There was a cool summer breeze sweeping through the dusty yard as the congregated group made their way out to the turquoise Ford Anglia which was parked out in front of the Burrow. Fred and George were heaving trunks into the storage compartment which had been enchanted to offer more space. Ginny was sitting impatiently in the kitchen watching as Ron and Harry hauled the trunks out the front door. Hermione came into the kitchen carrying an old leather shoulder bag which had some more of her personal belongings.
"Ready," asked Mrs. Weasley handing her befuddled husband his overcooked breakfast.
They made their way out into the yard. Mr. Weasley jumped into the driver's seat while Ginny and Mrs. Weasley climbed into the passenger seat. As Harry clambered into the backseat along with Hermione, Fred, George and then Percy, he guessed the inside of the car had also been magically enlarged.
The interior of the car resembled that of any normal muggle car. There was one slight difference though, an extra silver stick that resembled a gear stick and a button which had peeling black letters underneath it that read `Invisibility Boost'. They pulled slowly out of the driveway and onto an old country road. Mr. Weasley started telling them about the history of the car and how he had enchanted it so that it was capable of flying but his wife cut him off with a sharp glare.
They were driving only a few minutes before they made it onto a busy motorway. A long snake of cars was lined down the smooth road and everyone in the car sighed when they realised how terrible the traffic was. Ron suddenly leaned forward into the front and grabbed a small book which Ginny was holding. "What's this?" he said playfully.
Ginny immediately spun around and tried to retrieve it from him. "Give it to me. It's mine!" she demanded. Ron examined it perplexed. "A diary. I didn't know you had a diary. Why do you have a diary?"
"It's private," she declared. She reached forward and ripped the thin diary from his grasp. "They're for people with lives. Something you'd know nothing about," she scoffed turning back around. Harry, who was sitting beside the window and had moved in his seat to watch the interaction between the two, turned his attention to the view outside the window. Cars driving on the opposite side of the road, free from traffic were speeding past, colourful blurs against the bright sky. Hermione who was sitting close beside him had her head thrown back, her eyes closed, and her bag on her lap.
He moved close to her and whispered quietly. "Are you alright? Didn't get much sleep?"
She gave an involuntary shiver before turning to him. "I'm fine. Just tired. You're right I didn't get a lot of sleep," she said groggily before putting her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes he felt her drift off to sleep and found his concentration wavering also. The traffic had dispersed and they were now speeding along at a good pace. Fred and George were playing an interesting game of Rock, Scissors, Paper where the loser would receive a harsh punch on the shoulder. Their constant groaning was beginning to irritate Harry until Mrs. Weasley warned them to be quiet or she would seriously punish them.
When they reached London the traffic exacerbated and they ended up parking two streets away from Kings Cross station. Dragging their trunks through the streets they finally made it to the station with only two minutes to spare. "Come on, quickly. We don't have much time," shouted Mr. Weasley when everybody had their luggage piled onto trolleys. Ginny and Percy ran through the seemingly solid brick wall which led onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Fred and George followed then Mr and Mrs Weasley. Harry, Hermione and Ron decided to go in unison, lining up opposite the gateway.
"On three," said Ron. "One, two…three."
They all pushed against the heavy weight of their trolleys and reached the wall in seconds but instead of simply passing through it, they made contact. Very solid contact. There was a resounding smash as their trolleys smacked into each other and they were thrown over the handles. Ron was thrown into the wall while Harry ended up on the floor with Hermione sprawled on top of him. "Sorry," she winced rolling off of him. Harry's trunk had crashed to the floor and was now gaping open. He quickly raised himself off the floor and shut it, so people wouldn't notice the unusual contents it held. Ron was also fixing his things together while Hermione stood aghast in front of the wall. "What's going on? Why won't it let us through?!"
"I don't know," said Ron dragging his trunk over and putting it with the others. "But we're going to miss the train if we don't get through soon." He started hitting the wall with the palm of his hands in a futile attempt to get through, earning an angry look from the security guard.
"Stop we don't want to draw attention to ourselves," warned Harry. He was very aware of the glances and curious looks they were getting from the other passengers on the platform. "It's gone," Hermione whispered disbelievingly at the clock.
"If we can't get through to the platform maybe mum and dad can't get through to us. How do we get to Hogwarts?" Ron wondered anxiously.
"No we'll be fine. We'll just wait by the car. I'm sure your parents will be able to get back. If the gateway is sealed, it will be reopened by the Ministry. It won't take long…" finished Hermione looking wearily at the dazed look on Ron's face. "What is it?" she asked bewildered.
