Hey y'all! I'm gonna skip the blabbering and get these kids back to school already (ironically, I just got out of school. Does this mean I miss it...nah!)

Disclaimer: for the last time, I AM NOT JK ROWLING!

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"Let's see: school robes, sweaters, casual clothes, pajamas, wand, books, parchment, quills, cauldron..." Sydney counted off the items in her trunk. "Is there anything I'm forgetting?"

"Yeah," Nicki said as she swung her legs off Sydney's bed where she had been lounging. "A forklift to carry it all to the platform. Cuz you're gonna need one at this rate."

"Har dee har har," Sydney laughed sarcastically. "Don't you have some packing of your own to do? I'm not doing it for you again this year."

"Fyi I already did my packing, Miss Smarty Pants."

Sydney crossed her arms over her chest and gave her twin a knowing look. "You just shoved it all in there and sat on it, didn't you?"

"What's your point?" Nicki asked bluntly.

"Oi!" Sydney exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.

"Hey!" Ron popped his head into the room. "You girls ready to go?"

"Shoosh yeah!" Nicki answered enthusiastically (AN this comes from iCarly, Sam uses it several times and I figured it's appropriate considering how alike Sam and Nicki are).

"I never thought I'd see the day when Nicki Potter would actually be excited to go back to school," Ron thought out loud.

"I know...I'm so proud!" Sydney cheered. "Let me just savor this moment," the blonde continued in an emotional voice, putting one hand over her heart dramatically.

"Why don't you just take a picture?! It'll last longer!" Nicki snapped at the two observers.

"Sorry!"

Nicki threw her arms down. "Now you've made me lose my good mood! Can we go already?!"

"Sounds like someone's a little-"

"Don't start with me!" Nicki cut off threateningly. Ron and Sydney stepped away. Nicki grinned as she watched them back away in fear.

*(*(

Other than Mr. Weasley magically expanding the inside of the enchanted car to fit nine people, seven trunks, and two owls, the trip to the Kings Cross train station was pretty uneventful. After they made it to the station, however, was another story.

After having to go back to the Burrow for some forgotten items - three times - they only had fifteen minutes to get on to Platform 9 3/4. Just like the last time, Percy went through the wall between Platforms 9 and 10 first, followed by Fred and George. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took hold of Ginny's cart and all three of them ran through together. Ron agreed to go next, then Nicki, then Sydney. This is where things got weird.

"Ready, set, go!" Ron called out as he and the girls charged at the wall. But instead of popping out on the other side, they ran straight into solid wall.

"Oof!"

"Ouch!"

"Ow!"

The three students were sprawled out across the floor, carts and trunks spread everywhere. Muggle bystanders stared at the kids in both confusion and shock.

"Oi! What are you kids doing?!" a guard hollered at them.

Nicki laughed nervously before she came up with an idea. "Eddie, I told you that racing on carts was not a good idea! Now look what you did!" She pretended to scold Ron while wagging her finger at him, embracing her inner Mrs. Weasley.

Seeing that the three children were twelve at the oldest, the Muggles watching accepted Nicki's excuse and went on with their business.

"What happened?" Ron whispered.

"A wall said hello to us, that's what happened!" Nicki whispered back sarcastically.

"Nicki," Sydney said in a parental tone. "Think of your happy place."

Nicki stared off into the distance as a smile formed on her face.

"Good girl," Sydney replied. "Now, I still don't understand what could have happened. We still had two minutes before the train left. Why would the entrance be blocked off?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that even if the barrier hadn't closed on us, we now have no chance of reaching the platform. Look." Ron pointed to the giant clock hanging above them as the hand ticked toward eleven o'clock.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

It was official. The Hogwarts Express was leaving and they weren't on it. Sydney, Nicki, and Ron sat in sad silence.

"Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do," Nicki spoke up, smirking deviously as her blue eyes twinkled mischieviously.

"Oh no," Sydney stated, shaking her head firmly as she picked up on her twin's plan. "No. No. No. A million times no! There is no way I am letting you do this."

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"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," Sydney muttered angrily as she slouched in the backseat of the Weasleys' flying car with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Admit it, Syd, I know all your weaknesses, and the fear of missing school is one of them," Nicki gloated as she looked at her sister from her spot in the passenger seat.

"Oh shut up," the blonde snapped grumpily.

The brunette grinned victoriously before she looked over to Ron, who had insisted on driving.

"All right then. Let's get this thing going before we miss the Sorting and the welcoming banquet." Ron turned the keys and pushed down on the accelerator.

The car flew up into the sky, unfortunately catching the eyes of several muggles.

The twins looked out the window anxiously, aware of the fact that they were flying over one of the busiest spots in the country.

"Um, Ron?" Sydney murmured nervously.

"Yeah?"

