Chapter 19: Trouble at the Train

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It's owned by J.K Rowling and Warner Bros. Puzzle update: I have put in an astonishing 15 pieces! Wow, excitement.

Nate lined himself up to pass through the barrier. The clock read 10:58. Nate gained speed and pushed his trolly forward. He accelerated faster and faster towards the imaginary wall.

WHAM.

Nate got sent flying headfirst onto the floor. Hermione's eyes were saucers. Annalise was angrily hooting at Nate, and Harry and Ron were frantically putting his school supplies on their trollies. The station master walked up to them, a frown on his face.

"Just what the heck are you kids doing? This is a train station, not a playground!" He walked away, muttering "Damn kids" under his breath.

"Guys, if we can't get in, what if Mum and Dad can't get back to us?" Ron squealed.

"Remember they still have the car in the lot, Ron. They have to come back," Harry reasoned.

"The car…" Ron started, then smiled brightly. "That's how we'll get to Hogwarts! The car!" Ron exclaimed.

Before any of the kids knew it, they were looking at the small Ford Angelia.

"Let's get in! I'll fly us there!" Ron started to go for the driver's seat, but Nate stopped him.

"We can't risk the Statute, Ron. We all know this."

Harry was starting to panic. "Then you drive, Nate! Or Hermione! One of you must know how to drive properly without magic!"

Nate looked expectantly at Hermione. She huffed. "I'm not driving this. I didn't really like it to begin with!"

With a sigh, Nate popped the trunk open, and the kids crammed their supplies in the back. Once the kids were in the car, Nate and Hermione in the front with Harry and Ron in the back, Nate sighed heavily and started the engine.

"Y'know, Anna is going to kill me if she ever finds out about this. It's forbidden to leave her out on an adventure anymore." Nate chuckled.

The kids had a nice laugh after that. Annalise and Hedwig were not happy to be in their cages, and vocally explained that to their respective owners.

"You two can fly soon, I promise," Hermione calmed the owls.

"While you three are mingling amongst yourselves, can I get help with navigation?" Nate asked.

"We can use the invisibility booster to fly to school, mate" Ron said.

"Brilliant!" Nate exclaimed. After about five minutes, he parked the car in an abandoned alley near the Leaky Cauldron. Pushing a switch on the dashboard, the car became invisible.

"There's strong charms on the car so that the muggles can't see us through the invisibility," Ron explained. By this point, Harry had finished his letter.

"We need to follow the train; Let's get to Kings' Cross and follow the tracks north!" Nate said. The rest of the kids agreed.

Harry stroked Hedwig's feathers. "Alright Hedwig, go on and fly to Hogwarts, I did promise you." Harry instructed. With an affectionate nuzzle, Hedwig took to the skies. Nate took a sheet of paper and quickly scribbled a note on it and handed it to Annalise.

"Go, Annalise, make sure she gets it." Nate looked expectantly at her, and she bobbed her head in understanding. Within five minutes, both owls were flying to their destinations, and Nate had also activated the flight mode on the dashboard. The car rose over the rooftops of Downtown London.

After about an hour of following the tracks north, they still hadn't found the train. Nate lowered the car and soon the car was right on top of the tracks. Their hopes were raised when they heard the faint sound of the Hogwarts Express.

[]

Meanwhile, Annalise had made her way to the train and made her way through the compartments before finally stopping to peck on a window where a surprised Daphne Greengrass let the owl in through the window. Pulling the note off her leg, Daphne read it. It was messily written, and it was a short message.

Meet at Pitch, Tomorrow after Breakfast

Daphne knew the note was from Nate already because Annalise had delivered it. She was still trying to figure out why he wasn't on the train. She looked at Pansy, who by the looks of things, did not look like that month off from that horrid Curse helped her at all.

Looking at Pansy expectantly, Daphne showed her the letter. "You know if you don't see Madam Pomfrey tonight Nate will drag you there tomorrow?"

Pansy stared at Daphne with a scowl. "So what? He'll probably do it anyways. I don't know why he has to act this secretly around the issue. Quite frankly, I don't care anymore. I thought I would be able to see my dad arrested in our house before school. I didn't. What good is Nate or Bones if neither can get anything done?"

Daphne frowned at her best friend. "Pansy, we both know you don't mean that. Plus, he said he would do it. We have no reason to believe he hasn't done it, and I take this letter as proof."

Pansy sighed in annoyance.

