That evening, Mrs. Weasley threw a small celebration in the kitchen for Hermione and Ron, congratulating them on being made prefects.
The next morning, they all rushed frantically to catch the train.
Fred and George attempted to charm their trunks to fly downstairs automatically, but the cases crashed into Ginny as they entered the hall, knocking her flat. Mrs. Black's portrait and the very real Mrs. Weasley began shrieking simultaneously:
"—you could have injured Ginny, you pair of idiots—"
"—filthy half-breeds, contaminating my ancestral home—"
Orli had packed first and escaped to the kitchen with a sandwich. Ron struggled with his shirt buttons while Harry wrestled with his owl, creating absolute chaos. Crookshanks perched on Hermione's shoulder, tugging mercilessly at her hair, while at the other end of the table, Dryncorpse sat fat and dignified in his cage, fixing the entire chaotic scene with a deeply disdainful stare from his large eyes.
"Is everyone ready?" Mrs. Weasley bellowed. "For Merlin's sake, if you've forgotten anything, I haven't got time to come back and find it!"
"Are we leaving?" Harry asked, finally managing to get Hedwig secured in her cage.
"Nearly, but Moody insists on waiting for more people," Hermione said. "He says we're too lightly guarded."
"Guard?" Harry said. "We have to have a guard to go to King's Cross Station?"
"You have to have a guard to go to King's Cross Station," Hermione corrected him.
"Why?" Harry said irritably. "I thought Voldemort was keeping a low profile lately. Does Moody think he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin and finish me off?"
"I don't know, that's what Mad-Eye said," Hermione replied absently, checking her watch. "But if we don't leave soon, we're definitely going to miss the train..."
"All of you, into the hall now! Quickly!" Mrs. Weasley roared. Hermione jumped as if scalded, and they all rushed out together.
Each child was assigned an Order member—Harry went with Moody, while Orli accompanied Mrs. Weasley. Snape, of course, wouldn't appear at such occasions, nor would he be assigned such duties. This was entirely within her expectations.
They all dispersed along different routes, and about twenty minutes later, Orli and Mrs. Weasley arrived at King's Cross Station on foot. They passed through the barrier onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood steaming, surrounded by students and their families preparing to board.
The familiar scene filled Orli with genuine relief.
Harry and his group had already arrived, and minutes later, Mr. Weasley appeared with Ron and Hermione, followed by Tonks with Fred, George, and Ginny.
"Any trouble?" Moody's magical eye was concealed beneath a large hat.
"None," Arthur replied.
"Right then, Harry, stay alert," Moody said, clapping Harry on the shoulder. Harry kept staring at the platform entrance, and Orli could guess what he was waiting for—Sirius and Lupin, who hadn't been seen for ages since learning about Regulus.
A warning whistle sounded, and students still on the platform began hurrying aboard the train.
"Quick, quick," Mrs. Weasley said frantically, hugging children at random and embracing both Harry and Orli twice. "Write... take care of yourselves!... Now get on the train, hurry..."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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