"There's one little detail that we should probably mention."

"What?"

"Muggles aren't exactly used to seeing flying cars."

"Oh." The redhead pushed down on a switch and the car turned invisible, but not before it caught the attention of at least a half a dozen muggles.

From that point on, Ron kept the car high in the sky while the girls watched for the train below.

After a while, Nicki suddenly cried out, "There! I see the tracks! Ron, go lower!"

Ron lowered the car until they were practically driving on the train tracks. It was then that the invisibility wore off.

"Oh no! The invisibility booster must be faulty!" Ron exclaimed, pushing the switch, but to no avail.

"Uh, guys... I don't think we should be flying this low," Sydney stuttered in a scared voice from the backseat.

"Why?" Ron and Nicki asked together, looking back at the girl.

"That's why." Sydney pointed straight forward and the other two turned back around. The Hogwarts Express was heading straight for them. Even Hedwig's eyes widened at the sight.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the three kids screamed together. Ron jerked the wheel to the right, moving the car out of the way just in time, but also throwing it entirely off balance. The sudden force lurched the car to the side, causing Nicki's door to whip open and her to fall out.

"I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Nicki shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"HOLD ON, NICK!" Ron shouted from the driver's seat.

Nicki stopped yelling and just looked at Ron with one raised eyebrow as if saying, "Really?!"

Sydney rolled her eyes at the two of them before she climbed forward and reached her arm out to grab her sister. The blonde managed to pull her twin into the car before they lost sight of the train.

"Let's see: make new friends/enemies, deal with Malfoy, almost die... school hasn't even started yet and we're already ahead of schedule," Nicki joked once she was safely back in the car. The other two laughed as they followed the Hogwarts Express to its destination.

*(*(

It was nightfall by the time the castle was in sight. Sydney, Nicki, and Ron beamed as they got closer and closer to what they felt was home.

However, the moment was ruined when they suddenly heard a lound noise coming from the hood of the car. The car flew out of control, circling around the towers and not complying to any of Ron's actions.

The three screamed again as the enchanted car took them for a rollar coaster ride around Hogwarts.

Ron tried using his wand to stop or slow the car, but he ended up snapping the wood in half. His facial expression was a mix of panic and pure horror.

"RON, WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Sydney cried out.

But Ron no longer had control of the car. It now had a mind of its own, but obviously not a smart one because it flew straight into the infamous Whomping Willow.

"My wand," Ron squeaked after the car stopped moving. "Look at my wand."

"Surely we can mend it," Sydney insisted in a comforting tone. "We just need-"

She was interrupted by a growling and groaning from below them. The tree was alive! The branches slammed into the sides of the car, broke through the windows, and shattered the glass.

"WE ARE NOT A PIÑATA!" Nicki shouted at the tree, even though it couldn't possibly understand her.

Ironically, just after Nicki said that, the tree branch hit the back of the car and it tumbled out of the tree on to the ground. But the Whomping Willow wasn't done just yet. It awung backwards, preparing to crush the car and its occupants all the way to New Zealand (AN which in case you don't know is on the opposite end of the world as the British Isles).

"STEP ON IT!" Sydney ordered.

Ron complied and floored the accelerator. Thankfully, the car obeyed this time, narrowly avoiding being squashed into a pulp.

The three kids were about to celebrate when they got tossed out of the car...literally. The doors opened on their own and the kids and their bags were hurled out. Once they got their footing, out came Hedwig's cage and Scabber's box.

The car sped off down the corridors and past Hagrid's hut, driving off into the unknown.

"That is why, in the muggle world, you have to be at least sixteen to drive a car," Sydney stated, making a subtle jibe at Ron's driving.

"Dad's gonna kill me," Ron muttered, too worried about the car to absorb what Sydney had said.

Nicki heard footsteps and whipped her head around, terrified to see who it was.

"I don't think he's the only one," Nicki said as she tapped the other two on the shoulders.

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A few minutes later, Ron and the twins found themselves in Professor Dumbledore's office. They had been found by Professor Snape, who was currently upset that, since he wasn't their Head of House, he didn't have the authority to expel the students.

Dumbledore, however, listened to the story of what happened and said he would not expel them, but rather write a letter to each of their families and leave the punishment to Professor McGonagall.

"Technically, since we broke the rules before school started, you can't take away house points, right?" Nicki angled slyly, able to find a loophole in any rules imaginable.

McGonagall chuckled softly, thinking about how much she had missed her Gryffindor students. "No, Potter, I won't take away house points, but you do all have one detention. Oh, and Weasley, your sister was sorted into Gryffindor. Congratulations."

Ron smiled, full of pride for his baby sister.

"Now, off to bed, the four of you, before I have to take away house points."

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Chapter four out the door! See you all again in a few weeks.