Chapter 137 Screams outside the train
Harry reacted, feeling a pang of unpleasantness in his heart.
He had lived at The Burrow for a month and knew what today meant to the Weasley family. To say it was profoundly significant might be an exaggeration, but to say it was uniquely special was no overstatement.
The Weasley family had six boys, including Ron, but only one girl, Ginny.
She was also the youngest, undoubtedly the most pampered in the family.
Yet, at her Sorting Ceremony, Percy, Fred, and George were all there, but Ron was not, which left a slight sense of incompleteness.
"Sir, do you have a solution?"
Gines was momentarily stunned, then shook his head under Harry and Ron's expectant gazes. "Helping you notify Dumbledore and getting your punishment waived is the most I can do.
Helping you chase a high-speed train, that's really asking too much of me."
"Alright!" Ron pursed his lips. "Harry, it seems we'll just have to fly over in the car as planned."
"Flying car?" Gines appraised the blue Ford in front of him, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "It seems Mr. Weasley has modified quite a good mode of transport.
However, a friendly reminder to you two: you are currently on a street full of Muggles. What do you think they would do if they saw a car flying?"
"It's fine; my dad's car has an invisibility booster installed."
"It seems I worried too much. But if you drive this car, you won't be able to board the train midway; you'll have to follow the train all the way to Hogwarts.
Also, the sky is not like the land; if you're not careful, you might flip over.
So, buckle up, and a few other points are…"
"Thank you for your advice, sir, but we're really in a hurry." Ron sat impatiently in the driver's seat. "Harry, keep an eye on our surroundings for me."
"Nobody, you can go."
Ron immediately started the car with his wand, then pressed the silver invisibility booster under the dashboard. Their car instantly vanished, and they both became transparent.
The invisible car flew into the sky, its roar fading into the distance.
Gines watched the car disappear, shrugging. "Not letting others finish their sentences is really not a good habit."
Actually, he had also wanted to remind them that the journey was quite long; even following the train, they would be driving until night, so it would be best to prepare some food and water, or it would be very difficult.
Unfortunately, these two children didn't pay attention; otherwise, they could have suffered a little less.
Furthermore, this flying car was, after all, modified; being invisible was remarkable, but how long it could remain invisible was unknown.
Perhaps there was magic that could last forever, but Arthur Weasley definitely wouldn't have it.
At the same time, Aaron was also on the train, coincidentally sharing a compartment with Draco, and besides the two of them, there was also a first-year new student.
"Colin, I didn't expect to see you here, what a coincidence!"
"Senior, it's good to see you," Colin said shyly. "This is my first time on a magic train. When will we arrive at HogwartsSchool of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"
"At this speed, we should arrive around six or seven in the evening.
After the Sorting Ceremony, we'll be just in time for dinner."
"Aaron, you know him?" Draco asked curiously.
"I met him once in Diagon Alley.
Oh, he's a loyal fan of Harry Potter!"
Draco's face immediately darkened upon hearing this, and he looked at Colin with a hint of hostility.
This new student had nothing to do with Draco Malfoy; he didn't care which House he was sorted into, but idolizing his arch-rival, Harry Potter, made him somewhat displeased.
"Draco." Aaron gave him a serious look. "At least have some Pure-blood composure."
"I know, but… I just can't accept it.
Why do so many people like Harry Potter?"
"He defeated You-Know-Who; it's written in the books," Colin said, mustering his courage. "It was Harry Potter who restored peace to the Magical World."
"Yes, I admit that's true, but he just got incredibly lucky."
Colin pouted dismissively. "You're just jealous."
"What do you know? You're just a new student.
Fame doesn't mean everything, and his fame and strength are completely disproportionate."
"Just like certain Pure-blood families," Aaron said meaningfully.
Draco immediately fell silent, clenching his fists slightly.
He, of course, knew what Aaron meant. The House of Malfoy was seen by everyone as one of the most successful Pure-blood families, but as the heir, he was well aware of the true situation.
Their family lacked nothing in terms of wealth, prestige, status, or even power, but their strength was a genuine weakness.
Although most inherited Wizard families were in a similar situation, their family was the most successful, yet their strength was only average, which was somewhat disproportionate to their status.
