Hogsmeade village, just after nightfall, was peaceful.
But not for long.
It was Hogwarts' opening day, and soon, students from second year and up would roll through in Thestral-drawn carriages, passing by the village.
After a quiet summer, the return of the young witches and wizards was about to bring the noise back.
The Three Broomsticks was unusually calm, with only a handful of patrons.
Madam Rosmerta was chatting with a regular when—
BOOM!
A massive crash echoed from outside.
Everyone in the pub jumped.
"Merlin's socks, what was that?!"
"Is Zonko testing some new prank?"
"Apparition, maybe?"
"Don't be daft. If Apparition sounded like that, you'd be splinched to bits."
"I bet it's those shady types at the Hog's Head, messing with some banned contraption that blew up."
The patrons buzzed with theories.
But no one was keen to step outside and check what had actually happened.
In the wizarding world, accidents could be anything but accidental—and usually spelled trouble.
Better to stay safe and live long, the unspoken rule of surviving in the magical world.
As the pub's owner and a Hogsmeade local, Madam Rosmerta felt a bit more responsibility than her aloof customers.
She tiptoed to the window, peering out cautiously.
"That's odd… Is that… a car?"
Rosmerta thought her eyes were playing tricks.
"What? A car? Like those Muggle brooms? Who'd ride one of those to Hogsmeade?"
A curious wizard couldn't resist the gossip and joined her at the window.
"Let me see."
He squinted at the empty street.
"No car here. You seeing things, boss?"
Disappointed at the lack of drama, he accused Rosmerta of making it up and cheekily demanded an eight percent discount on his tab.
Meanwhile, Leon, Harry, and Ron—oh, and two birds, Tom and Hedwig (Scabbers the rat doesn't count as a person or a thing)—had just crash-landed in the middle of Hogsmeade's main street a minute earlier.
That deafening boom? That was the Ford Anglia hitting the ground.
The poor, battered car had had enough of human tyranny. It rebelled, ejecting the three boys, two birds, and their luggage in one dramatic heave.
Slamming its doors, spinning its wheels with a perfect drift, it sped off toward freedom with a joyful roar.
"Hahahaha… HAHAHAHA!
"Epic!!!"
Leon, sprawled on the ground, laughed like a maniac, reveling in the thrill.
Tom the parrot, hopping on Leon's stomach, cackled with glee. "Squawk! Wild! So wild! Not done yet! Tom wants more! Squawk squawk squawk!"
Harry, thrown out by the car, had lost his glasses and was squinting, searching for them.
Ron, meanwhile, stretched a desperate hand toward the fleeing car. "No!!! Come back! Mum's gonna kill me!"
Leon, still chuckling, got up, found Harry's glasses, and pulled Ron to his feet.
"Don't worry, mate. I lost the car, so I'll get you an identical one."
Ron's face crumpled as he shook his head. "No way! We all rode it together…"
Harry cut in, "Alright, we'll deal with that later. The train's about to arrive. Ron and I can walk through the front gates, but Leon, you're a first-year. Don't you have to take the boats?"
Leon gathered their luggage, glancing at the grand, shadowy outline of Hogwarts' front gates in the distance. "You two won't get away with strolling through the gates either. You'll get caught. Second-years and up have to take the carriages."
Harry looked at Ron, who nodded. "Yeah, Fred mentioned those carriages are weird—no horses, they just move on their own."
"So…"
"No time to waste," Leon said firmly. "Trust me? If you do, we move now. I'll get us to the station before the train arrives, guaranteed."
Harry's mouth twitched. Ron looked uneasy.
They trusted Leon could get them to the station.
They just didn't trust it'd be by normal means.
But time was tight, no room for hesitation.
They exchanged a glance, steeled themselves, and said in unison, "Let's do it!"
"Sweet!" Leon clapped them both on the arms.
He stuffed their luggage into his ring, set Hedwig free to fly to the owlery, and dumped the last pack of chocolate beans into Tom's beak.
The three lined up, each gripping the waist of the person in front.
Leon held Tom tightly.
The parrot puffed up proudly, raised its head, and let out a tractor-like screech: "ARE YOU READY, KIDS?!!!"
Leon, Harry, and Ron roared back, laughing, "AYE AYE, CAPTAIN!!!"
GOGOGO! Tom the Car God was off!
Pop!
The trio and bird vanished.
Duang!
They reappeared five meters away.
Pop!
Gone again.
Duang!
Back again.
Tom the Car God was steady as a rock.
In less than a minute, they reached Hogsmeade station.
Perfectly timed.
As they dashed onto the platform, the Hogwarts Express was pulling in, not yet fully stopped.
The only living soul on the platform, besides them, was Hagrid, big as a mountain.
He was holding a dim lantern, staring intently at the train.
Leon quickly handed out the luggage.
All three were dressed in black, with black trunks.
Ron's red hair stood out a bit, but Leon had him pull up his wizard robe's hood.
In the dim night, they were practically invisible—could've been people, ghosts, or a pile of grass.
Heart pounding, they crept toward the train, planning to blend into the crowd as students disembarked.
As for the luggage, they'd say it held important stuff they wanted to keep close or forgot to leave behind—easy excuses.
It was a solid plan, and their nighttime camouflage was spot-on.
But Tom's outrageously colorful feathers? They were a beacon in the dark.
Hagrid's peripheral vision caught a flash of eye-searing pink, drawing his attention.
He turned, locking eyes with three sneaky figures.
"Hey! Who's there? You three—what's going on? Yeah, you lot, freeze! Don't run!"
Hagrid's massive strides closed the gap before they could bolt.
"Harry? Ron? It's you?"
Spotting Harry, Hagrid's tone softened, but he was still puzzled. "Did you get off early? Wait, that's not right…"
He glanced at the train, where the doors were just starting to open.
Harry and Ron were sweating bullets.
What now?! They were about to be busted!