Before Brooklyn knew it, summer was practically over, much too soon for his liking. He really did want to go back to Hogwarts, but this had been the first human family to ever accept him as a part of them.

Their last night there was celebrated with a wonderful dinner and hot mugs of hot chocolate, finishing with Fred and George shooting off their Filibuster wet start no heat fireworks for entertainment.

One question still nagged his mind, though. Who was this Tom Riddle on that book he found? He hoped that his questions would be answered once they got to Hogwarts.

The next morning, Brooklyn and Harry woke to the Weasleys all rushing to get ready, being caught in the midst of it. And one time, Brooklyn had to catch Mr. Weasley before he broke his neck tripping over a stray chicken while lugging their stuff to the car.

Brooklyn and Harry both wondered how they were gonna fit eight people, a gargoyle, six large trunks, three owls, and a rat into a small Ford Angela. The gargoyle himself didn't fancy being squished in between the twins.

But Mr. Weasley assured the brothers that he had enhanced the car to stretch inside and have enough room.

After they all piled into the car, with the exception of struggling to get Brooklyn into the back seat with Harry, they all began to drive out.

Just as Brooklyn had been thinking it would be another whole year before he saw that wonderful house again, they were back since Fred forgot his Filibuster Fireworks. And as the car just reached the highway Ginny cried out that she'd left her wand behind.

By the time she climbed back in, they were running late, and slowly losing tempers.

Finally they arrived at King's Cross and to the enchanted barrier to Platform 9 and 3 quarters.

The Weasley family all went first, leaving Harry, Ron, and Brooklyn last.

"Shall we?" Brooklyn asked, grinning. Harry nodded.

"Let's go!"

The friends strode forward with more confidence than before, but things took a turn for the worst when suddenly...

Crash!

Brooklyn found himself lying on the ground in a daze, rubbing his sore head as he and the others had slammed into the barrier, onlookers staring at the screeching owls and overturned carts.

"Ugh, what happened?" Brooklyn groaned, struggling to stand. Harry looked panicked as he tried to push through the barrier, but it remained solid.

"I don't know! It's not letting us through!" Harry cried.

Brooklyn tried himself to get through, but nothing. It was almost 11:00, and their only way in was blocked!

Ron paced back and forth. Then Brooklyn knew. Uh oh...

The red head's eyes brightened right there. "Guys, the car!"

"What?" Harry asked.

"We can fly the car to Hogwarts!" Brooklyn immediately backed up, holding up his hands in refusal.

"Oh no, no way I'm flying in that thing again! Once is enough!" Ron though, wouldn't give up.

"But it's the only way, Brook! Please?" He begged, giving out Bambi eyes again. Brooklyn eventually knew he was losing the argument, groaning as he gave in. I really need to be more firm next time!

"Fine," he grumbled as they ventured back to the car, placing their stuff back inside and climbing in. Brooklyn once again in the backseat while Ron and Harry were in the front, Ron at the wheel.

Ron started up the engine, and Brooklyn prayed that they wouldn't crash the car or get into trouble.

The car rose into the air, and Ron also pressed another button, making the car go invisible. Brooklyn held out his own hand, but couldn't see anything, not even Harry. Okay, this is pretty scary, he thought as they soared through the clouds.

A minute later, though, the car flickered and Brooklyn could see himself again.

"Uh oh, the invisibility booster must be faulty," Ron moaned, with him and Harry both pummeling the button, but nothing happened.

"That's bad, isn't it?" Brooklyn asked nervously. "As long as we're in the clouds, we should be okay," Ron told him.

"We have to get lower to find the train," Harry said, and Ron obliged, steering the wheel and the car lowered near the railway, until they were following along with it.

"All we need to do is catch up with the train," Harry explained.

"We can't be far behind!" Ron hoped.

Then Brooklyn heard the train whistle, and he turned around, seeing the scarlet steam engine right behind them! His eyes grew round.

"Uh, guys, the train's behind us!" He cried, resulting into the boys screaming at his words. Ron struggled with steering the car, wobbling all over the place and Brooklyn struggling to hold in his breakfast.

His hear plummeted as the door opened and Harry slipped out, holding onto the car door handle.

"Harry!" Screamed Brooklyn as he leaned over the front seat, trying to grab him. His brother kept slipping out of his reach.

"Keep it steady, will ya?" He roared, panic for his brother building. Ron grunted, gripping the wheel as hard as he could.