"The car…we could use it. I can drive it. I mean fly it. We could follow the train," said Ron getting excited. He immediately picked up his trunk and placed the wooden cage that housed Scabber's the rat on top of it. "NO!! No way. We can't just fly a car to Hogwarts. It's too dangerous…we could crash or be seen," argued Hermione.
"I can fly the car perfectly. And there's an invisibility programme on it so we won't be seen," Ron retorted. Harry was thinking fast about what to do. Flying the car sounded a bit drastic but he didn't like being caught in London with his possessions packed in a trunk. He felt quite vulnerable and the sooner he was away from the enormous crowds of people the safer he would feel.
"Listen," Harry said loudly interrupting Ron and Hermione's fuming argument "the longer we just stand here the more danger we're in. Somebody wants to separate us from the others and right now they're succeeding. Our best chance is the car. But we have to get there quick…I don't like being out in the open like this."
Ron looked pleased at Harry's decision and grinned while picking up his trunk. Hermione looked outraged. "Harry! Are you crazy? This is way too dangerous. We should just wait," she pleaded. Harry stared intently at her. "We don't have time, Hermione." He leaned near to her and whispered close to her ear. "We don't know who is doing this. They could be watching us right now. We have to move."
Harry knew Hermione was still completely against it but she gave in. She knew he was going and she couldn't stop him. So sighing exasperatedly she gathered her possessions together "Well, come on."
Harry grinned. "Thanks."
"We could be breaking the law. Underage magic," she hissed, stopping suddenly. Ron spun around, his eyes gleaming. "Even underage wizards are allowed to use magic in emergencies. Section something of the Restriction of Thingamajig."
They made their way rapidly out of the train station onto the busy London street. Crowds of people were moving like swarms of wasps through the streets, passing between the cars and entering the small shops. Harry was growing increasingly nervous, conscious of the people who knocked into his shoulder and his luggage. When they were near the car they broke into a run and when they reached it Ron pulled the trunk open after unlocking it with his wand and they stored their luggage inside. Then Ron wrenched the car door open and jumped into the driver's seat. Hermione climbed into the back and Harry got into the passenger seat.
"Okay…ready," Ron said, positioning himself in his seat and pulling his seatbelt across his body. "We should pull into an alley, so we won't be seen." he said. Turning the key in the ignition, he pulled out of the parking space and with a bump they were on the road. "Is it difficult to…you know…fly," Hermione asked hesitantly. Ron was concentrating hard on the road but managed to answer. "Er…not really. It's like driving without the traffic. Taking off is the awkward part." He rounded a corner into a cobble stoned lane, then he pulled back the silver lever and the car lifted off the ground, precariously floating a few feet over the land.
As they reached the rooftops Harry leaned forward and pressed the silver Invisibility Booster. The car around him vanished, he could feel the seat vibrating beneath him, hear the engine, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose but for all he knew he was just a pair of eyeballs floating high in the air. "This is too strange," croaked Hermione. "We can deactivate the Invisibility once we get above the clouds. But first we need to find the train," said Ron.
"There it is," yelled Harry after squinting and spotting the train. "It heading North." Ron slammed his foot on the accelerator and they were swept into the clouds. Harry heard Ron pummelling the Invisibility booster and soon they could see the car surrounding them. It was dazzlingly bright as it was filled with fierce sunlight. Swirls and turrets of white cloud were billowing around the car and the three of them were transfixed by the sight.
Ron leaned forward, past Harry, and pulled open the glove compartment, taking out a packet of toffees. They sat for awhile in silence, each in their own thoughts. Then Ron asked the question which was plaguing their musings. "Why couldn't we get through? That barrier was sealed and my guess is a wizard sealed it."
"Hmm…somebody didn't want us to get to the train. They didn't want us to get to Hogwarts," pondered Hermione.
Then it suddenly hit Harry. Dobby. He didn't want Harry to return to Hogwarts because of the danger that faced him. He must have been the one that sealed the entrance in order to stop him. "What is it Harry?" Ron asked glancing at the troubled expression on his face. Harry decided to tell them everything. They deserved the truth if it obviously was going to affect them too. He told them of the encounter in his bedroom and the warning Dobby had given them. They were slightly shocked at the news and Ron instantly started speculating what Dobby meant. "Well the thing is, it must be really dangerous. It's very unusual for a House Elf to leave their family especially to warn someone against their family's doings."
"I'm sorry for not telling you. I didn't want to alert you or scare you in anyway," Harry apologized.
