Chapter 98 - Naughty little elf

With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, their car smashed into the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood. Harry's poor owl was shrieking in terror and banging on his cage trying to get out of the car and as far as it could from this place.

Meanwhile, Harry was trying to fight the pain as a golf-ball-sized lump was throbbing on his head where he had hit the windshield. And to his right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan.

"Are you okay?" Harry said scared that his friend might be badly injured.

"My wand," Ron muttered in a barely audible yet shaky voice. "Look at my wand…"

When Harry turned his head to look at the wand… what he saw made him pity his friend. Ron's wand had snapped, almost in two with its tip dangling limply, held on by a few hopes and dreams.

Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they'd be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a full-speed truck, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just another, slightly weaker heavy blow hit the roof, caving it ever so slightly inwards.

"What's happened ?"

Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry 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.

Harry and Ron scrambled to get out of the car, but the doors were jammed by the force of the impact. They tried to kick them open, but the tree was relentless. It smashed its branches against the windows, cracking the glass and denting the metal. Both boys panicked when they realized that they were trapped.

"Accio wand!" Harry shouted, hoping to summon his wand from the back seat. But nothing happened. A second later Harry face palmed himself, remembering that he had left his wand in his trunk, along with the rest of his stuff.

"Ron, can you do anything?" he pleads, turning to his friend.

Ron shook his head miserably. He held up his broken wand, which was now emitting sparks and smoke. "It's useless," he said. "It won't work properly. I can't even do a simple spell."

"Maybe we can climb out of the sunroof," Harry suggested, looking up at the small opening above them.

They pushed the button to open it, but it only moved an inch before it got stuck. The tree had bent the frame, blocking their only escape route.

"Great," Ron said sarcastically. "Now what?"

"The trunk! We can escape from there!" Harry shouted as he dragged Ron towards the back, but they had to crawl over the seats and reached for the trunk release lever. They pulled it hard, but it didn't budge.

"It's jammed too!" Harry said.

"Try again! Harder!" Ron said.

They pulled it again and again, but it was no use. The trunk was locked tight, most likely the tree smashed the trunk too sealing it shut.

"Maybe we can break it open," Harry said.

He looked around for something to use as a weapon. As soon as he saw a tire iron under the driver's seat, Harry grabbed it and swung it at the trunk. The boy hit it with all his strength, but it only made a dent.

"Come on!" he said.

He hit it again and again and again, but it was like hitting a brick wall. The trunk was too sturdy for Harry or Ron to break with a mere tire iron.

Meanwhile, the tree was not giving up. It continued to batter the car with its branches, making loud thuds and cracks. The car was slowly but surely being crushed by the tree's force.

Harry and Ron felt the pressure increasing on them. They heard the metal creaking and groaning. They saw the windows shattering and the roof collapsing. They felt the air getting thinner and hotter.

They were running out of time.

"Help!" Harry shouted.

"Help!" Ron echoed.

Just as the tree's branches were about to crush the car completely, a powerful spell hit the tree and forced it to drop the car to the ground. The two boys felt a sudden jolt and then relief as the pressure was lifted.

"Did you see that?" Harry asked.

"Someone saved us!" Ron said.

They looked out of the broken windows and saw a bright flash of light coming from the direction of the school. They heard a voice shouting a spell they had never heard before.

"Arboris Cessare!"

The tree stopped moving and became still and silent as if it had been frozen in place.

Harry and Ron wondered who had cast the spell and if maybe just maybe they too could learn that spell since it seemed quite useful for this kind of situation.

A minute later, the left back door was pried open and the first person the two boys saw was Snape, together with McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. They looked angry, worried, and relieved at the same time, which kind of scared the two boys for a good reason.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, are you all right?" McGonagall asked.

Madam Pomfrey pushed past them and checked them for any injuries. She waved her wand over them and muttered some healing spells.

"You're lucky to be alive if we were just a minute late…" she said. "You have some bruises and cuts, but nothing serious."

She gave them each a chocolate frog and told them to eat it.

"It will help with the shock," she said.

Not wanting to give them any time to make a lie, Snape glared at them with his usual disdain.

"What were you thinking, driving a car into the Forbidden Forest?"

Harry and Ron look at each other as if they were just caught stealing from the Ministry. They didn't know how to explain their situation without getting into more trouble or worse ending with Arthur fired and sent to Azkaban. So, before Snape could get any angry at the two idiots who drove a car into one of the biggest trees, they decided to tell them a half-truth one that hopefully will save them from a fate worse than death.

"We… we got lost," Harry said.

"Yeah, we got lost," Ron repeated shaking his head furiously.

Snape snorted. He by God only a fool would buy their story, but he didn't press them further, mostly because nothing too bad had happened or maybe because his favorite student was the one who came to them and informed them about this unforeseen incident that will definitely happen. Thought the man had to admit, that for a bunch of barely second-year students, Grayson, Greengrass, and Granger were quite smart for their own good to the point that all three of them managed to some degree to guess that Potter and Weasleys will somehow end up in this area in a magical car nevertheless.

