Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the intellectual property associated with Harry Potter.

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. Harry and the girls make a daring escape, and a certain ponce is a professor at Hogwarts.

Chapter 62

The situation appeared hopeless at first glance. Seven people were gathered around the three teenagers from various positions on the platform. Only one person was blocking the station's exit, so they were the obvious target to take out if they wanted to flee. However, the others had their wands trained on them, so any movement they made would be met with an immediate response.

"I will not repeat myself," the person in front of them said. He appeared to be the leader based on how he controlled the situation. "You have ten seconds to surrender before we start throwing spells around."

"That doesn't give us very many options," Harry complained. "How about we have a third option? You let us go before my grandfather comes back and kicks your arse."

"We are aware of the danger your grandfather poses, which is why we created the distraction in the first place."

"How many people did you injure in the process?" Harry growled.

He activated his Velocier skill and increased its level to five, ready to defend himself and the girls. There was no way he was going to comply with them. He had no idea what Dumbledore wanted with Ginny, but if the old goat got his hands on him, he doubted things would go well for him. Dumbledore might decide to forget about his plans for him and simply kill him.

"What should we do, Harry?" Gabrielle whispered as her hand moved up to her throat.

"Stop!" One of the assailants noticed her movement and decided to attack.

They raised their wand and threw a Stunner. All hell broke loose as the act sparked the others into action, and they cast spells on the trio.

Harry raised his wand and hissed in Parseltongue. He summoned a shield to protect the three of them, which took on the form of a massive, coiled snake. It was the Parseltongue spell he had learned earlier this year, and it was far more powerful than a standard Protego.

The spells collided with the shield, which caused it to flicker briefly but it managed to remain intact. Because their assailants were only casting Stunners, the spells were insufficient to destroy it.

Gabrielle reached up and deactivated her necklace, freeing her to use her allure. Although her active allure was not as strong as her mother's, it was still powerful enough to influence most men. When she was only targeting one person, it was a lot more potent. She aimed it directly at the man in front of her, who paused in the middle of casting his next spell.

Harry used the Velocier skill to increase the velocity of his right arm. His hand appeared to blur as he summoned several Blackout spell cards and threw them in the general direction of the assailants. The surroundings were engulfed in complete darkness, just as the next round of spells arrived, shattering the shield.

He ducked instinctively to avoid a scarlet spell cast at him, feeling the burn as it passed over his head. Gabrielle gave a warning shout, and he spun around.

He had forgotten about the person standing behind them. Ginny spun around and cast a spell at the person sneaking up behind them, and they screamed as bats emerged from his nose. He was so distracted by the pain that he went tumbling off the platform and onto the rail tracks.

"Bill taught me that spell," Ginny exclaimed, breathless. "To defend myself in case I ever got into trouble."

Harry's instincts sparked to life.

"Get down!" He pushed the girls to the ground.

Several curses flew over their heads. They appeared to have lost their cool and were casting spells that could cause significant harm. Although he had temporarily blinded the assailants, they knew where to aim.

The three started crawling forward on their hands and knees, dragging their luggage with them. He had no intention of leaving his trunk shop behind.

Harry threw more than two dozen spell cards in quick succession as they moved, unconcerned about what they were or how much damage they caused to their surroundings. As long as it bought them time, he didn't care what chaos they wrought. The sounds of explosions, screams, and curses accompanied them as they made their escape.

They walked past the person in front of them, who was now in a stupor. Gabrielle was really turning on the allure, and Harry had to concentrate to avoid succumbing to it, even if it was not directed at him.

They exited through the front entrance and made their way out into the parking lot. They witnessed chaos as people fled into the streets or attempted to flee by getting into their cars and almost hitting other people in their haste to get away. The trio began moving through the crowd, but Harry noticed some more hooded assailants approaching them with their wands out.

Harry cursed. They were going to cause a huge incident with their actions. He looked back and saw some of their first assailants emerge from the station.

"Let's use our car," Ginny said, grabbing his arm. "It has some additional features that will aid in our escape."

