I was just wondering why its called Platform 9 and 3/4, if its in the middle between platform 9 and 10, it should be platform 9 and 1/2?

It's quite simple, no?

Well, one must assume that the platform to get to the Hogwarts Express is located between platforms 9 and 10, yet three quarters the way in the space, closer to the 10th Platform.

Therefore, it is named...Platform 9 3/4. It's that simple, right!



_daviD

I thought some people are let in or out in 9&2/3 or something because there are too many wizards. do they go in at 9&3/4 and go out in different places?

Actually, the proportions are not actually mentioned if memory serves.

Anyway, Platform 9 1/2 sounds so boring while 9 3/4 has a more esoteric quality

Isn't there some sort of legend about platform 9 3/4 at Kings cross station? Something about a ghost or something? I think I've read that somewhere. I was under the impression that's why she chose to use it.

I had always assumed that there were TWO platforms between 9 & 10 - Plaform 9 1/2 and platform 9 3/4. It just so happens that they use 9 3/4 to get to Hogwarts. Maybe 9 1/2 is used when coming back the other way, or for the teacher's train, or just used sometimes, and not others. Remember CoS, when Ron and Harry missed the train? maybe that year the train left from 9 1/2??

But I guess that does open up the question of "Where is platform 9 1/4?" - maybe there are THREE platforms between 9 & 10? although that might be stretching it a bit

well it's probably because it is closer to platform 10 because it's not straight behind the wall,
it's a bit far i think...

Platform 9 3/4 sounds so much better and more original than Platform 9 1/2, no? Much more unexpected, even Roald Dahlish, in my opinion.

I never really thought of there being more train stations between 9 and 10, because wizards generally do not travel places by train. Hogwarts used the train because the students are not allowed to appartate (there's nowhere in Hogwarts to apparate anyway); besides, all those kids with Muggle families probably do not have access to any magical transportation.

Oh, and Kymar -- didn't Ron and Harry miss the train because Dobby blocked the entrance for them? I don't think it was because the train left from a different platform.

Yeah, sorry I guess I didn't word that very well. I wasn't suggesting that they missed the train because it left from a different platform, just that because we didn't actually see the train leave the station that year, we wouldn't know if it had left from a different platform. Sorry for the confusion.

Anyway, I too am of the opinion that it's just cos it sounds better, but I was trying to use a bit of imagination. As I have said before on this site, I'm not generally know for my creativity, so this attempt may have been unsuccessful.

Nimbus - do you know about this ghost legend, or where I could find out about it? I like ghost stories, and would be interested to find out more about this one, but I just spent about half an hour searching the web and couldn't find anything except for a reference to Queen Boudicea being buried under the station, somewhere between platform 9 & 10

maybe platform 9 1/4 goes to beauxbatons 9 2/4 goes to the other school...cant remember the name right now and 9 3/4 goes to hogwarts....yea ok i know this is completely untrue but oh well i thought i would put it down anyway ...hahaha

D.A

I first pondered over this when I realised. Why? Why should I mull over this when the answer is quite simple?

When has JKR made something for us believable? That is the best part about HP, it is completely different from what we are used to, to keep us away from logic and facts while we are reading. To be immersed, is truly to just stop believing what you believe in every day life, and JKR's world becomes your life.....Sorry for the life lesson.....



Hi D.A!!

No i enjoyed that life lesson cherie...hello by the way how are you

Mayb she picked it because it sounds better...frankly platform 9 and 3/4 sounds heaps better than 9 and a half!....

D.A

Oy, and I know something else! It is so random and unexpected. If it was 9 1/2 you can assure it is between 9 and 10, even though it still does not make much sence. If it is 9 and 3/4 then it is like "Well now i am really screwed, where the heck it 9 and 3/4. And i agree "Platform 9 and 3/4", just rolls off the tongue (Not literally of course).


I have a new theory! Cherie and her crazy theories. Well, it could also something that some people say is "That is just crazy enough to work!" Although this contradict my other theory...Ah well, pick which one feels best to you!

Oh, and I am quite fine D.A, and yourself?

