The Potter Twins and the Chamber of Secrets

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It would have been better if he had shouted. I hated the disappointment in his voice; Harry was unable to look at Dumbledore as he told the story - saying everything except the fact that Mr Weasley had bewitched the car, making it sound like we'd somehow found the vehicle in the station car park. It was obviously a lie, but Dumbledore asked no questions. When Harry finished, he continued to peer at us through his glasses, surveying each of us in a row. Finally, Ron spoke - he didn't seem to be able to bear the silence. "We'll go and get our stuff," he said in a hopeless sort of voice.

"What are you talking about, Weasley?" Professor McGonagall asked sharply. My stomach turned oddly.

"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Ron.

Harry and I looked at Dumbledore at the exact same time. "Not today, Mr Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must express to the three of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to your families tonight, and also must warn you that anything like this happens again I will have no choice but to expel you."

Snape looked like he had swallowed a lemon. "Professor Dumbledore, these boys have flouted the Decree for the Restriction if Underage Wizardry... surely acts of this nature..." I gave Snape a lopsided smile and if looks could kill, I would have dropped dead on the spot.

"It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on punishments, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "Come. We must return to the feast."

Snape swept out behind Dumbledore like a murderous bat, leaving us alone with Professor McGonagall. She examined my face closely. "I suppose you'd better get along to the hospital wing, Potter."

"I'm fine, Professor," I said with a small smile. I had never been so relieved in my life. "I wanted to watch my sister being sorted," Ron blurted suddenly. McGonagall eyed him suspiciously. "The Sorting ceremony is over. Your sister is also in Gryffindor."

"Oh, good," said Ron.

"Seeing as term has not started yet, I cannot remove points," Professor McGonagall said, making it sound like she just didn't want to. "However, each of you will receive a detention." She raised her wand again and large plate of sandwiches, a jug of iced pumpkin juice and three silver goblets appeared on Snape's desk, along with a glass of a odd-looking blue liquid.

"You will eat in here and then go straight to your dormitory," she said. "The potion is for you, Potter, and will help with your head. As much as it irritates me, it's odd seeing you so quiet."

"Thank you, Professor," I said.

"I must also return to the feast." The door closed behind her.

All of us grabbed sandwiches. Ron let out a long, low whistle. "Thought we'd had it."

"Me too," Harry and I said together. "We'll have to watch ourselves from now on, though," my twin added, shrugging.

"Wish we could have gone up the feast," Ron said wistfully. I laughed. "You and eating. I guess she doesn't want us showing off - otherwise they'll all be arriving in flying cars soon."

When I had drunk the odd potion which tasted like mouthwash and cleared my headache, and we had eaten as many sandwiches as we could, we headed to Gryffindor Tower. The castle was quiet: it seemed the feast was over. We walked past muttering portraits and creaking suits of armour until we reached the passage where the entrance to Gryffindor tower was hidden behind the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she said, but before we realised that we hadn't been told it by a Gryffindor Prefect yet, a blur of chestnut-brown hair arrived next to me and punched me in the shoulder.

"You shits!" Will Spencer said with a scowl on his face. "Why the hell does all the excitement happen without me?"

"Hey!" I yelped, as Harry chuckled. "Will's learnt to swear I see."

It was Ron's turn to yell out when Hermione appeared out of nowhere and smacked him on the arm. "There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumours - someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car."

"Well, we didn't get expelled," I said with a quirk of my lips.

"You're not saying you did fly here?" Hermione demanded.

"Of course they bloody did!" Will said irritably. "And they didn't even think to tell me!"

"Skip the lecture," Ron said, "what's the password?"

"It's 'wattlebird'," Hermione replied impatiently, "but that's not the point-"

Her words were cut short, however, by the portrait swinging open and a sudden storm of clapping assaulted my ears. It looked as if the entire Gryffindor house was still awake, packed into the common room, waiting for us to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to yank Harry, Ron and I in, leaving Hermione and an increasingly annoyed Will to scramble in after us.

"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! Flying a car in - people'll be talking about that for years!"

"Good on you," a fourth year I'd never set eyes on before said, patting me on the back, as Fred and George pushed their way to the front and said together, "why couldn't you have called us back, eh?"

Ron was bright red, as were his ears, grinning embarrassedly while I mock-bowed to the crowd. Harry's gaze trailed towards Percy who didn't look happy whatsoever - he was looking over the heads of some excited first years, apparently trying to get near enough to start telling us off.

"Got to go to bed - a bit tired," Harry said, seizing Ron and I, and led us in the opposite direction towards the dormitories. "Night," Ron yelled at Hermione, and blushed as she scowled at him.

Finally we gained the peace of the staircase and hurried up it, right to the top, where we finally reached the door of our old dormitory with a sign that said 'Second-years'. Our trunks had already been brought up and I collapsed, fully clothed, onto my bed which was in between Harry and Will. Ron grinned at us. "I know I shouldn't have enjoyed that or anything, but-"

"Are you kidding?" I laughed. "That sort of reception is what I live for."

The door burst open and in came the other second year Gryffindor boys - Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, and, of course, Will.

"Unbelievable!" beamed Seamus.

"Cool," said Dean.

"Amazing," said Neville, awestruck.

"Annoying," Will scowled.

"Don't be jealous," I teased, nudging him in the side. He sighed. "Fine. I guess it was cool. But next time, I'm coming to stay at Ron's too and I won't miss out on whatever happens next."

"Who says anything's going to happen?" protested Harry.

"Don't be an idiot. You're both chaos magnets," Will said, his frown giving way to a smile despite his efforts. "And you need me to be sensible for you, seeing as you're incapable."

We all grinned.