Emma Potter

29: Home

The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for my liking. I was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts,but his month at the Burrow had been the happiest of my life. Itwas difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when I thought of theDursleys and the sort of welcome I could expect next time heturned up on Privet Drive.On our last evening, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuousdinner that included all of Harry and mine favorite things, ending with amouthwatering treacle pudding and warm apple pie with ice cream. Fred and George rounded off theevening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; they filled thekitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wallfor at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hotchocolate and bed.It took a long while to get started next morning. We were upat dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do.

Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socksand quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bitsof toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny'strunk to the car.Harry and I couldn't see how eight people, six large trunks, two owls,and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. We had reckoned, of course, without the special features that Mr. Weasley hadadded."Not a word to Molly," he whispered to Harry and me as he opened thetrunk and showed us how it had been magically expanded so thatthe luggage fitted easily.When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced intothe back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, me and Percy were allsitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know morethan we give them credit for, don't they?" She and Ginny got intothe front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a parkbench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of theyard, Harry and I turning back for a last look at the house. We barely hadtime to wonder when we'd see it again when they were back —George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutesafter that, we skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could runin for his broomstick. we had almost reached the highway whenGinny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, we were running very late, and temperswere running high. 

Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife."Molly, dear —" 

"No, Arthur —" 

"No one would see — this little button here is an InvisibilityBooster I installed — that'd get us up in the air — then we flyabove the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one wouldbe any the wiser —" 

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight —" 

We reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasleydashed across the road to get trolleys for our trunks trunks and we allhurried into the station.Harry and I had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. Thetricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters,which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do waswalk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. Itdidn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of theMuggles noticed you vanishing."Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clockoverhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappearcasually through the barrier.Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley wentnext; Fred and George followed, me along with them.

Same Scarlet engine, tearful goodbyes, and laughter. Two arms immediately wrapped me from behind. "Ems!" said Hermione, with a grin "hey hermione!" I said with a smile, and then smiled at her parents "Good morning mr and mrs Granger." "Lovely to meet you Emma dear" said Mrs Granger with a smile. "Where's Harry and Ron?" asked Hermione "They-" I looked around "I-I don't know..." "They'll catch up with us" said Hermione "we better go..."  So we did, entering a compartment with Paravati Patil, and Neville Longbottom. The journey was fun, as fun as it was last time. But I couldn't enjoy it...not knowing where my brother was. Midday, the witch with the trolley came and we bought our treats, they tasted bland to me. "Hey" said Hermione nudging me "they'll be fine- they must be in another-OH MY GOD!" 

She was looking astonished at the window, I clambered over her to see What she yelled at. Then I saw it; a green Frod Angela, beaten with age...flying. 

Harry you idiot I thought What have you done?

Stupid, stupid, STUPID! It went soon enough though, my anger didn't.  It did reduce however when we climbed into the carriages and went into the castle. "Well!" said Hermione "we're back at school!" "Your back at school" I corrected "I'm back home." 

***

Sorting Ceremony, feast. All well and good. Except my brother still wasn't here. But we did meet them outside the common room, I surveyed them coldly, Harry couldn't meet my eyes. "There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors — someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flyingcar —" Hermione said. "Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her."You're not telling me you did fly here?" said Hermione, sounding almost as severe as Professor McGonagall.

 "Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently, "and tell us the newpassword.""It's 'wattlebird,' " said Hermione impatiently, "but that's notthe point —"Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait of the fat ladyswung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It lookedas though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packedinto the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tablesand squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive

. Arms reachedthrough the portrait hole to pull Harry and Ron inside, leavingHermione and me to scramble in after them."Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talkingabout that one for years —""Good for you," said a fifth year Harry had never spoken to;someone was patting him on the back as though he'd just won amarathon; Fred and George pushed their way to the front of thecrowd and said together, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"

I said nothing, Harry looked at me guiltily "Ems-" "I'm going to meet Draco" I say purposefully to Hermione. I knew that the fact I was ignoring him and going to meet his enemy will tick him off. "Emma" he warned "night" I said to hermione, as I climbed out of the portrait hole.