September 1st dawned grey and cool, a standard late-summer morning utterly at odds with the momentous significance of the date in Harry's System logs. His eleventh birthday had passed without incident – just another day under the Dursleys, marked by an internal System notification of Level 13 eligibility and his continued, quiet grind. Now Level 13, stats further increased, HP/MP bolstered, skills even sharper, he knew today was the day everything changed.
He spent the morning moving through the familiar routines of chores and calculated avoidance. [Gamer's Mind Lv. 6] held his excitement in check, focusing his entire being on executing his meticulously planned egress. He carried his expandable Gringotts pouch, packed with essential acquired items (wand in inner pocket, basic clothes, cauldron kit, scale, phials, telescope, history book, and some school books in a compartment of the pouch for ready access, plus his vital, non-Pouch-compatible glasses) and the solid weight of magical currency, secured within his increasingly less-oversized hand-me-downs. Hedwig remained hidden, silent in a large cage Harry had stealthily liberated from Dudley's old junk and modified discreetly with [Subtle Item Manipulation Lv. 3] and [Intent Focus Lv. 2] (MP cost accepted). He'd practiced using Manipulation to keep her water and food bowl subtly filled without needing to reach into the cage or open the hatch frequently, treating it as dedicated skill training.
The Dursleys were jumpy, their unease almost a physical presence that Harry's [Situational Awareness Lv. 7] detected and parsed easily. They hadn't expected him to show up at the Leaky Cauldron months ago, disrupting their efforts to ignore his life. His interaction with Mistress Vance (who had certainly reported back that he had been contacted, was Muggle-raised, required assistance, and was coming for supplies), followed by his self-sufficient disappearance from Diagon Alley and Gringotts transactions, had likely shifted Hogwarts' protocol regarding "Harry Potter". He wasn't the completely uncontactable case needing drastic measures anymore; he was simply... attending unconventionaly. They weren't waiting for a Giant anymore. They seemed just vaguely stressed about how he would be getting there, without their assistance or oversight. Good. Their stress was his cover.
The calculated moment arrived in the mid-afternoon. The Dursleys were confined to the sitting room watching a special report on crashing meteors on the news (a quiet laugh from the System log noted 'Magical Activity misinterpreted by Muggle Authorities'). They were fully absorbed, distracted, and immobile. The house was a temporary fortress of Muggle-blindness. His chance.
Using [Stealth Lv. 8] with supernatural silence and [DEX 22] providing perfect control, Harry slipped his standard belongings bag (containing non-magical necessities like a spare change of clothes not compatible with the Pouch storage yet, toiletries, glasses case, Hedwig's regular food just in case) over his shoulder. With [Subtle Item Manipulation Lv. 3], he eased Hedwig's cage, already near the backdoor due to his subtle overnight repositioning, through the kitchen and to the back door itself, guiding it like a puppet, soundlessly opening and closing latches with precise, low-MP nudges, all while monitoring the sitting room and the back garden via Awareness.
He slipped out the back door, Hedwig's cage floating silently alongside him at knee height thanks to continuous low-level Manipulation, his backpack weight surprisingly manageable. He had chosen the back garden and ally route. Fewer immediate neighbours with line-of-sight to the front. His [Situational Awareness Lv. 7] confirmed the path was clear. The small, private gap in the back fence that he'd subtly enlarged over the years using STR/Manipulation practice served as his final, planned egress point from Dursley property.
He nudged the worn fence boards open with his shoulder and subtle force ([STR 14] applied), slipping through into the unmonitored allyway. Hedwig's cage followed, then the fence nudged back into place ([Manipulation] closing).
He was out. Truly out. His Level 13 stats hummed, HP and MP pools full, ready. The familiar boundary of Privet Drive receding with every silent, System-measured step. He walked with purpose, a quiet agent executing the final leg of his 'Navigation' objective within PQ Step 2. He needed to reach the Charing Cross Road Access Point again.
