Rose Granger-Weasley and the Unleashing of Power

Chapter 9. Departures (Part 3)

Emerging onto Platform 9 ¾, Rose was met with a sea of students bidding goodbye to their families before departing for the start of a new school year. The Hogwarts Express had already arrived at the platform, its idling engine puffing out white clouds of steam. Rose glanced around, her eyes narrowing as she spotted her twin brother and his best friend and cousin, Albus Potter, moving with mischievous purpose through the bustling crowd. The two boys were carrying trays of seemingly ordinary custard creams, darting between families and offering the biscuits with wide grins and exaggeratedly polite gestures.

"Here, have a custard cream! They're freshly baked," Hugo said with an air of practised charm, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Hot from the oven!" Albus added, his face flushed with barely contained laughter. The recipients of the confections looked a bit puzzled by the random giveaway of biscuits, but nevertheless accepted the treats with gratitude.

It was not long before all hell broke loose.

The first person to take a bite of a custard cream was a stout witch with a basket full of potion vials, who, seconds after chewing, let out an astonished squawk. Her surprise quickly turned to panic as she began to grow bright yellow feathers and transform into a large canary. Her initial cry of alarm was soon joined by a chorus of similar sounds from those around her who had also sampled the custard creams. The platform erupted into mayhem. Students and their families flapped their arms, unable to suppress their rising horror. Soon the air was filled with brightly coloured songbirds fluttering about, their frantic movements only adding to the pandemonium. Rose shook her head in exasperation; she had been a victim of the troublesome duo's practical jokes many times herself.  

"Did you two think this was funny?" Rose heard her aunt's raised voice before she saw her marching across the platform. Ginny Weasley stormed over to her son and nephew, her face a mix of sternness and frustration. Around her, the chaos created by the two boys was only just beginning to settle, with the people who had been turned into birds slowly reverting back to their human forms. The unfortunate victims grumbled as they brushed feathers from their clothes and shot indignant looks at the two pranksters. "Albus Severus Potter, Hugo Rubeus Granger-Weasley!" Ginny's voice cut through the hubbub like a knife. She was a formidable presence, and both boys could feel the weight of her disappointment even before she reached them. "What on earth were you thinking?" Albus and Hugo shuffled their feet, their heads hanging low as they exchanged guilty glances. Hugo managed a sheepish murmur, "We were just having a bit of fun..." Ginny's eyes flashed. "Fun? You turned people into canaries! Did you even consider how distressing that could be for them?" Just then, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley arrived by Ginny's side, their expressions mirroring the witch's disapproval. Harry placed a firm hand on Albus' shoulder. "We talked about pranks and their consequences," he said, his tone calm but firm. "This wasn't harmless fun. People could have been hurt." Ron, standing beside him, added with a heavy sigh, "And before you even started the school year. Not exactly a great start, boys. You both need to apologise." The boys nodded, their faces flushed with shame. They approached the now-human victims, who were still trying to smooth out their ruffled clothes and shaking off the last remnants of their avian experience. "We're really sorry," Albus said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Yeah, sorry for the trouble," Hugo echoed, looking down at his shoes. The affected wizards and witches, though still visibly annoyed, accepted the apologies with varying degrees of grace. Ginny, Harry, and Ron then offered their own apologies. With the matter settled, Ginny ushered Albus and Hugo towards the Hogwarts Express. "Come on," she said, "you need to join your siblings. Rose, Lily and James are waiting."

Before boarding the train, Rose gave her father a final hug. She looked up at Ron with earnest eyes. "Dad, can you tell Mum that I love both her and you, and that I'll miss you both very much?" Ron nodded, his own eyes softening. "Of course, Rosie. I'll tell her." He bent down and kissed her forehead, his smile full of fatherly pride. With a final, affectionate squeeze, Rose pulled away, climbing onto the train's step. She stepped inside, her heart racing as she found her place next to Hugo in a compartment. As the Hogwarts Express began to move, the children waved through the compartment window at their parents, who stood on the platform. The scenery outside blurred into a swirl of colours as the train picked up speed, and Rose, Hugo and their cousins settled into their seats.

DISCLAIMER: The entire Harry Potter universe is the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. I make no claim to ownership.