The happy times always passed especially quickly. This was probably the first time Harry had felt that way during the summer holidays. It made him look forward to the next summer holiday, but when he remembered that he would be returning to Privet Drive, he could no longer feel excited.
Harry and the Weasley family reached the station just in time, but the passageway had inexplicably closed. As a result, Harry and Ron, who were at the back of the group, could only watch helplessly as the hands reached eleven o'clock. The two of them anxiously thought of a solution, and Harry's suggestion to go back to the car gave Ron an idea.
Back on the Hogwarts Express, in a compartment for four, Bing Huan and Cedric sat together. Opposite them were Hermione and Draco's girlfriend, Cho Chang, a Chinese-British girl with striking Eastern beauty.
The train was about to depart when Bing Huan finally noticed the Twins, Percy, and Ginny hurriedly boarding. After exchanging greetings, he still did not see Ron or Harry.
Hermione asked, "They haven't gotten into trouble, have they?"
Bing Huan handed over the biscuits he had baked before departing and replied, "They probably ran into some friends on the other side and sat down with them. What could possibly go wrong on the way to school?"
Soon, the train departed.
The girls excitedly chatted about what had happened after they fell in love, but who was sitting there? Hermione and the Ravenclaw top student who intended to become a Seeker. In less than fifteen minutes, the topic had shifted back to studying.
Cedric was entering the upper years this year—fourth year—and his studies would become even more demanding. He also had to keep an eye on his girlfriend and Quidditch. He was complaining to Bing Huan that he would have even less time to slack off, while Bing Huan chatted with him and looked out at the scenery.
Woods, fields, villages, and... a blue car flying through the air?
"Should I say this really is the Wizarding World? You can even see a flying car on the way to school. I thought only Uncle Arthur had one."
Cedric also turned to look outside. "Now that you mention it, it does look rather similar to the one at Fei Leide's house."
"Hahahaha, yeah..." Bing Huan watched for a while, then his smile gradually faded. "Wait, that seems to be it. Look at the two people in the car!... Whoa, damn!"
Hermione: ?c(ﾟ.ﾟ*)｡｡｡
Cho Chang asked, "Do you know the people in the car?"
Cedric narrowed his eyes and took a look. "Harry and Ron?! Did they get their driver's licenses these past few days?" As if to verify his words, the car in midair suddenly jolted violently. The door flew open, and Harry was left hanging in midair, gripping the handle.
The four of them stared in shock.
"Looks like they didn't. At this rate, they failed the moment they started the engine in the practical test." Bing Huan drew his Flying Sword and placed one foot on the train window. "I'll go get them down first. If we wait any longer, they'll be dead."
Harry wanted to climb back into the car, but his hands were sweating so badly from nervousness that he could not grasp Ron's hand. Just as he was about to lose his strength, a reassuring force came from his collar—the back of his shirt had been seized.
Bing Huan looked at Harry and Ron speechlessly. "You two are pretty bold, aren't you? You dared to drive this thing already? Thank goodness Uncle Arthur didn't modify a tank."
He had the two of them put all their luggage into their storage spaces. Outside the car, Bing Huan took out a disposable Flying Sword used for deliveries, stuck it to the car, and set its destination as the Burrow. After writing a note for Ron to stick to the steering wheel, he pulled the two of them out and flew back toward the Hogwarts Express.
At the same time, the Flying Sword carried the car toward the Burrow. Feeling solid ground beneath his feet again, Harry, who had narrowly escaped death, finally dared to breathe. He exchanged a smile with Ron, who was in the same state.
"Drink some water." Hermione took her small water bottle from her bag and handed it to Bing Huan. Then she glared at the two gasping boys. It was time for a lecture.
"You two!" Hermione now had quite a bit of Mrs. Weasley's bearing when she scolded George and the others. "You left the car door unlocked and didn't wear seat belts! Who taught you to drive like that, huh? Tell me exactly what happened!"
Harry and Ron immediately put on obedient expressions and explained how the entrance had been sealed, forcing them to drive illegally.
Bing Huan stepped forward and patted Hermione's back. "Take a breath, take a breath. Here, have some water too." He then turned to the two boys. "And you two—why didn't you have Hedwig send a message to Professor McGonagall? It isn't far there and back. Also, did you turn on the Invisibility Booster when you were driving?"
"Mm... The Invisibility Booster seemed to be broken." Ron scratched his head sheepishly.
Bing Huan: "...Sigh."
Hermione: ( #`⌂´)/ "You could get Uncle Arthur into serious trouble! Things from the Wizarding World can't be exposed to Muggles, especially since Uncle Arthur himself works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office!"
While Hermione continued scolding them, Bing Huan walked to the window and stuck his head out (please do not imitate the protagonist's behavior). He shouted, "Old Leng~" Before long, Bing Huan's owl flew in. He wrote a letter to Lucius, asking him to hurry to the Ministry of Magic and stall for time.