Harry didn't argue. Ginny dropped to the ground and crawled under several parked cars, and the two followed her. When they arrived at her family's blue Ford Anglia, she opened the door and everyone piled inside. She slammed a button on the console just as several spells struck the car, but the barrier that had been raised protected it from damage, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

Ginny got into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition. She pressed two more buttons, and Harry gasped as they rose into the air. Before he could open his mouth, Ginny interrupted him.

"I activated the invisibility booster," she explained. "No one will see us flying."

After the danger had passed, Harry's heart rate began to return to normal. He hadn't expected to escape that ordeal, due to the differences in skill level between them and their assailants. He figured that they were initially caught off guard by the shield he conjured. Not many people knew about it, and it was hard to counter when they couldn't understand the incantation. He reminded himself to focus on learning some more Parseltongue spells this school year.

Gabrielle laid her head on Harry's shoulder as they watched the ground grow smaller. "I don't think it matters. The Muggles must have seen enough already. The Ministry will have a difficult time cleaning up this mess."

"Where do we go from here?" Ginny wondered, clutching the wheel tightly.

She looked nervously out of the windscreen at the sky beyond. Soon, they entered a dense cloud, which briefly obscured their sight. When they exited they were almost blinded by the sun burning their retinas.

"Follow the train," Harry said, rubbing his eyes. "Unless you know the way back to your house."

"I know the general direction," Ginny replied. "But I don't want to go there. What if there are more of those people waiting for us?"

"Unlikely, but it's not impossible," Harry sighed. "Is Dumbledore so desperate to catch you that he would risk breaking the Statute of Secrecy? Why didn't they attack you on the way to the station?"

"Perhaps Dumbledore was hoping to get lucky and grab you as well," Gabrielle suggested.

"Maybe."

They looked out of the window for the scarlet red train, and when they saw it, Ginny turned to follow it from above. She appeared to be familiar with how the car operated.

"My dad showed me how it works," Ginny said. "I enjoy spending time in his garage and helping him tinker with his various gadgets. But when Mum finds out what he taught me, she will have a meltdown."

"I never imagined you could enchant a car to fly," Harry said, his eyes gleaming. That would be one feature he would add to his vehicle for sure.

"Technically, it's not illegal to enchant a car in this manner," Ginny explained. "Only by using the added features will it become illegal. We are going to get into so much trouble."

"Considering what has happened, I'm sure they'll understand," Harry reassured her.

For the next three hours, they followed the train. The excitement of flying in a car soon faded as the temperature rose, and the heat became almost unbearable. They refrained from using their wands due to the Statute of Secrecy, even though it could be considered an emergency. If they were on the train below, they would have been able to use their wands since it was technically a part of the school.

Harry considered expanding the trunk in the back seat to get water from his bedroom in his workshop, but he chose not to. It was best to stay with the girls in case something happened while he was away. His decision was validated when he noticed something through the back window a few minutes later.

"Dammit," Harry swore under his breath.

Someone was following them in the air on a broomstick. As they drew nearer, it became clear that it was one of the assailants from the earlier attack.

"What should we do?" Ginny asked, panicking.

Harry reached over and pressed the button to activate the shield. Glancing back, he watched as the individual raised their wand and cast a curse. The sickly green spell splashed harmlessly against the shield, but then more spells rained down on the shield.

"The shield won't hold for much longer," Ginny shouted. "It was designed to last only for a limited time."

"Can your allure reach them from this distance?" Harry asked.

Gabrielle shook her head. "They are too far away."

Harry noticed that the person chasing them was really skilled on the broom, as it wasn't easy to cast spells while riding one. They would be in danger if he allowed it to continue for much longer. This led him to think of a plan. Although their pursuer was a good flier, they didn't have anything on him.

He searched through his workshop trunk and retrieved his broomstick. Harry had installed shelves on the walls surrounding the ladder leading down into the workshop, to ensure easy access to some essential items.

"Don't even think about it," Gabrielle exclaimed when she saw the broomstick.

