The rest of the summer went by awfully fast. The days became fewer and fewer, counting down to September first. Mrs. Weasley and Tatum went to buy everyone's school supplies for the new term at Diagon Alley. The Weasleys stayed in Tatum's house the rest of the time. They were going back when the reparations were finished on The Burrow and security had been doubled and tripled checked. The Ministry was working on it quickly, but nobody had intentions of leaving. Tatum was glad to have company. Mr. Weasley kept checking every muggle artifact he could find inside the house. Mrs. Weasley spent long hours talking to Tatum, while the both of them read Witch Weekly. The rest, spent time in the backyard flying around, throwing the imitation Quidditch kit of Tatum's – from which Tatum had bought a Snitch replacement. Harry kept his wand pocketed whenever he went to the back yard. He had bad memories about this place, but he forgot about it as soon as Fred and George threw the Bludgers at him and the rest, taking advantage of the softer punches of these balls. They were teaching Ginny how to play. She had been considering on entering the team for some time now, and she thought of trying for the team on next year. She knew how to play already, but Fred and George insisted she had to practice some more. Harry wondered if Dumbledore had decided to let them play this term yet.

"I'm worried about Hedwig" Harry told Ron in the middle of an Exploding Snap game. He had grown tired of playing Quidditch with the Fad-balls.

"Don't, she's probably in the Ministry's Pet Control department. They're keeping every messenger pets locked in at the Ministry."

"What?"

"Well, we sent all of our owls there. Those were the Ministry's orders. I really don't know why? Pig, Errol, Hermes, they're all there."

"I just hope Hedwig's alright. I haven't seen her for ages."

"Why don't you ask my dad if Hedwig is at the office" replied Ron not lifting his head from the game.

"Maybe later; they all seemed terribly worried when they came back."

"I know. Your turn" Ron said turning his head up to Harry, who didn't answer or move. "Harry!"

"What?" said Harry, who was distracted with a question freshly formed inside his head. Ron stared at him and asked "What's wrong?" Harry remembered the letters from the Ministry, which Peasn had been bringing all summer. He hadn't actually seen the owl, but he knew messages were getting there because the letters were delivered at breakfast by Mrs. Weasley. If every owl was caged up at the Ministry of Magic, why was Tatum's owl coming and going?

"Nothing. Why is Peasn delivering letters though? If all the messengers are supposed to be locked, why isn't he too?" asked Harry feeling bad about Hedwig having to stay at the Ministry caged up with the rest.

"That's simple. Peasn is a Ministry owl."

"But I thought it was Tatum's" replied Harry a bit confused.

"It was. Peasn is Tatum's family owl, but she offered him as a Ministry owl because she spends most of her time in there. When we asked her why, she explained Peasn would be more useful at the Ministry and that they will take better care of him" explained Ron turning slightly red. "I think that's it."

"You think?"

"Yes. I heard my dad mentioning it to my mom. He didn't exactly tell us!"

"So, if that's true, why does he come back? The night we arrived in this house your dad sent an owl to the office" Harry asked recalling the less-than-fortunate day the Weasleys and himself first arrived at Tatum's.

"It seems Peasn doesn't want to leave. Tatum complained several times about the lack of security at the Ministry. The owl keeps sneaking back to her house."

"It reminds me of Hedwig. She always follows me wherever I go" Harry sadly said while straightening his glasses. "What worries me is she hasn't come here at all. The last time I saw her was before the Harpies attacked and that was ages ago."

Harry and Ron finished the game with no more pet questions. The sun went down, and Mrs. Weasley called them all inside. The night was calmed and nobody seemed to have any problems in catching their sleep, including Harry. The air within the house was relaxing, everyone went upstairs yawning widely. G'night was heard from different directions. By the time Harry realized he was sitting on his bed, he had taken off his shoes and placed his glasses on the bedside table. He fell asleep after a while of staring at the ceiling of his and Ron's bedroom.

Without helping himself he dreamed yet again, the Quidditch field and a murder. He woke up sweating, but at this point he had learned to feel calmer after his nightmares. He had been having them all summer long.

The next morning, Harry got up and prepared to go down for breakfast. Ron was no longer in the room, so it must have been a fairly late hour. When he reached the kitchen diner, Tatum and Percy were holding something purple, slimy and a couple of foots long between their hands. Fred and George were laughing madly behind Tatum, who was laughing as well, but Percy, on the other hand, was wearing a fuming face at his brothers and was apparently searching for his wand inside his pockets. Harry recognized this at once. The twins surely gave a Ton-Tongue Toffee of their own invention to them both. They had given one of these to Duddley only last year, and Harry recognized the especial effects. Harry got completely distracted by the sight and forgot about his constant nightmares, having a nice daytime was very effective to forget the night. He spent a pleasant morning.