"Well I suppose we can blame Dobby for this," said Hermione. "How long will it take us to get there?"
"A few hours I suppose. We just keep following the Hogwarts Express. We'll take another look at it in another few minutes, to make sure of our direction," explained Ron.
Hours passed and from dropping beneath the cloud to check on the train, each time hidden by the Invisibility booster, they realised they were now miles from London. The neat green fields of the countryside lay spread out beneath them every now and again showing a populated city or a small village. Hermione was soon in a slumber in the back seat, her head against the window. The sun had now dropped lower in the sky, tingeing the cloud floor with a pink glow. Harry leaned over into the back and wrapped Hermione in the blanket that covered the back seat.
Ron, who observed this, grinned to himself while checking the altitude. "You like her, don't you?" he said nonchalantly.
"What?" asked Harry baffled. Ron gave him a knowing smile. "Hermione, you like her."
"Of course. She's probably my closest friend. No offence or anything but we just have more in common," Harry reasoned.
Ron shook his head. "No, I don't mean in that way. I mean you really like her."
Harry thought about what he meant for a moment before his eyes widened in shock. "Oh…no, she's my..er.friend. My c…closest."
"You've already said that. But I take that as a no," smirked Ron.
"Er…yes," finished Harry, his breath returning. Why had Ron's question thrown him off like that? Of course he thought Hermione of just a friend. Didn't he? "I'm going out with Lavender now," said Ron's voice interrupting his thoughts. Harry raised an eyebrow at him, encouraging him to continue. "Yeah we sort of had something going at the end of last year. I've been owling her during the summer and now we're officially going out," he said happily. "Good for you mate," said Harry briefly wondering why people bothered with relationships. Did they gain something spiritually or was it really just about physical attraction.
Another hour passed and darkness had now enveloped them in the black night. Harry guessed they had now neared the castle as the number of surrounding villages decreased and the land became more isolated. He was looking forward to stretching his legs out as they ached from the lack of space available in the car. He wondered whether they would be in serious trouble when they reached the castle and briefly entertained the thought of punishment being served. There was also another problem that seemed to intensify the more time the car spent in the air. Harry was beginning to notice a low whining noise that was issuing from the engine. At first Harry and Ron were able to ignore it but as time passed it was becoming more apparent that there was a major problem. He tried to remain calm but found that Ron's face was becoming paler as the whining increased.
"It must be tired. It's never been this far before. But I'm sure we'll reach Hogwarts before the engine gives out," reassured Ron. Just then there was a loud spluttering noise and the car gave an uneasy jolt in the air. Hermione, who had been stirring from her sleep, now sat bolt upright. "What's going on?" she asked fearfully. Ron explained about the car's endurance issues. They all remained silent for a moment listening to the ever growing complaints which the car was making. Stars were beginning to peak out through the darkness. Harry sat forward in his seat, peering out into the night. Then he saw the highest turrets of Hogwarts castle, silhouetted on the dark horizon. "I can see the castle. Hold on to something tight," he advised. "This isn't going to be a comfortable landing."
"Jeez thanks Harry," Ron admonished. The car had begun to shudder and was losing speed rapidly. Ron's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. Hermione's eyes were wide with horror at the prospect of landing the beaten car. They passed the enormous wall which surrounded the grounds and the glassy black lake. Harry's heart was beating hard in his chest and his breath hitched when he heard the last of the engine give out. The car abruptly went into a steep decline heading for a collision with a great stone wall. Ron yelled out while swinging the steering wheel around. They missed the wall by mere inches, the car went into a barrel roll and he heard Hermione shout something incomprehensible before they crashed heavily with a large sprawling tree.
He heard a loud groaning noise coming from the tree but before he could do anything the car dropped, colliding forcefully with the ground. The car, which now had steam issuing from under the crumpled bonnet, was upside down so when Harry unbuckled his seat belt he landed awkwardly on the roof of the car. The windscreen had been smashed to pieces which were now cutting into Harry's hands. Ron just sat still, a look of terror on his face. Hermione seemed to be fine except she was trembling. She moved a shaky hand to undo her seatbelt but something collided with the side of the car, sending it skidding through the muddy grass. The car came to a halt a few feet away from its original position, still spinning on its roof.
"What's going on?" Ron whispered petrified.
"It's the tree," breathed Harry from the roof, which was now the floor, painfully regretting taking off his seatbelt. His body felt as if someone had attacked him with a baseball bat. He had been thrown back against the body of the car and his back had connected painfully with the passenger door.
