Owls (was "First" chapter) - Platform 9.75

[Catlady]

No: HPFGUIDX 17952

Andrew Preston's questions after his PoA chapters summary included:

> 5) Where did the owls meet up at? Do they have a central office?
> 6) Can you hire more owls to deliver heavy packages? Why didn't
> Ron, with his newfound wealth?

After Ron and Hermione visit Hogsmeade, they tell Harry: "The post
office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all
color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!"

Later Invisible!Harry visits it for himself: "They went to the post
office; Ron pretended to be checking the price of an owl to Bill in
Egypt so that Harry could have a good look around. The owls sat hooting
softly down at him, at least three hundred of them; from Great Grays
right down to tiny little Scops owls ("Local Deliveries Only"), which
were so small they could have sat in the palm of Harry's hand."

Jen (jenfold) wrote:
> However I don't think the train runs to Hogsmeade at
> other times of the year. For example when Hagrid is
> going to the ministry in London about Buckbeak he
> has to take the Knightbus.

Maybe a train runs regularly between Hogsmeade and London (either a
Local, which stops everywhere, or a Limited Express, which stops at all
major stations, but not a Hogsmeade Express that doesn't make any other
stops en route) but Hipppgriffs are not allowed on wizarding trains.

Mecki wrote:
> In Ps one of the Weasley's ( I forgot who), asked
> another<g> "which platform doeas the train go?(or similiar).
> This indicates IMHO that there are more wizard plattforms
> on King's Cross.

It was Mrs. Weasley asking Ginny. This is one way that parents model
speech, teach their children facts, and teach their children manners, by
asking questions to which the parent already knows the answer (and it
gives the child a nice feeling of competence if the child also knows the
answer). Ginny at that time was ten years old and maybe too old for that
technique, but maybe Molly had spent so long with babies that she can't
get out of the habit.
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