The next few days ended the vacations period. The morning of September first felt wonderful. They could hardly wait for the next term. Harry and Ron were dying to see Hermione, with all the rush from house to house, they hadn't had the chance to contact her, especially now with all the owls locked in. It had been impossible to reach her - Tatum's phone had been disarmed by Mr. Weasley and he had been decided to put it back together without magic, which was taking forever. "If the muggles can, it shouldn't be too hard." Fred and George were excited about the fact they were going to take their last year at Hogwarts, and about the idea of leaving the house, it had been fun at the beginning, but after Mr. Weasley communicated them all, they weren't allowed outside the house grounds for security measures, they had started to feel trapped which wasn't their style. Harry knew Mr. Weasley was secretly working along with Dumbledore to fight Voldemort, and that the Ministry didn't know about it or so he thought. "At least somebody knows" Harry kept thinking. Because, although the Daily Prophet kept reporting bad news and incidents around the wizarding community, it was clear not everybody was aware of Voldemort's return. Panic was avoided, but Harry could only hope they would all be prepared when the real fight started.

"How are we going to get to the train station?" asked Ginny to Mrs. Weasley. In the meantime, everybody stood near the front door with their respective trunks already packed, waiting for the same answer Ginny was. Except for Percy, who left for the Ministry earlier. It was really early for them too, come to think of it, after all, the Hogwarts Express left from platform nine and three quarters at eleven o'clock sharp.

"Are we going to use an enchanted car?" Fred asked his father, while he gathered all of their trunks near the front door. This term the twins seemed to be taking two trunks instead of just one.

"How? Dad's is still in the Dark Forest" Ron said turning redder than usual. After all, it had been him and Harry who sent the car there on the first place, when they used it without permission to get to Hogwarts on their second year.

"Oh, don't worry! The Ministry is borrowing one from my department" said Mr. Weasley excited.

"But Arthur…last time this family used a bewitched car… it was seen!" Mrs. Weasley said in a worried tone, which didn't match with the angry look she threw at Ron and Harry.

"Not to worry! They gave us permission to use the Astral Road" Mr. Weasley told Mrs. Weasley who understood immediately, nodding back looking more calmed. The rest had no idea what they were talking about, but didn't bother to ask for the moment. A minute later, they exited the house through the front gate. A medium-sized family car was parked right outside. Harry thought for a moment "How are we supposed to fit in there?" Then, he recalled something: if the car was from the Ministry, then it sure had loads of spells on it. They all gathered at the back of the car, while Mr. Weasley opened the luggage door excitedly. He had been keen to try this car for a while now. He told them they had been improving it in his department – The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. The stares were inevitable; the back of the car was half as big as a warehouse. Once they loaded all of their trunks inside, they entered through the side-doors; there were three rows of seats, all very comfortable-looking. Mrs. Wealey intended to take a nap during the trip and sat on the last row along with Ginny, whose dress was being fixed by her mother, Fred and George. She told the twins even in her sleep, she would be watching them closely. Harry and Ron sat at the middle row. Finally, Mr. Weasley sat on the driver's seat with Tatum on the other side. Mr. Weasley looked at the steering wheel for a moment then said:

"Where's the Take-off handle?" he turned to his copilot, while Mrs. Weasley struggled with the twins, who were smoking Ginny's hair with a Smoky Match - unheated matches, when you lit them they only smoked. "Blimey, they must have changed back the controls to muggle design" said Mr. Weasley pounding his fist on the steering wheel.

"Something wrong, dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley from the back of the car.

"No, dear. I told those boys not to change anything without my permission!" said Mr. Weasley sort of angry. Tatum stared at Mr. Weasley who kept looking for the missing handle. Harry and Ron were staring at them both. Harry remembered the Ford Anglia did have a Take-off handle and an invisibility booster. However, this car didn't seem much different from Uncle Vernon's new company car. This was a bit of a dilemma, last time they had borrowed Ministry cars they had come with a driver.

"I can do this!…we might take a few more moments but…I surely can do this…why should it be a problem…I mean, no muggle artifact can be that complicated…" babbled Mr. Weasley, his face turning red as well as his ears, looking down at the steering wheel, laughing awkwardly.

"Arthur" Tatum said inquiringly, staring at Mr. Weasley. "Do you want me to drive?"

"I…um… well, I mean if you really want to. Yes, why not!" said Mr. Weasley sweating between sentences. He was obviously embarrassed of not being able to drive the car himself.

"Great" she replied slowly, smiling politely, apparently trying not to hurt Mr. Weasley's ego any further, while trusting her purse to Harry, who placed it on the seat between him and Ron.

"Sure, why not?" Mr. Weasley said before exiting the car through the driver's door. Tatum slid over from her own seat.

"I hope you don't mind I'm driving" she turned to them smiling. Mrs. Weasley was still trying to put the twins in order, so the only ones who answered were Harry and Ron.