Im ok thankyou cherie

hmmm well i know that JK uses a lot of her magical stuff because they meaning behind it...like lupin has something to do with werewolf etc. but i think mayb once in a while she might just make a thing up!...although maybe there is a legend behind it like Nimbus said

D.A

I know this sounds probably a bit off topic and also something that may have been done to death, but 9 3/4 does seem to have a hidden meaning to it in terms of JKRs world. While reading the books the readers cannot but observe her fascination for two numbers in particular. No. 7 and Number 12.

Number seven appears in several important instances such as 7 Horcruxes, 7 years at Hogwarts, 17 the age when wizards finally come to age. Hary's vault is 687, Sirius's 711, Philodopher's stone came from 713, 7 secret passages out of Hogwarts, Room of Requirement on the 7th floor and so is the Gryffindor common room (I think so albeit in a different wing); Philosophers stone had seven protections guarding it (Fluffy, Devils Snare, Keys, Chess Board, Troll, Potions and Mirror of Erised); Harry and Neville born in July (seventh month dies); 7 Weasley Children; 7 Quidditch players etc and probably many more that I would have probably overlooked.

She also seems to have a fascination for Number 12: Number 12 Grimmauld Place, 12 uses of Dragon's blood, 12- the maximum number of owls attainable; Weasley's wizarding wheezes is at no. 93 Diagon ally (9+3=12); Ron born in March (third month) and Hermione born in September (9th month)- again 9+3=12 and I am sure there are more that I am missing here.

Not to add that she's quite fond of 3 and 4 as well. For 3 we have- Number of wand cores; Harry, Ron, Hermione; Triwizard tournament; Diagon alley entrance has something to the tune of 3 across (or down); Three hoops in Quidditich and of course there will be more.

4- Number four Privet Drive; Marauders; Triwizard tournament became a contest between four; Four houses; Four first year students in each boat; Fred and George born in April (4th month) and many more that I would have missed.

What I mean is that the connections are too many and to obvious to be fully coincident.

9 and 3/4 actually combines them both in one figure. We all know that 9 is 3/4th of 12, also 3+4=7. So she in effect (deliberately or inadvertently) combined all her (apparently) preferred numbers into one single figure. Perhaps she did not intend it that way or perhaps he did. But then she gave Harry Holly wood for his wand that also happens to be his tree (according to some birth chart or something on her website) and claimed that she did not know the connection prior to that.

wow mayfair that was very thought out and accurate

Im very impressed....im starting to wonder whether anything in the HP books is coincidence...but anyways well done for that..bravo

D.A

Perhaps, but Platform 9 and 3/4 is more...odd. Jo's world is odd, from our stand-point. There is probably no real logical explanation. Atleast, I can't find one. But 9 is a very magical number. 3, 7, 9, and 12. And 3 plus 4 equals seven .

I reckon it could just could be because its got a ring to it. for instance, try saying these out loud:

Platform 9 and a half
Platform 9 and a quater
platform 9 and a bit (lol)

See, they just dont have that very twee sound do they??

If oyu object, then try and justify your point.

Im a nerd , i know

Well, if i don't remember wrong there actually is an abandoned platform called 9 3/4 somewhere under platforms 9 and 10... I saw it on Discovey channel during a program called the secrets of Harry Potter or something like it...

platform 9 &3/4,that sounds more fascinating than the other ones!oi,there's a legend which says that Electra was killed right there and that her ghost haunts that place(i think it was her,or another princess of the amazons).

Hi everyone!!

Right to start off i'm not sure whether a topic like this has been started and if someone knows that there already is one or that this is in the wrong category please will you let me know by owl or just move it thanks.

I don't know if it's just me being strange but in the books there isn't much information about platform 9¾ and there were a few things that i wanted to know about it maybe others know more than i do.

So... the first question i want answered is:

Is there any other way of getting to the platform?

I wondered about this because in the books Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys always get to the platform through the barrier but from what i understand reading the book, they always seem to get there just in time. Does this mean that everyone else gets there early and Harry and the others are just always late or does it mean that there are other ways of getting to the platform because there never seems to be any other wizards at the barrier when they get there. There is no queue as such and there are that many people on the platform when they actually do get there that a queue would have been an understatement for the huge gatherings of wizards trying to get to the platform.


Second question:

Where does the train come out?

When the train leaves platform 9¾ it goes outside but what i want to know is where it actually comes out because if it came out at King's Cross then surely some muggles that work there would have noticed and extra set of tracks and an extra train that they had never seen before leaving the station. And just to clarify before the discussion starts, the books mention nothing about the Hogwarts Express being invisible.