"It's not so easy with somebody your size and weight in here!" He screamed back, making Brooklyn growl in frustration as he reached out again. Harry strained, trying to grab the gargoyle's hand, until finally, he grasped it, Brooklyn holding on tightly as he pulled his brother back in, closing the door.

They all panted heavily, Brooklyn and Harry shaking and staring.

"Think we've found the train," Brooklyn croaked, the fear of almost losing Harry making it hard for him to talk. Harry and Ron both nodded simultaneously.

They flew for another half hour, the sun starting to sink below the horizon as they kept checking on the train.

At last, Brooklyn sighed in relief as they spotted the familiar turrets of Hogwarts appear, warm and welcoming, looking forward to sleeping in his cot.

His moment of happiness was quenched when the car engine suddenly sputtered and coughed, making the steering go out of control.

Ron tried to keep the car steady, but they were headed right for the wall!

Having enough this, Brooklyn leaned over Ron's seat, grabbing the wheel and jerking it hard to the right, sending it right into a path of a giant tree instead!

Harry and Ron both glared at Brooklyn.

"What? I panicked, alright?" He growled, folding his arms.

"Next time, let me do it!" Said Ron angrily.

"There probably won't be a next time!" Harry yelped, as the car fell down even closer to the tree. In desperation, Ron pulled out his wand and banged it on the dashboard.

"I wouldn't do that—." Brooklyn cried out.

Snap!

The gargoyle winced as Ron's old wand snapped almost in two, held in place by a single unicorn hair.

All three of them looked at each other in fear as the car finally slammed into the tree with a loud crunch, pieces of bark and leaves falling down around them, stars winking in front of Brooklyn's vision as he smacked into the seat in front of him.

Ron was just sitting there, open mouthed at his broken wand.

"Look at my wand!" He whimpered. Brooklyn didn't want to know what it would be like if his redwood wand snapped.

"Well, be grateful it wasn't your neck," Harry said, trying to look on the positive side. That's when a large thud hit the side of the car.

"What the heck was that?" Brooklyn cried out. He got his answer as a huge trunk from the tree suddenly smashed the hood, nearly breaking the window.

The tree they hit was attacking them! Huge knuckle sized branches smashed into the car repeatedly, knocking them back and forth.

Ron screamed as another branch smashed into the door, almost hitting Brooklyn who ducked.

"Get us out of here!" Brooklyn yelled, knowing it was a matter of time before the tree crushed them to bits.

Ron stepped on the gas and the car revved to life, dodging another branch and falling out of the tree, knocking the wind out of them.

"Step on it!" Cried Harry as the tree reared upward, ready to smash them. Ron managed to get the car going again and zoomed away, nearly being missed.

They slowed down away from the monster tree, and looked at each other in a daze.

Before they could say anything, Brooklyn found himself being tossed out of the car and falling flat on his back painfully.

What the— He thought, looking up right as his bag suddenly slammed into him along with Wyvern's cage as well.

Ugh, my head! Brooklyn shoved his stuff off of himself and rubbed his sore head and neck, seeing Harry and Ron getting the same treatment.

The car suddenly started up by itself, rolling away into the night. The trio raced after it, being left in the dust as the car vanished into the Forbidden Forest, blinking it's lights angrily.

Brooklyn blinked quite a few times. "Okay, that was unexpected," he proclaimed. But Ron wasn't quite that amused as he stared in despair.

"Dad's gonna kill me," he moaned.

The red Gargoyle narrowed his eyes. "It was your idea to steal your parent's car!" he snapped, still having a headache from their crash. All he wanted to do right now was get to his cot and sleep!

"Well, excuse me for being the one having an idea to get here at all! And why didn't you try to stop us from doing it?" Ron hissed, as the two glared at each other again.

"Let me think, because I did try? Oh, But what a shock, you were to stupid to listen, again!" Brooklyn growled back, eyes starting to glow fiercely. Harry immediately pushed in between them, glaring as well.

"Stop it!" He yelled. "It doesn't matter right now! All that matters is getting to the castle before we get caught!"

Without saying another word, Brooklyn and Ron followed Harry to the castle, still in pretty sour spirits from their argument.

Hedwig and Wyvern had both flown to the Owelry as they went up.

The trio walked along the hallways after dropping off their stuff with the other suitcases, talking about why the barrier closed.

"Clearly, somebody doesn't want me here this year," Harry muttered. But why? Brooklyn thought. Why was a house elf warning Harry about this danger at the school, and why did the barrier close on only the three of us?

He was snapped out of his thoughts when they came face to face with one of the worst people here next to Malfoy, Snape, and Peeves. Filch, who was holding Mrs. Norris his cat in his arms and sneering at them.

