Chapter 3: Flying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have (Probably)
Time seemed to whirl around as the fleeting days at the Burrow dwindled into nothing, leaving disaster in its wake. Mrs. Weasley flew around, up and down the stairs, screeching about gathering their things and not forgetting anything. Books tumbled all over Ginny's room, accompanied by Maya's incessant squawking as Mary tried to coax her into the white cage. Ginny was pale and green at the same time, looking like a zombie as she double-checked her trunk again and again as she paced all over the room.
Carina was about to snap at all the chaos that was happening. She had been sitting on Ginny's bed, surrounded by the slams and shouts that filled the household. Bombur had joined her long ago, resting his chubby head against her thigh, probably also tired of all the noise. Her hair had turned black when it had begun—and it didn't show any sign of going back to rose red. Sure, she liked to cause disorder, but not be at the middle of it and not be the instigator.
Long ago, she had thrown her packed trunk down the cluttered stairs, waiting for the time they would finally leave. It was inevitable that one of them would have to carry it…just not her. Mr. Weasley probably had taken it to their small blue car. She wondered how it would fit—especially with seven other trunks, two owls, one cat, one fat dog, and ten very frustrated magic users. Someone was bound to get hurt, one way, or another.
That some one, turned out to be Mr. Weasley, who had almost broken his neck tripping over one of the chickens that littered the yard.
"We're leaving!" roared Mrs. Weasley from downstairs. "NOW!"
Carina finally jumped out of her somewhat dreamy contemplation as Ginny turned an even further shade of green that a frog would be proud of, and dragged her trunk out of the room. Mary had finally managed to get her stubborn owl into its cage, albeit with many nicks on her fingers. The cramped hall resulted in Carina stumbling over her black dog, which created a domino effect as she slammed into George's back, all tumbling down the stairs. Elbows, knees, and hands flew everywhere, smacking Carina along her sides and legs as they all landed in a heap at the bottom.
"Never again…" groaned Mary, rising with a very distressed and angry owl. The cause of the ruckus however, somehow managed to get down the stairs unscathed, bouncing towards the door merrily.
With short fuses and bruised sides, the young group stomped across the yard towards their small blue car. At first, Carina didn't see anything different besides the fact that the wheel was on the right—unlike those in the States—but then, when the twins put their trunks in the back compartment, she caught sight of the cave— and very long seat in the front and back. It looked like a park table bench, stretched even further as each Weasley, Potter, Fawley, and Black filled the magically expanded seat. Mr. Weasley definitely had some explaining to do to Mrs. Weasley—provided she knew about the fact that normal Muggle cars didn't have such gargantuan spaces to sit and store.
The drive to King's Cross was cut short several times. First, George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Second, Fred forgot his broomstick. Thirdly and finally, Ginny had wailed loudly that she'd forgotten her diary—which she and Mary had most definitely failed to notice. Carina was past her breaking point—patience was a virtue that she had difficulty keeping. Mary's annoying owl wouldn't stop screeching; Harry's owl had deliberately decided to join her after a while, Bombur wouldn't stop squirming, and her wand was jabbing her very hard on her side.
Five minutes before the train left, the distressed group dashed quickly towards Platform 9 and ¾, Mr. Weasley separating to get them all trolleys. Carina was gasping as they all reached the pillar.
"Percy first," said an anxious Mrs. Weasley, who kept throwing worried glances towards the clock.
Mr. Weasley followed Percy and the twins went right after.
"I'll take Ginny and you lot come right after us," Mrs. Weasley said quickly, grabbing Ginny's hand and leaping towards the portal.
"Go, Prongs, Specks," said Mary, slightly exasperated as she glanced up pointedly.
Harry and Ron walked inconspicuously towards the barrier, breaking into a run as they approached the pillar. A loud crash signaled their failure in crossing the barrier. Ron and Harry landed a few feet away from the spectacle, Hedwig hooting loudly as her cage rolled around; Ron's trunk was littered haphazardly by the trolleys.
