All things considered, the old Ford Anglia could still start, but its engine was so outdated it wouldn't run far.
Even the odometer had maxed out.
This car was as "High-end" as a Luxgen—if you squinted really hard.
To put it another way...
It was a low-end tractor dressed in car bodywork;
A car that gas stations would roll out the red carpet for;
A steel relic that would terrify even the most hardened used car dealers.
"What if it flies?" Fred asked, concerned.
"If it's using magic to fly, that's a different matter," William said, as he began inspecting the flying mechanism.
The inspection revealed something surprising: Mr. Weasley had quite the knack for modifying Quidditch brooms.
William had previously studied flying brooms, not the expensive ones like the Nimbus 2000, but older models that the school had retired.
To his amazement, the car's flying system used components from the Cleansweep Seven series.
Essentially, this car was like an oversized flying broomstick.
Mr. Weasley, an amateur enthusiast, had managed to cobble this together with self-taught skills and sheer ingenuity. His talent was wasted not working at Nimbus Racing Brooms as a developer.
"It can probably sustain ten hours of continuous flight. But the car's weight and its numerous faulty parts mean something might break before that," William concluded after running a few magical diagnostics on the vehicle.
"Ten hours is plenty," Ron said excitedly, "What about the invisibility system?"
William pressed a small button beside the dashboard.
The car disappeared—briefly—before flickering back into view like a faulty light bulb.
"It's a simple Disillusionment Charm, but it's unstable and might not hold due to insufficient magical power," William explained.
While Mr. Weasley's expertise with flying charms was impressive, his invisibility work was much cruder—likely because he never intended to take the car into crowded areas.
"Can it be fixed?" George asked, cutting to the chase.
"Yes, I can create a stable core using ancient runes. It's a bit of work, but it'll make the invisibility reliable," William replied.
"That's great!" Ron clapped his hands excitedly.
"But what exactly are you planning to do with it?" William asked, eyeing Ron suspiciously.
Their endless questions about the car clearly meant they had plans for it.
Ron explained, "Harry hasn't replied to any letters for nearly a month now.
"I invited him to our house, but I don't know if something's wrong.
"Hermione, have you received any replies from Harry?"
Hermione, who was in the back wrestling with Annie, shook her head. "No, my letters keep coming back unopened."
"But mine just vanish," Ron said, perplexed.
William interjected, "That's because I placed a ring on Hermione's owl's leg.
"The ring is enchanted to prevent tampering with the mail."
"So someone is intercepting the letters and cutting off Harry's communication?" George speculated.
Ron, growing anxious, said, "All the more reason to fetch Harry ourselves. How about tonight? Dad's working late—we can sneak the car out."
The twins nodded in agreement.
"No way! You'll get caught!" Hermione objected.
"We've been planning this for ages, Hermione. Don't try to stop us," Ron said dismissively.
"William, you're not going with them, are you?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"Absolutely not," William quickly reassured her. "It's just you and Annie at home—I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you alone.
"Besides, driving all night in that cramped car sounds awful."
Taking the old car to fetch Harry was akin to taking an overnight train ride in economy class to an unfamiliar city.
In a past life, William had once been stuck with a standing-room-only ticket, bringing his own folding stool and squeezing into a crowded corner.
It was the kind of experience that made you question your life choices.
"Honestly, I don't think you should go either," William said, his expression growing serious.
"Consider Mr. Weasley's position. He's the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.
"If anyone finds out he illegally modified a Muggle car and let his sons use it, he could face suspension."
This was a critical time for Mr. Weasley.
William had insider knowledge, courtesy of Tonks, the Ministry's second-best undercover operative, who mentioned that the Ministry had recently implemented new Muggle Protection Laws.
Earlier in the month, Mr. Weasley and Mad-Eye Moody had raided Malfoy Manor as part of an operation.
If Mr. Weasley's car modifications were exposed, the Malfoys would surely seize the opportunity to tarnish his reputation.
While it might not cost him his job, it would certainly humiliate him at work.
This would be, as William put it, a textbook case of "throwing your dad under the bus."
The twins quickly abandoned their plan to drive the car. William's reminder made them realize the gravity of the situation.
Although they were mischievous, they would never jeopardize their father's career.
"But William, you said you could make it completely invisible. With your skills, no one would find out," Ron argued, unwilling to give up.
He had studied the route to Harry's house for weeks.
William, still patient, tried another angle. "Ron, Harry doesn't live on the other side of Weasel Mountain, he lives in a Muggle neighborhood.
"If you show up in the middle of the night and alert the Muggles, what then?"
Ron fell silent.
"Could you use Apparition to fetch him?" George suggested.
If the car was out of the question, Apparition seemed like the next best thing.
"No. Apparating here is fine since this area is full of adult wizards.
"But if I use it near Harry's house, the Ministry will assume he performed magic and send him a warning letter."
Like Harry, William was underage and had a Trace placed on him. While the Ministry couldn't tell who cast the spell, they would assume it was Harry since he was the only underage wizard in his neighborhood.
"So what do we do?" Fred asked, "We can't just leave Harry hanging."
"Simple," William said with a smile. "Wait for Mr. Weasley to finish his overtime and have him handle it. It's not like it's that urgent."
That settled the matter of Harry.
…
William spent some time modifying the car's invisibility system. The group tested it in the mountains, flying for a while to check its performance.
The results were excellent—the car could now turn completely invisible without any chance of being detected by Muggles.
In the evening, William returned home with Annie and Hermione.
As usual, William cooked dinner.
After they ate, it was Annie's turn to clean up, but she wiped her mouth, pulled a funny face, and bolted off to find Luna.
William sat in the garden to cool off while Hermione used magic to tidy the dishes.
When she finished, she lay on the cool bamboo lounge chair next to William, gently fanning herself with a unicorn-hair fan as they watched the sunset.
Before long, a beautiful owl arrived, carrying a letter for William.
He opened it and quickly scanned its contents.
"Who's it from?" Hermione asked, propping her head on her hand.
"Lockhart. He's inviting me to his book launch in Diagon Alley."
"The same Lockhart you wrote to, inviting him to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, that one," William replied.
He lay back on his lounge chair, which was next to Hermione's. Both chairs swayed gently in unison.
"I wonder if this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will be any good," Hermione said wistfully.
Professor Quirrell had almost made her lose all hope for the subject. Thankfully, William had been tutoring her and taking her on practical training sessions.
Her skills were now far beyond her peers.
"Should be fine. He has a third-class Order of Merlin," William said casually.
"It was awarded for his bravery in facing dark creatures and for detailing defensive methods in his autobiographical works."
Hermione hummed thoughtfully, then asked, "Is a third-class Order of Merlin… very impressive?"
"…It's decent, I guess," William replied, uncertain.
Hermione tilted her head back, gazing at the twilight sky, and laughed softly. "You're a second-class Order recipient—the youngest ever, no less!
"Compared to you, it's not that impressive."
Hearing her proud tone, William couldn't help but smile wryly. "If you put it that way, I suppose he doesn't quite measure up."
"Be confident—drop the 'suppose,'" Hermione quipped.
William took the fan from her hand. With his stronger grip, the breeze felt much cooler, refreshing both of them.
Even though they could have used magic to stay cool, neither of them chose to do so in this moment.
Hermione, feeling the gentle breeze, smiled faintly. She turned to look at William, her gaze lingering for a long time without saying a word.