"Not a problem" said Ron. All of a sudden, his face twisted to alarm. "Was it just me or my dad sounded a bit like Percy?"

"Where do you think your brother learned all his ways?" Tatum explained to Ron's puzzled face.

"I just hoped he had been one of those bad gifts they give out in Witch Weekly!" Ron replied. Harry started to laugh along with him and Tatum. Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley reentered the car. They all buckled up on Mrs. Weasley's command. After a second more or two, they were off. The car was heading towards a deserted area opposite from the road.

"Hey, Ron. Why are we going this way?" Harry said pointing to the road being left behind.

"I don't know for sure. I guess we're heading for the Astral Road" said Ron sitting straight on his place.

"What is the Astral Road?" Harry asked Ron, feeling once again lost like the first time he was told about the Wizarding World, when he knew nothing at the time.

"I'm really… not sure." Harry was surprised to hear from Ron. "I do know is another way of traveling. An ancient one. But I haven't really used it before so I can't tell you exactly."

"Maybe Hermione can tell us" said Harry casually. Surely, Hermione must know about it, or at least read all there is to know about the Astral Road in some book.

"Maybe she doesn't know either!" replied Ron going slightly pink. "She might not have all the answers like she always presumes. I think…" he stopped at Harry's smile. "What?"

"I think you really miss her! You start a discussion every time you mention her" Harry said still laughing, and staring at Ron.

"I do not! I just…you…Oh shut up, Harry!" finished Ron crossing his arms on his lap impatiently.

It was a beautiful morning. The car kept going until there was nothing visible, but the sunlight illuminating the earthy surroundings. Mrs. Weasley managed to remove the box of Smoky Matches from Fred and George just before she fell asleep; and now, they were gently sliding them back from under her hand, so she wouldn't catch them. Ginny was staring out the window not minding the twins at all; she had traded for the other side's seat when her mom kept fighting to remove the matches from her brothers. Ron fell asleep with his chin knocking his chest from bump to bump of the car. Mr. Weasley was looking through the copilot's window quite stern looking.

"I think we're almost there" he said to Tatum who nodded.

"I believe so, you have the Tokens?"

"I'm almost sure" he replied, starting to look for something inside his robes. "Aha! Got them!"

"Alright, here we go" Tatum added before she pulled a lever near her right leg. The desert all around them disappeared in an instant. They were now driving through a black void. All of a sudden, there were strange knockings on the doors which made them all jump in surprise.

"Don't be alarmed! We locked the doors. Those knocks are completely normal" Mr. Weasley explained turning back to them with an it's-okay expression on his face. "We're sure to pass unnoticed" he said in a cheer-up mode. Harry wasn't quite sure of this. The knocks around the car were strange, as if hundreds of tiny hands were slapping it as they went through.

"Where are we exactly?" Ginny asked her father.

"Well, you know how we use the Floo powder to go everywhere?"

"Yes" she answered. Harry was paying close attention. He too wanted to know where they were. Harry leaned to his window, and saw something moving. The shapes outside seemed to be floating around, giving the whole place a creepy status. There were sparks of faint colors here and there around the emptiness.

"As it turns out, it wasn't always like that."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked puzzled to Mr. Weasley.

"Look. Before the Floo powder was invented, we wizards used to travel by Astral Planes, which is like…um…"

"Another dimension?" completed Harry before Mr. Weasley found the correct word.

"Not exactly" he said starting to look puzzled himself. "Help me here, Tatum."

"Look you guys, the Astral Plane is like another space to be in within reality. Ancient wizards knew how to work with it easily, but then we discovered the Floo powder which was much quicker, so we kind of forgot about the Astral reality and we stopped using it."

"Why not use both things?" Harry asked interested.

"It takes a great deal of concentration to get in on your own and a double lot of concentration to use it properly!" Tatum explained, turning the steering wheel a couple of times.

"People who used it without a great preparation of his or her concentration, got lost and never seen again" Mr. Weasley told warningly to them all.

"Besides, the Death Eaters started to use it, and there were a lot of incidents" Tatum added.

"What, Death Eaters…here?" Harry said in alarm, feeling a cold finger running over his spine. He had had enough incidents this summer to last him at least a year.

"Don't worry, Harry! We managed to create a way to use it in hidden, like the evil doers did. We gathered up and built the Astral Road" Mr. Weasley explained to Harry in a calm-down-voice.

"Is there where we are?" Ginny asked turning to see her father one more time. She was resting her arms on the edge of the seat, clearly trying to be closer and hear properly.

"Yes, Ginny" he replied.

"There is nothing to worry about. We are inside a sealed road that crosses the Astral Plane. Nobody can see us. This is why we were suggested on using it to get to London" Tatum finished Mr. Weasley's explanation.