Why couldn't they go through?! The train's about to leave!
"What in blazes d'you think you're doing?" shouted a rather irritated guard. People began staring in slight curiosity and confusion.
"What does it look like we're doing?" snapped Carina, still fuming. "Our trolleys crashed, genius."
The guard threw her a scornful glare and walked off. Mary grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the very disgruntled boys.
"Why can't you get through?!" hissed Mary, anxiously looking at the clock.
"We're going to miss the train," Ron whispered back. "I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself—"
"Sealed itself?!" exclaimed Carina, gathering the attention of still curious bystanders. She glared at all of them with stormy gray eyes. "Keep walkin'!" Carina hollered, causing them to begrudgingly resume their activities. She could still hear some of them muttering, "Crazy kids."
The clock seemed to laugh at them as it ticked down from ten seconds. Harry tried pushing his cart against the wall of the barrier, very desperate to get through.
"We're not getting through, Prongs," sighed Mary, who looked very down as she looked thoughtfully at the clock.
"Great." Carina muttered. The day had started off hectically for no reason, because they missed the train. How would they get to Hogwarts now? She sighed. At least Bombur hadn't caught much attention.
"It's gone," said a stunned Ron. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?"
"Don't be so rash—," began Mary, but was cut off by Ron.
"Let's go back to the car," he said dejectedly.
They began pushing through the masses, Harry carrying her trunk, and Ron Mary's, as their owls gained lots of attention from the Muggles. Ron unlocked the trunk of the sky blue car with a few taps of his wand. Carina let Ron shove their luggage into the cavernous trunk, and she walked towards the front seat with Bombur bounding alongside her. Ron sat in the driver's seat, and Harry and Mary sat in the back.
"What're you doing?" asked Carina, watching warily as Ron tapped the keyhole with his wand.
"Don't tell me we're driving this to Hogwarts," scoffed Mary in disbelief.
"Check that no one's watching," said Ron simply, pushing several of the buttons along the dash.
Harry glanced up and down the street. It was empty.
"Okay," he said.
Ron pushed a silver button and the car gave a small shudder as they vanished. Quite literally vanished, as Carina glanced up and down her body in surprise. Bombur let out a loud snort and burrowed next to her.
"What are you doing?!" hissed Carina once more, a bit more forcefully.
"Let's go," said Ron, voice disfigured as Carina tried to find him to her right.
An unsteady wobble made Carina hug an invisible Bombur. The ground slowly began getting further and further away as the car rose. She couldn't find her breath. Certainly it had remained on the ground, where she had once been. Sick was forming in her throat as buildings began falling behind them as the car climbed unsteadily higher and higher into the air, similar to her heart rate, which was skyrocketing.
"I-I really don't like heights, Ronald," stammered Carina, shutting her eyes as the smoky city of London glittered below them.
A faint popping noise made her tentatively open her anxiety-filled yellow eyes. She let out a small sigh of relief. The car had reappeared, and Ron began jabbing the silver button again. Carina looked down worriedly. They were in a flying car—that had faulty buttons—what if the Flying Charms stopped working like the Invincibility Booster?! She strapped on the seatbelt in a flash, not wanting to not be able to find it when they were invisible. Her hair had turned a new shade: pure white, which was most likely a variation of the bleach blonde shade of terror and fear.
"Uh-oh, it's faulty—" he said, hitting it harder and harder as pops signaled their disappearance and reappearance. "Hold on!" he yelled, Carina grabbing on for dear life as he slammed his foot on the accelerator; rising into the low gray clouds quickly. She could feel faint prickling of tears in her molten-yellow panicked eyes, as their surroundings became a dark murky gray.
"Now what?" said Mary, who had no qualms at being so high up.
"We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron.
"Dip back down again, quickly," said Harry.
A low rumble from the car sounded as they dropped beneath their cover of clouds. Carina would not look down. She was sick enough as it was—her stomach had been in tangled knots because of their altitude. Carina glanced at the others, who twisted around as they tried to catch sight of the Hogwarts Express. They were completely insane!
