𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝; 𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡.𝐩

𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓻 2, 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 3: 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓾𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀

"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

Y/N agreed with this, since before her first year of Hogwarts she had picked the lock of Mr. Brunson's room to get her stuff so she could 'run away'. She might have done it, too, if she'd found her stuff. But she was glad she didn't, in a strange way.

There was a small click and the door swung open.

"So," said George, "we'll get your trunks — you both grab anything you need from your room and hand it to Ron."

"Watch out for the bottom stair — it creaks," Y/N whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing. 

Harry and Y/N ran around their room, collecting their things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then they went to help Fred and George heave their trunks up the stairs. Uncle Vernon coughed.

At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunks through Harry and Y/N's room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and Harry, George, and Y/N pushed from the bedroom side. Inch by inch, the trunks slid through the window.

Uncle Vernon coughed again.

"A bit more," panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car. "One good push—"

Harry, George, and Y/N threw their shoulders against Y/N's trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car.

"Okay," whispered George, "let's go."

"You sure you've got your owl?" Fred asked Harry.

"Yep."

Y/N had been climbing onto the windowsill when she heard that and stopped dead. As if right on cue, there came a sudden screech from behind her, followed by the thunder of Uncle Vernon's voice.

"THAT RUDDY OWL!"

"I've forgotten Hades!"

Y/N tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on — she snatched up Hedwig's cage, dashed to the window, and passed it out to Ron. She was scrambling back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door — and it crashed open.

For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Y/N, grabbing her by the ankle.

"Let — go — of her!" Harry snarled as he, Ron, Fred, and George grabbed her arms and pulled as hard as they could.

"Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "She's getting away! SHE'S GETTING AWAY!"

But the Weasleys and Harry gave a gigantic tug and Y/N's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp — Y/N was in the car — she'd slammed the door shut —

"Step on it, Fred!" she and Harry yelled in unison, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon. 

Y/N couldn't believe it — she and Harry were free. She rolled down the window, the night air whipping his hair, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of the window.

"See you next summer!" she yelled as Harry peered over her shoulder to wave.

The Weasleys roared with laughter and Harry and Y/N settled back in their seats, grinning from ear to ear.

"Let Hedwig and Hades out," Harry told Ron. "They can fly behind us, they haven't had a chance to stretch their wings for weeks."

George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig and Hades soared joyfully out of the window to glide on each side of the car like ghosts.