Dawn Rivera

The Dementor

At breakfast, Mr Weasley is reading the front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Mrs Weasley is telling Hermione, Dawn, Ginny and Misty about a Love Potion she made as a young girl. All five of us are rather giggly.

"What were you saying?" I hear Ron ask Harry and Danny, as they sit down.

"Later," Danny mutters, as Percy storms in. Danny takes Hermione's hand. I smile. So they decided to give it a try after all.

I have no chance to speak to Harry, Ron, Hermione or Danny in the chaos of leaving; we are too busy heaving all our trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig, Midnight and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top of their cages. Two small wickerwork baskets stand beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly.

"It's all right, Crookshanks, Lizzie," I coo through the wickerwork, "We'll let you out on the train."

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

He points at his chest, where a large lump indicates that Scabbers is curled up in his pocket.

Mr Weasley, who has been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, sticks his head inside.

"They're here," he says. "Harry, come on. Dathaniel, you can come, too."

Mr Weasley marches Harry and Danny across the short stretch of pavement towards the first of two old-fashioned dark green cars, Mr Weasley's protective yet wary glance my way not going unmissed by me, each of which are driven by a furtive-looking wizard, wearing a suit of emerald velvet.

"In you get, Harry," I hear Mr Weasley say, glancing up and down the crowded street. "And you, Dathaniel."

Harry and Danny get into the back of the car, and they're shortly joined by me, Hermione, Ron and, to Ron's disgust, Percy.

The journey to King's Cross is very uneventful compared to Harry and Danny's stories of their trip on the Knight Bus. The Ministry of Magic cars seem almost ordinary, though I notice they can slide through gaps that Muggle cars certainly couldn't have managed. We reach King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers find us trolleys, unload our trunks, touch their hats to Mr Weasley and drive away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving queue for the traffic lights.

Mr Weasley keeps close to Danny and Harry's elbows all the way to the station.

"Right then," he says, glancing around us. "Let's do this in threes, as there are so many of us. I'll go first with Harry and Dathaniel."

Mr Weasley strolls towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pushing Harry and Danny's trolleys and apparently very interested in the Intercity 125 that has just arrived at platform nine. With a meaningful look at Harry and Danny, he leans casually against the barrier. Harry and Danny imitate him.

Next moment, they have fallen sideways through the solid metal onto platform nine and three-quarters.

Percy, Misty and Ginny then take the barrier at a run.

Once the remaining Weasleys, Hermione and I have joined them, Danny, Harry, and Mr Weasley lead the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looks quite empty. We load the trunks onto it, stow Hedwig, Midnight, Crookshanks and Lizzie in the luggage rack, then go back outside to say goodbye to Mr and Mrs Weasley.

Mrs Weasley kisses all her children, then Hermione and I, and finally, Harry and Danny. They look embarrassed, but also quite pleased, when she gives them extra hugs.

"Do take care won't you, Harry? And you will study hard because you're behind won't you, Dathaniel?" she says as she straightens up, her eyes oddly bright. The she opens her enormous handbag and says, "I've made you all sandwiches. Here you are, Ron...no, they're not corned beef...Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are, dear..."