In other words, the Malfoy family lacked a powerful Wizardwho could match or protect their wealth and status.
"Senior, what's wrong with him?" Colin asked nervously.
Aaron put on a profound expression. "He's contemplating life and ideals."
"Stop making fun of me." Draco rolled his eyes, then looked at Colin with a complex expression. "Idolizing Harry Potter, you… you'd better watch out for yourself!"
"Senior?"
"He means, do whatever you want!"
"Is that so?" Colin scratched his head, gave Draco a forced smile, and then lowered his head to fiddle with his camera.
"How have you been these past two days at the Weasley?" Draco asked. "They didn't bully you, did they?"
"Don't always think the worst of people; the family is quite hospitable, except for… Percy."
"You mean that Gryffindor Prefect?"
"Prefect?" Colin curiously joined in.
"You can understand it as a student with a certain amount of teacher authority," Draco explained impatiently, then looked at Aaron. "How is he different?"
"Rigid, by-the-book, concerned with appearances, and somewhat out of place with that family's personality." Aaronthought of Percy, who often carried a book titled 'How Prefects Gain Power,' and offered a relatively objective assessment.
"He is excellent, but compared to others, he might be a bit selfish, but overall, he's not bad.
If nothing unexpected happens, he will definitely do better than his father after graduation, though the process might be a bit difficult."
Draco was stunned for a while, then blinked. "That's it?"
"What else did you expect?"
"I thought the Weasley family had produced a Dark Wizard!"
Aaron rolled his eyes. "It's still the same thing, don't think too badly of people. Percy is just living a more realistic life."
Click! Click!
The sound of wheels rolling came from the aisle. A saleswoman opened the compartment door. "Dears, do you need anything to eat?"
"I don't, do you?" Draco said.
Aaron directly pulled an orange out of Abey's pocket. "I don't either."
Colin hesitated for a moment, then took out a silver sickleand a few Knuts from his pocket. "Could I have a few cupcakes, please? Thank you."
"Of course!" The saleswoman took the coins and handed him three cakes from the trolley.
After the saleswoman left, Colin was about to close the compartment, but Aaron stopped him. "Wait, don't close the door yet."
"What's wrong, Senior?
Do you want to buy something too?"
"No." Aaron frowned, his ears twitching slightly. He seemed to hear the shouts of two old acquaintances, but the sound was sometimes near, sometimes far.
"Did you two hear anything?"
"Are you talking about the wind outside the window, or the sound of the trolley in the aisle, or the… snoring from next door?" Draco's expression became a little strange as he said this. "Crabbe and Goyle are next door; that sound is definitely coming from them."
"Not those." Aaron waved his hand. "I'm talking about panicked screams."
Draco and Colin exchanged glances, shaking their heads in unison.
"Senior, could you have misheard?"
"No way." Aaron believed he hadn't misheard. For the past two months, he had been forced by Hogwarts to push his physical limits, soaking in a viscous medicinal bath made from various rare herbs, stimulating his potential through bone-chilling pain, which had improved his hearing several times over.
Soon, he heard familiar voices again, sounding like Ron and Harry, but this time it was struggling shouts.
"What on earth are these two doing?" Aaron looked at the trees rapidly receding outside the train window, and a ridiculous guess suddenly formed in his mind.
He stood up from his seat, took a deep breath, "I'm going for a walk outside. You two watch Abey for me, don't let him run off."
With that, Aaron left the compartment and walked down the aisle to the last carriage of the train.
Using a Disillusionment Charm to trick the two guards, he opened the back door and stood at the end of the train, enjoying the scenery.
But after a few seconds, he frowned. Everything in his line of sight was normal, but he didn't see Harry or Ron.
"Not there?" Aaron hesitated, then climbed up the ladder to the top of the train.
The view immediately opened up considerably, but at this moment, the train was on a long bridge, and looking down was breathtaking.
Fortunately, Aaron wasn't afraid of heights, so he simply stood on the train roof to search for his target.
Looking around, everything seemed normal, but there was a slight incongruity within that normalcy.
Aaron focused on the roaring sound, different from the train's, that he had heard, and his gaze slowly shifted in that direction, finally spotting a faint blue car in the clouds above.