"I can take them on in the air," Harry argued, before reaching for the door. "Ginny, I need you to lower the shield temporarily, so I can get out."

"No way! They will send us crashing to the ground!"

Harry grinned. "Show us some of your driving skills and execute some evasive manoeuvres."

He opened the door and quickly leapt out after Ginny lowered the shield. He fell through the air briefly before he managed to get the broomstick under him. He spun around and flew towards their pursuer in the distance.

As soon as Harry approached, the individual changed his target and hurled several curses at him. Harry easily avoided them and summoned some Incarcerator spell cards into his hands. He wasn't fooling around; he was going to make sure to incapacitate his assailant.

Harry increased his speed and started circling the individual to give himself the best chance to catch them off guard. His Nimbus Two Thousand was the superior broom, so it was easy to accomplish. He threw the first card when he thought the moment was right, but his opponent raised a shield at the last moment. Harry cursed and flew above his opponent, sending a series of explosive curses at them, mixed in with more spell cards.

His eyes widened when his opponent conjured several eagles. They screeched as they came flying in his direction, and he had to pull off some extreme evasive manoeuvres to avoid them. For the next minute, he was under a lot of pressure as he had to contend with both the eagles and the spells being thrown at him. He activated his Velocier skill, which improved his reaction time. After he adjusted to the offence, he started returning fire again. He threw out more spell cards along with some more explosive curses.

It was his opponent's turn to feel the pressure. Harry grinned when one of the curses shattered their shield. A moment later, a spell card struck them, which both stunned and bound them in ropes. The broomstick immediately took a nosedive towards the ground, now that it was no longer being controlled. Even with the assailant being stunned, they managed to stay on the broomstick. Thankfully, the eagles disappeared as soon as the one responsible for conjuring them fell unconscious.

Harry dove down to save them from crashing into the ground. Although he didn't like that they had attacked him, he didn't want them to die.

He managed to grab hold of their broom and right it when they were only ten feet off the ground, and he guided them to land in a field of grass. He fell to the ground, breathing heavily from his ordeal and thankful that he was still in one piece. He looked up and saw that Ginny had turned around and was heading in his direction.

Reaching down, he pulled the hood off their assailant, and discovered that it was a woman, but he didn't recognise her. He picked up her wand and shoved it into his pocket. He checked her arms and legs, and found another holstered wand, so he confiscated that as well.

As soon as the car landed, he started hauling the woman over to it. She would be questioned by the Aurors as soon as they reached Hogwarts. He imagined that there was already an uproar in the magical community when it was discovered they had gone missing.

"I think I recognise her," Ginny said, as Harry shoved the unconscious woman into the back seat. "She works at the Ministry, but I don't recall her name."

"Why am I not surprised?" Harry retorted. "My grandparents can't scold me for not immediately contacting the authorities. We could have been alerting one of Dumbledore's henchmen."

"There are the two-way mirrors, Harry," Gabrielle reminded him, as she ran her hands over him to reassure herself that he was fine.

Harry was rendered speechless. He had completely forgotten about that option. To be fair, their escape had been pretty hectic, so he could be forgiven for not thinking of it sooner.

"I will contact my grandmother now," Harry said. He pulled out his mirror and said her name.

"Harry!" Minerva's face appeared in the mirror, looking frantic. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Harry assured her. "The girls are fine as well."

He turned the mirror around to show the girls to her, who waved at the mirror. When he turned it back around, he saw his grandfather had squeezed in beside his wife.

"Who is that woman tied up beside you?" Charlus asked.

Harry shrugged. "She was one of the assailants that tried to kidnap us."

"That's Emmaline Vance," Minerva said, her nostrils flaring. "She's a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and one of Dumbledore's most loyal supporters."

"That's for sure, considering she would commit a crime for him," Charlus muttered. "You can explain in detail what happened later. Where are you?"

"We aren't entirely sure," Harry admitted. "We were following the Hogwarts Express in Mr Weasley's car before this woman approached on her broomstick and attacked us."

Charlus groaned. "I don't want to even imagine how you managed to follow the train. Wait there, and we will come to get you."