The walk, bus rides, navigating the London Underground system using skills developed during prior shorter trips, purchasing his train ticket (standard Muggle transaction requiring navigating conversation - CHA practice - and exchanging a small bit of his Muggle cash cache) – all were executed with the precision and efficiency of years of practice. [Stealth Lv. 8] made him blend into the crowd; [Agile Evasion Lv. 7] allowed him to flow through the busy stations; [Situational Awareness Lv. 7] charted the safest, fastest routes and identified potential onlookers (few seemed notable beyond standard Muggle types); [Observe Lv. 6] mapped exits, platforms, schedules, people; [INT 22]/[WIS 21] processed complex directions and timetables rapidly; [Gamer's Mind Lv. 6] kept the immense internal significance of the journey separate from the practical task at hand. He managed Hedwig's cage with invisible Manipulation, seeming like any other child struggling with a pet carrier.
He successfully navigated to Charing Cross Road. Walked down it, applying his high-level [Situational Awareness Lv. 7] filter for [Reality Layer Discrepancy] until he located the familiar wobble in the air, the unassuming doorway of the Leaky Cauldron. The access point was active.
He slipped through the entrance, feeling the familiar surge of [Unclassified Magical Energy] and [Magical Environment] logging begin within the System. The pub was busy, though perhaps less so than on the summer supply trip. Tom the Barkeep nodded vaguely; he didn't seem surprised to see Harry.
Harry needed information: How to get from the Leaky Cauldron (an alley access) to King's Cross (a train station for Hogwarts students)? His history book didn't cover inter-location wizard travel in London. His acquired knowledge only got him into Diagon Alley, which didn't seem to have its own train platform separate from the Muggle world. This felt like a missing sub-objective in PQ Step 2's Navigation.
He approached Tom the Barkeep (Profile: Knows Access Points, Interactable Entity, Appears Neutral/Friendly). His most reliable information source here.
"Excuse me, Tom?" Harry's voice was steady.
"Aye, lad? Finished your school shop?"
"Yes, thank you. I... I need to get to King's Cross. The train."
Tom smiled, a wide, gap-toothed grin. "Ah, King's Cross! Off to Hogwarts with the rest! Right then. Out the back here, see the wall? Tap the bricks just right – third up from the bin, 'cross the same amount." He winked. "Practice for Knockturn Alley if yeh ask me." He described the specific brick sequence. "And from there, step through to the alley. Gets you right back onto Charing Cross Road. King's Cross Station is a fair few stops on the Underground or a taxi if ye've got the Galleons and they'll take an owl." He chuckled.
Navigate through the back courtyard – check. Use the brick access protocol again (now reversed) – check (Logged as [Protocol: Access Point Egress (Leaky Cauldron -> Muggle London)]). He had used that sequence before. He had the route back to Charing Cross Road. Then, Muggle travel to King's Cross. Tom confirmed Muggle transport was the standard method from this access point for students. Another detail for the database: Magical London's layout interfaces with Muggle London for certain types of travel.
He exited the Leaky Cauldron the way Mistress Vance had shown him (using the alley bricks access). Hedwig was silent, perched patiently on his shoulder. He located King's Cross Station using his System-aided urban navigation skills (Observe, Awareness, INT/WIS for direction, reading signs, route calculation). He found the platforms. It was chaotic, crowded with Muggles. Not a whisper of detectable magic the System could register on Platform 1, 2, 3...
He knew the address from the scroll. Platform 9 and Three-Quarters. Between 9 and 10. It wasn't there. He applied [Observe Lv. 6], [Situational Awareness Lv. 7], scanning the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, specifically for [Reality Layer Discrepancy], [Anomaly Marker], or concentrated [Magical Energy] like he'd found at the Leaky Cauldron entrance.
Nothing. The brick wall and iron barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 registered as entirely normal, mundane structures. No shimmer, no wobble, no concentrated magical signature, no hidden entrance the System detected using standard 'Access Point' profiling.
Unless... was the Access Protocol here different? Less like a disguised doorway, more... hidden? He saw families gathered, seemingly waiting with mountains of luggage and oddly shaped items hidden under blankets, their pets in cages (Potential Entity: Magical-User Proxy groups identified by baggage contents). He watched one family. Two older boys, a girl with a braid, a younger girl, a bustling mother, a calm father. Red hair. Lots of luggage. Cages. Anomalous baggage profiles, System noted. One of the boys, taller, leaned against the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. And then he just... walked through. Through the solid wall.