"Harry," Hermione moaned seeing his condition. She again attempted to unbuckle her seatbelt but this time Harry warned her not to. "Be quiet. It might still be in range of attacking us."
"Can it smell blood?" Ron asked nervously, wiping the cut on his forehead with the back of his hand. "Here," said Hermione handing him her handkerchief. He held it against his head, still glancing uneasily out the window.
"I doubt it detects blood. It's a tree, not a shark," said Harry.
"Well it does as much damage," stated Ron in reply. "Uh-oh," muttered Harry grasping the seat firmly for safety.
"What is…" Suddenly there was another crash and the car was lifted into the air. All three students yelled in unison as the car landed, this time the right way up, with a heavy jolt. Harry groaned as his body yet again felt the impact. Looking out the open windscreen Harry spotted a huge tree branch as thick as a python, positioned as if to attack. Ron pulled out his wand, preparing for the last defence. Just then the car gave another jerk and the engine roared to life. It immediately went into reverse and barely missed the tree's vicious swipe. One of the smaller branches managed to rattle the car one last time before they were brought way out of its target range. Hermione let out a shaky breath. Ron was looking aghast at his feet with his empty hand still reaching out. Harry looked and saw Ron's wand lying broken at his feet. Moving his foot slightly Ron carefully picked up the defeated wand from under his shoe. He had obviously dropped it after the trees last attack and then accidentally stepped on it.
"My…my wand," he croaked, his face turning a tinge of green. The wand wasn't completely severed in two; there were a few fragments which still held it together. "Well, just be happy that it is not your neck," retorted Hermione. Harry zoned out of the conversation for a moment as Ron immediately went on the attack taking offence from Hermione's words. The turquoise car now had deep green marks across the bonnet and the car doors from the damage inflicted upon it by the tree. It was utterly destroyed in Harry's opinion. Leaning forward off the seat Harry threw his weight at the door, but it didn't budge. He tried again but to no avail. The engine was still running and wouldn't switch off even when Ron turned the key in the ignition.
"What now?" said Hermione exasperatedly. Ron undid his seatbelt and climbed out the windscreen. When he was on the bonnet, the car spurred forward and he was sent flying onto the summer grass. Then a number of things happened in quick succession. All the car doors opened, including the trunk. Their entire luggage was flung from the storage compartment, Hermione's seatbelt automatically unfastened itself and both Harry and Hermione were hurled out of the car. He ended up sprawled on the damp ground just a few feet from where Ron was standing looking stunned in the direction of the car. With a number of loud clunks the doors closed themselves and the car, dented, scratched and steaming, rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.
"No! Come back!" Ron bellowed running after the car. He didn't notice Harry, who was slumped on the wet grass, and consequently tripped over him. He ended up sitting on his behind, looking gloomily at Harry. "Dad'll kill me," he grumbled, before collapsing onto the grass. When all the commotion was over and the last sounds of the escaping car were muffled out by the trees of the Forbidden Forest, the trio lifted themselves off the ground. They were all stiff, cold and bruised by the day's events and with the air of a funeral procession they dragged their trunks up to the great oak doors that led to the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts castle. When they reached it though, it seemed things could only get worse. "Well I hope you three have an exceptionally well thought out excuse for arriving, not only late but also without your proper school attire," a voice sneered from the darkness. Then a cloaked figure stepped out onto the head of the steps and they all recognised the sallow skin, hook nose and greasy hair of Professor Severus Snape.
"We do have an excellent reason for our delay. It's whether you'll believe it or not that establishes a problem," said Harry, too exhausted to care if he was being overly rude to Snape.
Snape's eyes gleamed through the darkness and with a motion of his hand he beckoned them into the castle. Ron and Hermione followed his instructions and headed into the Entrance Hall but Harry stopped at the door and stared intently at Snape. "You can't punish us. Firstly you're not our Head of House and secondly we made sure before we left that we weren't breaching any magical laws." He could see the fury in Snape's eyes, and with a sharp shove he pushed Harry through the doorway. Snape signalled for them to drop their luggage and then proceed down a narrow stone staircase that led to the dungeons.
They soon found themselves in what Harry assumed was Snape's office. Shelves lined the walls, filled with jars of green fluid that housed mysterious plants and some tiny dead creatures. The fireplace was dark and empty with no evidence of a previous fire. The three of them stood shivering at Snape's desk, which held large volumes with yellowing pages. "So…," started Snape, "the Hogwarts Express isn't good enough for the great Harry Potter. He just had to arrive here through other means. How did you get here?"