[]

The train's whistle got louder and louder until the kids looked behind them and screamed. Because coming up on their back was the Hogwarts Express. Nate quickly tore the car off the tracks, and with Hermione's help, kept the car stable and invisible.

"Think we found the train, guys," Ron said, out of breath.

"Yeah!" The others replied in a shaky tone.

As 6 PM rolled around, Nate disabled the invisibility booster as the school came into view from across the lake. Far below, Hogsmeade Station was lit up like a Christmas tree.

"We'll land at Hagrid's! It's the only spot that's level enough that might not screw us over!" Nate said. He carefully maneuvered the car around the school's towers and was lining up to land near Hagrid's when the engine cut out. Nate quickly turned the car to lose altitude, and very narrowly avoided smashing into a lone tree and skidded to a stop right inside the Forbidden Forest.

"Did you have to land so hard, Nate?" Harry asked.

"Tried to soften it but I was too late after I avoided that tree," Nate replied.

"Oh no!" Ron exclaimed. "My wand snapped! My wand snapped!"

"Oh my, Ron! I'm so sorry!" Nate exclaimed. Ron sulked in sadness.

The Quartet got themselves out of the car and pulled their belongings out from the trunk. Harry and Hermione pulled the trunks out of the Forest while Ron and Nate were deliberating how to get it out.

"Tomorrow, we'll ask Hagrid to push it out! Then, somehow, we can get it home!" Ron said.

"Brilliant!" Nate replied.

Suddenly and without warning, the car flared to life and skidded away, deeper, and deeper into the forest with Nate and Ron chasing it. They stopped and painfully returned to Harry and Hermione.

"Dad's going to kill me!" Ron moaned. "I took the car and now it's gone!"

"I'm sorry, Ron. Right now, we need to get to the school! The feast will start soon!" Hermione exclaimed. With that, the Quartet made their way from the forest boundary near Hagrid's Hut to the Great Hall, dropping their trunks off along the way with the others.

"Wait, wait!" Harry stopped his friends and pulled out his cloak.

"What's that for?" Nate asked.

"Filch is over there, now get under!" Harry exclaimed.

The kids had all grown slightly over the summer, so they were crouching down to a degree so the cloak would remain effective. They barely managed to pass an incoming form of McGonagall and slipped into the Hall undetected by most of the students, who were mingling with their friends. Professor Snape was not at his seat in the Great Hall, he wasn't even present. At that, Nate caught Daphne's eye and she looked in his eyes in acknowledgement. The Quartet took their seats next to their friends from last year.

About ten minutes later, Professor McGonagall walked in with the new First-Years. When Ginny saw her brothers, she waved happily. Luna Lovegood trailed in the back, looking at the roof in awe. She still acted in that odd way that she did at his and Harry's party. The group of First Years was extremely small, only fifteen students in total.

The Sorting hat had a difficult time with a lot of students, most notably Colin Creevey, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley. Each of them took over six minutes to place. In the end, Gryffindor ended up with Ginny, Collin, and two other First Years, Ravenclaw ended up with Luna Lovegood and three others, Hufflepuff gained three, and Slytherin gained four. In all this, Professor Snape still wasn't in attendance.

Professor Dumbledore stood up and smiled upon the students. "Welcome to Hogwarts, and welcome back to our returning students! Let this year be full of happiness, fun, and friendship! Enjoy the feast!"

With that, the tables were filled with food and the school feasted on all sorts of food. As they ate, Ginny began gushing to the other girls about how happy she was to be at Hogwarts. Ron rolled his eyes but didn't speak. His snapped wand was still hammering his head. The ghosts had paid the students a visit, welcoming them to and back to Hogwarts. Throughout the meal, Hermione glanced at Nate ever so often as if she knew something was happening. She still had to tell him about that vision from Summer, but she didn't know how he would react. Would suppressing it from him for this long cast doubt on their friendship? Quashing the doubt in her head, Hermione reasoned that he would understand, hopefully. A year's worth of friendship couldn't be destroyed with one vision, could it?

Nate had a lot on his mind, too. He had to talk to Susan, and he was going to talk to Daphne and Pansy. He was debating whether to have two discussions or one discussion with the four of them. He would decide tomorrow. There was tasty food in front of him. He was about to sigh happily and relax when the doors of the Great Hall slammed open and Professor Snape stormed in.

"POTTER! WEASLEY! GRANGER! HARRISON! MY OFFICE. NOW!"

Oh no.

Author's Note: Short chapter, I know. I have finals next week and I've been preoccupied. There won't be a chapter next week, apologies on that! Until next time, Au Revoir!

BC5