Harry's mind jolted, a data error notification flicker overriding even his [Gamer's Mind]. [ERROR: Observed Action does NOT align with Standard Reality Parameters (Muggle). Target Entity: Mass greater than Zero. Obstacle: Solid Object. Observed Outcome: Obstacle traversal without physical disruption!]
[Cross-referencing: Previous [Anomaly Detected] of Type: [Reality Layer Discrepancy] + Event Trigger: [Access Point Activation (Leaky Cauldron)] involved PHYSICAL distortion of obstacle. Current Observation: OBSTACLE UNCHANGED by passage!]
This wasn't the same kind of magic as the Leaky Cauldron entrance. That one shifted and distorted. This wall... it was just there, solid, and the wizard walked through it. It required a different approach. Not finding an anomaly, but performing a specific action on a seemingly normal point. The girl with the braid walked after her brother, eyes fixed on the wall, then she was gone too.
This was the true final navigation step for PQ Step 2. Not just getting to the address, but executing the unique entry protocol for King's Cross Station Platform. The System hadn't classified 'walking through walls' as an Access Point method, probably because it defied prior physics analysis. But his [Observe] on the method (walking straight at it), combined with Witnessing other entities use it (Verification of viable protocol), provided the necessary data.
He hefted his ordinary backpack slightly, adjusted Hedwig's cage with a slight Manipulation nudge, his body tingling with readiness (DEX 22). He looked at the solid brick barrier between platforms 9 and 10. This wasn't about analysis anymore. This was about trust. Trusting what he had observed. Trusting that his destiny, his journey, was on the other side of that solid wall. Years of grinding, building himself into this honed, ready state, weren't just for survival or obscure knowledge. They were for executing impossible actions with absolute conviction when the moment arrived.
He walked towards the wall between Platforms 9 and 10, a single boy with a scruffy bag and a quiet owl cage. His formidable stats and skills were invisible, hidden beneath the facade of ordinariness. He kept his eyes straight ahead, towards the solid brick. He didn't hesitate. He didn't slow down. He walked directly at the wall.
His System logs fell momentarily silent, anticipating the result.
And he stepped through.
Instead of hitting solid brick, he burst out onto a crowded, bustling platform bathed in steam from a magnificent scarlet steam engine. Above was a sign: HOGWARTS EXPRESS, 11 O'CLOCK. Witches and wizards of all ages, many in robes, were saying goodbye to children boarding the train. Mountains of trunks, lively pets, shouting parents. And the train itself... impossible.
🔔 [Location Confirmed: [Resource Node: King's Cross Station -> Specific Nexus: Platform 9 and Three-Quarters]. Connection Protocol: [Wall Transversal - Magic Compatible Entities Only] Confirmed Operational.]
[Primary Quest Step 2 Objective: Navigate Resource Node Access Vector - STATUS: ACHIEVED!]
[Primary Quest Step 2 Objective: Acquire Supplies - Task: Attend to Logistical Requirements for Travel - Status: IN PROGRESS (Need to Board Train / Manage Supplies).]
[Major Phase Transition Initiated!]
[User's Presence on [Hogwarts Express Platform] Confirmed.]
He was here. After all the years. The grinding. The survival. The stats. The skills. The secret letters. The impossible clues. The hidden money. The wand. The history. He, Harry Potter, the System-augmented, anomaly-detecting Boy Who Lived (information confirmed and partially understood), stood on the platform for the Hogwarts Express.
He wasn't the lost, terrified boy who stepped through the barrier in the original story. He was a Level 13 Player with DEX 22, INT 22, WIS 21, Stealth 8, Awareness 7, and a core drive to master the game he found himself in. The mundane world was left behind. The magical world lay ahead, ready to be explored, catalogued, navigated, and perhaps, eventually, understood. His next objective wasn't hard to find. Board the train. The true game, the grand quest of attending Hogwarts, was about to begin.