Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley-Potter, and their three children—James, Albus Severus, and Lily—arrive at King’s Cross station. James is teasing Albus about him possibly being sorted into Slytherin house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which worries Albus. The family passes through the magical barrier into platform nine and three-quarters.

The Potters meet the Granger-Weasleys—Ron, Hermione, and their children, Rose and Hugo. Albus confides in Harry his worries about being sorted into Slytherin, as the house is associated with Dark Magic; Harry reminds Albus that he was named after two headmasters of Hogwarts, and “one of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew” (9). Harry further reassures Albus that the Sorting Hat will take his feelings into account, as it once did for Harry himself; this is something Harry has never told anyone else before. The parents see James, Albus, and Rose onto the Hogwarts Express, then leave quickly, as people are staring at them.

On the train, Rose tells Albus they must concentrate on choosing their friends; their parents befriended each other on their first train to school, and she insists on following in their footsteps. Albus finds the prospect of having to already choose their “friends for life” scary, but Rose is excited—because of their famous parents, they will have the pick of the lot.