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They kept flying north, checking the train's direction every now and then. Each time they dipped down, a new scene came into view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by smooth green fields, then vast purple marshes, and clusters of villages with tiny toy-like churches.
After that came a bustling city full of cars that looked like colorful ants crawling around.
But after a few hours, Harry had to admit the excitement was starting to wear off. The toffee had made their mouths super dry, and there was no water to drink.
He and Ron had taken off their cloaks, but Harry's shirt was so sweaty it stuck to the back of the seat, and his glasses kept sliding down his nose. He couldn't even enjoy the cool cloud shapes anymore—he just missed the train far below, where a plump witch was probably pushing her trolley around, selling cold pumpkin juice.
"Shouldn't be far now," Augustus said, squinting at the sea of houses below that looked like a swarm of ants. The sun was dipping under the clouds, turning the sky pink. "Let's go down and check the train again," he added, turning to Ron.
The train was still down there, winding its way around a snowy mountain. It was way darker below the clouds.
Ron hit the gas and climbed again—but the engine started making a whining noise.
"Maybe it's just tired," Ron said. "It's never gone this far before…"
As the sky got darker, the whining got louder, and they all pretended not to notice. Stars began to twinkle above them. Harry pulled his cloak back on and tried to ignore the wipers feebly twitching on the windshield, like they were protesting.
Augustus drew his silver wand and cast a Reparo on the worn-out car. Most of its overworked parts were instantly restored, and the car seemed to perk up a bit.
"Not far now," Ron muttered—not so much to Harry as to the car—patting the dashboard nervously. After a while, they dipped back below the clouds, squinting through the darkness for a familiar landmark.
"There!" Harry shouted, making both Ron and Hedwig jump. "Right there!" On the horizon, high on the cliffs across the lake, stood the dark silhouette of Hogwarts castle—its turrets and towers unmistakable.
From Augustus's view, Hogwarts was getting closer and closer—they were almost there, and hopefully nothing else would go wrong before they landed.
Unfortunately, the car started shuddering and slowing down again.
"Come on," Ron coaxed it gently, giving the steering wheel a little shake. "We're almost there, help us out—"
The engine groaned, and steam started hissing out from under the hood. As they flew out over the lake, Harry gripped the edge of his seat.
The car gave a violent shake. Harry glanced outside and saw the pitch-black, glassy surface of the lake a mile below. Ron's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car shuddered again.
"Come on," Ron murmured.
They soared across the lake... the castle loomed ahead... Ron hit the accelerator—
CLUNK—followed by a CRACK—and then total silence. The engine had died.
"Oh no," Ron said into the silence.
The car tilted forward. They were falling—fast—straight toward the castle walls.
Augustus stood up in his seat and pointed his wand ahead of the plunging car. The falling vehicle suddenly felt like it was hitting layers of soft cushions in midair. Their descent slowed.
The car veered in a wide arc, scraped past the castle wall, skimmed over the dark greenhouses and vegetable patches, and kept falling over the black lawn.
Ron let go of the wheel entirely and grabbed his wand from his coat pocket.
"STOP! STOP!" he shouted, slapping the dashboard and windshield, but they were still dropping fast. The ground was rushing up toward them—
"Watch out for that tree!" Harry yelled, lunging for the wheel—but it was too late—CRUNCH!
A deafening crash of metal and wood—the car slammed into a huge tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam poured from the crumpled hood.
Hedwig shrieked in panic. Harry's head hit the windshield hard enough to leave a bump the size of a golf ball. Ron was groaning quietly on the right, looking crushed.
"You guys okay?" Harry turned to check on Augustus, who looked a bit roughed up, and Ron, whose face had gone ghostly pale.
"My wand…" Ron said in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand."
It was almost snapped in two. The top half dangled by just a few splinters.
Harry was about to say they could probably fix it at school—but before he could get the words out, something slammed into his side of the car. The impact was as strong as a charging bull and knocked him over onto Ron. Then something smashed down on the roof.
"What the—!" Ron gasped, staring out the windshield. Harry turned just in time to see a tree branch as thick as a python smash into the glass. The tree they'd crashed into was attacking them.
Its trunk bent like a bow, and its many thick limbs were battering every inch of the car it could reach.
"Aaaah!" Ron shouted as a twisted branch slammed a dent into his door. Dozens of finger-thick twigs were pelting them like hail, making the windshield shake. One branch, as thick as a battering ram, was pounding the roof so hard it looked like it might cave in.
"Stay in your seats and don't move!" Augustus grabbed his silver wand and shouted to Harry and Ron, then turned to the tree. Sparks crackled from the wand tip.
The area around the huge willow suddenly shimmered, as if it were trapped in an invisible dome. In an instant, deep blue lightning began forming in midair—crisscrossing streaks that circled the tree. Then, dozens of jagged lightning bolts shot toward the willow, lighting up the night.
The tree gave a horrible screech as it was whipped by the glowing lashes. Scorched black marks appeared all over its trunk. Within moments, the tree stopped moving entirely, falling into complete stillness.
Harry and Ron stared, stunned.
"Is it... dead?" Harry asked, a little dumbly.
"Who knows? Maybe," Augustus replied, just as flatly.
"Poor thing," Ron said, looking at the now-slumped willow. Thinking back to the massive lightning that filled the sky, he couldn't help but shudder.
"Come on. Maybe the Sorting Ceremony's still going—we might still make dinner." Augustus gave his shiny silver wand a quick wipe and reminded the boys.
The three of them climbed out of the car and headed toward the castle.
"....."