So there you go feel free to argue the points made and enlighten me and others that are wondering the same things. I really do want to know about this and maybe it is just that i haven't read the books thouroughly enough to notice that these questions have already been answered.

Thanks
miss_r_weasley *~ xx

Never really thought about it...I guess they might have a fireplace nearby, so the floo network may be available. Also, students who are 17 could just apparate with their parents.

I think that the gate at King's Cross acts as a sort of portal rather than just and imaginary wall. The actual platform may be miles away, thus reducing the chance that it would be seen. Then again, it may just be like Diagon Ally where muggles can't see it.

Who knows?

- Phoenix

For now I think this topic is fine on it's own feet since your questions weren't asked in topics that also made specific inquires towards said Platform. Note another Wizengamot may say otherwise and I offer this link to search results.

I would like to favor the Floo Network explanation; though there are inconsistencies, namely Harry traveling with the Weasleys. Why wouldn't they use the Floo Network to immediately access the Platform instead of using cars in Book 2? I understand they needed to buy more powder from what Mrs. Weasley said just before Harry took his first step into green fire (pg. 47, Scholastic); yet isn't plausible they could've rationed some away for a trip to the platform? Also, one could cite the circumstances of the Ministry offering Arthur magical automotives for Harry's safety during POA cancelling out the necessity for using the network; but wouldn't the Floo Network be a far faster and safer means keeping in mind what we've read of the MoM control/interference with the green fire in OotP?


If that is the case, it would give a plausible and magical explanation for both questions. The barrier may be similar magic that the twin black cabinets at Borgin and Burkes and the Room of Requirement use... Very much like the how the Protean was briefly noted (two similiar materials charmed to be magically the same, copying the traits of its twin) yet a conduit for transport.

Is it possible there are smaller train stops for the Hogwarts Express that are nestled within the Muggle rail system which pick up students at the beginning of term prior to arriving in London's Platform Nine and Three Quarters?

I think in light of the revelation of "side-along apparition" that many parents would apparate with their children to the Train Station. Obviously the Weasley's couldn't side-along apparate with all those kids, forcing them to go by foot/car.

The idea of the Floo Network is interesting.. why not hook a single, secure fireplace up to Hogwarts to allow the children to bypass the train?

There are so many options that one could arrive at Hogwarts, I would fear to be JKR to try to incorporate all of them into writing.

~Albus

Is there any other way of getting to the platform?

Right ok i dunno if you can just walk back through the barrier. Or apparate. Apparating seems the most likely.

Where does the train come out?

I think it comes out in the countrycide somewhere remote so it is not an obvious place to look for a train. And anyway the train is probably disquiesed by magic.

Why not? Platform nine and three quaters sounds quite funny, and magical ... i mean, platform 9 1/2 sounds typical and boring. This is a world of magic!

I think it sounds better to be honest.



Exactly gryffindorgirlie, none of these sound as good as platform 9 3/4.

hehe. Well while I'd LIKE to say that all of that means nothing-- that it could be a random number, I think I know JK enough to say that's NOT true. lol.

As said before, just BEING on the Platform is half-way there, ne? Then being halfway TO the portal makes it 3/4. lol.

I mean, half of 1 is 0.5, right? Then half of 0.5 is .25. Add 'em together and whaddya get? 3/4!!! lol.

I think the answer is very simple.Wizards need a special place to go by train,but they can't ask for a normal platform to the muggles because the Wizard's world is a secret,so they have used their magic to have a normal platform in a secret place where only the wizards and witches can come in.
They decided to build this platform between the platforms 9 and 10,and they named it :"9 and 3/4".

simply put, things would not make sense in the muggle world make perfect sense in the wizarding world. And that is pretty much it.

Yay, finally someone who knows my question! I have been thinking about that too, but 9 3/4 sounds more 'wizard-like'. I am going to write to JKR soon, and that question is definitely on my list of questions to ask. Then we all will know!

