"The wonder of magic..." Mr. Granger tried to hide his feelings behind a smile, but he could not conceal the bitterness at the corners of his mouth. "Yes! This is the wonder of magic—something Muggles could never imagine!"
"Why are we suddenly getting all sentimental?" Xenophilius said. "Muggles have plenty of amazing things too, like... airplanes! They carry so many people at once, yet they can actually fly!"
"Cars too!" Fred and George chimed in from the side. "When Dad took that car apart, he said Muggles were incredible!"
Mr. Granger picked up his teacup and took a small sip.
Though he knew they were only trying to comfort him, the bitterness he had kept buried in his heart eased considerably because of their words.
"That's right!" Ron agreed. "Dad spent loads of time and effort making that car fly. But think about an airport..."
"How many airplanes are in an airport? And they're all huge! Our car could carry one family at most, but an airplane can carry hundreds of people!"
"Cough, cough, cough!" Mr. Granger choked on his tea. The comfort he had felt earlier vanished considerably after Ron's attempt at "comforting" him.
Functionally speaking, airplanes were made specifically for flying, while cars were meant for traveling on the ground. They were supposed to serve their own purposes.
Yet after being modified by wizards, a car could actually fly, and even carry seven or eight people at once. Wasn't that completely absurd?
He now had reason to suspect that if wizards modified a motorcycle, they would probably make it fly too. And if he dared to imagine a little further, perhaps the motorcycle might even shoot fire from its exhaust pipe.
Sirius Black asked with concern, "Wendell, are you all right?"
"I'm fine!" Mr. Granger set down his