𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 (𝟐) || HARRY POTTER LOVE STORY

9

The end of the summer holidays came too quickly for Julie's liking. She was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but her week at The Burrow had been one of the happiest of her life.

On their last evening, Mrs Weasley conjured up a scrumptuous dinner which included all of her 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 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.

Julie couldn't see how ten people, eight large trunks, three owls, a cat 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 Harry and her as he opened the boot and showed them how it had been magically expanded so that the trunks fitted easily. Harry and Julie exchanged quick, excited smiles

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Mason and Julie were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" She, Percy 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, Julie turned 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 Invisblity Booster I installed - that would get us up in the air - way above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would know.."

"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. They had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky bit was getting onto plattorm 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 only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier. Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr Weasley went next, Fred, George and Mason followed.

"I'll take Ginny and you three come right after us!" Mrs Weasley told Harry, Ron and Julie, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone. "Let's go together, we've only got a minute." Ron said to Harry and Julie.

She made sure that Juniper's cage was safely wedged on top of her trunk and wheeled my trolley about to face the barrier. She felt perfectly confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder.