Chapter 473: The Irritable Tonks

Early the next morning, everyone gathered in front of The Burrow, ready to head to King's Cross Station.

Soon, a blue Ministry car approached. Normally, these cars were hard to come by, but when Fudge heard Harry was staying with the Weasleys, he ensured they got the best one. It was his way of returning a favor. Since Harry had kept silent about the assassination attempt after leaving the Ministry, it saved them significant trouble. Lending a car to get to the station seemed like a fair trade—and besides, it was safer this way.

The Ministry had confirmed that the employee who tried to kill Harry had indeed been under the Imperius Curse. To prevent any further incidents before Harry returned to Hogwarts, Fudge even assigned an Auror to drive them. However, the chosen Auror, Tonks, didn't inspire much confidence.

With her fiery red hair and clearly foul mood, Tonks spent the entire drive muttering or outright cursing. She even berated Bill for not helping her shout at a driver who cut them off. Ginny, sitting right behind her, hugged her arms and shivered, barely daring to breathe for fear that Tonks might turn on her next.

No one spoke much on the way—starting school again was bittersweet enough without a grumpy driver. The car remained eerily silent until, at last, they pulled up at King's Cross Station.

Tonks was the first to hop out, and the moment she opened the door, her hair shifted from red to a bright bubblegum pink. "We're here," she said, smiling as she tapped the car door. "Everyone out—don't forget your luggage."

Without a word, they all climbed out, retrieved their trunks from the boot, and made their way toward the station. Not a single person spoke, not even Fred and George, usually the loudest of the bunch. It wasn't until they'd passed through the barrier and were safely on Platform 9¾ that Fred let out a deep breath of relief.

"By Merlin's beard, I swear I'm never riding with Tonks again!" he exclaimed.

"If it happens again, I'll walk from home!" George agreed.

The others nodded in emphatic agreement.

"Alright, let's go," Mrs. Weasley said, laughing lightly. "Tonks is a good person… provided she's not driving," she muttered under her breath. Mrs. Weasley had never realized how fierce Tonks could be behind the wheel. She'd tried several times to remind Tonks to keep her temper in check, but whenever she spoke up, Tonks was too caught up in her irritation to hear her. In the end, Mrs. Weasley had just sighed and let it go.

On the platform, the Hogwarts Express gleamed in the morning light, ready to depart.

"Ah, I almost wish I could go back to Hogwarts this year," said Bill, hands in his pockets, gazing at the familiar red train with a wistful look.

"Why?" George asked.

"Oh, you'll have an exciting year," Bill said, his eyes twinkling. "I might even take some time off to come watch part of it…"

"Part of what?" Fred demanded, growing impatient.

It had been this way all summer: Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Percy… they all seemed to know something they weren't telling. But whenever Fred or George tried to press for details, Bill would just chuckle and say nothing.

Kyle, however, had an idea what it was—a classic wizarding prank, like the mysterious "freshman house sorting ceremony." He figured it was just the Triwizard Tournament. What was all the fuss about? When George glanced at him with an expectant look, Kyle shrugged and said, "Don't look at me, I don't know anything either."

Just then, the whistle blew, signaling the train's departure.

They quickly boarded and leaned out the windows to say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley and Bill.

"Thank you for letting us stay, Mrs. Weasley!" Cho called, waving.

"Oh, my pleasure, dear," Mrs. Weasley replied warmly. "I'd invite you to Christmas at our house, but… well, I'm guessing you might have other plans." She gave a knowing look.

Ron tried to ask something, but his words were swallowed up as the train began to pull away. Mrs. Weasley waved at them with a smile, then Apparated away with Bill before the train rounded the bend.

Back in their compartment, Fred and George resumed grumbling about everyone keeping secrets from them. Cedric smirked, turning his head to hide a laugh. He obviously knew what was going on too but wasn't about to let them in on it.

After the train had traveled a short distance, it began to rain. Heavy raindrops spattered against the glass, making it hard to see the passing landscape.

"Where's Kanna?" Cho suddenly asked. "Didn't she get on the train?"

"She's probably in another carriage," Cedric replied, giving Kyle a look. "Go on, take it out—we should go find her soon."

"Take out what?" Fred asked, suspicious.

Then he saw Kyle pull an envelope from his pocket.

Ding!

As Kyle opened it, a round object rolled onto the table.

"Oh no," Fred and George groaned, faces twisted as if they'd just eaten a handful of liver-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

It was a Prefect badge—an all-too-familiar sight that Percy had flaunted proudly over the past two years.

"Oh, it's wonderful to have another Prefect in our midst…" George muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No, it's actually two," Cho said, smiling as she pinned her own badge on her robes.

Fred and George's expressions turned an unfortunate shade of liver. They had always sworn they'd never want to be Prefects. But now they were surrounded: every other member of their group was wearing a Prefect badge.

As if to rub it in, Kyle, Cho, and Cedric kept their badges on, letting them gleam in the light as they "casually" moved around the compartment, just to drive the point home.

Finally, fed up, Fred and George grabbed their bags and pushed open the compartment door to find Lee Jordan.

"Prefects, huh?" Fred muttered on his way out. "Guess they're too important for us now…"

The moment they left, laughter filled the compartment.

"Was that a bit much?" Cho asked, giggling but looking slightly guilty.

"Don't worry, they'll get over it," Kyle replied with a grin, patting his suitcase. "I've got a plan that'll make them forget all about today—and they'll be calling us 'Prefect' gladly."

Still laughing, the three of them headed toward the front of the train, where the Prefects' compartment was.

Sure enough, Kanna was there. She relaxed a little when she saw Kyle and Cho, though she still looked nervous.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"Oh, we were busy surprising Fred and George," Kyle said, smirking. "You should've come with us. It would've made the whole thing even better."

"What do you mean?" Kanna looked puzzled.

Cho leaned over and whispered the story in her ear. Soon, Kanna burst into laughter, too.

"Aren't you worried they'll change your title to 'Big Head Boy'?" Kanna teased, grinning. "Just like they did with Percy?"

"Not a chance," Kyle said confidently, waving it off. "They'll never get the chance."