Happy times are always brief. In the blink of an eye, September 1st arrived.
Because Ginny was starting school this year, the Weasley family's luggage was double the usual amount. Added to that, Percy had to patrol the Prefects' carriage, and George and Fred only remembered to stuff their Filibuster's Fireworks into their trunks at the last minute, causing everyone to leave late.
"Hurry! Faster!" Mr. Weasley urged anxiously. "Ginny and Percy are already through; George and Fred just went in! It's just you lot left!"
"Last one!" Ron panted, pushing his trolley through the ticket barrier. "Quick, only one minute left!"
Harry pushed his trolley and charged toward the barrier between platforms 9 and 10.
CRASH!
A loud bang. Harry and his trolley smashed into the solid stone wall, bouncing back and falling to the ground. Hedwig's cage rolled on the floor, causing nearby Muggles to turn and stare at the noise.
"What's going on?" Ron turned to look at the clock on the wall. "It's eleven o'clock! The train's gone!"
Rove rushed over, his movements agile as a Ranger. He reached out, placed his hand on the cold brick wall, and closed his eyes to sense the fluctuation of magic.
> [System Warning: Path Blocked]
> [Type: High-Level Spatial Confinement / West Gate of Moria Lockdown State]
> [Unlock Requirement: Spell 'Mellon' (Not Learned) or Battering Ram (Not Equipped)]
"The gate is shut." Rove's face was grim. "This is no accident. It's a tactical blockade by the enemy. They've cut off the supply line to Rivendell and trapped us here."
"We can't get back to Hogwarts." Harry was somewhat desperate, rubbing his ribs which were sore from the impact. "We're finished. If only I had the Dursleys' phone number..."
"No." Rove said. "We have another way."
"Since the underground path is blocked, we shall fly over the Pass of Caradhras!"
---
Ten minutes later, the Flying Ford Anglia burst through the clouds.
"This is madness!" Ron gripped the steering wheel tightly. "If Muggles see us... Dad will kill me!"
"Invisibility Booster activated." Rove sat in the back seat, cheering them on. "Maintain course, pilot. We are crossing the Misty Mountains. Altitude two thousand feet, heading due North."
But good times didn't last long!
WHIRRR!!
The car suddenly shook violently, emitting a teeth-grinding metal screech. Immediately after, the silver Invisibility Button let out a wail and popped out like a bullet, bouncing wildly around the cabin.
"Damn it! Invisibility Booster failure!" Ron slapped the dashboard.
> [Warning: Camouflage System Offline]
> [Exposure Risk: Extremely High]
> [Environmental Warning: High-Altitude Turbulence Encountered]
"Steady!" Rove roared. "We're exposed! We must avoid Muggle sightlines—get into the clouds!"
Ron instinctively yanked the steering wheel, and the flying car performed a thrilling barrel roll in the air, nearly throwing Harry out the window.
"You almost threw us out!" Harry gripped the door handle for dear life. "Watch the road... or the clouds!"
The next few hours were undoubtedly torture. The car was tired too; its body shook as if it were tap dancing.
"I'm so thirsty." Harry licked his lips.
"Endure it, Ring-bearer." Rove handed over a peppermint. "This is the last piece of Lembas. We must reach Helm's Deep... I mean Hogwarts, before sunset."
Finally, near dusk, the majestic castle appeared on the horizon.
"There it is!" Ron shouted excitedly. "Right ahead!"
Suddenly, the car's engine let out a thunderous bang, then completely stalled. It began an uncontrolled dive downward.
"Out of fuel!" Ron shouted in despair.
"Power loss! We're stalling!" Rove watched the tree canopy rapidly approaching below, his System interface filled with red warnings. "Crash landing! That's the edge of Fangorn Forest! Brace for impact! Protect your heads!"
The car screamed toward the ground.
BANG! CRACK! BOOM!
The car smashed heavily into a giant willow tree, finally getting stuck amidst the dense branches.
> [Crash Confirmed]
> [Crew Status: Minor Injuries (Sanity -10)]
> [Warning: Entered Hostile Creature Territory]
> [High-Energy Reaction Detected!]
The next second, the entire tree began to shake. A branch thicker than a man's thigh whipped around, smashing ruthlessly onto the car roof.
