Working Title: A Platinum Duo
A/N: Credit where credit is due. Was inspired to write this scene after I read ForcedInduction's Nocturnal. Excellent story. Eagerly awaiting more chapters of the sequel. This note was added before I uploaded this to PK - Starwberry_nerd can't access FF.net so this one's for our favorite Katdemon.
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Ron was screaming in just the same hysterical way that he normally screamed when a garden spider perched itself on his leg. He screamed and screamed and screamed until finally, Harry began to wonder if he would pass out due to lack of oxygen.
Now, it is a relatively little known fact that magicals, as opposed to mundanes, are more damage resistant. That isn't to say that they are bullet proof or any other such nonsense, but as the case of Neville Longbottom proves, being thrown headfirst from an upper floor window is not necessarily life threatening. Consequently, magicals have a difficult time understanding certain rules that most mundanes take as a matter of course.
Seatbelts, for instance, are considered a necessity for every person riding in the car in the United States, while in other parts of the world; only the driver using a seatbelt is the norm.
Harry, being mundane raised immediately fastened his seat belt upon entering the Ford Anglia, but Ron, in a fit of 'I'm Magical, So Why Would I Need This Silly Muggle Belt' decided to forgo it. The fact that he didn't quite understand how to work the buckle probably played no factor in his decision at all.
Ron's many screams came so quickly that Harry could have sworn they were really just one long scream. Not that Harry blamed him all that much, because, lest we forget, they did appear to be on a collision course with the Whomping Willow. And really, aside from the slight headache his screams were causing, it was relatively less irksome than the sound of chainsaws and tortured cats that Ron routinely assailed the dormitory with during the school year.
The car; however, seemed to have had enough. It bucked and jolted in midflight and the doors flew open and Ron did a fantastic dive headfirst toward the swaying tree. Harry stayed firm in his seat, his seatbelt kept him following Ron's example. Out of reflexes Harry didn't even know he had, he reached over, grasped the wheel and yanked it hard. The Anglia protested at first and refused to deviate from its seemingly inevitable collision, but Harry yanked harder and the car swerved slightly.
It is said that 'a miss is as good as a mile' and in this case, that proved true. The very slight course correction changed the car's course just enough to avoid crashing into the tree. An added benefit of the departure of Ron was that his foot was no longer depressing the accelerator. The car began to slow as the engine started to spin down. The high strung Anglia loosened its vice-like grip on its steering system (Ron had a habit of holding the wheel loosely at 8 and 4 and the car had gotten a little motion sick). Harry was able to circle around in midair with a large loop and as the car came in for a perfect landing, it blew greeting as loud as it could with its horn.
The entirety of the school came rushing out with the professors in the lead, only to catch the tail end of his landing and gape at the sight of an apparently muggle vehicle parked on the back lawn of Hogwarts. Everyone was too stunned to speak until a young second year with bushy, brown hair pushed and elbowed her way through the crowd. She rushed toward the car and flung open the partially open door and began checking the still strapped in boy who was just sitting there breathing heavily as the adrenalin cleared itself from his body.
The first thing Harry noticed was that the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen were staring at him. The second thing he noticed was that he was no longer flying through the air. Then what he had noticed first decided he should focus his attention toward her again and hugged him and sniffed a little as she began to realize how close she had come to losing one of the most important people in her world again. She had his complete attention as he endeavored to hug her back.
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"Now Severus, I'm sure Mr. Potter only went with Mr. Weasley to keep him out of trouble. Isn't that right Mr. Potter?"
Harry gave a shaky nod.
The sarcasm oozed off of Professor Snape like slime off of a slug. "Oh, yes. And he did such a splendid job of it too."
Either he ignored the sarcasm or he failed to notice it, but Dumbledore seemed to take the statement at face value. "You thought so too? I think 50 points to Gryffindor should suffice."
Snape would have protested, but his cheeks were too red and he was too angry to make his voice work properly. McGonagall just smiled and led a still shaky but unharmed Mister Potter to the castle and ultimately to the Hospital Wing. Hermione had an arm wrapped around her best friend and steadied him as he walked. The third member of the trio was temporarily forgotten amid the muggleborn cheers and the polite clapping of most of the purebloods.
Among the purebloods, Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis were clapping politely and watching Harry and Hermione very closely. They shared a glance and a nod and then disappeared back into the castle. They had a new project to work on. A scowling Draco Malfoy followed into the school soon after.
In the houses of the quick-witted and loyal, Susan Bones and her best friend Hannah Abbot noticed a blonde first year clapping enthusiastically and whistling as Harry and Hermione walked past. Her enthusiasm was infectious and the two walked up beside her and began to do the same.
The blond girl's interaction with the niece of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was not lost on Cho Chang. This changed things a bit. She resolved to adopt a wait and see approach. Marietta may have picked the perfect student to torment a little, but if she had friends like that, then it just wasn't worth the risk. She had her sights on the prefectship after all.
Parvati and Padma Patil were some of the last students to leave the scene of the perfect landing. They were conversing in the language of their parents and though no one else in school could understand all that they said, it quickly became apparent what the primary topic was due to the numerous times the word 'Potter' came up.
Finally, Ginny Weasley and Argus Filch were the last two people on the back lawn. Ginny tugged softly on Mr. Filch's grimy clothes to get his attention. "Sir, I don't see my brother Ron."
At the mention of his name, a groan came from a pile of grass clippings and small twigs. It was Ron! The Anglia, fearing for its life made a dash for the forest before anyone could react. Filch went looking for a professor to levitate the unconscious boy to the Hospital Wing.
Ginny, unsure of what to do, crept closer to get a better look.
*snap*
Wondering why that twig was so much louder than any other, Ginny glanced down and gasped. That's a wand! Actually, that kind of looks like Ron's wand... RON'S WAND! OH NO!
Ginny decided to make herself scarce.
When Professor Vector arrived, she noticed the snapped wand and pocketed it while levitating the unconscious boy ahead of her as she made her way back to the castle and the waiting hospital wing.
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Omake:
Harry: Healer Woodcock, will he be all right?
Healer: I'm truly sorry, Mr. Potter. Our tests show significant mental retardation. He seems to only be able to focus on Food, Quidditch and Chess. For a second year student, he seems to only retain partial knowledge of first year spells, and even then his recall is sorely lacking.
Harry: Oh good, for a second I was worried he had been hurt.