𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝

- 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 -

"Ron!" breathed Lucia, creeping to the window and pushing it up so they could talk through the bars. "Ron, how did you — what the —?"

Lucia's mouth fell open as the full impact of what she was seeing hit her. Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise car, which was parked in mid air. Grinning at Lucia from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers.

"All right, Lucia?"

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

"It wasn't me — and how did he know?"

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

"Bit rich coming from you", said Lucia, 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 those Muggles you live with.."

"I told you, I didn't — but it'll take too long to explain now. Look, can you explain to them at Hogwarts that the Lewis's have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so —"

"Stop gibbering", said Ron, "we've come to take you home with us".

"But you can't magic me out either —"

"We don't need to", said Ron, jerking his head towards the front seats and grinning. "You forget who I've got with me".

"Tie that round the bars", said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Lucia.

"If the Lewis's wake up, I'm dead", said Lucia, as she tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car.

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

Lucia moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realised how important this was and kept still and silent. The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up into the air — Lucia ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Lucia listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Lewis's bedroom.

When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to Lucia's window.

"Get in", said Ron.

"But all my Hogwarts stuff... my wand.. my broomstick..."

"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 passenger seat. "Out of the way, Lucia".

Fred and George climbed carefully through the window into Lucia's room. You had to hand it to them, thought Lucia, as George took an ordinary hairpin from his 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 and hand it out to Ron", whispered George.