Chapter 99: You need my help (Edited)

The three boarded the carriage and, although it was not full, it still began to move slowly forward.

With the squeak of the wheels, the carriage slowly made its way towards Hogwarts.

Tom opened the windows, letting the faint smell of mildew and straw dissipate in the wind. Soon the magnificent cast iron gates of Hogwarts came into view. It was the first time Tom had seen the main entrance to Hogwarts, having crossed the lake by boat in first year.

The main entrance is flanked by several stone pillars, topped by a carved boar with wings.

It is said that the four like-minded founders met and vowed to build the best school of magic in the world. Later, Rowena Ravenclaw is said to have dreamed one night that she was lured by a boar to a cliff by a lake. In her dream, she observed the terrain and felt that it was a place of great beauty in the landscape. So the next morning, she followed the path of her dream and finally found the place she had dreamed of, and founded Hogwarts there with her friends.

Well, the boar is a r, which makes sense in reverse. But another legend that doesn't make as much sense is that the Hogwarts grounds are owned by Slytherin.

You know how Ravenclaw followed the route he took in his dream, and it turns out that this land is owned by Salazar Slytherin? That's a coincidence, isn't it?

So there are two possibilities, one is that Slytherin invited his friends to his land and Ravenclaw will end up finding the place. Then, the Slytherin would have had a fight with his friends and run away from home, or got kicked out of his house...

To be honest, if that's the case, Slytherin is a bit miserable.

But the second possibility is more likely: that Slytherin bought the land after Ravenclaw found the place. Although Hogwarts, in later times, was huge: a lake, flat land, a castle, and a huge forbidden forest, but Slytherin probably didn't pay a lot of money, maybe even got it for free.

Think, after all, of the Scottish Highlands in the 11th century. The Scottish rulers in the 11th century were in a cycle of infighting - change of kings - war with England - infighting - and there were so many different kings that there was no time for anything else, and the Slytherin could have really taken advantage of the situation and taken over the lands - using spells of obfuscation, Imperius and the like.

Anyway, the four then joined forces and enchanted the land, hiding Hogwarts. And when they did, naturally, they didn't have to pay.

The carriage went through the gates and ended up passing under the castle. The young wizards entered, into the brightly lit Great Dining Hall.

...

At that moment, Harry and Ron were still in heaven.

If Harry had ever seen stinky tofu, he would have thought he was bathed in stinky tofu, but he had not seen this oriental delicacy, instead he had seen blue cheese and canned herring. Harry felt that the Ford now smelled like a mixture of blue cheese and canned herring.

A choking stench.

The windows were open, naturally, but the fresh air coming through them did not remove the lingering stench. If they hadn't been in the air, they would have been tempted to open the door.

Ron's eyes were filled with tears, and he really felt the injustice of fate at this moment. The same students, some of whom could sit comfortably in the carriage, sipping cold pumpkin juice. But he had to drive in a smelly environment.

Ancient wisdom: when a house is in trouble, it's a bad time, and when a ship is late, it's a bad time. Often, one bad event is followed by a second bad event, as when someone's flight home melts down and they find to their surprise that their rented apartment has been given away...

The three of them faced this situation: the Ford's engine groaned.

"It's very tired, it's never flown that far before." explained Ron uneasily, but he suspected that it was sewage that had caused the problem.

The sky was darkening and stars were appearing in the night sky. Harry put on his robe, and by now the wipers were waving in front of the windshield, a silent protest from the Ford.

But the protest was futile. Harry and Ron had to get to Hogwarts.

At last, Hogwarts Castle was on the horizon, and the Ford was on the edge, its engine emitting a whining sound, steam rising from the hood, and Ron was desperate: there was nothing he could do. He could do nothing but grab the steering wheel and whisper a plea for the Ford to hold on a little longer.

Harry's heart almost stopped as the car ploughed through the air across the surface of the Black Lake: if the car plunged into the lake, all three of them would die here today. As Harry tried to remember how to swim, the car passed over the lake and then shut down.

The car continued its inertia, but at the same time it was falling rapidly. It took all of Ron's strength to steer the car over the greenhouse and over the orchard...

Boom! The car swung violently and crashed into a tree. The car was a mess, Harry had hit the windshield, Hedwig was screaming at the top of her lungs and Lockhart's teeth were biting his lip, his mouth was full of blood... Ron got the worst of it, his wand was broken and only a few pieces of wood remained attached.

To make matters worse, they soon discovered that the tree they had hit appeared to be alive. A branch the thickness of a python lunged furiously at the car, causing the Ford to escape.

Finally, the Ford managed to escape from the Boxing Willow before it was smashed to pieces. But it reached the end of its patience with its passengers: they were ejected from the seats, along with their luggage.

The car steamed and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Ron watched in despair as the car's taillights disappeared from sight.

After breaking his wand and losing the car, he could no longer see his future.

When a man fell into a hole, someone would often step forward and kick him deeper. Lockhart wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and approached Ron, "Do you need my help? Don't worry, it's a simple spell!".

He pulled out his wand, and with a swoosh, Ron's wand snapped completely in two.

"Come on." Lockhart smiled awkwardly, got up and left.

Harry and Ron struggled to carry the broken briefcase towards the school. Harry tried to use the levitation spell, but his spell wasn't strong enough to propel such heavy cases.

When they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Lockhart had fallen behind, but when Harry looked back at Lockhart, all he could see was Lockhart pointing his wand at the two of them.

He grinned cheerfully, "(Obliviate)!"