Star-Crossed

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Whomping Willow

It was only about a couple hours longer until we were flying along in darkness beside the train. Ron had flicked on the headlights and we peeled off from the train, deciding to coast above the lake on our way to the castle.

We stared up at the wonderful castle in awe as Ron exhaled with a smile and nodded at Harry and I.

"Welcome home," He greeted, nodding toward the extravagant building.

I was grinning unabashedly, completely ecstatic to return to this haven after such an awful summer holiday.

Suddenly, as we drew closer to the castle, the car jerked harshly. Turbulence rocked us violently and I gasped, fighting down the panic that was steadily rising in my throat. We jerked to the left veering to the left wing of the castle, then violently to the right.

Ron's hands were still glued to the wheel as all three of us began screaming in pure panic. Then the car dove, taking a nose plummet toward a tree in the courtyard just outside of the school.

"Up, Ron!" Harry and I were crying simultaneously, "Up!"

Ron was vigorously slamming his foot into the brake, but nothing was happening, "It's not working!" he bellowed back.

Harry leaned over me and grappled with the gear shift as best as he could, attempting to keep the car from going down. But it was no use, unfortunately we were still heading straight toward the tree.

"Mind that tree!" I screamed, pointing ahead to the large weeping willow tree ahead. But again, to no avail. Nothing would work, the car was going to inevitably slam straight into the tree.

So as a last resort, Ron pulled out his wand and began banging it on the dashboard, wailing, "Stop, stop, stop Stop!"

Until the wand snapped, and the three of us shared a look of pure terror as Ron whimpered, "My wand...I broke my wand."

Seconds later, we slammed into the tree, the car skidding through the branches until it came to an abrupt stop, dangling from the tree, face first toward the ground.

All seemed still and silent for a moment, aside from the panicked heaving and rapid breathing of our own chests.

"Well, that was something." I remarked, "At least this tree didn't batter us up too much."

Then a loud creaking sound echoed from around us and both Harry and Ron turned to look at me, twin expressions of exasperation on their faces.

"What!" I raised my hands innocently, "I didn't do that!"

"Every time you say something like that, something's gotta go wrong!" Ron cried out, whipping his snapped wand around.

True to his word, in seconds, the car was slammed, bashed to the side by an unknown force. Until I looked to my side finding the branches outside of the window thrashing about violently. Chaos quickly ensued as the car was bashed around by the whirling limps of the tree.

All three of us began to scream as we were thrown about the car as it slipped between branches, being tossed around like a quaffle. We rocked violently back and forth for some time as the trunk of the tree itself swayed dangerously.

I fought the urge to vomit at my stomach turned harshly, my hair whipping about, veiling my sight and smacking my brother beside me.

"Merlin's beard, what's happening!" Harry was gasping, holding onto the door for dear life.

Ron was fighting to regain control of the vehicle, jerking the steering wheel desperately, attempting to pull us free from the tree. Leaves and debris flew in through the back window as one of the branches stabbed through the trunk, shattering the glass pane.

I screamed as the branch whipped around furiously, nearly smacking me in the face a few times before it retreated again. The entire plant seemed to be swirling around us like a cyclone of wood and leaves. I clung desperately to my seat, wide-eyed and absolutely terrified.

My brother was doing more or less the same, shrieking at Ron, "Is it normal for trees to move around?"

Ron replied, shaking his head adamantly, "Not typically!" He shouted back.

I fumbled for my wand, thinking perhaps a well aimed spell might divulge the tree's assault, but a particularly harsh hit to the passenger side had my wand slipping from my grasp and nearly out the window as the car began to plummet.

"My wand!" I cried out, reaching for it.

Ron caught it miraculously and handed it back to me. I clutched it tight to my chest, not quite looking to lose it again.

Then, with a solid thud and an abrupt crash, we landed on the ground. For a moment everything was calm until a horrid groaning noise echoed from behind us and the three of us turned around to find the trunk of the tree bending backwards, preparing a final strike at the car.

"Drive, Ron!" Harry and I bellowed with little hesitation, "Drive!"

The Weasley screamed in terror as he slammed his foot down on the pedal and thankfully the car listened this time around, speeding off in the direction of the Dark Forest right as the tree swung itself down, slamming into the ground.

We skidded to a stop to catch our breath and regain our sanity just at the edge of the courtyard facing Hagrid's hut and the face of the Forest.

I inhaled deeply before a smile cracked onto my face and I huffed a disbelieving laugh, "That...was wicked."

Ron shot me a look out of the corner of his eye, "Well, that's one way to put it, I suppose. After nearly dying."

Harry snickered after shaking out of his shock.

But moments later, the car's engine revved up and the three of us gasped. Harry and I looked at Ron questioningly, but the Weasley was staring at the ignition in shock.

"It wasn't me, I swear!" He held up his hands.

The trunk then popped open and all of our stuff was thrown out, right as the passenger and driver side doors swung open on their own, and all three of us were shoved out by some unseen force.

Finally, our pet cages were jettisoned out of the trunk rather violently. Signy let out an unexpecting shriek as her cage rolled to the ground. Hedwig was hooting and Scabbers was squealing like mad.

The rest of us scrambled to our feet to watch the battered, banged up Ford Angelia rev its engine and swerve off toward the Forbidden Forest, but not after it gave one sharp, annoyed honk of its horn.

"What on earth just happened?" I mused, that having more of an effect on me than the twisting turning tree had.

Ron's mouth gaped, "I just signed my death warrant...that's what."

Harry remained silent, staring into the trees along with Ron and I.