It was evening. Dusky rays of orange sunset light patched the ground, and birds sung throatily from the trees. There were other, well, odd, noises surrounding us, but then, that was not unusual in the forbidden forest.

We had left the pack and were on our way to the nearest creek for a drink, as we were very thirsty by now, with directions from the wolves. It wasn't far away, and we were just beginning to hear the bubbling of water when suddenly another sound came through the trees. And even for the Forbidden Forest, this sound - no, these sounds were strange.

Rumble, cough, creak.
Aster frowned. "What the -"
Rumble rumble, creak, cough.
"Maybe we should -" But before I could finish my sentence, bush branches crackled and snapped, and from out of the nearby bushes there appeared a filthy, battered, creaking, groaning, coughing, rumbling turquoise car.
It stopped directly in front of us. Aster and I were too shocked to move. We stared at it.
"It's the ford anglia." Aster managed after a few minutes silence. "The. Actual. Weasley. Ford. Anglia."
The old car gave a sort of popping noise, as if in agreement, and then gently came forward and nudged us with one of its grimy lights.
"It seems to like us, at any rate." I said, and grinned.
"The actual Weasley car." Aster repeated.
"I thought you weren't a big fan of the Weasleys?" I said, half smiling at the remembrance of Aster's scowl at Rose the other day.
"Of course I like the Weasleys." Aster said. "Rose is only annoying. But Ron Weasley and all them..." She peered through one of the cracked windows. "Fred Weasley actually drove this thing once upon a time."
She tried a door. It opened.
"Aster..." My eyes narrowed.
Aster grinned, and her eyes glittered with something like mischief.
I shook my head. "I am not going in that thing."
"Well, I'll just have to ride it alone, then." Aster sat down and grabbed the steering wheel expectantly.
I groaned, but I was smiling. "Fine, fine, fine! But you're crazy." I walked forwards, opened the other front door, and cautiously slipped into the brown leather seat.
There was a one second pause.
Then the car revved and crashed forward at a hurtling speed.
Aster whooped.
"Are - you - controlling - this?" I yelled at her.
"Nope!"
"Where - are - we - going!?" I screamed next, clutching the sides of my seat and watching branches, cobwebs, flowers, pebbles, and who knows what else flying past my window.
"Dunno, don't care!"
"We - have to - find our - way back! What if it takes us - out of the forest!"
"Stop worrying!" Aster yelled in reply.
I scowled, but then we zoomed down a slope covered in blackberry bushes and, I have to admit, it was sort of manically fun.
Up and down, around trees, over bumps - it was a roller-coaster ride, except through a forest in an old car. I was too busy focusing on the ride to think again about where we were going, and it was only when the car suddenly slowed that the thought once more occurred to me.
"I don't think we're near the grounds." Aster said, voicing my own opinion. "The trees are still pretty thick together."
"So where are we?"
Before Aster could answer the car sped up again, weaving between trees, the tires skidding. It was going the fastest it had yet. And then suddenly the front wheel of the car thumped into a rock and leapt upwards, and, for a moment, the whole car was in the air.
I screamed. Aster screamed.
And then we came down, right into a little hidden glade. Pine needles from the forest floor flew up onto the windscreen and got stuck in the wipers.
I fell forward in my seat as we landed but managed to throw my hands out and catch myself on the dashboard. I looked over at Aster, who was cursing and rubbing her forehead.
"You O.K?"
"I'm fine." Aster said. "Where are we?"
"Only one way to find out." I opened my door and climbed gingerly out. The glade was small and the car took up most of the room. Roots and pine needles scattered the ground, and trees leaned over us.
Then I recoiled in fright and shock.
A wizard stood in the glade.