Chapter 1.

The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for Harry. He was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, anything to keep him away from the Dursleys, truthfully, but his month at the Burrow had been the happiest of his life so far. Save for Ron's usual company and the Weasleys' kind manner to him, Sirius had been there to give him some prodding, because of the unauthorized use of magic, and support, still offering him to stay with him at the Black's House.

"You know, we could've made a great deal of those times you've spent with your bloody muggle relatives," Sirius had said, but Harry knew he still can't.

It took a long while for their lot to get started the next morning after a sumptous dinner and a wonderful time with all the fireworks. They were up at dawn, but somehow, they still have a great deal to do. The clattered surroundings, matched with Mrs. Weasly dashing about the area looking for spare socks and quills, and people kept colliding on the stairs with bits of toast in their hands completed the picture. At the end, Harry still couldn't figure how eight people, six large trunks, two owls, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. Not without the 'special features' Mr. Weasley had added of course, he thought. Sirius, however, had gone later than the rest, but still managed to keep up with them with his motorcycle.

They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley together with the boys dashed across the road swiftly, desperately trying to get trolleys for their trunks. As the rest of the lot confidently passed through the gateway, vanishing through the walls of platform 9 3/4, Harry and Ron were left to themselves. One problem was: they couldn't get through.

"Why can't we get through?" Harry hissed to Ron. "I dunno-" Ron replied hesitantly, wildly looking around. A handful of curious people were still watching them after making a commotion by mishandling their trolleys, cluttering their belongings on the ground.

"We're going to miss the train," Ron whispered. "I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself-"

Harry looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in his stomach. It's true. They're going to miss the train in three... two... one.

"It's gone," said Ron, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum, Dad, or Sirius can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?"

Harry replied with a small laugh, "The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money for six years."

After wondering for a while, Harry suggested, "I think we'd better go and wait by the car, we're attracting too much atten-"

"Harry!" said Ron excitedly, his eyes gleaming with hope. "The car!"

"What about it?" Harry replied curiously.

"We can fly the car to Hogwarts!"

"Now what?" Harry asked, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides.

"We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron, carefully driving, flying the car.

"Dip back down again - quickly now -" They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted in their seats squinting at the ground. Harry paused for a second. "What if Sirius sees us? I'd be bloody dead."

His thoughts were suddenly set aside as he spotted the train, "I can see it!" he yelled. "Right ahead- there!" And truthfully, the Hogwarts Express was streaking along below them.

"Due north," said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so- hold on-" And they both did.

The car suddenly shot up through the clouds and in a minute or so, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight.

"All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron.

"And Sirius, blimey, don't forget Sirius." Harry added, reminiscing the thought, and they looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop.

"There!" Harry shouted, making Ron and Hedwig jump. "Straight ahead!"

Amidst the dark horizon, high on the cliff just over the lake, stood the turrets and towers of the Hogwarts castle. Breaking the relief of the both of them, was the sound and the shudder of the car. They were losing speed.

"Come on," Ron said cajolingly, shaking the steering wheel minimally, "we're nearly there, come on-"

But as a response, the engine groaned and narrow jets of steam were released from under the hood. Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat as hard as they mercilessly flew toward the lake.

The car momentarily gave nasty wobbles that made Ron and Harry more anxious. Harry decided to glance out of his window. He saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, beneath them. Just a mile below. Ron's knuckes were white on the steering wheel as they experience another wobble.

"Come on," Ron muttered, frustrated. They were nearly there! They were still over the lake and the castle was just right ahead; Ron put his foot down. Silence.

Then there was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely without any memo whatsoever. "Uh-oh."

The nose of the car dropped. And then they were falling, accelerating, heading straight ahead for the solid wall of the castle. "Nooooo!" Ron yelled, desperately swinging the steering wheel around in the hopes of diverting their direction. They missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the melancholy greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then over the black lawns, continuously losing the altitude.

"STOP! STOP!" he yelled with frustration, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, panicking. But to no avail. They were still plummeting, the ground still as an inevitable spot that they would crash on-

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Harry's voice bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late for the-

CRUNCH.