"I found it!" yelled Harry, startling her. "Right ahead—there!" he pointed.
Carina could see it from the windshield; a scarlet snake glinting around the dull gray of London.
"Due North," said Ron, glancing at the compass on the dashboard. "We'll just have to check on it every half hour or so—hang on—"
He made the car rise high above the smoke-colored clouds, all but disappearing as fluffy white ones replaced them. The sun shone high above the brilliantly white clouds, stretching out across the endless pale blue sea of a sky.
"All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron jokingly.
Harry, Mary, and Ron burst out into laughter. How could they be laughing in such a dangerous place?!
"Ha, ha, ha," said Carina in a derisive tone. "Having the time of my life here, guys, you know, besides the fact that we could die!" she finished with a high-pitched tone.
"Don't be such a party pooper," said Ron, smiling as they skimmed across the snowy clouds.
He pulled out a bag of toffees from the glove compartment. "Want one?"
Carina couldn't even think about food—the closest thing remotely near the thought of food to her was preventing it from coming up with an unpleasant scent.
"No," she said, forcing a tight smile.
Harry and Mary took some, unraveling the golden wrappers happily.
Carina couldn't help but think that this was going to be a long "drive."
~CFB~
She had fallen into a rather distressing slumber. Dreams of her plummeting to her death were not reassuring or calming at such a high altitude. She had awoken—not happily, for that matter—to a sweltering car.
"Why's it so hot?" Carina mumbled sleepily, moving her stiff neck off the seat.
"Maybe because the sun's closer to us, but I don't know," said Mary sarcastically. She tended to get snappy when she was in a bad mood. Harry was looking a bit worse for wear, but not as much as Ron, whose flaming hair was sticking flat on his face.
They had all removed their sweaters and Bombur was panting on the seat next to her. Carina still refused to move or look around out of a constricting fear of plummeting to the earth unexpectedly.
"Can't be much further, can it?" asked Ron, voice hoarse.
The sun had descended from its throne, painting the clouds a lovely shade of pink with smudges of violet smattered here and there. She couldn't appreciate the beauty—staying alive seemed like a much better option than looking at clouds.
They descended to check on the scarlet trail that pumped across the landscape, winding around a snow-capped mountain drearily. It was much darker under the cover of clouds. As they returned to their previous position, Carina let out a panicked whimper. The engine had begun to whine, causing her to grip tightly onto her seat.
"It's probably just tired," said Ron. "It's never been this far before…"
His "reassurances" did not help settle Carina, who was trembling as the whine grew louder and louder as the sky descended into darkness. Stars begun to blemish the violet-blue sky and the temperature began to drop slowly. She pulled her sweater on quickly, resuming her previous position of grasping tightly. Her dog had cuddled into the small space under her elbow, pushing his flat nose into her arm.
Not a while later, they had finally caught sight of the beloved castle.
"There!" shouted Harry, making Carina jump violently. "Straight ahead!"
High on the cliff over the Black Lake, Hogwarts glittered like a beacon, illuminating its many turrets and towers tantalizingly. The car had begun shuddering violently, beginning to lose speed. Carina grabbed her once more seat as they caught a glimpse of steam curling out of the blue hood. Her knuckles popped and turned white as Ron pressed the accelerator for the final time; the engine had died—completely—with a splutter and a clunk.
Carina began hyperventilating as Ron uttered his last words. "Uh-oh," he said into the thick silence. The nose of the car dipped, aiming towards the very solid looking castle wall. She screamed loudly, eyes welling with unshed tears, and grabbing her dog tightly as the car continued its crash course towards the ground. Ron suddenly turned the wheel, making them lean precariously towards the greenhouses, all the while losing altitude. Carina's banshee-like shriek had not paused for a second. In that moment, she believed that they most certainly were going to die. Ron had tried to slow their descent, pulling out his wand and yelling stop at the dashboard. The ground appeared to start swallowing them as they reached closer and closer to the earth.
