The Whomping Willow
The summer ended too quickly, on the last night of August, Gilbert and Harvey prepared a sumptuous dinner, to celebrate Luz. The girls went to sleep with the delicious taste of a treacle pudding, made by Gord. They woke up the next morning very early.
“Goodbye grandpa” Willow said to Gord, the man hugged his granddaughter and kissed her forehead “Goodbye mom” Willow waved at the portrait which waved back. “Goodbye Mister Park, thank you for your hospitality” Luz said and to her surprise, the man nodded.
Gord would stay and open the shop while Harvey and Gilbert sent them off to school “Okay, I do have a question, how are we going to get four people, two trunks, and King to King’s Cross?” Harvey had the solution: a Green Ford Anglia was parked in his shed.
When Harvey opened the boot, it was revealed to be much larger than a normal one, so the trunks would fit easily. Luz only understood why they woke up so early when Harvey drove out of the garden. The Grove was, as the name suggested, in the middle of a forest, so they had to drive a lot and carefully to get to the main street.
“So, Mister Park” Luz said about an hour after, they were still in the deep forest “Why do you have a muggle car in your backyard?” Harvey was too focused on driving through the forest so Gilbert responded to her.
“Harvey works in the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, a division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement” He explained “Department is an exaggeration, it’s more like an office. Until two years ago only three people worked there and now only two do… It’s maybe the most boring job at the Ministry” Willow whispered to Luz.
“Two years ago, this car was confiscated and the head of the department tried to break the many charms it has” Harvey finally spoke when they reached the main street; it has been 2 hours since they left The Grove.
“A wizarding family had bought this car and enchanted it with numerous charms. The head of my department tried to break the enchantments, but he activated the protection jinxes and curses, he was forced to retire due to his injuries and I became the head wizard. I took the car back home so I could try and undo the work of the previous owners” Harvey explained.
Only when Luz slept in the car and woke up and they were still on the road was when she understood how far from London the Parks really lived. They had some inconveniences along the way, mainly the girls wanting to use the bathroom and drink something. Luz noticed that the Parks could pass as muggles very well.
10:40 was the time when they arrived at King’s Cross and five to Eleven was when they reached the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 “Come on girls, we’re going to be late!” Gilbert and Harvey rushed through the station with Willow and Luz right behind. They vanished casually leaving the girls on the muggle side.
“Let’s go together, we only have one minute” Willow said to Luz. Luz made sure that King’s cage was safely wedged on top of her trunk and fully covered, she wheeled her trolley about to face the barrier. They bent low over the handles of their trolleys and walked towards the barrier, gathering speed a few feet away they broke into a run and CRASH.
They hit the barrier and bounced backward. Their things fell to the floor, King’s cage bounced onto the shining floor and he rolled away shrieking indignantly “What in blazes do you think you’re doing?” A guard asked them, as they became the center of attention of most people.
“Lost control of the trolleys” Luz gasped clutching her ribs as she got up. Willow ran to pick up King “Why can’t we get through?” Luz whispered to Willow “I don’t know. The gate seal itself” Willow looked up at the giant clock “Oh no… Three seconds left” She said gloomily.
Luz placed her hand on the barrier, she tried to force it but the wall was still solid “We lost it…” Willow said in a somber tone. People still looked at them, they had no idea how and when the Parks would come back “I think we should go wait by the car” Willow’s eyes gleamed.
“Yes, the car, we can use it to get to Hogwarts, come on Luz” Willow rushed away and Luz followed “But how are we going to get to Hogwarts in a car?” Outside the station, Willow opened the car’s boot and shoved her things inside.
“Willow! What are you doing?” Luz yelled “If we’re fast, we might be able to follow the train” Willow said taking Luz’s things and putting them inside the car “And how are we going to do that?” Luz asked confused, they couldn’t drive in the tracks and there was no road alongside it, not to mention the speed difference.
“Along with being bigger on the inside, this car can also fly!” Willow explained and Luz’s jaw dropped “With it, we can follow the train and get to Hogwarts!” Luz blinked “But, we are underage” Willow looked at her friend “We’re stuck, we need to get to school don’t we?” Luz nodded.
“Even underage witches are allowed to use magic in case of a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy ...’" Luz’s panic turned suddenly to excitement “Can you fly it?” She asked and Willow nodded proudly.
Willow took the driver’s seat and Luz the passenger seat “Let’s see, you press this” Suddenly the windows became black “They can’t see us but we can see them. And then this” The engine started “Check if someone’s watching” Luz stuck her head out the window and looked around.
“The street it’s empty” Luz said “Perfect” Willow pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard and the car around them vanished and so did they “What?” Luz asked mesmerized “It can also become invisible, forgot to mention that” The car flew away, the streets and the building dropping out of sight.
They were a few meters away from the sea of clouds above them when the car flicked back, becoming visible again “Oh no… Hold on!” Willow slammed her foot on the accelerator and shot straight to the low wooly clouds and everything became dull and foggy.
