there initially when Universal built Hogsmeade. There was just the engine against a brick wall, positioned at Hogsmeade's entrance as a photo op for visitors. That is still there. BUT!!! Today, with London's King's Cross Station replica built at Universal Studios, Platform Nine and Three Quarters has come to life! The Hogwarts Express runs from here to Hogsmeade! They even have the secret passage through the brick wall that I run through each time to reach it. 

Don't forget to read Sara's tale about Platform Nine and Three Quarters and the special place it holds in our hearts.