Another Dursley

Back at Hogwarts

Tom woke us up the next morning with his usual toothless grin and a cup of tea. Harry and I got dressed and Harry was just persuading a disgruntled Hedwig to get back into her cage when Ron banged his way into the room, pulling a sweatshirt over his head and looking irritable.

"The sooner we get on the train, the better," he said. "At least I can get away from Percy at Hogwarts. Now he's accusing me of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. You know," Ron grimaced, "his girlfriend. She's hidden her face under the frame because her nose has gone all blotchy..."

"I've got something to tell you," Harry began, but they were interrupted by Fred and George, who had looked in to congratulate Ron on infuriating Percy again, and to ask me to head down for breakfast with them.

I finished my tea making sure I had everything in my bag, I heaved it down the steps as we headed down to breakfast, where Mr. Weasley was reading the front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl. All three of them were rather giggly.

"What were you saying?" Ron asked Harry as they sat down.

"Later," Harry muttered as Percy stormed in.

I really had no chance to talk to anyone in the chaos of leaving; we were too busy heaving all their trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase, where I was nearly killed by Fred when he let go of the trunk when I was helping him, and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages. A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly.

"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on the train."

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

He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket.

Mr. Weasley, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside.

"They're here, he said. "Harry, Eli, come on."

Mr. Weasley marched Harry and I across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of two old-fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive-looking wizard wearing a suit of emerald velvet.

"In you get, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, glancing up and down the crowded street, he handed harry my bag before helping me in.

We were shortly joined by Hermione, Ron, and, to Ron's disgust, Percy.

The journey to King's Cross was very uneventful compared with the Knight Bus. The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary. though we could slide through gaps that my father's new company car certainly couldn't have managed.

We reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found us trolleys, unloaded the trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.

Mr. Weasley kept close to Harry and I all the way into the station.

"Right then," he said, glancing around us. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry."

Mr. Weasley strolled toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pushing Harry's trolley and apparently very interested in the InterCity 125 that had just arrived at platform nine. With a meaningful look at Harry, he leaned casually against the barrier. Harry imitated him.

"Eli, you'll go with Hermione."Mrs.Weasley told me and I nodded obedient.

We let Percy and Ginny go through first we watched as George leaned over with Fred whispering,"Don't hit the wrong wall."