"Wake up, young wizards! I'm taking you to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!" Mrs. Weasley stood in the hallway with a tal tray and a wooden spoon, banging them together with a fervor that was less "alarm clock" and more "industrial percussion." The sheer wall of noise gave Kane and Harry a significant shock.
After spending so much ti at the Burrow, they had finally experienced the legendary "Weasley Special" wake-up call.
Everyone scrambled into their clothes. After performing quick Scouring Charms on each other and grabbing their trunks, they headed downstairs.
Since they had to navigate King's Cross Station to get to the platform, Kane made "Little Pumpkin" latch onto his back.
The pumpkin's small vine-feet gripped Kane's shoulders tightly, making it look like a quirky, oversized backpack so as not to startle the Muggles.
"Mmm, excellent. Let's move. I recently added an 'auto-pilot' feature to the car," Mr. Weasley explained as he helped load luggage into the trunk of the Ford Anglia.
"We'll drive you to King's Cross, and then Molly and I can Apparate away. The car will drive itself back ho."
When it was Kane's turn, Mr. Weasley patted Little Pumpkin, expecting it to hop into the trunk. Unfortunately, the pumpkin wasn't interested. it remained firmly anchored to Kane's back.
"Ah, well. This car is big enough for one more, I suppose."
Mr. Weasley gave up on the pumpkin, climbed into the driver's seat, and activated the Invisibility Booster.
The car groaned and slowly lifted into the air. While the car wasn't as fast as a racing broom, the lack of traffic and obstacles ant they reached London in record ti.
Mr. Weasley parked in a secluded alleyway near the station. Once the invisibility was off, the group marched toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
Near the entrance to the platform, the family crowded around Ginny. It was her first day at Hogwarts—a monuntal occasion.
Everyone was offering encouragent, and they had decided Ginny should have the honor of going through the barrier first.
"No," Percy said, shaking his head.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.
"I think I should go first," Percy said, looking a bit awkward. "I'll wait for you on the other side. There are a lot of wizards on the platform, and so of them can be... unpleasant. I'm not comfortable with Ginny being out of my sight until we're on the train."
Kane raised an eyebrow. Hiss. I didn't notice it before, but Percy actually has the 'big brother' thing down when it counts.
"You can't watch her forever, Percy," Mr. Weasley said, though he looked proud. "But you're a good brother, no doubt about it."
"Just this once. At least until I help her find Luna Lovegood so they have company," Percy insisted.
"Very well. You go first," Mrs. Weasley agreed.
"I have to say, that's the first ti I've thought Percy was actually cool," Ron muttered.
"Truly. To encourage him to keep up this 'big brother' persona..." Fred started. "...we've decided not to prank him for a whole month," George finished. "No, no, let's not be hasty." "A week then."
The twins nodded and stepped up behind Ginny. The Weasley parents watched as Ginny vanished through the wall, followed by the twins, and then they Apparated away.
Finally, it was Harry, Ron, and Kane's turn.
Harry and Ron leaned into their trolleys and sprinted at the solid brick wall—only to hit it with a bone-jarring CRASH.
Kane fared better. Seeing the duo bounce off the wall, he imdiately commanded his shadows to act as an ergency brake, skidding to a halt just inches from the barrier.
"What happened?" Kane asked, confused. He reached out with his shadow tendrils to probe the barrier, but Harry and Ron grabbed his arms.
"What are you doing?" Kane asked.
"The barrier is closed," Harry said.
"So? I'm trying to figure out a way in," Kane replied, brow furrowed.
"No, no. You're not getting Harry's point," Ron interjected.
"..."
Harry and Ron stared at a still-clueless Kane. Finally, Harry decided to play hardball.
"Don't you think," Harry said, leaning in, "that the barrier being closed is a perfect excuse for us to find... alternative transportation?"
"Like riding the Pee Pee Shrimp!" Ron added bluntly.
"Hey! This is no ti for jokes!" Kane shook his head.
Anyone else might have been fooled by Kane's serious expression, but Harry and Ron knew him too well. They didn't move. They just stared at him with deadpan expressions.
Kane tried to hold his "responsible student" face, but he couldn't maintain it. A stiff, twitchy grin began to tug at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing the crack in his armor, Harry and Ron mirrored the grin. The three of them stood there, grins becoming more abstract and reckless by the second.
"Well... if we must," Kane said slowly. "Little Pumpkin is full, so here's so Muggle money. Go buy two duffel bags."
A short while later, back in the alley where the car had been parked, the trio was prepping the broom. Two duffel bags were strapped to the back, secured in place by the weight of Little Pumpkin.
Kane sat at the front, followed by Harry, then Ron. Even with three of them, the massive broom had room to spare.
"Ready?" Kane asked, tilting the broom's head up.
Harry suddenly hesitated. "Wait, sothing's wrong. We're in the middle of a city. Even if the broom is fast, it takes ti to reach the clouds. What if we're seen?"
Ron paled. Seeing magic was a major cri in the wizarding world—in extre cases, the penalties were as severe as those for murder.
Kane remained as steady as an old dog. "Don't panic, boys. Do you really think speed is this broom's only feature?"
"What else? Can it turn invisible?" Ron asked.
"Heh." Kane smirked. The massive gemstone embedded in the broom flickered.
In an instant, they were gone. They reappeared hundreds of feet in the air, then flickered again. By the ti Harry and Ron's brains caught up, they were already cruising through the clouds.
"Wait, mate! This broom can teleport?!" Harry shouted, eyes wide.
"I never said it couldn't. We're safe now. Those flickers lasted less than a second; anyone who saw us will think they just blinked and missed sothing. Look, there's the Hogwarts Express."
Far below, the scarlet steam engine was chugging through the countryside, puffing white smoke.
"Let's go. We'll pace ourselves; maybe we can even wave to Hermione through the window." Kane dived toward the train, the wind whipping past them.
"Man, this is so cool!" Ron yelled over the wind. "Even if Hermione gives us a lecture for the next three months, this was worth the price of admission!"
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 200 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.
User Comments
0 comments from readers