Hogwarts Express

From the Encyclopedia of Speculative Fiction - http://encyclopedia.wizards.pro

The Hogwarts Express is the name of the train that leaves each September from platform nine and three quarters carrying students to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In striking contrast to the rest of the British Rail system, the Hogwarts Express takes the form of a large red steam engine. The passenger carriages contain compartments set off a corridor, allowing each compartment to function as a self-contained stage within the larger train.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

It is on the Hogwarts Express that Harry first gets to know Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and first meets many of the other people who will play significant roles in the books, including Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Fred and George Weasley and, in later years, Remus Lupin and Luna Lovegood. The first confrontation between Harry and Draco Malfoy occurs on the train on the way to Hogwarts when Draco sneers at Ron and offers Harry friendship. Harry turns down Draco's offer abruptly, marking the beginning of a long-standing enmity.

It is on the Hogwarts Express that Harry has his first encounter with the Dementors in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry is invited to a compartment occupied by Professor Horace Slughorn and several other students selected by the teacher for their apparent star quality.

As J.K. Rowling has indicated that the idea of Harry Potter came to her on a train journey, it is fitting that the Hogwarts Express remains a central feature of the stories.