Patrick Stump and the Flying Car Brigade

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

September turned into October, and the school year trudged onwards. The homework just piled up, and not much of interest happened for a while. I didn't get any opportunities to visit the Veil, and the Flying Car Brigade didn't need the map, so my life returned to normal. I was okay with that, but I was still looking for opportunities to get me out of my mind, so it was a surprise and a relief when Tyler, Josh, Joe, Andy, and Pete barged into the Hufflepuff Common Room in the middle of the night.

"Can you at least knock first?" I mumbled as I threw on a black ski mask.

"We don't have enough time," Joe explained. "Everyone wants their Butterbeer."

"Yeah, I'm not taking my time on my ride, Dr. Benzedrine," Tyler said.

"Fine," I said as I grabbed the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The blank piece of parchment transformed into the Marauder's Map once again, and I handed the map to Tyler. "I'm ready to go."

"Let's go then," Tyler whispered as he snuck out of the common room, ran through the Great Hall, and exited the castle. "We have to be more organised than we were last time," he stated. "Horseshoe Crab, you're coming with me. We're going to get the car. Donnie Catcher and Spooky Jim, guard the kitchens while Dr. Benzedrine and Mr. Sandman get the Butterbeer."

Joe and Tyler ran into the Forbidden Forest while Josh, Andy, Pete, and I headed towards the kitchens. Josh and Andy waited next to the painting while I tickled the pear. It then transformed into a green doorknob, and Pete and I entered the kitchens. "Good luck," Andy whispered to us as we ran inside.

It was much easier finding the Butterbeer the second time. By this point, all we had to do was get up and go to find the Butterbeer. Pete slid right past the house elves and took three crates of Butterbeer. I tried to do the same, but the crates were too large for my tiny arms, so I took out my wand. "Reducio," I said, and the crates shrunk considerably. I did the same thing for two other crates, and I carried all five of the smaller crates with me when I snuck out of the kitchens.

Pete glanced over at what I had done. "That's so clever," he said. "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"Thanks," I said. "Now let's get out of here before Filch catches us."

Andy, Josh, Pete, and I headed towards the Flying Car, but I spotted a shadow coming towards us. Apparently Andy noticed it too, because he turned around and spotted a dust-coloured cat with glowing eyes. "It's Mrs Norris," he mumbled, and sure enough, Filch came along a few minutes later.

"Students out of bed!" he exclaimed. "This is certainly worthy of detention..."

"Get him, Donnie," Pete whispered into Andy's ear.

Andy immediately pointed his wand at Filch. "Confundo!" he exclaimed. Filch shuddered, and then looked at Andy in a daze. "These are not the students you're looking for."

"These are not the students I'm looking for," Filch repeated as he walked off. Mrs Norris followed him, and the four of us left the castle and looked for the Flying Car. Pete and I loaded our Butterbeer into the car, climbed in, and the car took off.

Tyler turned on both the Invisibility Booster and the car radio as we flew up to the Gryffindor Common Room window. Joe helped him navigate, and we stopped just in front of the window. All of climbed out to help unload the Butterbeer, although I had to do a few Engorgement Charms to return the crates to their normal size. After we got all of the Butterbeer into the common room, I tried to climb back into the car, but Pete pulled me through the window and into the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Did you really think that we would let you do this without letting you drink some of the Butterbeer?" Pete said. "Come on, Patrick. We're winning 'til the curtain's coming down." I looked around the room, observing the worn armchairs and scarlet tapestries that adorned the room. A portrait of a lion hung from the mantle, while the fire in the fireplace warmed up the room. Several of my fellow students greeted me as I entered the common room, while others just ignored me.

"Butterbeer's here!" Josh called, and the Gryffindors ran to get their Butterbeer.

I took a bottle for myself and savored the butterscotch flavor as I crashed down into one of the armchairs. Pete took a seat next to me a few minutes later. "You look so good in blue, Trick," he said.

"Thanks," I said, sipping on my Butterbeer. For the next hour or so, Pete and I just chatted while the Gryffindors danced and partied around us. Eventually, the party died down, and I was able to sneak out of the Gryffindor Common Room and go back to bed. Thankfully, I was able to avoid Filch as I did so, and nobody in the Hufflepuff dormitories suspected a thing. Nevertheless, I had enjoyed myself, even as I broke countless rules while adventuring with my friends.

I nestled back under the patchwork quilt, took off my ski mask, and drifted off to sleep. I desperately needed some rest before classes the next day, especially if I was going to do well on my Transfiguration exam. As I finally closed my eyes, I only hoped that I would have even more exciting adventures with the Flying Car Brigade.