"No can do," Harry told him. "We are sitting ducks out here. What if more of the assailants were to catch up while we were sitting on our bums? We will continue to follow the train to Hogsmeade."

"Don't you dare-"

Harry shut off the mirror. He was probably going to get into trouble for that, but he wasn't lying when he said there might be more assailants after them.

He threw Emmaline's wands into the boot of the car, in case she woke up before they reached Hogwarts. He couldn't recall if a stunned person had to be revived or if they woke up naturally after a period of time.

"Come on, driver," Harry poked at the driver's seat. "I am on a schedule. Follow that train to Hogsmeade."

"Fine, customer," Ginny grumbled as she started the car. "But I'm charging extra for all the trauma I suffered."

The car returned to the skies and caught up with the train after a few minutes. They continued to follow it for the next hour, but they grew concerned when the car started making odd noises. It sounded like the engine was struggling. Ginny eased up on the accelerator in an effort to preserve its engine, and they watched as the train got further ahead of them before it disappeared from view.

"Come on, baby. Make it all the way to Hogwarts," Ginny coaxed the car.

By the time they reached Hogsmeade, evening had arrived, and the engine was spluttering, sounding like it was moments away from dying. Ginny struggled to see down below her with only the headlights to guide her way. She overshot the town, but then saw the bright lights of the castle ahead.

"Aim for the front lawn," Harry said, his voice sounding a little nervous.

Suddenly, the engine died, and they began descending through the air rapidly. Ginny tried to guide the car towards the grounds in front of the castle, but she was having a hard time controlling it.

"We are going to crash," Gabrielle screamed as they got closer to the ground.

Here is an improved version of the text using UK English, maintaining the word count:

Something heavy struck the side of the car, and they abruptly stopped, nestled in a crown of branches. Before they could get their bearings, the car was tossed to the ground, and it landed with a thud.

"Is everyone all right?" Harry asked. He felt some blood pool in his mouth and realised that he had bitten his tongue.

The car was struck again, startling them. It was followed by a series of strikes from above that dented the roof of the car. They screamed and opened the doors to scramble out of the car. They crawled across the ground, with the lethal branches almost hitting them several times. Harry had to drag the unconscious Emmaline with him. When they judged they were safe, they looked back to see that the car was being pummelled by a massive tree.

"That's the Whomping Willow," Harry breathed.

The Ford Anglia's engine roared to life, and it spun its wheels as it escaped from the homicidal tree. It drove off in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Before it entered, it opened its door and deposited their trunks before being swallowed up by the forest's depths.

"Care to explain yourselves?" Someone spoke, and they turned around to see several adults standing there, with their wands illuminating the surroundings.

The one who spoke was the headmaster. Standing beside him was Amelia Bones, who looked frazzled and was staring at them with a stern expression. Harry imagined that the woman had been busy in the last few hours, dealing with the incident at King's Cross station.

"Well done," Snape snarled. "You've just damaged a protected tree that has been on these grounds for more than twenty years."

"Well, anyone who puts such a dangerous tree in a school for teenagers is mental. Oh, wait, that was Dumbledore."

Snape sneered but fell silent.

Harry swallowed nervously when he saw his grandparents' angry expressions. This was going to take some explaining.

"Ginny!"

"Gabrielle!"

Molly rushed forward and engulfed Ginny in a hug, and Gabrielle received the same treatment from her mother. Minerva crooked her finger and Harry reluctantly stepped forward to be engulfed in her arms. He almost expected her to give him a flick on the ear.

"Is this the woman who attacked you?" Amelia asked, pointing to Emmaline lying on the ground.

Harry nodded.

"This is Emmaline Vance from the Department of Magical Transportation," Amelia said. "What other crimes has she committed for Dumbledore using her authority as a ministry employee?"

"And how many other employees are compromised?" Charlus snorted. "It doesn't come as a surprise that the ministry is so corrupt."

Amelia sighed. "Well, hopefully, we can clean up some of the corruption with Emmaline's cooperation."

She summoned a pair of Aurors, who carried the woman up to the castle to be interrogated.

