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Summer seemed to fly by in a blink, and before anyone was ready, the second school year had arrived—just like that, while everyone was still soaking up the fun of the holidays.
"Augustus, I'm sorry, but your mother and I have a banquet to attend today, so we won't be able to take you to the station," Clovis explained while eating breakfast in the manor's dining hall. "You'll need to take the carriage yourself—it'll take you straight to King's Cross."
"No worries, really. I can manage," Augustus nodded and picked up a cup of tea beside him.
After breakfast, Clovis walked Augustus to the manor's carriage area. With a final wave from Clovis, Augustus climbed into the carriage, which then lifted off the ground and quickly disappeared into the sky above the Julius estate.
At King's Cross Station, the carriage gently touched down. Augustus stepped out into a sea of people, the afternoon sunlight pouring into the station as travelers bustled past with luggage in tow.
"Augustus! Over here!" Harry waved to him from a distance. Augustus looked over to see Harry and Ron waving him over with anxious looks on their faces.
Frowning slightly, Augustus walked toward them with his saker falcon and luggage in hand.
"What are you two doing? The train leaves in a minute—why aren't you on the platform yet?"
Harry looked a little sheepish but also relieved. "We don't know why, but we can't get onto the platform. It's like it's been sealed with some kind of spell. I figured you might know what to do?"
Augustus glanced over at the space between platforms 9 and 10. Activating his Eye of Insight, he saw it right away—someone had cast a Stone Wall spell, completely sealing the entrance. He pulled out his silver wand and fired off an Alohomora Maxima, but to his surprise, nothing happened. Not even a flicker of response.
What the—? Could the caster be so powerful that even Level 5 magic doesn't work?
He gave it some thought and sent a Spell Analysis charm at it. The feedback he got made it all click: the spell didn't belong to their magical system at all. Which meant Alohomora Maxima wouldn't work—because it wasn't human magic in the first place.
Well, if that's the case, then no point being polite.
With a flick, a searing red laser shot from his wand. The intense heat sliced through the stone wall, breaking it apart in seconds.
"There. It's open now." Augustus looked at Harry and Ron and motioned for them to go first.
But neither of them moved. In fact, both of them looked kind of weird.
"What's wrong? If you don't go now, you'll miss the train," Augustus said, puzzled.
"It's already too late. The train's left by now," Harry said with a shrug, sounding frustrated but resigned.
Augustus checked his watch and slapped his forehead. Great. Every time he ran into these two, nothing ever went smoothly.
"Harry!" Ron suddenly shouted, eyes lighting up. "The car!"
"What?"
"We'll fly to Hogwarts!"
"I mean, I was thinking—"
"We're stuck, right? We have to get back to school, yeah? And in emergencies, underage wizards can use magic. It's in the law—Clause Nineteen or something…" Harry's panic had already turned into excitement. "You know how to drive it?"
"No problem," Ron grinned. Then turned to Augustus, "Come on! If we hurry, we can still catch up with the Hogwarts Express!"
They dashed through the curious crowd, out of the station, and over to an old Ford Anglia parked on the side road. Ron tapped it a few times with his wand to pop open the spacious trunk. They tossed their luggage in, jumped in, and shut the doors behind them.
"Check if anyone's watching us," Ron said. He tapped the dashboard with his wand to start the engine. Harry leaned out the window.
Cars were rumbling by in the distance, but their street was completely deserted.
"We're good."
Ron pressed a small silver button on the dashboard—and the car vanished. They vanished too.
Harry could still feel the seat beneath him vibrating, hear the engine humming, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose—he could see everything. But it was like he'd turned into a pair of floating eyeballs, hovering a few feet above a dirty street full of parked cars.
"Takeoff," Ron's voice said beside him.
The ground and nearby buildings sank out of view. Within moments, they were rising fast. The city of London stretched below them, glowing faintly beneath a hazy veil of smoke.
Then—pop!—the car, Harry, and Ron all reappeared again.
"Aw, man," Ron muttered, poking the invisibility booster, "This switch is acting up—"
"Let me handle it," Augustus said, casting a Reparo. The switch flickered and instantly came back to life.
They all hammered the button again. The car vanished—but then started flickering back in and out of visibility.
"Hold on!" Ron shouted, slamming the gas pedal. The car shot into the sky, punching through the low cottony clouds. Everything dimmed, the sunlight fading into soft grays and whites.
"Now what?" Harry asked, blinking as thick clouds swirled around them.
"We need to spot the train to know where to go," Augustus said from the back, addressing Ron at the wheel.
"Then we'll have to drop down—quick—"
They descended beneath the clouds again, squinting down at the ground, searching.
"There!" Harry shouted. "Right ahead—there!"
The Hogwarts Express sped along the tracks below like a red snake, weaving through the landscape.
"Due north," Ron confirmed, checking the compass. "Alright, we just need to dip down every half-hour to make sure we're still on course. Hang on—" The car surged upward, punching back through the clouds. A minute later, they burst into brilliant sunshine.
It felt like a different world.
They soared just above the billowy cloud sea, the sun painting the sky a dazzling blue. The view stretched forever in every direction.
"All we have to do now is watch out for planes," Ron said casually.
It felt like a dream—like something out of a fairytale. Harry thought to himself: this was without a doubt the coolest way to travel. Riding in a sunlit flying car, gliding through swirling, spire-shaped clouds, a massive bag of toffees stuffed under the dashboard... And just imagining the look on Fred and George's faces when they landed right on the front lawn of Hogwarts Castle made it even better.
Now and then, a passing cloud brushed against Augustus's robes. Sunlight blazed through the skylight above, catching in his long golden hair.
The flickering rainbow colors danced across his black cloak, blending with the light and clouds in a display that looked like a carefully choreographed ballet in the sky.
"....."