Arthur still had to report to the Ministry of Magic—he'd only managed to take half a day off. He dropped Ron and Harry at Charing Cross Road before hurrying away, leaving Molly to shepherd the boys through the rest of the journey and into the Leaky Cauldron.
Bald old Tom was behind the bar, polishing glasses, but his eyes caught on Harry the moment they entered.
"Oh! Harry! Isn't today the start of term?"
He squinted at the clock, half-convinced he was losing his marbles. "Did you miss the Hogwarts Express?"
"Yes! Thank Merlin my Ron finally learned some sense!" Molly beamed, clearly in high spirits. "It's just a little mishap. Arthur has gone back to the Ministry to get someone to check it out."
"That sort of thing ought to be sorted, right enough," old Tom agreed, nodding sagely. "Can I get you anything?"
Brimming with affection, Molly ruffled Ron's hair. "What would you like, dear?"
Ron—more used to eating at home than ordering in pubs—looked a bit lost. "Um… hot chocolate?"
Molly turned to Harry. "And for you?"
Harry scratched his head. "Same as Ron, please."
Molly placed the order: "Two hot chocolates, Tom—and no alcohol! Don't think I've forgotten last time."
Toothless, old Tom grinned, his smile oddly infectious.
"That was only because you and Arthur came in together—I thought I'd be clever…"
"Enough of that!" Molly shot him a warning look.
She bent down to the boys. "You two sit tight. Arthur will send word to Hogwarts—a professor will be along soon to fetch you."
Harry looked curious. "Will the message get there in time? An owl would take ages to fly all the way to Hogwarts, wouldn't it?"
"It's a different sort of message," Molly explained, shaking her head. "Just wait here. I'll be by the door for news."
The Leaky Cauldron was, after all, a pub—its food was limited and, frankly, nothing to write home about. Ron and Harry sipped their hot chocolates and nibbled on buttered toast.
"I miss the chicken drumsticks…" Ron sighed, clearly longing for the Hogwarts start-of-term feast.
By half past two, even Molly was starting to look anxious. "Stay here, you two—I'm going to check with Arthur."
As Molly's figure vanished, Harry swung his chair back and forth, bored. "Ron, who do you reckon will come pick us up?"
Ron tilted his head, thinking. "Probably Professor McGonagall—she's our Head of House."
"I hope so," Harry agreed. "Or Hagrid—that'd be nice!"
"Yeah, that'd be brilliant," Ron nodded.
"Just not Snape!" they said together, then burst out laughing.
A cold voice cut through their laughter. "I'm afraid you won't get your wish."
Both boys froze, shuddering involuntarily.
Suddenly, the Leaky Cauldron seemed to grow darker. Snape, swathed in black robes, stood in the doorway, his face as frosty as ever. He blocked out what little daylight could creep inside; only the occasional breeze let a sliver of light sneak past the hem of his cloak.
Harry and Ron exchanged wide-eyed looks and sucked in sharp breaths.
Snape strode toward them, looming overhead. "Just you two?"
"Er—my mum's here too…" Ron mumbled. "She went out to look for someone."
"Then we'll wait for her, and leave together." Snape didn't bother to sit, his dark gaze sweeping over them. "The platform entrance was sealed?"
"Yeah…" Ron and Harry nodded.
Snape arched a brow. "Mr. Weasley, hasn't Professor McGonagall ever told you it's polite to look someone in the eye when you speak?"
"Uh…" Ron lifted his head stiffly, as if his good luck had finally run dry.
Arms folded, Snape continued, "Anything else? What did you do after discovering the entrance was blocked?"
"We just… packed up our things. Then waited for Mum and Dad," Ron said, voice growing fainter with every word.
He felt like a half-finished cup of hot chocolate, with Snape able to see straight through to the dregs at the bottom.
Snape clicked his tongue, his tone heavy with regret. "Gryffindor ingenuity. I half-expected you to hijack a Muggle train and drive it to Hogwarts…"
"Severus Snape?" Molly's entrance was nothing short of heroic—she planted herself in front of the boys. "Hogwarts sent you to collect them?"
"Unfortunate news, I know." Snape curled his lip. "Professor McGonagall has to conduct the Sorting, so I was sent instead."
"Well…" Molly sighed, but didn't argue.
"Let's go, then." Snape turned on his heel and swept out of the Leaky Cauldron.
They followed him through winding streets until they reached a chilly, deserted square. There, a peculiar carriage waited—no horses in sight, yet the wheels gave the occasional, ghostly twitch.
"If it's this, we'll still make the start-of-term feast," Molly said, sounding relieved.
She helped load their luggage, then pulled Ron and Harry into a fierce hug. "Take care, dears. Mind yourselves at school."
"I will, Mum!" Ron promised.
"Me too, Mrs. Weasley," Harry echoed.
The boys eyed the carriage, curiosity bubbling—how exactly would this get them to Hogwarts?
Snape stood outside, extending his wand inside. "Heads forward."
Ron and Harry exchanged a wary glance, but did as they were told.
"Disillusionment Charm!"
At once, they felt something cool and wet trickle down from their foreheads, spreading over their bodies like a sudden cold shower.
They stared in disbelief as first their heads, then their bodies, vanished from sight.
"What's going on? Ron? Where are you?" Harry groped blindly, his hand landing on Ron's ear.
"Sit still! We're leaving," Snape snapped, frowning as he cast the Disillusionment Charm on the carriage, their luggage, and himself.
With everything ready, Harry and Ron heard the creak of wheels. The carriage tilted sharply, and suddenly they were rising, gliding up alongside rooftops.
In the blink of an eye, they soared into the clouds.
"I think I'm afraid of heights…" Ron's voice trembled. "Harry… look down…"
Puzzled, Harry glanced down as Ron suggested. The buildings below were shrinking rapidly, vanishing beneath a sea of clouds.
It hit them both at once:
If we were going to fly to school anyway… being chauffeured by Snape is almost worse.
We might as well have driven Dad's car to Hogwarts ourselves!
🔥 Want to read the next 20 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]