On the last day of summer holiday, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner. Everyone gathered around the table, happily enjoying the delicious honey pudding, while watching Fred and George's laborious fireworks display. These fireworks had clearly been improved by them, featuring shapes not seen in the advertisements. Scattered orange, red, and blue stars filled the entire kitchen, bouncing between the ceiling and walls for at least half an hour.
At ten o'clock that night, after having their last cup of hot chocolate, everyone was sent to bed by Mrs. Weasley. Because he was sleeping in the same bed as Harry, Aiven could feel Harry constantly tossing and turning, which made it difficult for him to sleep soundly as well.
The next morning, Harry woke up early, looking quite unwell. "Aiven, last night I dreamt I turned into a giant snake, and... well, that dream was terrible!"
"Harry, you're just nervous because school is about to start," Aiven said, letting out a big yawn.
"I hope so. I hope everything goes smoothly today," Harry replied.
His wish clearly backfired. After breakfast, everyone scurried around like headless chickens, frantically packing their belongings. Mrs. Weasley rushed about looking for spare socks and blankets, constantly bumping into the twins on the stairs; Mr. Weasley, while carrying Ginny's trunk to the car, tripped over a chicken in the garden and nearly broke his neck. Finally, everyone was in the car, and Mr. Weasley started the engine, driving out of the garden. Within half an hour, they had turned back three times. By the time Ginny finally climbed into the car, it was already very late, and everyone's tempers were flaring.
By the time they arrived at King's Cross Station, there were only five minutes left until the train departed.
"Alright, children, we don't have much time. Get through this wall quickly, and be careful not to be noticed by Muggles," Mrs. Weasley said, anxiously glancing at the clock on the wall. "Percy first!"
After Percy entered Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Mr. Weasley followed with the luggage, then Fred and George.
"I'll take Ginny; you three follow closely." Mrs. Weasley said to Aiven, Harry, and Ron, then took Ginny's hand and walked forward, disappearing in a flash.
"Let's go through together, there's only a minute left," Ron said.
"Okay, how should we do it?" Aiven hesitated. He had originally planned to follow Percy second, but because of the luggage trolley, he was a beat slow and Mrs. Weasley had him go with Harry and Ron. If he remembered correctly, this wall should have been sealed by Dobby by now.
"Aiven, follow me. Don't be nervous. As I told you before, the platform is behind this wall," Harry explained. "If you're scared, you can jog a bit."
In fact, that's exactly what he and Ron did. A few feet from the wall, they started running, confidently crashing into the wall. Aiven quickly closed his eyes, unable to bear seeing their unfortunate state. Crashing into the wall at their speed looked painful.
The next second, as expected, the two trolleys bounced back off the dividing wall. Ron's trunk crashed heavily to the ground, and Harry was knocked over; Hedwig's cage bounced onto the shiny floor and rolled to the side; Hedwig shrieked furiously. Many people gathered around to watch, and a guard nearby shouted, "What on earth are you doing?"
"The trolley got away from us," Harry said, panting, as he got up, clutching his ribs.
Aiven ran over and picked up Hedwig, who was still squawking loudly, causing many onlookers to accuse them of animal cruelty.
"Why can't we get through?" Harry whispered to Ron.
"I don't know!" Ron walked over and quietly pushed the wall. "This has never happened before, we're going to miss the train!"
"I don't understand why the passage sealed itself..." Harry looked up at the big clock. He carefully pushed his trolley against the wall and pushed with all his might, but the dividing wall remained motionless.
"This wall has been enchanted with a barrier spell, similar to 'Impedimenta' but more advanced. Clearly, someone did this on purpose," Aiven said, stepping forward to examine it. Their current magical abilities weren't enough to break it.
"Who would be so bored, just to make us miss the train?!"
"I guess it's Malfoy!" Ron said blankly. "It's over, the train has left. What if Mum and Dad can't come back for us? Do either of you have Muggle money?"
"The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money in six years!" Harry chuckled dryly.
"Me neither. I exchanged all my money for Galleons and spent it in Diagon Alley," Aiven said, patting his pockets. He wished he had kept some.
"Alright, I don't know how long it'll take for Mum and Dad to come back for us. What do we do now?" Ron looked around nervously. Many people were staring at them because Hedwig was still screeching non-stop.
"I think we should use Hedwig to send a letter to the school, explaining why we're late," Aiven suggested.
"Aiven's right, but before that, we should go back to the car," Harry said, trying to soothe Hedwig to quiet her down. "It's too conspicuous here."
"Harry!" Ron's eyes lit up. "The car! You know, that car was modified by my dad, we can fly to Hogwarts!"
"Ron, that's not a good idea, we can't use magic outside of school," Aiven quickly shook his head, trying to persuade him to drop the idea.
"Come on, Aiven!" Ron's eyes sparkled brightly. "We're stuck, right? We have to get back to school, don't we? In a real emergency, young wizards can use magic. It's in Restriction of Underage Sorcery, Article nineteen or something..."
"Can you drive it?" Hearing Ron's explanation, Harry's panic quickly turned into excitement.
"No problem, I've seen Fred and George drive it many times!" Ron said, turning the trolley towards the exit. "Let's go, if we hurry, we might still catch up with the Hogwarts Express. Especially you, Aiven, you still have your Sorting this year, which is the most important thing for new students. We can't be late!"
"Yeah, Aiven," Harry agreed. "Missing the Sorting Ceremony, just thinking about it is terrifying enough."
"Going to school in a flying car, now that's truly terrifying." Aiven followed behind them helplessly, watching their excited expressions. Once Harry and Ron had made up their minds, he realised he had no other option but to cooperate. At that moment, Aiven yearned for Hermione. If she were here, she would surely be able to stop these two. Aiven didn't have that ability, especially since deep down, he also wanted to see a flying car. However, the thought of the consequences dampened his excitement. They would be seen by Muggles, Mr. Weasley might lose his job because of it, and for a newly admitted student, Aiven wasn't sure what impact such an unusual entrance would have.
"Guys, I think we should..." Aiven made one last effort.
"Aiven, hurry up!" Ron didn't wait for him to finish, he pointed his wand and started the car. "Harry, check if anyone is watching us."
"No, there's no one on this street." Harry reached out his arm and pulled Aiven, who was standing outside the car, inside.
The next second, Ron pressed a small silver button on the dashboard. Their car disappeared, and the three of them disappeared as well. Aiven felt the seat vibrating, he could hear the engine, and then he found himself floating above the dirty street filled with cars.
"Take off!" Ron shouted.
The ground and the dirty buildings on both sides sank away, disappearing in a moment. The car rose higher and higher, and a few seconds later, the entire city of London lay below them, smoky and faintly shimmering.