~Luna♥Lover

Right...my thoughts on the transport problem...(See page 2)
Judging by the reactions of the boys in Harry's dormitory when they found out that Harry had apparated by side-along, I would say that it is not a common occurance and probably is on the fringes of the law, something to be done only in emergencies. I would say the Floo network is probably out too- what if everything got clogged up? Muggle transport probably seems the best option, but I've always thought that an awful lot iof wizards travelling to the same place each year with trunks and owls in tow might make muggles a bit suspicious.
I've also wondered about the people in the north of Scotland who have to travel all the way down to London, to travel all the way up to where Hogwarts is. It makes you wonder if there are a whole bunch of Hogwarts Expresses, called three and five-eighths, or something like that, but I have my doubts about this idea too.
I think probably that platform nine and three-quarters is so named because it's off-beat, although somebody did make some good points on number formations across the page.

I think it's just Rowling having a sense of humor. Why shouldn't it be Nine and Three-Quarters? Nine and a half is too boring and expected. Besides, who says that it isn't closer to Platform 10 than to Platform 9?

That's another question I hadn't really thought about. Maybe it was so it would be out of the way and not make sense to wizards, but then why couldn't it just be 9 1/2? I think it was just to be kind of quirky, no more explaination.

I have at agree. But if it was between platforms 9 and 10 then 9 and 3/4 does kind of make sense. The placement of Platform 9 and 3/4 would also factor in. If it was right in the middle it would be Platform 9 and 1/2. But if it were off-center it would be Platform 9 and 3/4. It sort of clicked in my head.

~Leja's going to take ballet~

Personally I think that the name 9 and 3/4 sounds much better than 9 and 1/2. It's a gate to the world of wizards, so you need an unusual name. I think 9 and 3/4 covers that very well.

I think it is called platform 9 and 3/4 because in the movie, there are more than one pillars with 9 and 10 between them. Maybe there are four of these pillars and the third (3rd down out of 4= 3/4) is where the enter
Also, wizard surnames are quite odd like Dumbledore, Potter, Weasley, McGonogall etc. 3/4 is the weirdest number, nine and three quaters sounds more Harry Pottery than nine and a half

there is some sorts of legend but wasnt rowling thinking of st.pancreas not kings cross she just got the names muddled up so maybe she got the legend muddled

anyway the narrator says at some point that it was in the middle of 9 and 10 cant remember what book though

i sort of thought about that , but never gave it much thought you know? personally i think that the platform thing has no meaning, i think that it sounds cooler than 9 and half . dont you? nine and three quarters sound so much more fun. has a ring to it & it goes perfectly well

The way I see it, you just answered your own question. By asking if it should be 9 and a half, you demonstrated how close minded muggles can be (and please dont take it as I am trying to bring you down or belittle you) I just think that JK saw it as muggles being close-minded and being able to think "hey, i wonder if there is a secret platform between 9 and 10, IT MUST BE 9 1/2!!!! No see, this way, with platform 9 3/4, it would not occur to the typical muggle, and they would not seek means to access it.. I mean, if I told you to chose a point between "A" and "B"

A----------------------------------------------------------------------------B

Where is it most likely people will chose. You know? Anyway, thats my take on it.

I think JKR just wanted something like that! Some people don't believe there is a Platform 9 3/4 anywhere but there is in Amsterdam or somewhere like that or the U.A.E somewhere Arabic I believe... maybe JKR had a special memory there? Hahaha I doubt it but maybe she thought Platform 9 1/2 sounded to original so she went up a quarter! I doubt it is of any significance! Personally I think it'd sound better as Platform 9 and 2/7 but no, she choose 3/4! I don't think she was expecting anyone to ask that question! Maybe it was an inside thing... so for example... say 9 was her favorite number or the age of her cousin's son or something like that, and she's drinking a glass of water while typing up a legend and the water is only 3/4 full or 3/4 empty! Or say she just got finished cooking something and the recipe called for 3/4 or flour or something or other! Or maybe she found out her niece only got one answer wrong on a math test and she put 9 and 3/4 OR she was supposed to put 9 and 3/4! Or maybe it just simply was a fractional number that came to her head! I'll bet it has something to do with that! I dunno.... I'm just theorizing here!

Wow, rebel_megz, you're digging pretty deep into this whole thing. As with a lot of things in the Harry Potter series, I think JK Rowling just wanted the wizarding world to be as different as possible from the one we are introduced to at the Dursleys. A lot of things in the world are like that: Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the Burrow...

And maybe she just wanted to confuse us debaters and make us come up with some kind of reason! Who knows?