Cassia's POV
A few days later, we hurried through the train station as fast as we could to catch the train. We'd all overslept a little bit, and we'd had to make numerous return trips back to the Burrow because some of Ron's siblings had forgotten a few of their belongings. Since we couldn't Floo to the platform and we couldn't Apparate without getting unwanted attention from Muggles, we had no choice but to take Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia. Driving, of course. Not flying.
"10:58. Come on, come on!" Mr. Weasley urged us. We were pretty much running to the barrier.
"The train will be leaving any moment!" Mrs. Weasley added.
"Fred, George, Percy, you first!" Mr. Weasley called out.
Percy and the twins raced through the barrier, one at a time. Then Ginny ran right through the barrier, with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley following right behind her so they could help her get settled on the train.
"Let's go," Harry said.
All 3 of us ran full speed at the wall. But instead of going through it, we crashed into it. Our carts all tipped over and our stuff fell all over the place, while Ron, Harry, and I were in a three-person pileup.
"Oi! What d'you three think you're doing?" a Muggle security guard asked, making his way towards us.
"Sorry...l-lost control of the trolley," Harry apologized as we got up.
The guard shook his head and walked away.
"Why can't we get through?" I asked, once he was out of earshot.
"I dunno. The gateway's sealed itself for some reason," Ron replied, tapping the barrier with his palm.
A loud chime echoed throughout the station, turning our attention to the overhead clock. It had just struck eleven. Oh, no!
"The train leaves at exactly 11:00. We've missed it!" I exclaimed.
"Harry, Cassia," Ron said, "If we can't get through, maybe Mum and Dad can't get back."
"Maybe we should go and wait by the car," Harry suggested.
"The car?" Ron repeated, looking at both of us. What the heck is he thinking?
<><><><><>
The next thing I knew, we were driving a flying car to Hogwarts. Ron did the driving, while I sat in between him and Harry.
Harry looked down at the ground below us. "Ron, I should tell you. Most Muggles aren't accustomed to seeing a flying car," he said.
"Uh...right," Ron replied. He pushed a button and we turned invisible, car and all.
"All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," I joked. We all looked at each other and started laughing. For a long time, we couldn't stop.
<><><><><>
After about 3 hours, the car became visible again.
Ron pushed the button again, and we only vanished for about 10 minutes. He pushed it again and we flickered in and out of view momentarily. Then we popped back into view again. "Oh, no! The invisibility booster must be faulty!" he exclaimed.
"Okay, then. Let's go lower. We need to find the train," Harry said.
"Okay..." Ron pulled a lever and we went lower. We were pretty much driving on the train tracks.
So far, so good! "Now all we need to do is catch up with the train," I said.
"It can't be far behind," Ron added.. As if to confirm his words, we heard a whistle blowing in the distance.
"Do you hear that?" Harry asked.
"We must be getting close," I remarked. Then the whistle got louder.
Harry looked concerned. "Hold on..." he muttered.
We all looked at each other, afraid to turn behind us. Hedwig and Ethel screeched and we turned around to see the train right behind us. We screamed and Ron drove us off the track as fast as humanly possible. The car started rolling in circles, like we were on a roller coaster with a never-ending corkscrew. When it finally stopped, I heard the front passenger door opening and the sound of my brother letting out a small scream. I looked down to see what was happening, and I saw Harry dangling above the train, clinging to the open door for dear life.
"Harry!" Ron and I shouted.
"Hold on!" Ron called out. He pressed another button on the car -- it read 'AUTO', so I figured that meant autopilot -- and leaned down as far as his seatbelt would allow him to go. "Take my hand!" He stretched out one hand, holding the wheel with the other. Harry grasped Ron's hand for a split second, but let go. "Hold on!" Ron yelled, pretty much scolding Harry for losing his grip.
"I'm trying! Your hand's all sweaty!" Harry shot back.
I decided I'd better help him, so I leaned forward as much as I could and stretched a hand down to Harry. He grabbed Ron's hand with one hand, and my wrist with his other hand. Working together, Ron and I managed to pull him up.
Harry practically slammed the door behind him once he was back in the car. "I think we found the train," he said, out of breath.
"Yep," Ron agreed.
"So how come you had bars on your window?" I asked Harry.
"This house elf named Dobby warned me not to go back. He said there was a plot to make terrible things happen," Harry explained.
"Oh my gosh, I got the same warning!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, and apparently, he took all the letters you, Ron, and Hermione had been writing to me before I got them," Harry added.
"No wonder I never got replies," I muttered.
<><><><><>
By nightfall, we'd arrived on the school grounds.
