Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter Twelve

The Great Escape

Diana looked outside the window. There was a car about twenty metres away from Harry's window. It was flying, but that wasn't even the strangest part. Three of Ginny's brothers were in it.

It took Diana a minute to register the fact that the car was heading straight for their window.

The car reached their window loudly. Diana hoped Petunia and Vernon were heavy sleepers.

"Ron," whispered Harry gently, creeping up to the window and pushing it up so the two could talk through the bars. "Ron, how did you-? What the-?"

"You all right, Harry?" asked one of Ron's identical older brothers.

"Who's the girl over there?" asked another.

"My name's Diana," she said. "Nice to meet you..."

"Fred," he told her. "And this is George and Ron. Hey, you're Ginny's friend, aren't you?"

Diana nodded.

"What's going on, Harry?" asked Ron, abruptly interrupting the conversation. "Why haven't you answered my letters? I've asked you to come and stay about twelve times now!"

"It's a bit of a long story," explained Harry. "Listen, why are you here? Don't tell me you flew the car all the way here to pick me up?"

"Pretty much," Fred responded casually. "Anyway, stand back." He threw a bit of rope to Harry. "Tie this around the bars."

"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," Harry protested.

"I'll try to stop them," decided Diana.

"Don't worry," Fred reassured her. "It won't come to that."

Harry and Diana moved back into the shadows, and Hedwig, who seemed to notice how important this was, kept silent and stayed still.

The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars came clean out. Diana winced and put her ear on the door.

Dudley's was still snoring loudly. Vernon was too. Diana couldn't tell about Petunia though.

Her heart froze when she heard Dudley's snores stifle. A pause. Diana stood tensely, but all Dudley did was sneeze, and he started snoring again.

"The coast is clear," Diana announced. "We're good."

Ron pulled the bars up into the car.

"Get in," he said.

"But all my Hogwarts stuff - my books and cauldron and broom-" pointed out Harry.

"Where is it?"

"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I don't have the key."

"That's alright," said George brightly. He pulled out a hair clip, hopped out of the car with Fred and opened the door. "Most wizards don't bother learning these Muggle tricks-"

"-but we think they're fascinating," finished Fred.

"Shhhh," Diana urged.

The twins quietly tiptoed down the stairs, and returned a few minutes later with Harry's school things.

Diana shut the door with a click. She winced at every sound.

Harry loaded his things into the flying car, and climbed onto the window. Diana was about to tell him, but Hedwig got there first with a loud screech.

"THAT RUDDY OWL!"

"I've forgotten Hedwig!" exclaimed Harry.

Diana sprinted to the door and pushed all her weight against it, every ounce of her praying that she could hold off Vernon for long enough.

Harry ran back to get Hedwig and climbed clumsily into the flying car. Just as he was putting his left leg in, Diana felt a heavy weight push against the door.

"No!" she grunted. She pushed more of her body onto the door.

A harder push. Diana glanced over at the car. Harry was putting his seatbelt on.

Diana sighed. At least Vernon couldn't stop him from getting away now.

"Everybody ready?" Fred called.

"Yes!" came Harry, Ron and George's voice.

"Off we go!"

"Goodbye!" shouted Diana.

Fred revved on the engine, and in that second, Diana collapsed in exhaustion, and Vernon aggressively pushed open the door.

For a few moments he stared at the car flying away into the distance. Diana could feel his anger radiating off his body.

"Come back!"

He ran to the window and clambered onto the ledge.

"Dad, NO!" Diana shouted.

Vernon jumped to try and catch up with the car, but since the car was an impossible distance away for him to catch up, he fell into a bush instead.

Diana began to snicker. She would be in huge trouble, but it was worth it to see her father struggling in a bush.

"Goodbye!" she called out to the car, which was now almost out of sight. Harry had finally escaped.