Slytherin Weasley

Chapter 35

I awoke the next morning to Tom the bartender's toothless grin and the perfect cup of tea. 

I shuffled around the room, grabbing everything I'd left out, and encouraging a very disgruntled owl into his cage. Once he was in, I grabbed his cage and headed down to the bar for breakfast, giving Percy and Ron a wide birth as they were arguing again. 

It was chaos leaving; we were busyheaving all our trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near thedoor, with Hedwig, Alpha and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages. A smallwickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly. 

"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on thetrain." 

"You won't," snapped Ron. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?" He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket. 

Dad, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside. "They're here," he said. "Harry, come on."

Dad marched Harry across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of twoold fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive-looking wizard wearing asuit of emerald velvet. 

"In you get, Harry," said Dad, glancing up and down the crowded street. Harry got into the back of the car and was shortly joined by Hermione, Ron, and, to Ron'sdisgust, Percy. Fred, George, Ginny, Mum and I clambered into the other car.  

The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary, though I noticed that they could slidethrough gaps that the old Ford Anglia couldn't have managed. We reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found us trolleys,unloaded the trunks, touched their hats in salute to Dad, before driving away, somehowmanaging to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.

 Dad kept close to Harry's elbow all the way into the station. 

"Right then," he said, glancing around them. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us.I'll go through first with Harry." Dad strolled toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pushing Harry's trolleyand apparently very interested in the InterCity 125 that had just arrived at platform nine. With ameaningful look at Harry, he leaned casually against the barrier. Harry imitated him. 

In a moment, they had fallen sideways through the solid metal onto platform nine andthreequarters. Percy and Ginny went next. Then me and Fred. I looked up to see the Hogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, puffing smokeover a platform packed with witches and wizards seeing their children onto the train. I smiled.

"Ah, there's Penelope!" said Percy, smoothing his hair and going pink again. George caught my eye, and we both turned away to hide our laughter as Percy strode over to a girl withlong, curly hair, walking with his chest thrown out so that she couldn't miss his shiny badge.

Once the rest of my family and Hermione had joined us, Harry and Mr. Dad led theway to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looked quite empty.They loaded the trunks onto it, stowing Hedwig and Crookshanks in the luggage rack. I moved further down the train to where I'd spotted Daph and Addy. I dumped my stuff in the compartment and said, 

"I'll be right back." 

I ran back outside to say goodbye to Mum and Dad. Mum kissed all her children, then Hermione, and finally Harry. He was embarrassed, butreally quite pleased I thought, when she gave him an extra hug. 

"Do take care, won't you Harry?" she said as she straightened up, her eyes oddly bright. Thenshe opened her enormous handbag and said, "I've made you all sandwiches. Here you are,Ron... no, they're not corned beef... Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are dear..."