𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝

- 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 -

The end of the summer holidays came too quickly for Lucia's liking. She was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but her month at The Burrow had been the happiest of her life. It was difficult not to feel jealous of Ron when she thought of the Lewis's and the sort of welcome she could expect the next time she turned up in Magnolia Crescent.

On their last evening, Mrs Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner which included all of Lucia's favourite things, ending with a mouthwatering treacle pudding. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.

It took a long while to get started the next morning. They were up at cock - crow, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Mrs Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills, people kept colliding on the stairs; half dressed with bits of toast in their hands, and Mr Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.

Lucia couldn't see how eight people, six large trunks, two owls, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. She had reckoned, of course, without the special features which Mr Weasley had added.

"Not a word to Molly", he whispered to Lucia as he opened the boot and showed her how it had been magically expanded so that the trunks fitted easily.

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Lucia, Ron, Fred, George and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Mr Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Lucia turning back for a last look at the house. She barely had time to wonder when she'd see it again when they were back: George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the motorway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.

Mr Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.

"Molly, dear —"

"No, Arthur".

"No one would see. This little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed — that'd get us up in the air — then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser...."

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight".

They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.

Lucia had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky bit was getting onto platform nine and three quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.

"Percy first", said Mrs Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had more five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr Weasley went next, Fred and George followed.

"I'll take Ginny and you two come right after us", Mrs Weasley told Lucia and Ron, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.