The group moved up to the castle and into the Great Hall. Everyone turned their heads as they entered, and they raised their voices, questioning why Harry didn't make it onto the train. It seemed like the news had already spread and they had been the topic of discussion among the students.

Headmaster Flitwick raised his wand and it released a loud bang. "I will explain the situation briefly after the opening feast. Please refrain from pestering the students involved."

Harry walked over to the Gryffindor table. The Weasley parents also joined him and gathered their children around to speak to them. His friends were gathered at the table, and he sat down next to Daphne. It looked like the rules had been relaxed, as one wasn't usually allowed to be seated at another house's table during the opening feast.

The sorting had been delayed, and the new students walked into the hall at that moment. Gabrielle and Ginny had joined them, as they still had to do their sorting, otherwise, they might have gone straight to the headmaster's office to tell their story. He spotted Astoria and Luna among the group.

Harry was surprised to see another Sorting Hat placed on a stool up near the head table. Had someone created another one? It looked eerily similar to the last one.

"Why weren't you on the train?" Daphne hissed as Harry sat down. "The sorting has been delayed, and we have been sitting here twiddling our thumbs waiting to find out what happened."

"Long story," Harry said, noticing it wasn't only his friends listening in on their conversation. "The barrier at the station was sealed, and Gabrielle, Ginny, and I were attacked by several assailants."

The students at the table listened avidly as he shared the story and completely ignored the sorting. He was glad to see Gabrielle join his house, although she had argued with the hat for several minutes about her placement.

"He wanted to put me in Slytherin," she complained. "I threatened to burn it if he didn't put me with my boyfriend."

It wasn't surprising, as the girl was certainly ambitious enough. She wanted to be a famous magizoologist one day, like Newt Scamander.

He noted that Ginny had also joined Gryffindor, as well as an overly enthusiastic boy named Colin Creevey. Astoria and Luna were sorted into Ravenclaw.

Gabrielle was attracting a lot of attention, particularly from the male students, but she wrapped her arm around Harry's to make it clear that she was with him. Not surprisingly, that action caused Harry to receive a few hostile looks. Even without her allure, Gabrielle inspired envy. But he could say the same about Daphne and Susan as well. He didn't let it bother him.

The food appeared on the table, and Harry tucked into the food. He glanced up at the head table and saw Sheena seated there, next to a blonde-haired man who kept flashing his teeth as he spoke to her. She looked like she wanted to throttle the man, but she smiled and waved at Harry when she noticed he was looking at her.

The man turned his head and spotted Harry. He glared at the boy before turning his head away. What the hell was his problem?

"Who's the ponce?" Harry asked.

"Don't call him that, Harry," Hermione scolded him. "His name is Gilderoy Lockhart, and he is the new Care of Magical Creatures professor. Isn't he brilliant?"

Harry eyed Hermione's flushed cheeks. Surely she couldn't have a crush on that tosser?

"He applied for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, but was rejected," Daphne said, smirking. "Professor Snape told me."

"I can imagine Snape would take great pleasure in revealing that," Harry deadpanned. "Why does he keep flashing his teeth? Does he have some kind of verbal tic?"

"No, but he appears to be overly impressed with himself," Susan replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Well, at least we won't have his class this year," Harry said. "Why did Kettleburn retire?"

Tracy shrugged. "Probably wanted to keep some limbs intact while he still could."

"Do you know the woman sitting next to him?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "That's Sheena. She was one of the Runic Knights stationed here at the castle earlier this year. I imagine the Defence class will be interesting this year."

Harry continued to catch up with his friends throughout dinner, particularly those that he hadn't seen all summer. Padma told him that she had returned to India with her family, but she didn't say much else about it. Something seemed to be bothering her. Tracy had spent time with her Muggle side of the family and shared some funny stories about her cousins. Hannah spent time in America, researching some new recipes with her mother to introduce to their restaurant menu in Diagon Alley.

"How has your grandmother been?" Harry asked Neville.