“We need to find the train” Luz said and Willow nodded. The car dip back down and the girls twisted around their seats, squinting at the ground “I can see it! It’s right ahead!” Like a scarlet snake, the Hogwarts Express streaked along below them.
Every half an hour or so, they would dip down to check the train. Soon the once dreamlike trip with a wonderful view, of the blue sky the blazing sun, and the sea of clouds, became very dull and uncomfortable.
Without anything to eat or drink and the ever-increasing heat, Luz couldn’t be more eager to finish the trip. They had pulled off their jumpers, but Luz’s t-shirt was sticking to the back of the seat and Willow’s glasses kept sliding down to the end of her sweaty nose.
“Why couldn’t we cross the barrier?” Luz groaned that same question many times, trying to get to some conclusion. The sun was beginning to set when they heard the engine beginning to whine, the two girls exchanged nervous glances “It’s just tired…” Willow said “It never flew so much before…” They pretended not to notice as the whining grew louder.
The sky became dark, the stars shine bright above them and the cold wind now blew. Luz pulled her jumper back on, trying to ignore the way the windscreen wipers were now waving feebly as though in protest “Not far now” Willow said, more to the car than to Luz.
They flew in the darkness a bit more before Luz spotted the giant castle by the shores of The Black Lake. The car began to shudder and lose speed “Come on, nearly there” Willow gently shake the steering wheel, the engine groaned, and narrow jets of steam were issued forth from under the bonnet.
The car suddenly dove forwards at high speed, Luz found herself lifting a couple of centimeters from her seat while Willow tried to stop the car from crashing into the lake “Come on!” Willow pressed the brake pedal and swung the steering wheel with all her might.
The car bounced on the surface of the lake, flew back up for a few moments, and missed the stone walls of the castle by centimeters “Brace for impact!” Willow yelled seconds before the car, after nearly dodging the greenhouses, hit a huge tree.
With an ear-splitting bang of metal on wood, the car came to a stop and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. King shrieked in terror as the girls recovered, Willow’s glass had cracked and a golf-ball-sized lump was throbbing on her head, where she hid the wheel.
Luz heard a faint crack noise from her pocket, she reached inside and pulled out her staff in its ‘hidden mode’, while at it the wooden cane was gone leaving only the metallic wing and the red gem “Oh no…” She let out a low despairing groan “Are you okay?” Willow said urgently.
“My staff…” Said Luz in a shaking voice, a small crack was visible in the red gem and a faint sound, similar to an electric current, was coming from it. Before Willow could say that they probably could fix it in school, something hit Luz’s side of the car like a charging bull.
Luz was sent lurching sideways into Willow just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof “What’s happe--” She gasped, staring through the windshield, and Luz looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach.
The tree continued to hail down blows in the car, deforming the doors and cracking the windows “We’re done for” Willow moaned, she tried to burst the door open but a branch send her back viciously to Luz’s lap.
But suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating again, the engine, which had died before the impact with the huge tree, had restarted “Reverse!” Luz yelled and the car shot backward. The tree didn’t stop trying to hit them as they could hear the branches hitting the ground behind the Ford Anglia “That… Was… Close… Good job car” Willow said huffing when they got out of the tree’s range.
But the car had reached the end of its tether, and with two smart clunks the door flew open, and the seat tip sideways, launching the girls to the ground. Loud thuds told them that the car had just ejected their luggage from the booth.
King’s cage flew through the air and burst open, he crawled out and gave both girls and the car an angry shout and spit off towards the castle without a backward look. The car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.
“Come back!” Willow yelled but the car disappeared from view with one last snort “Dad’s going to kill me…” Willow started collecting her stuff “Of all the innumerous trees in this place, we hit one that can hit back?! How bad it’s our luck?” Luz looked back at the tree which was still flailing its branch threatening them.
Stiff, cold and bruised they walked towards the castle, dragging their trunks “The feast must have started already” Said Willow, dropping her trunk at the foot of the steps of the oak front doors. They peeked inside through a window, they could see inside the Great Hall and the new students in front of the high table.
Eda had just put the stool before the newcomers when they realized someone was missing “Where’s Lilith?” Luz asked “Who knows? Maybe she’s ill” Willow said hopefully “Maybe she left because she missed out on the ‘Defense against the Dark Arts’ job again” Luz said “Or, she might have been sacked. I mean, everyone hates her” Said Willow enthusiastically.
“Or maybe” Said a very cold voice right behind them “She’s waiting to hear why you two didn’t arrive on the school train” Luz spun around, and there stood Lilith with a frown on her face, worse than any Luz had ever seen.
Without saying a single word, Lilith walked away and the two followed her in complete silence. They were heading to the dungeons, far away from the warm and the food of the Great Hall, she pointed at a door and the girls entered. It was Lilith’s office.
The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, which floated all manner of revolting things Luz didn’t really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Lilith closed the door and turned to look at them.
“So, the train isn’t good enough for the great Luz Noceda and her faithful sidekick Park?” Lilith said “Wanted to arrive with a bang didn’t we girls?” Luz opened her mouth to talk, but the look on Lilith’s face said enough, she stayed in silence.
