HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

The loud crash against the wall, coupled with the heavy thud of their suitcases hitting the ground, inevitably drew the attention of those around them.

Harry's snowy owl and Lyra's long-eared owl cages were both thrown to the ground, and both owls were screeching angrily. More and more people gathered around, and Lyra could vaguely hear comments like "animal cruelty," "is it legal to privately keep owls," and "strange luggage."

"What exactly is going on with you?" a guard asked, approaching with an unfriendly expression.

"Sorry, the luggage carts accidentally bumped into each other." As the oldest of the three, Leila endured the pain and got up to deal with the guard.

“We need to get out of here right away.” Harry realized they couldn’t keep attracting Muggle attention, so he pulled Ron along and started picking up their scattered luggage.

The three people, pale-faced, hurriedly left the scene.

"The car has already left; we missed it." Leila sighed deeply.

"Why couldn't we go through the wall?" Harry asked Ron, turning to him.

"I don't know either, I've never heard of a passageway sealing itself off..." Ron replied blankly. "Does that mean Mom and Dad can't come pick us up? How are we going to get to school?"

“Let’s go back to the car and wait…” Harry suggested cautiously, glancing at Lyra.

"That's it!" Ron's eyes lit up. "A car!"

"Uh?"

"We can drive and fly to school!"

“That’s right, underage wizards can use magic in emergencies, and it’s clear we’re in trouble now…” Harry chimed in excitedly. He thought it was a great idea; it not only solved their immediate problem, but also allowed them to spend several hours together in the car.

Lyra was two years older than them, and if she had boarded the Express, she would have left with the twins as usual. If they hadn't both been guests at the Burrow this summer, Harry wouldn't have had a chance to speak to Lyra—after all, one was a cool, aloof beauty who only befriended the twins, and the other was a young boy who seemed to have nothing in common.

Lyra had thought of using an owl to send a letter to the school teachers for help, but what if she could drive a flying car to school? Who could resist such a temptation?

The three happily loaded their suitcases and birdcage into the car. The two boys politely gave the driving opportunity to Lyra—even though Ron was the only one of the three who knew the flying car well.

"Let's go!" Leila exclaimed excitedly, stepping on the gas pedal. The car suddenly soared into the sky and headed towards the clouds.

*

The three of them seemed to have entered another world.

The car flew through layers of clouds. The sky seemed so close, almost within reach, and sunlight bathed it in golden light. The car soared higher and higher, revealing the entire world before them.

Harry felt the whole journey was like a dream: flying among the clouds, toffee in the vehicle, good friends sitting beside him, and especially—Harry peeked ahead, and there sat a girl enjoying the cool breeze. Her silky black hair was blown by the breeze, cascading over her shoulders and flowing behind her. Harry sat behind Lyra, a strand of her hair brushing against his cheek. Harry felt his heart lighten, as if it might be blown away by the wind.

This wonderful feeling gradually faded away after they had been flying for several hours.

They flew north, needing to descend every now and then to confirm that the aircraft was keeping up with the express train in the same direction. The long, monotonous flight was exhausting.

The toffee they ate in the train made them thirsty, and unfortunately, none of the three of them had brought water bottles. Moreover, candy doesn't fill you up, and everyone's stomachs were growling. They all missed the snack cart on the express train, which had all sorts of snacks: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Licorice Wands, Jam Pies, Crucible Cakes, and especially the chilled pumpkin juice, which was incredibly sweet and delicious.

"We should be there soon, right?" Ron and Harry had already taken off their smocks, and both of their shirts were soaked. Ron's lips were even so dry that they were peeling. Lyra was worried that he would become dehydrated if they stayed any longer.

"You two can take a nap. I'll wake you up when we're almost there," Leila thoughtfully suggested.

Unfortunately, no one could fall asleep—because the car's wailing grew louder and louder.

At first, the three of them pretended not to hear, but as darkness fell, the wails grew more and more mournful. Ron nervously reassured it, "We're almost there, we're really almost there."

Leila gently stroked the car's dashboard, showering her with sweet words—she swore she'd never been this tender even to her boyfriend—but the car didn't seem to care.

Finally! The three of them saw the towering towers of Hogwarts Castle ahead. But before they could even breathe a sigh of relief, the car began to tremble and slow down as it flew over the black lake in front of the castle, terrifying the three of them.

"Please, please help me, I really beg you," Ron pleaded with the car, his voice extremely humble.

Leila slammed on the gas, hoping the car would give her a final burst of power, but the car continued to shake.

Harry clung tightly to the car door, his knuckles turning white from the effort.

The car finally flew over Black Lake; we were almost there.

Suddenly, with a bang, a large plume of black smoke billowed out from under the hood!

Then, with a loud bang, the car stalled completely.

"Ah—!" The three screamed simultaneously as the car plunged nose-first into the ground, about to crash into the castle wall. At the critical moment, Leila frantically swerved the steering wheel, narrowly missing the wall before hurtling towards the distant lawn.

"Watch out!" Harry pointed in alarm at the giant willow tree ahead, but it was too late—

Splash!

It was the sound of a car scraping against a tree.

"Is everyone alright?" Lyra's seatbelt saved her life; Harry, who was in the back, was thrown to the front, his head slamming into the windshield, immediately swelling up to the size of an egg. Lyra couldn't see Ron, but she could hear his desperate groans.

“Ron?” Lyra asked worriedly.

“It’s broken.” Ron’s voice trembled.

"What?" Harry's heart sank. The school hospital should be able to treat his broken bone, right?

“My wand is broken…” Ron replied weakly, deeply shocked.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn to Ron to tell him that there was definitely a way to fix it when he was swept from the front of the car to the back by a tremendous force. A sharp pain shot through his back; he must have gotten a bruise.

Leila in the driver's seat wasn't much better off; she did see clearly that it was this giant willow tree attacking them with its thick branches!

The car hit the willow tree, and the willow tree beat the car with its branches. An eye for an eye, perfectly reasonable and logical. But those three grown men were still inside the car getting beaten up too!

Awooo! In an instant, the three were completely overwhelmed and could only desperately dodge, but they still suffered a lot of beatings.

Leila never imagined that playing an otome game would result in her being beaten up by a willow tree!

"Help—" the three cried out in despair.