He then took out the communications device from his sect and dialed a number. "Uncle Zhang, it's me. Hahaha~ Yes, yes, it's been a while. Is everything all right at home? Good, good. My master? Same as always.
"By the way, Uncle Zhang, where are you these days? You happen to be in England on business? That's great. I have something to ask of you. It's like this—one of my classmates, he...
"Then I'll trouble you. I'll definitely bring some good tea when I visit you later. I'll send you the address in a moment. You go ahead and take care of your business."
After ending the call, Bing Huan slumped into his seat. Hermione leaned over. "Is it difficult to resolve? Maybe we should ask Headmaster Dumbledore for help." She reached out and rubbed the boy's brow.
"Don't worry. It's already arranged. I'm just not used to talking to proper elders." Bing Huan squeezed Hermione's hand to reassure her. "Uncle Zhang is the strongest debater in our Daoist sect. If he performs exceptionally... he should be able to get Fudge sent to prison."
In the Ministry of Magic courtroom, Fudge looked down at the nervous Arthur and Zhang San, who was yawning beside him. "Why is the Daoist sect getting involved in such a minor matter?"
Just as he was about to begin the hearing, Zhang San muttered beside Arthur, "Did this thing just glare at me?"
Arthur had no idea what had happened. As they parted, the Chinese gentleman who had come to help him kept saying that he had not performed well enough. Yet nothing happened to him. Instead, the next day's front-page headline read: "Minister for Magic Fudge Fined 1,000 Galleons for Poor Management."
Hogwarts.
Everyone returned to school as second-years. They were sitting in the Great Hall, waiting for the new first-years to enter and be sorted. After their marvelous adventure that afternoon, Harry and Ron only wanted a proper meal. Bing Huan was sprawled across the table.
As he put it, his energy was depleted, and he would not recover without some cuddling. Naturally, the ploy failed, and Hermione casually stuffed a chip into his mouth.
"Why is it sour?"
Hermione sniffed it, then glanced at the other dishes on the table. "It's gone bad! It seems the House-elves made nothing but British food today." The table even contained Stargazy Pie, which not even the British themselves ate.
Bing Huan curiously stuffed in another vinegar-flavored chip. For a moment, he could not tell whether the sourness came from acetic acid or sulfuric acid. Ron asked from beside him, "What does it taste like?"
"Sour and fishy. The fishiness might be the blood in my mouth."
Ron: σ(ﾟ･ﾟ*)･･･
Bing Huan exchanged several meaningful glances with his own people. Draco Malfoy even went specifically to the Ravenclaw table to bring Cho Chang over. Everyone quietly slipped into an empty classroom, where Bing Huan took out a pile of prepared ingredients and another pile of dipping sauces.
He brought out a four-section hot pot, set it over a flame, and placed four broths inside: spicy red oil, mushroom, clear soup, and tomato. "I thought we'd be able to slack off today, but I didn't expect the school to be this twisted. I don't need to teach you how to eat hot pot again, do I? Mix your own dipping sauce, then dig in!"
By the end of the meal, the ten of them had devoured more than twenty pounds of meat and countless vegetables. Fred rubbed his stomach. "Food from China really is the best."
George said, "I'm definitely going to China someday!"
Cedric said, "It's a shame Percy can't eat any."
Wood said, "Nothing we can do. He's a Prefect and has to stay at his post. Speaking of which, Harry, we start training tomorrow. We'll also be busy selecting new members in a few days, so we can't fall behind."
That was very much like Wood. Harry could only resign himself to it. Draco, meanwhile, gloated. "Keep practicing, Potter. Don't let me beat you when the time comes."
"You have to make the team first."
"Tch."
When they checked the time, it was almost time to return to their common rooms. Under Percy's resentful gaze, everyone slipped into the line. Fred cheerfully moved closer to him. "That's what you get for being such a proud Prefect, Percy."
Watching this scene, Ron felt that although this year's return to school had been dangerous, it had at least ended perfectly. From here on, they could finally enjoy their school life, right?
The next day, while everyone was eating breakfast, the owl from Ron's family dragged its heavy body over and collapsed in front of them.
"Oh no!"
"It's fine. It's still alive." Hermione poked Errol with a finger.
"No! I mean this!" Ron pointed at the red letter in the owl's beak. Harry was still confused, but Neville beside him immediately looked as though he were facing a great enemy.
"That's a Howler. My grandmother sent me one before, but I ignored it... It was terrifying."
Smoke began rising from the letter's corners, as if counting down the time left in Ron's life. With a trembling hand, Ron carefully opened it. In an instant, a tremendous voice filled the entire Great Hall.
"Ronald Weasley! How dare you steal that car! You're going to drive me mad! If someone hadn't helped, your father would still be under investigation by the Ministry. I'm warning you, if you do anything outrageous again, I'll come and take you home! #@￥%**&"
The barrage of words left even Colin, who had come to take pictures of Harry, completely dumbfounded.
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