"Welcome home," Ron said to Harry and I.
Suddenly, the car made a funny noise and started shaking. We started to drop towards the ground.
"What's happening?" I asked.
Ron pressed the gas and tried pulling a central lever upwards, but the car didn't comply. It just kept going out of control.
"Up, up!" Harry urged.
"It's not working!" Ron replied. Once again, we all started screaming and yelling.
"Mind that tree!" Harry shouted. I looked ahead and saw we were heading straight for a giant tree. Just when I think things can't get any worse...
Ron took out his wand and started hitting the wheel with it. "Stop, stop, stop!" he said. The wand gave a squeak and then I heard it snap like a tree branch.
Speaking of branches, we wound up crashing right into the tree. All three of us struggled to catch our breath. We'd better be safe now, because I don't think my adrenaline can't take much more of this.
"My wand," Ron said in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand --"
It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by only a few splinters.
"Be thankful it's not your neck," Harry said. I nodded in agreement.
Something hit the side of the car, making us all jump. I clung to Harry like my life depended on it.
"What's happening?" Ron squeaked.
"I don't know," Harry replied.
A branch hit the front of the car. Then it happened again. Pretty soon, we were receiving hits from both directions. One of the branches even poked a hole in the rear window. Then the glass in the driver's side window was completly shattered, and the roof of the car sustained a large dent. One more hit sent us crashing to the ground. Luckily, we weren't hurt. I looked behind me to see the tree bending back, ready to land one last -- possibly fatal -- blow.
"Come on, go! Fast!" Harry shouted.
Ron managed to drive us away in the nick of time, the tips of the branches just barely missing us.
The car came to an abrupt stop afterwards and opened its doors. I felt the seats turn sideways, sending all three of us sprawling out onto the grass. Then the car ejected our trunks, as well as our pets. Harry, Ron, and I caught our pet cages quickly.
"Scabbers, you okay?" Ron asked worriedly, looking at his rat through the cage bars. Scabbers gave an affirmative squeak in response.
Then the car's doors slammed shut and it took off.
"The car!" Ron exclaimed.
We took off running after it, but it was too fast for us. It took off into the Forbidden Forest, and all we could do now was watch as the headlights soon disappeared from sight.
"Dad's gonna kill me," Ron muttered.
<><><><><>
We carried our belongings into the castle and deposited them at the base of the stairs, where everyone else's luggage had been situated for the time being. But I took Ivy out of her cage so she could stretch her legs. Then we climbed up the stairs, Ivy trailing at my feet.
"So, a house elf shows up in mine and Cassia's bedrooms, we can't get through the barrier to platform nine-and-three-quarters, we almost get killed by a tree --" Harry listed everything that'd happened to us thus far.
"Someone definitely doesn't want us back this year," I said.
Filch was waiting for us at the top of the stairs, Mrs. Norris in his arms. All 3 of us froze in our tracks. "Well, take a good look, children. This night might well be the last you'll spend in this castle. Oh dear, we are in trouble," he said, amused by our sudden arrival.
<><><><><>
We were led roughly into Snape's office.
"You were seen by no less than 7 Muggles," Snape spat. He threw aside the newspaper he had been reading. I had briefly caught a glimpse of our flying car on the cover. "Do you have any idea how serious this is? You have risked the exposure of our world. Not to mention the damage you inflicted on our Whomping Willow that's been on these grounds since before you were born," he pressed. If I said he was mad, that'd be an understatement.
"Honestly, Professor Snape, I think it did more damage to us," Ron interrupted.
"Silence!" Snape snapped. He stood up. "I assure you...that were you in Slytherin and your fate resting with me, the three of you would be on the train home tonight. As it is-"
"They are not," a familiar voice cut him off. We turned to see our Headmaster and our Head of House staring at us.
"Professor Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall," Harry muttered.
"Headmaster, these children have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry. As such --" Snape started to say, pointing to us.
Dumbledore cut him off. "I am well aware of our by-laws, Severus, having written quite a few of them myself. However, as Head of Gryffindor House, it is for Professor McGonagall to determine the appropriate action," he spoke calmly.
"We'll go and get our stuff, then," Ron said in a hopeless sort of voice.
"What are you talking about, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall asked.
"You're going to expel us, aren't you?" I piped up.
"Not today, Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall replied, "However, I must address, on all of you, the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to your families tonight, and you will all receive detention."
We were then sent up to our dormitories, and I didn't even bother to change into my pj's. I just crashed on my bed, with Ivy curled up on my stomach. Hermione's not going to let us hear the end of this...