“What have you done with the car?” Willow gulped, once again Lilith gave Luz the impression that she could read their minds, but soon she understood. Lilith unrolled today’s issue of the ‘Evening Prophet’ “You were seen by no less than seven Muggles!” Lilith was practically shoving the paper on their faces.
“Your father works in the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts?” She asked Willow “His own daughter” Luz felt as if the mad tree had just hit her in the gut, what would happen if the Ministry discovered that Harvey was using an artifact he was supposed to be fixing it? Could he be fired? Luz was now somehow feeling even worse.
“Not to mention, of course, the damage you two caused to a very valuable Whomping Willow” – “That tree caused more damage to us than we…” – “Silence, Park” Lilith snapped “I assure you that were you in Slytherin, and your fate rested with me… The both of you would be on the train home, tonight! As it is…” Luz and Willow lowered their heads.
“They are not Sis” Edalyn entered the room, behind her someone stood outside the door, someone Luz hadn’t met yet. With a wave of her Palisman, Eda lit the fireplace in Lilith’s office, she set down in a chair “Please, sit down both of you” The girls did just that.
“Explain” Eda said softly. Willow launched into the story, starting with the barrier not letting them pass “We had no choice, professor, we couldn’t get on the train” Eda raised her hand and Willow stopped talking “Why didn’t you send us a message via crow? Or even a letter through your Palisman Miss Park?” Now that she said it, it seemed so obvious.
Luz’s body went numb, Edalyn was looking unusually grave. A knock on the door led to Principal Bump entering the room. He and the two Clawthorne were now all staring down at them and Luz found herself wishing that she and Willow were still be beating up by the Whomping Willow.
“Please, restart the explanation” Bump said. Luz would have preferred if the teacher were shouting at her, the disappointment in both their eyes and voices was something Luz hated to feel. Luz told them everything, except that Harvey was the owner of the car, making it sound as though they just so happen to find a flying car parked outside the station.
Even though it was an obvious lie, neither Bump nor Edalyn asked any question about the car itself. When she finished the story, the silence stayed in the room until “We are going to get our stuff” Said Willow in a hopeless tone.
“That won’t be necessary” Edalyn said pressing the bridge of her nose “Aren’t we expelled?” Luz asked turning to Bump “Not today, but I must impress upon both of you the seriousness of what you have done” Bump said “I’ll be writing to both your families tonight” Eda added.
“I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I’ll have no choice but to expel you” Bump said seriously. Lilith looked as though someone had just canceled her birthday party “Principal Bump” She cleared her throat “These girls have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Under-aged Wizardry, and damaged a valuable tree that’s been on this grounds even before they were born” Lilith argued.
“Edalyn will be the one who will decide on the girls' punishment, Lilith” Bump said calmly “They are in the house, and therefore her responsibility… I must go back to the feast, I have to give out a few notices, come, Lilith” Bump left with the potions master.
“You better go to your common room, and I’ll be taking one hundred” – “Professor, when we took the car, the term hadn’t started… so Gryffindor shouldn’t have points taken from it should it?” Eda thought for a moment and, for less than a second, a smile formed in her mouth “I’ll not be taking points from Gryffindor this time, but I will give detention to both of you” Things could be worse at least.
Luz could only imagine what her mother would think after she had promised her not to get into trouble and not even a single day in and she had already got detention. With another flick of her Palisman, a golden plate with sandwiches, two silver goblets and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared on Lilith’s table.
“You’ll eat here and go straight to your dormitory, I must also return to the feast” Edalyn exclaimed and walked away. Only then did the girls breathe normally again, they couldn’t believe how lucky and unlucky they were, as the car stayed in the possession of its original wizard family for nearly 30 years, and never they were spotted flying.
After eating as many sandwiches as they could, since the plate refilled every time they ate the last one. They climbed back to the Gryffindor tower, there by the entrance they met with a furious Gus, who demanded an explanation.
Not wanting to hear another lecture, they made him say the password that swung the portrait of the Fat Lady open, but before they could do anything, they were pulled inside by the rest of the Gryffindor house.
“Brilliant! Inspiring! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow. People will be talking about that for years!” Said Amber Pilulip. Even people Luz had never spoken to came to congratulate her. Someone even tapped her back as if she had just won a marathon.
Edric and Emira pushed their way through the crowd “Oh man, I wish we had arrived a litter later in the Platform, we could have come with you” Emira said “Next time, you two invite us” Edric added and Luz was scarlet in the face. Not everyone was happy though; their Prefect was trying to get close to them to tell them off.
“Got to get upstairs, a bit tired” Luz said and she and Willow pushed their way towards the staircase “Night” They said to Gus, who had a scowl just like their Prefect. At last, they reached the door of their old dormitory that now had a sign that said ‘Second-years’. Once inside they didn’t get time to rest because the door flew open and other girls came in.
“Unbelievable!” Beamed Star Butterfly “So cool” Said Gloria Ironsmith. The fours busted into laughter as the whole adventure finally sunk in.