Seeing that everyone in the compartment was familiar, the twins didn't stand on ceremony. Each grabbed a bottle of chilled pumpkin juice from the pile of snacks and gulped it down.
They had searched nearly the entire train.
They were exhausted.
"Wait… how did Harry even go missing?" Lewis asked, feigning surprise.
"That guy got lost on a train?" Ciri shook her head. Even she had never seen someone this directionally challenged.
"No, no—he didn't get lost," Ginny hurriedly explained. "Harry came through the barrier with us. I was the third from last, and he was right behind me. There's no way he could've gotten lost."
"So you only noticed something was wrong after boarding?" Hermione asked, a hint of reproach in her voice.
Ginny's face flushed red. "We were running late… we only got to the station five minutes before departure. Everyone was rushing, and we didn't really say proper goodbyes. I didn't realize he was missing until we were already on the train."
"You've searched all the compartments?" Hermione pressed, concern growing.
"Not all, but almost," George replied.
"We started from the back and worked our way forward. This is near the end—maybe three compartments left," Fred added.
At that moment, a soft, distant voice drifted through the compartment.
"You said you were third from last?"
Everyone turned.
It was Luna.
While everyone had been talking about Harry, she had been quietly hidden behind her magazine, listening the entire time.
"You mean…" Ginny blinked, catching on. "Yes, I was third from last."
"Then who was last?" Luna asked.
"…What?"
Her question was so abrupt that Ginny couldn't follow.
"She means," Lewis sighed, helpfully translating, "if you were third from last, and Harry was second from last… then who was the last person?"
"…Oh."
Ginny froze.
Then suddenly clapped her hands.
"Right! There's still the last person!"
She looked at herself, then at the twins, counting on her fingers—
And her eyes widened.
"…Where's Ron?"
George: "…"
Fred: "…"
Everyone: "…"
So—
They had been searching everywhere for Harry…
And hadn't even realized Ron was missing too.
This family was unbelievable.
Ron might not have much presence, but he was still Ginny's brother. The twins' little brother.
And yet—
Completely forgotten.
Too tragic.
Tap tap tap!
A sudden knocking sound came from the window.
Everyone turned.
Outside the train, an owl was flapping frantically, keeping pace with the moving carriage and pecking at the glass.
Hermes.
Lewis quickly opened the window and let it in.
The owl swooped inside, dropped a rolled-up item onto Lewis's lap, then perched on his shoulder, calmly preening its feathers.
Instead of opening it immediately, Lewis took out a strip of jerky and fed it to Hermes, then offered it a bit of water.
"What did your owl bring?" Ciri asked curiously.
Lewis glanced at the roll. "Looks like the Daily Prophet. Strange—it doesn't usually come at this time. Must be an extra edition."
"Let me see."
Ciri opened it and scanned quickly.
A faint, meaningful smile appeared on her face.
"Hermione… you might want to read this."
Hermione took the paper, puzzled—
Then her expression changed instantly.
Her worry turned into shock.
Her face went pale.
"What is it?" Ginny asked anxiously.
Hermione's voice trembled with anger.
"Harry… and Ron… they stole Mr. Weasley's car! And they actually flew it to Hogwarts—in plain sight of Muggles!"
The three Weasleys froze.
The headline read:
"Flying Ford Anglia Astonishes Muggles"
Hermione read aloud:
"Two Muggles in London reported seeing a car flying past a post office… At noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss spotted—Angus Fleet of Peebles also reported—"
Witness after witness.
Muggles.
Everywhere.
"The Daily Prophet works fast," Lewis remarked, shaking his head. "Muggle newspapers usually report yesterday's news."
Everyone stared at him.
Was that really the takeaway?
"Oh no!"
Ginny wailed.
"They're in serious trouble!"
"That's brilliant!" Fred and George said in unison.
"That is NOT brilliant."
Percy Weasley had arrived, having been patrolling the train.
"Six or seven Muggles witnessed this. The Ministry will have to modify all their memories! And worst of all—Dad works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. His own sons—just think what this means!"
Percy, ever the future Ministry official, understood the consequences all too well.
Ginny and Hermione both looked deeply worried.
"Lewis… will they be expelled? Or sent to Azkaban?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Of course not."
Lewis gently patted her shoulder.
"Think about Dumbledore. You know how he treats Harry. After what you saw at the ceremony, you should understand—his influence is enormous. Nothing serious will happen."
That was also one of the reasons Lewis disliked Dumbledore.
Blatant favoritism.
But then—
A mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"That said… just because they're fine with the Ministry doesn't mean they're safe at Hogwarts. I'm sure Professor McGonagall will handle them appropriately."
Hermione's face turned pale again.
"Oh no… we might lose house points before the term even starts!"
Clearly—
She was the only one who cared.
Lewis and Ciri were Ravenclaws.
The twins were professional rule-breakers.
Ginny and Luna hadn't even been sorted yet.
As night fell, the train began to slow.
Students changed into their robes in turns.
Finally—
The train stopped.
They stepped out onto the dark, narrow platform, joining the flow of students.
After saying goodbye to Luna and Ginny—who would follow the first-years' path—
The rest boarded the carriages.
Pulled not by nothing—
But by skeletal, gray-black winged horses.
Thestrals.
Invisible to most.
Seen only by those who had witnessed death.
For the first time, they entered Hogwarts as returning students.
The Great Hall awaited them—
Brilliantly lit.
A feast prepared.
Before long—
The first-years arrived.
And the Sorting—
Began.
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