CLANG!
A large dent was smashed into the roof.
"AAHHH!" Ron screamed. "This tree is hitting us!"
> [Boss Level Creature Encountered!]
> [True Name: The Whomping Willow]
> [Race: Huorn / Corrupted Ent]
> [Status: Berserk]
> [Skills: Sweeping Blow, Heavy Smash, Root Entangle]
"Don't be afraid! It's a Guardian of the Forest; maybe we can communicate!" Rove shoved the door open and jumped down. He stood under the tree, opening his arms to the frantically flailing giant tree, trying to show friendliness.
He took a deep breath and shouted in a strange, guttural language:
"Avo garo! Avo garo! (Don't do this!)"
The tree paused for a second, as if confused by the strange cries of this tiny human. Taking advantage of this gap, Harry and Ron scrambled out of the car.
But clearly, this tree didn't have Treebeard's good temper. It couldn't understand Sindarin; the pause just now was merely it winding up!
"Watch out!" Harry shouted.
The next second, an even thicker branch swept across, shattering the rear window instantly, sending shards flying.
> [Negotiation Failed.]
> [Opponent Faction: Chaotic Evil / Corrupted by Saruman]
> [Suggestion: Run!]
"Negotiations broke down!" Rove's expression changed instantly as he rolled backward to dodge a blow. "It has already joined Saruman! This is a demon tree of Mirkwood! Ron! Use your wand!"
"Do what?" Ron looked at the wand in his hand with a mournful face; it was snapped, held together by only a few strands of unicorn hair. "It's broken! Look! It's nearly snapped in two!"
"Then use it to start a fire! Or anything! This tree fears fire!"
Ron waved his broken wand wildly, chanting spells. The tip didn't spray fire, but instead spewed a thick plume of black smoke.
This smoke seemed to interfere with the Whomping Willow's senses. Its branches began to flail blindly.
Just then, the Ford Anglia seemed to awaken some kind of self-awareness. The engine let out an unyielding roar, like a startled wild horse. It started itself, reversed violently, drifted, smashed through a few branches with its bumper, and desperately broke free from the entanglement.
"Get in!" Harry shouted, trying to pull the door open.
But Rove grabbed him. "No! It's too damaged! We can't burden it any further! And that's within the range of the Corrupted Ent's attacks!"
In the moment of their hesitation, the flying car charged out alone.
It ejected the luggage from the trunk all at once—Harry's trunk, Ron's trunk, Hedwig's cage, and Rove's backpack were all dumped onto the grass.
Then, the scarred little car let out a mournful wail and drove itself into the depths of the Forbidden Forest, quickly vanishing into the darkness.
"No! Come back!" Ron shouted in despair. "Dad's going to kill me!"
Rove lay on the ground, watching the disappearing "Chariot," and gave a solemn salute.
"It was a good comrade." Rove wiped the motor oil from his face. "To cover us, it lured the enemy away alone. It will become a legend in the Forbidden Forest, a wild, untamed metal beast."
Harry and Ron slumped on the ground, looking at the Whomping Willow still thrashing its branches wildly, then at Rove's tragic expression.
"I think..." Harry panted, "we might really be crazy. This is definitely against school rules."
"As long as we're alive." Rove reached out to pull them up. "Let's go, to the castle. I think we need a hot cup of tea, or a stern scolding from Professor McGonagall."
Then, the three picked up their luggage and walked to the nearby gates of Hogwarts Castle.
> [System Settlement]
> [Chapter Complete: Wrath of the Whomping Willow]
> [Reward: Impact Resistance Lv2 (Survived a plane crash)]
> [Title Acquired: Enemy of the Ents (Increased chance of plant attacks in forests)]
> [Special Event Triggered: The Caretaker of Hogwarts]
They had just walked up the stone steps, and before they could even knock, the door creaked open.
A hunched figure holding a dim oil lamp stood in the shadows. A malicious face suddenly loomed out, holding a cat in his arms.
It was Argus Filch!
"Heh heh heh, I heard the noise and waited right here. I've been waiting a long time." He stared at them viciously. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley... and you, Rove. Everyone is at the feast, and you three..."
"You are in big trouble! Cackle cackle..."