Chapter 87 – The Foolish Boys
Before Hermione could finish speaking, she was interrupted. The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, revealing the people in the common room. As soon as they saw Harry and Ron, a wave of applause broke out. None of the Gryffindor students had gone to bed; they had crowded into the circular common room, eagerly waiting for Harry and Ron to recount their adventure.
The moment the door opened, many of them enthusiastically pulled Harry and Ron forward, leaving Hermione to climb up by herself.
"Brilliant!" Lee Jordan exclaimed, giving Harry an enthusiastic hug. "What an adventure! Truly unforgettable. Flying the car into the Whomping Willow—this is one for the history books. Everyone will be talking about it for a year!"
Hermione listened to Lee's exaggerated tone, momentarily unsure whether he was praising or mocking them. After studying his expression carefully, she realized that he genuinely meant it as praise.
"Well done." A senior student Harry didn't recognize, his face flushed red with excitement, spoke up—seemingly even more thrilled than Harry himself.
Another stranger patted Harry on the back. "Good job." Harry felt a little embarrassed; he wasn't sure whether their expressions were admiration or sympathy.
Fred finally pushed his way to the front, complaining, "Why didn't you call me over too?" Harry saw it—Fred had clearly wanted to join them in flying.
Hermione looked at the boys in front of her and thought they were like people from another world. Disappointed for a moment, she lost the desire to talk to Harry and went straight back to the dormitory.
Not everyone was praising Harry. Neville, worried about Harry's adventure, hadn't stepped forward.
Harry, meanwhile, noticed Percy pushing his way toward them, wearing an expression that seemed ready to scold. Quickly, Harry elbowed Ron and nodded toward Percy. Ron immediately understood.
"I'm tired. I'll rest first," Ron said, stretching lazily but quickening his pace as the two squeezed toward the other side of the door.
Harry and Ron exited the room, descended the spiral staircase, and returned to the dormitory. Back in the familiar circular room, Ron smiled sheepishly. "I know it's nothing to be proud of, but…"
The dormitory door swung open, and their roommates rushed in. "I can't believe it!" "Cool!"
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
"They're so foolish. They missed the train. You could've notified a professor or thought of another way," Hermione shook her head, her arms gesturing in disbelief, clearly stunned by their recklessness. "They flew a car to school, crashed into the Whomping Willow, and ended up being caught by Snape!"
George listened carefully to Hermione's complaints, nodding occasionally and murmuring, "Hmm."
"They nearly got hurt, nearly lost their lives, and almost got expelled. And they damaged a car, whose owner we still don't know!" Hermione's voice grew angrier, her eyes flashing. "And somehow, some people think this was an amazing adventure. They are literally from a different planet than I am."
After speaking, Hermione turned to George sternly. "George, don't be like them. Consider this a very good lesson."
Suddenly, Hermione turned sharply toward him, and George's usually carefree face reflected a hint of surprise. He murmured to himself, "What is this? What's going on? I'm not like the others." He looked at Hermione seriously but couldn't suppress a small smirk: "If you'd been in the car, you'd never complain like this."
George remembered that Hermione hadn't avoided adventures herself—she had been involved in Hagrid's secret dragon training program and had helped send off the Norwegian Ridgeback, Norbert. During Harry and Ron's quest for the Philosopher's Stone, through encounters with Fluffy, the Devil's Snare, the key room, and so on, she had contributed. It was only during that period that Harry and Ron's reckless actions seemed completely unreasonable.
Of course, George didn't say all this aloud. He paused, carefully considering his words. "Harry and the others were too reckless. They missed the train, acted on impulse, and their minds were only on catching it."
Hermione frowned slightly at what seemed like George defending Harry and the others. "Hmm."
George glanced at Hermione, then added, "But that's no excuse."
She nodded in agreement, signaling him to continue. "The car belongs to Mr. Weasley, Ron's father, which violates the Ministry's rules on magical misuse. Mr. Slye… I mean, they're in trouble." To avoid upsetting Hermione, George deliberately didn't use the word "Muggle."
"They not only took risks themselves but also involved Mr. Weasley. It's awful." Hermione, hearing this from George, became even more angry at Ron and his friends' antics. She had been impressed with Mr. Weasley when he had defeated Lucius at Flourish & Blotts.
"Most importantly," George continued honestly, "they could have been injured or even killed. After all, a flying car is just a car. The distances involved are extreme and very dangerous." Harry and the others agreed—the biggest mistake had been recklessness.
Although Mr. Weasley had upgraded the magical car multiple times, it was still a refurbished old vehicle, rebuilt with limited non-magical materials, so its performance was very limited. That they could continue this long journey was a testament to Mr. Weasley's skill—and Harry and the others' luck.
"If the car had broken down earlier, they'd have faced falling from the sky or plunging into the lake. No one would have been there to help. Today, Hogwarts might have had to hold a funeral for them," George analyzed, emphasizing just how lucky they had been.
By the time the car neared the school, it could no longer hold up and crashed into a swaying Whomping Willow. Ron thought he was unlucky, but in reality, they weren't extremely lucky—but they weren't exactly doomed either.
Had a minor accident occurred earlier that morning, they would have plunged into the lake recklessly, with no one to save them.
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