With a confused expression, Ron was about to "snitch on his dad" without even realizing it. Dudley kept talking.
"Where does your dad work?"
"The Ministry of Magic, the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office," Ron answered blankly.
"Where did that flying car come from?"
"My dad bought it from Muggles," Ron continued.
"Do normal Muggle cars fly?"
"Of course not." Ron looked at Dudley, completely baffled, as if to say, Isn't that common sense?
"So, if a Muggle saw you driving that car, and then found out it was Mr. Weasley's handiwork, what do you think the Ministry would do?"
Ron answered on reflex. "My dad would get fired." His face immediately turned the color of a beetroot as the realization finally hit him.
"Exactly," Dudley said, patting his shoulder. "If you were caught, he might even lose his job." Missing the Hogwarts Express was a small, almost insignificant, matter to Dudley.
"There are so many people here, what's there to worry about...?"
They weren't the only ones who missed the train; there were young wizards everywhere, and many of them were first-years.
"So we just wait?"
Dudley shook his head. "No. We can complain."
"Complain?"
Ron was bewildered, but Dudley didn't explain.
"Listen to me, all you parents," Dudley said, raising his voice. When the parents turned to look at him, he continued. "This is a serious mistake."
"As you can see, the passage to the platform has been blocked for some reason. The train is set to leave in about ten minutes, and I believe it's very likely we won't make it."
Dudley knocked on the firmly sealed-up pillar. It was solid. The Hogwarts Express only made a few trips a year, as it was a special, exclusive route. It wasn't that there were no other ways to get there—they could go to Hogsmeade and then to Hogwarts—but it would waste a lot of time. Being late was one thing, but for the first-years, missing the Sorting Ceremony would be a lifelong regret. The Hogwarts entrance ceremony only happens once in a lifetime.
"I believe someone should be held responsible for this, and someone should fix it. The fault isn't ours."
"I suggest we all contact the Ministry of Magic first. The Hogwarts Express is operated by them, and they should come out here and explain themselves."
The wizards present were suddenly enlightened and began to use their own methods to contact the Ministry. Naturally, their tone was far from friendly. Ron, for his part, had learned his lesson and didn't mention that his dad worked at the Ministry. Otherwise, his father would be the one handling this mess. And that would be a very bad thing.
"Mr. Dudley," Dudley heard someone call his name. The respectful tone could only come from a Slytherin.
It was indeed a Slytherin, a pretty girl, in fact. If Dudley's memory was correct, she was close with Pansy and was part of her inner circle. The crunchy biscuits he loved so much had come from her. They were hard and chewy and quite tasty. What was her name again? Dudley thought for a moment. Right, Daphne. Daphne Greengrass.
"Hello, Miss Greengrass," Dudley replied politely.
"You remember me! You remember me!"
The simple, polite response seemed to hit a nerve. Daphne suddenly screamed excitedly, making Ron, who was standing next to Dudley, flinch and almost drop the rat he was holding.
"Of course, we're classmates, and we're in the same House," Dudley said, calmly trying to soothe her. The screaming was bothering his ears. The look in her eyes was... something else, like a fan meeting their favorite star in real life.
"Ahem..."
Hermione, standing beside Dudley, cleared her throat, trying to get Daphne's attention. She didn't like the way the girl was looking at Dudley, or the fact that she was so close to him she was almost touching him.
"Miss Granger! A living Miss Granger!" Daphne howled again, even more excited this time, which startled Hermione—and made Ron flinch again. If her previous reaction was like a fan meeting a star, this was like a crazed fan meeting a star. She grabbed Hermione's hand and began asking her a flurry of questions, her adoring expression completely genuine.
"H-hello!"
If she had been hostile, it would have been easy to deal with, but her genuine adoration left Hermione at a loss. She had no idea she was so popular in Slytherin. That's not right, though. Don't Slytherins believe in pure-blood supremacy? I'm a hundred-percent Muggle-born witch!
After a short, awkward conversation, Daphne seemed to remember something. She pulled a shy little girl over to the group and said, "Mr. Dudley, Miss Granger, this is my sister, Astoria Greengrass. She's a first-year, and she'll be in Slytherin for sure." Daphne sounded very proud when she mentioned Slytherin.
Astoria had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and she looked a lot like Daphne. She was very cute. But when Dudley spoke to her, she kept hiding behind her older sister, clearly very shy. Dudley smiled at her, and Astoria immediately pouted, her eyes welling up with tears. That's when Dudley realized it wasn't shyness; she was afraid of him.
"Oh! Mr. Potter! What an honour to meet you here!"
It was Daphne's voice again. She had just spotted Harry. Thankfully, Ron didn't flinch this time.
Seeing this, Ron felt the need to show he was there, too. So... "Ahem." He did manage to get Daphne's attention. But the result wasn't what he expected.
"Oh, it's the Weasley Rofus. When did you get here?" Daphne said, her chin raised slightly, her voice filled with three parts disdain and seven parts arrogance. Her eyes held an undisguised look of disgust, as if she were looking at something dirty. Her attitude had taken a complete 180-degree turn.
Ron: ???
The Ministry of Magic's representative finally arrived, a very young-looking wizard who was now surrounded by a mob of angry parents, sweating as he tried to explain.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to me. It's just a minor accident."