When Remus was mostly healed, the seven kids boarded a train headed for Antarctica. Tyres had mentioned how much he hoped they could use a Portkey, which would be convenient and fast, but these children could not use magic and had not prepared any Portkeys anyway. Besides, to be honest, the sensation of traveling by Portkey was really nothing to write home about.
The children were not strangers to train travel, since they boarded the Hogwarts Express every year to return to school. Yet a carriage full entirely of Muggles still held a certain fascination for them. There were no witches pushing carts of weird and wonderful magical treats down the corridor, nor would they see chaotic magical creatures, stray spells flying about, or noisy crowds. Ordinary daily life, sights seen on everyday days, the scenery rushing past, and the wind pouring competitively through open windows—all of this reminded them of the views of London they passed when the train sped toward Hogwarts.
At Platform Nine and Three-Quarters every year, some people's youth began there, while others' ended there. Everything had a beginning and an end; there you would gain lifelong friends, encounter bitter rivals, and find love. We live in an incomparably magical world, seeking fulfillment.
Chapter 27