"She tried to hit me the other day," Neville said, causing the girls to gasp. "She has been angry ever since she lost her position on the Board of Governors. Whatever influence she still had appears to be dwindling rapidly."

"What happened?" Harry asked, frowning.

"I avoided the strike, and she went tumbling down the stairs. She's in St Mungo's at the moment because she took a serious knock to her head."

"Um... should I offer my condolences or congratulations?"

Neville grimaced. "Mostly the latter. She has burned too many bridges with me for me to feel too sorry for her. My great uncle will temporarily take custody of me until she gets better."

Left unsaid was the question of whether she would ever get better. It must have been a serious injury that couldn't be cured with magic in the few days she had been hospitalised.

The headmaster rose from his seat to address the students and offered a brief explanation of what had happened. Afterwards, Harry, Gabrielle, and Ginny were escorted away. His friends promised to meet Harry in the Room of Requirement tomorrow so they could catch up some more.

2nd September

The following day was a Friday. They wouldn't begin classes until Monday, so they had three days before they started classes. Everyone in the Phoenix Club headed to the Room of Requirement after breakfast. Gabrielle automatically became a member of the group because of Harry, and they were considering adding Ginny and Luna as well.

"Here you go," Hermione handed a parchment over to Harry, who groaned.

He looked down at the paper and noticed that she had incorporated his Muggle education into it as well. He would pursue it alongside his magical education whilst at Hogwarts, and Hermione was going to join him. Usually, she would do it during the summer holidays, but figured it would be manageable if they did it together. Harry knew it would be easier for him, at least.

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said, and the girl beamed.

"What is this for?" Gabrielle asked, peering over Harry's shoulder.

"Hermione likes it when we stay ahead of our homework by assigning us study schedules," Daphne said, smiling.

"Yes, we are very thankful," Tracy retorted.

Hermione ignored them and handed a parchment over to Gabrielle. "I made one for you as well. I know there are some differences between the two schools' curricula, so I made some adjustments to get you up to date."

Gabrielle's mouth dropped open before she turned to Harry. "Why isn't Hermione one of your girlfriends? She is brilliant and beautiful as well. We could always ditch one of the other girls for her."

Hermione blushed, and Daphne and Susan reacted vehemently to her suggestion.

"Maybe we should drop you, birdbrain," Daphne retorted.

"Such an insult is what I imagined coming from someone of your common pedigree," Gabrielle said, sniffing haughtily.

"Are they always like this?" Hannah asked.

"I imagine this is what foreplay is to them," Blaise said, which turned the girls' ire against him.

After they settled down, Gabrielle asked Hermione a question. "Is there anyone you like?"

"Please don't say Lockhart," Harry pleaded.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione protested. "Even if I do find him somewhat attractive, he is much too old for me. As for if I like anybody, that's my own business. Now, is there anything that anyone would like to share with the club?"

Harry pulled out a small square metal object from his pocket. It was a runic puzzle, and it required some intricate knowledge of runes and the ability to solve logic problems.

"What is that?" Hermione asked, looking like she wanted to snatch it out of his hands.

"It was given to me by Professor Babbling," Harry said. "Do you know what I found out last night when I was in the headmaster's office?"

He paused for effect. "Someone sent the school another sorting hat. It functions the same as the old one, but no one knows who created it. The runic puzzle was also sent along with it, so maybe it holds a clue to who the creator is."

"Can I have a look?" Hermione asked.

Harry handed it to her, who examined it with interest.

"Are they sure the sorting hat isn't dangerous?" Blaise asked. He knew better than anyone here about what the old one was used for.

"Professor Babbling assured me that she couldn't find anything wrong with it," Harry replied. "But I suppose that means nothing after last year."

"Why not try using an appraisal scroll on it?" Daphne suggested.

Harry shook his head. "I already tried it. No information appears on the parchment."

He had an idea about who sent it, but it was a crazy thought. Lancelot was the one who created the original sorting hat. Could it be that Galahad, his apprentice, made the second one?

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Harry gets to work on the vanishing cabinets, and some strange happenings start appearing in the school.

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