"I guess we weren't spotted then," said Harry turning to Ron with a reassuring smile. Ron nodded back with an air of relief. "Guess not."
"DON'T…you dare look away from me when you are spoken to!" roared Snape, his face reddening with anger.
"My apologises sir," said Harry politely turning to face him again. "We were unable to board the train as the barrier which led to the platform had sealed itself. We thought we were stranded and so we believed that the best way to continue was to make our own way to Hogwarts. There is a loophole in the law which deems under-age magic acceptable under emergencies, am I not correct?"
Snape scorned derisively. "You expect me to believe this story of yours. That the barrier was blocked to you! What do you think I am? A fool?"
Harry raised an eyebrow in amusement but seeing the warning glance Hermione threw him, he decided to keep Snape from completely losing his head. Then there was a disturbance behind them and the three turned around to see Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall entering the office. Snape quickly told the two what was happening. McGonagall looked shocked but Harry guessed Dumbledore knew most of what he was being told. After Snape was finished, Professor McGonagall demanded an explanation. Ron launched into the story from the very beginning right up to where they had been ejected from the car. Hermione remained silent; her head bowed and unshed tears apparent in her hazel eyes.
Silence descended on the room when Ron had finished. "Why didn't you send a letter by owl? I believe you have an owl Mr. Potter," McGonagall said coldly to Harry.
"She wasn't with me at the time," explained Harry. Dumbledore sighed. "Well then I suppose there isn't anything else to discuss. You are indeed correct in assuming that you haven't broken any laws as at the time you were in an emergency. You took all of the correct precautions and you weren't seen by any muggles or wizards. Though I must impress upon you the serious risk you put yourselves in. If you had been seen, the Ministry would have had to introduce another cover story and if you had crashed, which there was a high risk of doing so, well then Hogwarts would have lost three of its finest students. I will be writing to each of your families tonight and you will each have a detention chosen by Professor McGonagall."
Snape, who had previously looked triumphant at catching Harry, was now absolutely livid at their explanation. "Headmaster, you can't honestly believe this…tale…of Potter's. He has caused serious damage to an old and valuable tree; the Whomping Willow has stood on these grounds since before they were born…"
"To be honest sir, I think it caused more damage to us," Ron interrupted. Snape immediately rounded on him but before he could speak Dumbledore interjected. "You speak honestly Mr. Weasley. Maybe you and Ms. Granger should make a visit to the Hospital Wing. I need to have a word with Mr. Potter before he retires for the night." Ron gave Harry a questioning look. Then he seemed to come to some sudden realisation. "Wait! So we aren't expelled?" he asked desperately.
"No, not today," said McGonagall, incapable of suppressing a smile at Ron's obvious delight. Hermione also seemed to brighten at these words. She gave a loud sigh of relief and blinked away her tears. When Ron and Hermione had left the office, Snape gave one last look of outrage, before storming out of their company and slamming the door behind him. Dumbledore strolled over to the fireplace and lit it with a wave of his hand. He then conjured two chairs in front of the mantelpiece and took a seat in one, gesturing for Harry to take the other. "Harry," he started in an unusually grave voice "there is a matter of importance I wish to discuss with you. As it concerns the school I asked Minerva to remain with us as she is Deputy Head." Harry nodded in understanding. Dumbledore removed two slips of parchment from inside his exquisite robes and handed them to Harry. Looking down at the parchment Harry could tell the sender of the note was nervous and desperate when writing it. The words were scrawled and the ink was blotchy. Two words written in black ink, a mixture of capital and lower case, "HoGWarts DaNGeR"
It seemed the writer had fought some internal battle and had paused during the composition of the warning. Harry immediately thought of Dobby. He must have written to warn the school as well as Harry. The second piece of parchment was a replica of the first. "These arrived at the Owlery one week ago. We don't know its full meaning but its caution cannot be ignored. I immediately thought of Lord Voldemort and wondered whether you have had any dreams or seen anything unusual."
Harry peered at Dumbledore, contemplating what to say. He then told Dumbledore of Dobby's visit and how he hadn't thought much of it. He then explained his suspicions about Dobby's involvement at the mysterious blockade of the barrier. "And what do you think it all means, Harry?"
"That Hogwarts is indeed in danger. And we're going to have to stay on edge this year or face the consequences of ignorance," said Harry almost inaudibly, his eyes still on Dobby's terrified words.
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Alright I might start changing things a bit now. Make the plot more sinister. Also Lockhart's character went it is finally shown, will be slightly darker. Well thanks for reading and please review.
Take care,
Radagast
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