The Boy Who Couldn't See: Year 2

The Burrow

"Ron?" Harry breathes, a smile creeping onto his face. "What are you — how are you — ?"

"What's been going on?" Ron says instead of answering his question. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles —"

"It wasn't me — and how did he know?"

"He works for the Ministry," Ron says. "You know we're not supposed to do spells outside school —"

"I told you, I didn't — but it'll take too long to explain now — look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so —"

"Stop gibbering," Ron interrupts him. "We've come to take you home with us."

Harry pauses. We? "But you can't magic me out either —"

"We don't need to," Ron says, a smile in his voice. "You forget who I've got with me."

"All right, Harry?" another voice — Fred — says. "Hey, I'm throwing a rope. Tie it around the bars."

"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," Harry says as he ties the rope tightly around the bars.

"Don't worry," Fred says, "and stand back."

Harry steps back next to Hedwig's cage, who has now fallen silent. A car — Harry doesn't even want to know — revs up louder and louder before the bars are pulled out of the window with a crunch.

Harry listens for any movement from his relatives and smiles when he hears none, rushing back to the window.

"Get in," Ron says, presumably holding a hand out.

"But my Hogwarts stuff — my wand — my broomstick —"

"Where is it?"

"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room —"

"No problem," George's voice says. "Out of the way, Harry."

Harry steps out of the way as the twins climb into his room like cats. George walks over to his door and begins to do something that rattles the doorknob quietly.

"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing how to pick a lock," Fred says, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

Harry is thankful that they did learn them or they wouldn't be able to get his stuff.

There's a small click and then George is whispering quickly, "So — we'll get your trunk — you grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron."

"Watch out for the bottom stair — it creaks," Harry warns.

They leave his room and Harry turns back around. He dashes around, grabbing some little things he wants to take and then he helps Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. They manage to push it into the car and just as Harry hoists himself onto the window sill, a thought strikes through him. A split second later, the subject of said thought screeches and he winces, climbing down.

"THAT RUDDY OWL!"

"Dammit, Hedwig," Harry hisses, grabbing her cage just as he hears the landing light click on. He passes her to Ron and climbs onto the chest of drawers as Uncle Vernon reaches the door and pounds on it before opening it and stumbling in.

He gives a great roar and Harry's ankle is seized. Fred, George, and Ron grab his arms and pull as hard as they can.

"Petunia!" Uncle Vernon yells. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"