Eva Black. Year 2.

Chapter 3

Ron!" breathed Eva, creeping to the window and pushing itup so they could talk through the bars. "Ron, how didyou — What the — ?" 

Eva's mouth fell open as the full impact of what she was seeing hit her. Ron was leaning out of the back window of anold turquoise car, which was parked in midair. Grinning at Eva from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twinbrothers. 

"All right, Eva?" asked George winking.

"What's been going on?" said Ron. "Why haven't you both been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, andthen Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles —"  

"It wasn't us — and how did he know?" 

"He works for the Ministry," said Ron. "You know we're not supposed to do spells outside school —"

"You should talk," said Eva, staring at the floating car.  

"Oh, this doesn't count," said Ron. "We're only borrowing this.It's Dad's, we didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of thoseMuggles you live with —"

"I told you, I didn't — but it'll take too long to explain now —look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have lockedme up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magicmyself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I'vedone in three days, so —"  said Harry.

"Stop gibbering," said Ron. "We've come to take you homewith us."  

"But you can't magic us out either —"

„We don't need to," said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat andgrinning. „You forget who I've got with me."

„Tie that around the bars," said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Harry.

„If the Dursleys wake up, We're dead," said Eva.

„Don't worry," said Fred, „and stand back."

Eva and Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to haverealized how important this was and kept still and silent. The car revved louderand louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean outof the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Eva ran back to the windowto see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted themup into the car. Eva and Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from theDursleys' bedroom.

When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close aspossible to Eva 's and Harry's window.

„Get in," Ron said.

„But all our Hogwarts stuff—my wand—my broomstick—" said Eva.

„Where is it?"

„Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room—"

„No problem," said George from the front passenger seat. „Out of the way,Harry."

Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into Eva's and Harry's room. Youhad to hand it to them, thought Eva, as George took an ordinary hairpin fromhis pocket and started to pick the lock. 

„A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick,"said Fred, „but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

There was a small click and the door swung open.

„So—we'll get your trunk—you grab anything you need from your room andhand it out to Ron," whispered George.