"Take a good look, lads. This night might as well be the last one you'll spend in this castle."

Brooklyn's blood turned cold. They were in trouble. It was possibly the worst time now to be caught by Filch.

Filch led them towards the dungeon, right to Snape's office, who greeted them with cold eyes.

Brooklyn was about to follow his friends inside, but Snape blocked him.

"Let. Me. In," he snarled, knowing that this was the unreasonable version of Snape he was dealing with. But he just smirked.

"I'm afraid that Potter's Protector can't help this time."

Snape then shut the door in Brooklyn's face. He hissed in anger, hands balling into fists and slamming them against the door.

Brooklyn paced back and forth four minutes later, anxious for his brother and his friend. Even though it was Ron's fault for taking the car, it didn't deserve them to be expelled!

That does it, I'm going to break this door down and help my brother! He thought, preparing himself for punching the door in. That's when he heard footsteps.

It was Dumbledore and McGonagall. Brooklyn's eyes widened.

"P-Professor! I-I-this isn't what-" he stammered, not sure what to say.

Dumbledore held up his hand. "I will hear their side of the story, but I can't promise if they are expelled or not." He said in a grave voice.

Brooklyn looked down, not meeting the headmaster's eyes as he nodded reluctantly. He knew that he should be guilty. It was his own fault for not having the guts to stand up for himself. He was a gargoyle, for pete's sake!

He followed them in, glaring at Snape who looked up at them.

"Headmaster, these boys have flouted the decree for the restriction of underage sorcery!" Snape said in his cold tone.

"I am well aware of our bylaws, Severus, having written quite a few of them myself. But as head of Gryffindor House, it is for McGonagall to decide," Dumbledore answered in a calm voice.

Brooklyn gazed at her pleadingly, praying that she would hear their side of the story. She looked at Harry and Ron with a stern expression. "Explain."

Immediately, they told their story of the car, the closed barrier, etc.

"And that's why we couldn't get on the train! We had to use the car. We had no choice!"

She continued to eye them with the same expression. "No choice? Then why didn't either Harry or Brooklyn send a message by owl? I believe you two had one?"

Immediately Brooklyn felt like he was hit with a cold splash of reality. That would have been the most obvious thing to do! That's because you're stupid, his voice sneered. Brooklyn ignored it.

Ron looked pretty downcast. "We'll go get our stuff," he mumbled sadly.

McGonagall looked surprised. "What are you talking about, Mr. Weasley?" She barked.

"Aren't you going to expel us?" Ron asked.

Brooklyn froze, anticipation and worry going through him.

But he sighed a little as McGonagall spoke again.

"Not today, Mr. Weasley. But I must impress on both of you the seriousness of what you have done. But since Brooklyn is so insistent of you two to not be expelled, I shall not do so. However, I will write to your families tonight, and you will both receive detention. And before you ask, your sister Ginny is also in Gryffindor."

Brooklyn smiled as she said that. At least he can talk to Ginny some more!

After that, they all left, leaving Snape looking like Christmas had been cancelled. Brooklyn continued on, wondering whether he should tell Dumbledore about the strange diary, but something tugging in the back of his mind told him no. He should figure this out himself.

The trio made their way back to Gryffindor common room and ran into Hermione at the portrait hole.

"There you are!" The most ridiculous rumors! A flying car? Really?"

Ron glowered. "Spare us the lecture, Hermione! What's the new password?"

"It's wattlebird, but that's not the point—."

Brooklyn wasn't quite prepared for such a crowd as the portrait hole opened, many of the students swarming all over them, cheering.

Dean appeared next to Brooklyn as he tried to escape. "Did you really fly in the car with Harry?" He asked in an excited voice. Brooklyn didn't look at him.

"Uh, I'm just going to go to bed," he said awkwardly, pushing past him through the sea of first years to the dormitory. He didn't really want to talk to anybody about this.

He sighed in relief as he slumped against the door, seeing his cot and his things brought up.

Rubbing his head, Brooklyn sat down, feeling rather relieved that they weren't expelled, but worried about what tomorrow would bring.

Digging through his bag, Brooklyn pulled out the small black book, looking at it again. He didn't know why, but his curiosity towards this thing was beginning to grow, wanting to open it more than ever.

Not tonight. Not yet.

Letting out a slow breath, Brooklyn put the book under his pillow, deciding that tomorrow would be a better time to explore its history.

Yawning, he lay down, praying that he wouldn't have to make another entrance to Hogwarts like that again as he closed his eyes.