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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫
TOM WOKE CHLOE, the next morning, with his usual toothless grin and a cup of tea.
Chloe got dressed and was just persuading a disgruntled Hedwig to get back into her cage when Ron banged his way into the room, pulling a sweatshirt over his head and looking irritable.
"The sooner we get on the train, the better. At least I can get away from Percy at Hogwarts. Now he's accusing me of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. You know," grimaced Ron, "his girlfriend. She's hidden her face under the frame because her nose has gone all blotchy.."
"I've got something to tell you," said Chloe, but was interrupted by Fred an George, who had looked in to congratulate Ron on infuriating Percy again.
They headed down to breakfast. Arthur Weasley was reading the front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Molly was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl. They were rather giggly.
"What were you saying?" Ron asked Chloe, sitting down. "Later." She whispered, as Percy stormed in.
Chloe had no chance to speak to Ron or Hermione in the chaos of leaving; they were too busy heaving all their trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages. A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly.
"It's all right, Crookshanks. I'll let you out on the train." Hermione cooed, through the wickerwork.
"You won't! What about poor Scabbers, eh?" Ron asked, pointing at his chest. A large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket.
Arthur, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside. "They're here. Chloe, come on." He urged, marching Chloe across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of two old- fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive wizard wearing a suit of emerald velvet. "In you get, Chloe," said Arthur, glancing up and down the crowded street.
In the back of the car, Chloe was shortly joined by Hermione, Ron, and, to Ron's disgust, Percy.
The journey to King's Cross was very uneventful compared with Chloe's trip on the Knight Bus.
The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary, though Chloe noticed they could slide through gaps Vernon's new company car couldn't have.
They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley and drove away, somehow jumping to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.
Arthur kept close to Chloe's elbow all the way into the station. "Right then," he said, glancing around them. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Chloe."
