Platform Ten

• Type: Railway Platform
• Location: King's Cross Station, London, England
• Owner/Residents: King's Cross Station Authorities (Muggle)
• Key Features: A mundane Muggle platform, notable for being adjacent to the magical barrier leading to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Platform Ten is a regular, non-magical platform at London's King's Cross Station. It is described as a busy, solid-looking platform, indistinguishable from any other in the station and frequented by Muggles going about their daily travels. Its primary significance in the Wizarding World is its location next to Platform Nine. The solid barrier separating Platform Nine and Platform Ten serves as the concealed magical entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the departure point for the Hogwarts Express. The decision to use this specific location as a gateway was made by Ottaline Gambol, the Minister for Magic during the 19th century, as a discreet solution for transporting hundreds of Hogwarts students to school without attracting Muggle attention (Pottermore). The choice of a busy Muggle station was considered an act of “brazen audacity” but proved highly effective.

Platform Ten is the first place where Harry Potter must navigate the boundary between the Muggle and magical worlds on his own. In his first year, after being told by Hagrid to go to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, he finds himself confused and stranded between platforms Nine and Ten, initially believing it to be a joke. He is only able to find the entrance after overhearing Molly Weasley and following her family through the magical barrier. The platform represents the mundane reality that conceals magic. This is highlighted by the skepticism of Vernon Dursley, who scoffs that there is no such thing as a platform nine and three-quarters and abandons Harry there. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the barrier is magically sealed by Dobby the house-elf, causing Harry and Ron Weasley to crash their luggage trolley into the solid wall. This incident attracts unwanted Muggle attention and forces the pair to use the enchanted Ford Anglia to travel to Hogwarts, a serious breach of the International Statute of Secrecy.

• The Barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters: While not a part of Platform Ten itself, the most significant feature associated with it is the solid metal barrier that separates it from Platform Nine. To witches and wizards, this barrier functions as a magical gateway through which they can walk to access Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. To Muggles, it remains a completely solid and unremarkable wall.

J.K. Rowling has stated that King's Cross Station holds personal significance for her, as her parents met on a train journey that departed from the station. She has also acknowledged a geographical error in her depiction; in the real King's Cross Station, platforms nine and ten are separated by train tracks, not a solid barrier or wall (J.K. Rowling interview). For the film adaptations, the scenes were filmed between platforms four and five, which are adjacent and separated by a brick archway (film). The real-life King's Cross Station has since installed a permanent “Platform 9¾” tourist attraction, complete with a luggage trolley halfway through a wall, located in the station's main concourse rather than between the actual platforms for practical reasons (real-world).