A Halliwell at Hogwarts: The Prisoner of Azkaban

II - Creepy Flying Sheet

The next morning Persephone woke up early and not feeling in a great mood. She took a shower, dressed up distractedly and went downstairs for breakfast. She ate her cereals enjoying the silence until Hermione, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley joined her. Hermione and Ginny sat next to her.

"Slept well, Sephie dear?" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley."

"Morning, Sephie" said Mr. Weasley, taking the Daily Prophet in his hands.

"Morning..." she mumbled.

Noticing her odd behavior, Hermione asked, "Are you alright, Sephie?"

Persephone nodded her head and went back to her breakfast, spacing out for the rest of the conversation between Mrs. Weasley and the other two younger witches.

However, when she heard the chairs in front of her being moved, she raised her gaze and saw Harry and Ron.

"What were you saying?" Ron asked Harry as they sat down.

"Later," Harry muttered as Percy stormed in.

Persephone raised a brow at him, but didn't say anything. Harry gazed at her before moving his eyes on Hermione and then taking them back on Persephone. He was asking her if she had told Hermione about what they had heard the previous night. Persephone shook her head, to which Harry replied with a single nod.

Harry and Persephone had no chance to speak to Ron or Hermione in the chaos of leaving; they were too busy heaving all their trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages. A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly.

"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on the train."

"You won't," snapped Ron. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?"

He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket. Persephone sighed and looked at her cat, that was observing all that chaos from the top of Persephone's trunk. Persephone kept her hood wide open and said, "You know where to go."

And so the little cat got onto her arm, climbing up until he reached her shoulder. Then he jumped inside her sweatshirt's hood and settled down with a soft purr.

Mr. Weasley, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside. "They're here," he said. "Harry, come on."

Mr. Weasley marched Harry across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of two old-fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive-looking wizard wearing a suit of emerald velvet.

"In you get, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, glancing up and down the crowded street.

Harry got into the back of the car and was shortly joined by Persephone, Hermione, Ron, and, to Ron's disgust, Percy.

The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary, though Persephone noticed that they could slide through gaps that normal cars certainly couldn't have managed. They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.

Mr. Weasley kept close to Harry's elbow all the way into the station.

"Right then," he said, glancing around them. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry."