Hundreds of fans of the stories about the wizard's apprentice Harry Potter celebrated the start of the new school year at the Hogwarts magician's boarding school at London's King's Cross station.

Equipped with cloaks, scarves and magic wands, they gathered in the station hall on Thursday to witness the fictional departure of the train from platform nine and three-quarters, which also only exists in the imagination. They were entertained by actors from the West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child performing a wand dance.

King's Cross is a popular destination for Potter fans. In the stories, Harry and his friends travel from there by steam train to the magical world of Hogwarts. But you can only reach the right platform if you fearlessly run towards a wall with your luggage trolley, which turns out to be a hidden entrance when you hit it. At the real King's Cross station, a trolley that has apparently already half disappeared into the walls serves as a popular photo motif.