"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" bellowed Harry, jumping from the back towards the steering wheel, but it was too late, and a sound louder than Carina's wail pierced the air. She curled into a ball with her pug and shut her eyes as metal collided onto solid wood, and the wrecked carcass of the blue car dropped to the ground with a heavy tumble.
The crash had stopped her incessant scream, but it did not stop her heart from pounding out of her chest. Breathing heavily, she cracked open an eyelid. She was still in her seat, a terrified Bombur held snugly in her grasp. Her seatbelt had stopped them from smashing into the windshield—but Harry had a small lump on his head as he groaned in pain. Mary had been thrown over the front seat, their owls screeching and hissing loudly as they fluttered unhappily in their ruined cages. Carina hesitantly unclicked her seatbelt, moving to check on Mary, who was groaning as she peeled herself off the seat. She was conscious, just a bit bruised from the crash.
"Are you okay?" asked Harry urgently, looking at Ron's pale face.
"My wand," said Ron in a spooked whisper. "Look at my wand—"
He held it up in a trembling hand. It had snapped in half, a single strand of glittery white unicorn hair and several splinters holding it together. Carina had not bothered to move—she was still surprised that they had lived—but that was short lived as another force smashed into her side of the car with a loud thud, sending her and Bombur flying into Ron. A similar blow hit the roof, making her heart speed to its previous rate.
"What's happeni—?" began Mary, but Ron's gasp grabbed all their attention as a thick tree branch smashed through the remains of the windshield.
The "tree" they had crashed into was attacking every part of the car it could reach, twigs stabbing and punching, and branches like battering rams pounding everywhere.
"We're going to die by a tree now?!" shrieked Carina, heart in her throat.
"We're done for!" moaned Ron, as the ceiling sagged, but a familiar vibrating began suddenly.
"The engine!" screeched Mary.
"Reverse!" Harry yelled, and the car shot backward, the tree still trying to attack its disrupter. Creaking noises sounded as the roots tried to reach them, cracking like whips as they were out of reach.
"That," panted Ron, "was close. Well done, car—"
The car had had enough. With a small groan, the car's doors flew open, and Carina could feel the seat shoving her out of the car forcefully. Bombur cradled in her arms, she landed on her back, the cool, damp grass of Hogwarts flattening under her. Her heart still racing painfully, she heard several loud thuds and the screeches of owls, before she closed her tearless eyes.
~CFB~
"Shock…Goodness…Black…Willow…Car?!" said an indignant voice, muddled with silence as Carina awoke slowly. A blinding light greeted her darkness-accustomed eyes, making her blink quickly as the figure of Madam Pomfrey stood next to her.
"Madam Pomfrey?" asked Carina, moving to sit up.
"Oh good, you're up, now dear, don't stress yourself," she said, moving to feel her forehead.
"I'm fine, Madam Pomfrey," said Carina, a bit embarrassed that she had fainted of shock out in the lawns.
"Are you hungry?" asked Madam Pomfrey, giving her a chicken sandwich.
"Thanks," Carina smiled, taking a large bite of her sandwich. Now that they weren't going to die, food seemed like the best choice for her unsettled stomach right then and there.
"You must wait here; the feast has ended," Madam Pomfrey said, walking towards her small office.
Carina rose quickly. Like hell she'd wait for whatever Pomfrey had planned. What had happened to Harry, Ron, and Mary? Did they get into trouble?
Carina was racing towards the large staircase when a voice rang out from behind: "Black!" She turned around, startled that someone had talked to her. Not that she was unpopular—more that she was rather abrasive. A familiar person strode up. It was Cas, the awkward cinnamon roll.
"I told you to call me Padfoot," she said, raising a brow.
Cas smiled apologetically.
"Is it true?" he said suddenly, an austere face taking over his smile.
"Is what true?" Carina questioned.
"Did you really fly a Muggle auto-mover here?" said Cas, surprise and curiosity visible in his sea-blue eyes as he leaned down to question her.
