𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒-ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣❥

𝐏𝐎𝐀 𝟐

Ethan woke Emily the next morning with a slap on the head with a pillow a cup of tea.

Emily got dressed after fighting Ethan with a pillow and finally putting one of her favourite tops on.

"The sooner we get on the train, the better," Harry said.

"At least I can get away from Percy at Hogwarts. Now he's accusing me of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. You know," Ron grimaced, "his girlfriend. She's hidden her face under the frame because her nose has gone all
blotchy..."

"I've got something to tell you," Emily began, but they were interrupted by Ethan, Fred and George, who had looked in to congratulate Ron on infuriating Percy again.

They headed down to breakfast, where Mr. Weasley was reading the front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl.

All three of them were rather giggly and Emily regretted not getting up earlier to be able to join in on the conversation.

"What were you saying?" Ron asked Emily as they sat down.

"Later," Emily muttered as Percy stormed in.

Emily had no chance to speak to Ron, Harry or Hermione in the chaos of leaving; they were too busy heaving all their trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages.

A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly.

"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on the train."

"You won't," snapped Ron. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?"

He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket.

Mr. Weasley, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck
his head inside.

"They're here," he said. "Emily, Harry, come on."

Mr. Weasley marched Emily and Harry across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of two old fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive looking wizard wearing a suit of emerald velvet.

"In you get," said Mr. Weasley, glancing up and down the crowded street.

Emily and Harry got into the back of the car and was shortly joined by Hermione, Ron, and, to Ron's disgust, Percy.

The journey to King's Cross was very uneventful compared with Harry's trip on the Knight Bus. The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary.

Though Harry noticed that they could slide through gaps that Uncle Vernon's new company car certainly couldn't have managed.

They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.

Mr. Weasley kept close to Harry's elbow all the way into the station. And Ethan linked onto Emily.

"Right then," he said, glancing around them. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. Ethan, go through with Emily please."

Ethan strolled toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pushing Emily's trolley.

With a meaningful look at Emily, he leaned casually against the barrier. Emily imitated him.