Harry had his doubts. If they couldn't see them, what were those noises? Probably inhabitants bumping onto an invisible road in the middle of the way; Harry amused himself with the idea.

"Here we are!" Tatum said, stopping the car between pitch dark.

"I got the Tokens. Any minute now" Mr. Weasley said smiling towards the car crew. Mrs. Weasley had awoken. The twins were peeking through a window. Ginny was looking at the front of the car, along with Harry and a half-dozed Ron. Harry had no idea what were they waiting for, but saw Tatum reach for her wand inside her purse, which was close to Ron's and his feet, having fallen during the trip there. "Oh there he is" Mr. Weasley told everyone, pointing at Tatum's side window. A shape was walking towards them. Harry was surprised at what he saw. There was a lion outside… actually: two lion's heads facing opposite directions - one with North tattooed on its forehead and the other with South-, with two sets of front legs, back parts of each lion merged into the other. Suddenly, the glass covering the pilot's region went slowly down, until the whole front of the car was exposed.

"May I see your Tokens, please?" said the head with North on the forehead, putting his paw over the car making it sink slightly.

"Certainly, here they are" Mr. Weasley told them politely.

"One, two, three, four… eight in total?" said the same head, starting to count a bunch of silvery cards Mr. Weasley had just handed him, clasped in the other front paw. He nodded. "Alright, Mr. Weasley you can…"

"Arthur? Not Arthur Weasley?" the other head showing South said in admiration, climbing on the car next to North. The car sank to the ground at the full weight of the creature.

"Yes. I was wondering if you would remember me" he replied kindly.

"Do you know each other?" Tatum asked surprised.

"Yes. Oh, I'm sorry…this is Tatum. Tatum this is Akerumen" Mr. Weasley introduced them.

"Nice to meet you" she said politely. Harry was staring at the whole picture. He had seen a lot of things in his life, but this looked definitely weird.

"But I've seen you too…your last name is…Salem. Right?" South kept talking.

"Yes…um… we are in a hurry, if you would excuse us. The kids need to get to the train station" she said awkwardly. Harry stared at Mr. Weasley who furrowed his face at her.

"I agree!" said the North head. "Maybe we should just leave them, so they can go away!" it replied to his lion brother. Clearly, he was less than a fan of having strangers passing his way.

"Oh! This is so exciting! Is Molly here? Oh there she is…Hi, Molly!" Without paying attention to his brother, South kept waving his paw cheerfully towards the back of the car where Mrs. Weasley sat. Everybody was quite quiet. There were mumbles from Fred and George from the back of the car, but the silence outside was noticeable. Nobody spoke another word for a couple of seconds.

"Tatum's right we should get going!" Mrs. Weasley said from the back of the car waving to the lion with a warm smile.

"I agree! We don't want to delay you!" North said eagerly.

"But you just said this was the emptiest road you've ever seen, and…Ouch!" South was knocked off the car by North's paw directly onto his face. He raised his paw saying good-bye politely and backed away from the glass. Tatum closed it, and they started to move forward again inside a pitch black scenario.

"You better hold on! The last bit is rough" said Mr. Weasley while he tightened his seat belt. Harry and Ron checked their own, and stared puzzle-faced at each other. Fred was moving from one place to the other, until Mrs. Weasley gave him the eye once again. "Ready?"

"Yes" replied Mrs. Weasley, while she glanced at her children all trapped by the seat belt. Harry turned to see Ginny who had been shrieking George was on her hand. He saw Ginny's belt half-snapped. He sat upright and didn't say anything about it. He didn't think it would be such a big deal. He changed his mind a second too late. The car gave a huge BANG and started going forward at top speed, before he could open his mouth to speak.

Harry could feel his body as if it was being squashed in every direction at the same time. It felt like he was inside a blinder being thrown from one side to the other without even leaving his seat. He turned around to Ron, who had his eyes tightly shut; then he turned to see if everybody else had their eyes shut too. His head felt as if it weighted a ton as he slowly moved it. He looked at the back seat and saw Ginny, who was floating a feet from her seat moving around in slow motion. Harry saw her mouth wide open, which told him she was probably trying to scream. He couldn't hear her though. He tried to say something to help her, but even though he opened his mouth, the words didn't reach his own ears.

Unexpectedly, Ginny's head collided with her window. Harry was worried, but apparently he couldn't do anything. If he unlocked his own belt he would be floating away from his seat as well. He tried to reach her, stretching his arms sideways as much as the seat allowed him to. He caught Ginny's foot and hold on to it. It was impossible to pull her down onto the seat. She was like glued to the air she was floating in. Harry gazed the front of the car. Outside, he could still see the blackness, which within a couple of seconds later turned rapidly into what looked like a swirled colored view. Before he could start guessing what it was: they stopped inside a garage. Ginny gave a loud thud on her seat as Harry lost his grip on her foot.