"Um, I wouldn't say 'fly', rather crashed an automobile here," said Carina correcting him, unsure how he found out.
"Really?" Cas said, narrowing his eyes, which had turned icy in suspicion.
"Yes…why?" asked Carina, hair getting a bit darker.
"Because they said you, Weasley, Potter, and Fawley had been expelled," said Cas matter-of-factly.
"Expelled?!" shrieked Carina, hair turning white as she left Castiel in her dust, still wondering why she had been so surprised.
Carina ran up to the Seventh Floor, shoving feast latecomers out of her path as she stormed towards the Fat Lady's portrait.
Harry, Ron, and Mary were bickering with Hermione, who most likely, like Cas, had found out about their perilous flight.
"Well, we haven't been expelled," said Harry, trying to reassure a worried Hermione.
Carina let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. They still hadn't noticed her, however, as they looked amused at Hermione's expression.
"You're not telling me you did fly here?" Hermione said sternly.
"No need for a lecture, Moony," joined in Carina with a smile. "We didn't die, now did we?"
"Padfoot! You're okay!" they chorused, grinning at her.
"What's the new password?" said Carina, looking pointedly at Hermione.
"It's 'wattlebird,'" said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point—"
A thunder of applause drowned out Hermione's reprimanding, as the Fat Lady opened with her usual swing. It looked as if most of Gryffindor House was waiting their arrival; they crowded each crevice of the circular common room of Gryffindor Tower. Some stood on the polished tables, while others sat on every available surface possible. Carina raised an eyebrow as arms attempted to pull her in with Harry, Ron, and Mary.
Most retreated as if burned, and she smiled happily. It was good to be back. Lee Jordan's praises did not miss her content ears, as Carina smirked arrogantly at all their fellow classmates.
"Brilliant!" he shouted. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years—"
Two identically familiar gingers interrupted Lee: the twins.
"Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?" they said together faux-indignantly.
Mary, Ron, and Harry were scarlet in the face, smiling like idiots. Carina held her five-foot frame high; she needed to let the first years know who exactly they were looking at. As she craned her neck, she caught sight of someone who looked similarly as unhappy as Hermione: Percy, who was shoving people out of his path as he made his way towards them.
"Run!" roared Carina, shoving the boys towards their dormitories and grabbing Mary's arm.
"What's wrong?!" Mary said, peridot eyes wide at her platinum blonde hair.
"Percy!" Carina exclaimed, attempting to look over Mary's taller shoulders as she led her towards the stairs of the girl's dormitory.
Mary immediately stopped struggling, beginning to move as quickly as Carina was. They dashed past the girls gossiping on the staircase, accidentally hitting some of them as she and Mary shot up the stairs. Out of breath, Carina looked at Mary, who was in better condition than her, and started laughing. Mary let out a snicker and, too, dissolved into raucous laughter.
Later that evening, as she was lying in bed, Carina realized there never was a dull moment at Hogwarts—what with the unpredictability of young, reckless wizards and witches—but, there was something about being worried/fearful for her life twice in one year that made her question her choices and behaviors. That incident at the Burrow only fueled the need to berate herself—she wasn't invincible, and it was time to start acting like it.
~CFB~
All right, you caught me. This isn't 5000 words. I will, however, make the next chapter longer than this one. Preferably more than 6000 words, but alas, we shall see, what with Carina, Mary, and Ginny's payback looming in the air…
I'm still curious as to what chapter title I'll use next…maybe something from Pierce the Veil, idk. Also! I would like to incorporate Ginny a lot more than JK did, mostly because I feel she didn't get so much attention in the Chamber of Secrets. Honestly, wouldn't someone be concerned that Ginny was going crazy? Carina won't be taking Ginny's place in the book—Ginny needs attention too, k.
Good luck to those in school, I'm sure it's as difficult for you as it is for me.
Anywayyyss, see y'all next time, m'kay- Pugatron.