He looked at the car and shook his head.

"This is supposed to be a Muggle vehicle, isn't it?" Snape asked wanting to inquire about this seemingly impossible contraption.

Harry and Ron nodded nervously making Snape sneer once more.

"How did you get your hands on such a thing?"

Harry and Ron hesitated. They didn't want to implicate Arthur, who had enchanted the car to fly so they decided to tell another half-truth.

"We… we borrowed it," Harry said.

"Yeah, we borrowed it," Ron repeated.

Snape raised an eyebrow and he looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he was interrupted by McGonagall.

"Severus, this is not the time for interrogation," she said. "We need to get them back inside the school."

She looked at Harry and Ron sternly.

"However, you two will have a lot of explaining to do later," she said. "But for now, let's go."

McGonagall, Snape, and Madam Pomfrey then lead Harry and Ron toward the group of students who had come with them out here. Other than Thomas and his roommates the others were worried or shocked to see what just happened.

When Harry and Ron saw Thomas, Hermione, James, Adam, Michael, Fred, and George Weasley and the three unknown girls, both of them let out a sigh knowing very well that if not for them, the two could have been killed by the angry tree.

Harry and Ron smiled weakly at their friends and tried to act like nothing was wrong.

They found out soon enough. As they walked towards the group, they heard someone say:

"Hey, guys, are you okay?"

Thomas was the first one to approach them, worried that Snape and McGonagall didn't arrive in time, but as soon as he took a closer look at them his expression soften, and both boys could see that he was relieved to see them in one piece.

Harry and Ron looked at Thomas in confusion. How did he know they were not on the train? And who were the three girls with them?

"Thomas, how did you…" Harry started to ask, but Thomas cut him off.

"Later, Harry, later," he said quickly. "I'll tell you something when we get back to the castle. Thought long story short..." He stopped and pointed at Hermione, who was standing next to him with a worried look on her face.

"Hermione was the one who told me you two were missing from the train. She said that you two didn't even board the train. I had a bad feeling about it, and when Hermione told me that not even the Twins saw you two in the station, I knew that something happened."

Thomas then pointed at one of the girls, who had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a Slytherin badge on her robes. "She's Daphne Greengrass. She's in our year, and as Hermione and I were talking about you two, Daphne overheard us talking and offered to help. She went to Snape and told him what we knew. He didn't believe her at first, but she convinced him to come with us. Meanwhile, our Miss first place here went for Professor McGonagall and told her the same story Daphne told Professor Snape, while I went to ask Madam Pomfrey for help in case you two idiots were injured."

Harry and Ron were speechless. They were their friends but still, the two boys couldn't believe that these people had risked so much for, especially Daphne Greengrass, who was a Slytherin.

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely. "Thank you all."

Ron nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thanks a lot," he said. "We owe you big time."

As they were about to follow Snape and McGonagall back to the castle, Harry and Ron felt their stomachs growl.

"Um, Professor," Harry said timidly. "Can we… can we go to the Great Hall first? We're really hungry."

Snape glared at him as if he wanted to hex him on the spot. "Absolutely not, Potter," he snapped. "You have caused enough trouble for one day. You will come with us to the Headmaster's office and explain yourselves."

"But Professor," Ron protested. "We haven't eaten anything other than sweets since this morning. We need some food."

Snape looked like he was about to explode, but before he could say anything, McGonagall intervened. "Severus, calm down," she said. "The Headmaster did say that we should let them eat something before bringing them to him. They are still children, after all."

Snape looked like he wanted to argue, but he knew better than to disobey Dumbledore. He sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine," he said. "But make it quick. And don't think this will save you from punishment. You two are in serious trouble."

He then turned to the others and spoke. "And you lot, don't think you're off the hook either. You will also come with us to the Headmaster's office after you finish your meal. I want to know how you got involved in this mess."

Snape then gestured for them to follow him and McGonagall to the Great Hall, where they could get some food.

'It could have been worse.' Thomas thought as he slowed his pace, feeling a gaze lingering on him before quickly moving onto Harry's back.

[That little creature with pointy ears is watching you, Thomas.]

'I know Bahamut, I know. I can feel its gaze on me thanks to your training.'

[But I have to admit, it is strange to see this conflicted creature doing its best to ensure that your unfortunate friend will not attend this school. Be careful of the so-called Dark Lord since I'm more than sure that weakling will be back and this time not alone.]

'Any suggestions?'

[Get strong, maybe try to push past the bottom of the middle rank this year.]

Thomas didn't say anything since he knew why Bahamut didn't force him to train like a manic over the summer. His body needed rest, not to mention that for a human boy of barely 12 years old, he was already a monster in terms of his strength. Not to mention that Mars was preparing something for the second ritual that he needs to undergo so that he could properly utilize the boosts he would slowly gain as he grow up.

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