You-Know-Who, the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, vanished.
All that remained was Harry Potter and a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.
To this day, no one knows why.
Regardless, it was an undeniable fact that the Dark Lord, who had dominated the Magical World, was defeated by a baby.
With that, the Wizarding War, which had lasted 11 years, came to an end, and the Wizarding World was finally free from darkness and terror.
Because of this, Harry Potter became a household hero before he even grew up, revered as “The Boy Who Lived.”
Some even proposed designating the day Lord Voldemort vanished as Harry Potter Day.
Of course, this request was ultimately not fulfilled.
But this did not affect Harry Potter's special status in the Magical World.
According to the rules of the Magical World, Harry Potter, who was the same age as Sherlock, would also start Hogwarts in the summer of 1991.
Undoubtedly, compared to Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's appeal to Sherlock was far greater.
So, after learning about this history through books, Sherlock made a decision.
After school started, he would quickly approach Harry Potter and use this important person as his breakthrough to understand the Magical World.
Sherlock had no doubt that if the world he was in was a novel, then Harry Potter, even if not the protagonist, must be a very important clue character.
As long as he was with him, various conflicts and contradictions would certainly come knocking on their own.
That way, understanding the entire Magical World would become much more convenient.
Furthermore, compared to adults like Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, breaking through with Harry would undoubtedly be easier.
Of course, this was also relative.
After all, given Harry Potter's household fame in the Magical World, he should be a person surrounded by admirers at school.
It was likely there would be a group of adoring fans bustling around him, so approaching him might not be too easy then.
However, the more challenging it was, the more exciting it would be.
Finally, the time came to September 1st.
On this day, Mr. Holmes and Mrs. Holmes accompanied Sherlock to King's Cross Station.
Hogwarts was in the Scottish Highlands; this was Sherlock's deduction, and it was also confirmed by Professor McGonagall.
But to go by train… how should one put it?
To quote Mr. Holmes's joking remark, it was “going to a Wizarding school by train is somewhat ridiculous; have they run out of magic carpets?”
What the couple found even more incomprehensible was that the train ticket showed Sherlock was to board a train departing from Platform 9 3/4 at eleven o'clock.
As everyone knows, King's Cross Station in London only has Platform 9 and Platform 10; there has never been a Platform 9 3/4.
Fortunately, Professor McGonagall was a conscientious staff member; while carefully telling Sherlock how to enter Diagon Alley, she also told him how to find this seemingly nonexistent Platform 9 3/4.
Ten o'clock, King's Cross Station.
One platform had a large plastic sign with a '9' on it, and the other platform had a large plastic sign with a '10' on it, with naturally nothing in between.
But Sherlock knew that Platform 9 3/4 was behind the dividing wall between the two, requiring some special means to enter.
The moment of parting arrived.
Mr. Holmes smiled and waved continuously to his son.
Mrs. Holmes, however, turned away, her shoulders trembling, clearly not wanting to face the moment of separation.
As a sentimental person, such a reaction from her was not surprising.
Mr. Holmes fully demonstrated his responsibility as the head of the household; after waving goodbye to Sherlock again, he tightly embraced his wife's shoulders and left.
Sherlock, watching his parents leave, was not in a hurry to run into the wall.
He first curiously reached out and touched it; it felt solid to the touch, not a false illusion.
He then tapped the bricks, and a “thump, thump, thump” sound came, proving it was not hollow either.
Looking down, clear footprints and trolley marks went straight into the other side of the wall; judging by the spacing of the footsteps, these people were moving very forcefully and quickly.
A slight smile appeared on Sherlock's lips.
Now it seemed, even without McGonagall's instructions, he knew how to enter.
Sherlock guessed that the Wizards probably added this setting, where one could only enter by quickly running into the wall, to prevent non-Wizards from accidentally entering with a light touch.
There was nothing more to say after that.
Face the wall, quicken your pace, and charge!
Sherlock did not close his eyes, yet he still felt darkness envelop him.
However, this lasted only a moment.
Soon, his vision suddenly cleared.
Straight ahead were empty railway tracks and a platform crowded with passengers.
Looking back, where the dividing wall had been was now a wrought-iron archway, with “Platform 9 ¾” written largely above it.
Interesting.
Sherlock showed a genuine smile.
He had originally thought the owl post incident was a prank.
He never imagined it would be the key to opening the door to a new world for him.
Sherlock was certain that from this Platform 9 3/4 onwards, he would not feel bored for a long time to come.
As he had arrived a bit early, the Hogwarts train had not yet arrived.
Sherlock could only wait on this long platform.
While waiting, he was not idle; instead, he observed the Wizards who would soon become his classmates, analyzing their histories and pasts one by one.
In this way, the long waiting time was not boring at all.
【New student, mother is a Wizard, father is an ordinary person working in the demolition industry, only found out his wife's identity after marriage】
【Old student, strong desire for expression, extroverted personality, strong communication skills, often serves as a host】
【New student, parents not present for unknown reasons, raised by grandmother, forgetful, timid, lacking self-confidence】
...
Just as Sherlock's gaze moved from a round-faced little boy and his grandmother and he began to look for his next target.
A deep red steam locomotive roared in, and the sign hanging on the train read: Hogwarts Express, Eleven O'clock.
As soon as the train arrived at the station, everyone immediately rushed forward.
The thick smoke from the steam locomotive, already stopped at the platform, swirled above the crowd; soon, the first carriage was full of students, followed by the second, the third...
Students who boarded the train either leaned out of the windows to talk to their families, or played around in their seats, or sat in place, looking around curiously, and the air was filled with joyful sounds.
Sherlock was not in a hurry to check his ticket and board the train.
His target had not yet appeared; before that, he would continue to wait.
Even if the wait was very long.
Finally.
When he saw a thin little boy pushing a heavy leather trunk alone appear on the platform, Sherlock's eyes showed satisfaction.
Finally, I've waited for you!