"GET UP! GET UP! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE EARLIER THAN LAST YEAR!" Screamed Molly, "THE LAST ONE UP IS BRINGING THE TRUNKS INTO THE CAR!" That woke up the house. Petunia and Ginny jumped out of bed, dressed as quickly as they could and threw their pre-packed trunks down the stairs in an attempt to not pack the car.
It was a few weeks since Harry had arrived and they were leaving for Hogwarts that year.
"Are we last?" Asked Petunia, yawning loudly.
"No, Arthur's last." Growled Molly as she stomped up the stairs.
"Bloody hell. That was close." Petunia sighed, nipping a piece of toast from Percy's plate.
"Oi! Give that back!" Percy said, trying to grab the toast from Petunia's hand.
"Penelope." She said, staring him down. He slumped back in his seat, glaring at her. She grinned to herself as she went back up to her room to grab Gaia, her mum's ring was the best gift she'd ever recieved. She searched around her room one last time, finding a few extra socks lying around, her mum's ring (which she slipped into her pocket) and a small journal tucked under Ginny's bed. She tucked that into Gaia's basket with intent on reading it later before walking downstairs. Petunia accidentally hit Harry and George on her way down the stairs, George actually toppling head over heels to the floor but he was okay. When Petunia exited the house she had a good laugh as Arthur tripped over a chicken while carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.
When at last they were all in the car, Molly glanced into the back seat, where Harry, 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, Ginny and Petunia were in the front, 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?"
Arthur started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, just as George shouted that he had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Harry could run in for his broomstick. When they reached the highway Percy bellowed he had forgotten his Prefect badge, and by the time he had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.
Arthur 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. Arthur dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried down the station to the barrier between 9 and 10.
"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 went, then the twins and then it was Ginny and Petunia's turn. They casually leaned through the barrier into the almost empty station on the other side. They ran off to the train, pulling their trunks onto the train.
"Where's Ron and Harry?" Asked Ginny, looking through the trains window.
"They've probably already gotten on." Petunia told her, "let's go find a seat and maybe you can go look for them later." Ginny agreed and they went off to find a compartment.
"Hey Pete!" Shouted a voice. Petunia looked over and saw her best friend, December holding a compartment door wide open.
"Hey December! This is my little adopted sister, Ginny." Petunia said, showing off Ginny.
"Hi!" Ginny grinned.
"Well hey there Ginny, I'm December. So come on in, Hermione and Brandy are already in here." She smiled, helping with their trunks. Petunia hugged Hermione, saying her greetings before sitting down beside a girl she faintly recognised.
"What's your name?" Petunia and the girl asked at the same time.
"Jinx." Giggled the girl, Petunia raised her eyebrows.
"That's a... different name." Petunia smiled politely. "I'm Petunia."
"Oh no, my name's Brandy." Brandy laughed, "I said Jinx because we said the same thing at the same time. I forgot that wizards don't have that."
"Oh." Petunia said, face going red. "So, uh, how do you know December?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, we just met actually. I decided to sit here since if I'm being honest, my housemates are a tad boring." She explained.
"Ravenclaw?" Asked Petunia, Brandy nodded with a smile. Petunia loved her smile.
"Oh that's cool, what year are you in?" Ginny asked. Petunia sat back and listened to the chat.
The rest of the ride she got to know Brandy and caught up with Hermione and December. Mostly she talked to Brandy though, who she learned was a year above them. Her favourite colour was chocolate brown and she was a big fan of the Weird Sisters. She also passed Gaia's eye check, which was a big check mark in Petunia's book. Petunia also branded her with a new nickname, Jinx.
"Oh, we better put our robes on!" Brandy said, looking out the window. "We're only about ten minutes from the stop!" So the four quickly changed and just were brushing up when the train came to a stop.
They rushed out into the mess of kids, holding hands as not to be parted. They bustled out of the train and onto the platform.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Shouted Hagrid, who waved cheerfully at Petunia and Hermione. Ginny gave Petunia a bone-crushing hug before running off to join the frightened huddle of first years behind Hagrid.
"So where do second years go?" Asked Petunia, looking around.
"Oh, over here." Brandy said, leading them off to where many horseless carriages stood. They all took a seat in one and after a big lurch they were off to Hogwarts.
