A Hogwarts Legend: Round Two [2]

Chapter Six

CRASH.

I burst into a fit of laughter, clutching my side.

Both trolleys had hit the barrier and bounced backwards. Ron's trunk falls off with a loud thump, Harry is knocked off his feet, and Hedwig's cage bounces onto the shiny floor and she rolls away, shrieking indignantly. Immediately, I grab the cage, and try to calm her down.

People all around us stare and a guard nearby yells, "What in blazes d'you think you're doing?"

"Lost control of the trolley," Harry gasps, clutching his ribs as he gets up. I stop laughing, and glance up at the barrier.

"Why can't we get through?" Harry hisses to Ron and I.

"I dunno -"

Ron looks wildly around. A dozen curious people are still watching us.

"We're going to miss the train," Harry whispers. "I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself ..."

I look up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. Ten seconds ... nine seconds ...

I wheel my trolley forward cautiously until it's right against the barrier, and push with all my might. The metal remains solid. Three seconds ... two seconds ... one second ...

"It's gone," says Ron, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?"

Harry gives a hollow laugh. "The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money  for about six years."

"My money's in my bag," I turn to my trolley, then groan. "which is with Mrs Weasley. Great."

At least I have my phone though!

Ron presses his ear to the cold barrier. "Can't hear a thing," he says tensely. "What're we going to do? I don't know how long it'll take Mum and Dad to get back to us."

I look around. People are still watching us, mainly because of Hedwig's (though they are getting quieter) continuing screeches.

"I think we'd better go and wait by the car," I say, puzzled. "We're attracting to much atten-"

"Emily!" says Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!"

"What about it?"

"We can fly the car to Hogwarts!"

"But I thought -" Harry says.

"We're stuck, right? And we've got to get to school, haven't we? And even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy ..."

Harry grins suddenly. "Can you fly it?"

"No problem," says Ron, wheeling his trolley around to face the exit. "C'mon, let's go, if we hurry we'll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express."

And we march off through the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back into the side road where the old Ford Anglia is parked.

Ron unlocks the boot with a series of taps from his wand. We heave our trunks back in (well, they do, I'm a weakling), put Hedwig on the back seat and I climb in next to her, while the boys get into the front.

"Check no one's watching," says Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. I stick my head out of the window: traffic is rumbling along the main road ahead, but our street is empty.

"Okay," I say, leaning back in my seat.

Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around us vanishes - and so do we.