harry potter - Why Can't Parents Apparate With Their Students to Platform 9 3/4?

With Platform 9 3/4 in King's Cross Station, it means all the magic people have to take the effort to dress as muggles (according to the International Statute of Secrecy) and somehow make it to King's Cross Station without revealing themselves (meaning they can't just use apperition and appear wherever they want in King's Cross).

Considering the number of people who will need to do this every year, at least twice each year, and that they will be interacting, at least minimally, with muggles, this creates an unnecessary risk of tipping off muggles something is going on. (Not to mention all the people walking through a wall into Platform 9 3/4!)

They have to have a track that is for their use only (or at least parts of it, since they don't want muggle trains pulling up in Hogsmeade or near Hogwarts). Why didn't they either create their own station in London or create a place for apparition so there would be no interaction with muggles for all the Hogwarts students and their families?

Answer

My guess is that if parents wanted to apparate directly to the platform they could, but a few things are drastically reducing the number of families who do. First, there is the difficulty of apparition to begin with (Hermione says something along the lines of plenty of wizards don't bother; I was looking for the quote last night but didn't find it). Then take the fact that children can't apparate, at least below seventh year for the most skilled and somewhat older ones, so they'd need to side-along, and on top of that add luggage. A family with one child and at least one fairly skilled parent could probably manage, but remember, most witches and wizards aren't skilled enough and have multiple children. That said, I would be somewhat surprised if the Malfoys didn't apparate there, they wouldn't be caught dead in the middle of so many filthy muggles.

Comments

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