8
Crash landing at Hogsnorts
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"Hey, I'm bored, just sitting here" Robert says suddenly. "I'm going to fly this car myself."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" you say. "Your Dad enchanted the car to fly all the way to Hogsnorts. I mean, do you know the way?"

"How hard can it be?" says Robert, getting out his wand. "We just follow the train. Autopilotus stoppus!"

With that, the car gave a little cough and a splutter, went silent, and gently started a death dive to the ground far below.

"Aaaargh Robert, what have you done?!" yells Aaron. "Turn it back on!!"

"Hmmm which one is the 'engine on' button?" muses Robert as the car bursts downwards through the clouds, the shrieking wind all around them.

You are dry mouthed with fear, trying desperately not to scream as Robert calmly tries the different buttons on the car dashboard.

"Not this one... no... not that one either... Aha! There we go!" the car engine starts again, and the vehicle begins to spiral crazily as Robert pulls hard on the steering wheel to bring it back under control.

Just then you see something so amazing it makes you forget even your impending splatter on the ground below.

A mile or two away a colossal stone building stands at the top of a grassy hill. Towers sprout from the building like mushrooms, spiralling outwards at crazy angles. The roofs are studded with battlements. The walls are encrusted with beautiful stained glass windows. And over it all hangs a faint golden glow of pure magic. Hogsnorts School of Magic.

"Watch out Robert, flying monkeys below!" shouts out Alex.

You tear your eyes away from the building. Unbelievably Alex is right: a flock of flying monkeys is directly in your path. It is hard to make out but the flying monkeys appear to be carrying people...

The monkeys scatter in all directions as the car zooms through the middle of them, and you just have time to make out that each pair of flying monkeys is carrying a young witch or wizard. You realise that for some insane reason the flying monkeys are transporting the children to the school.

"Sorry!" shouts Robert out of the window at the monkeys, still wrestling with the steering wheel.

He just manages to bring it under control in time to make a very bumpy landing on the Hogsnorts school lawn.

You lean back in the car, your breath coming in short panicky bursts. You can't quite believe that you are still alive. Robert, Alex and Aaron seem amazingly unaffected by their near fatal driving experiment.

"Ok boys, let's get out of here before the Profs catch us!" shouts Robert.

All of you tumble out of the car, grab your stuff and make a run for the nearest entrance to Hogsnorts, your rubbery legs just about managing to propel you along.

You dash into the school and follow Robert, Alex and Aaron into the school hall to sit down with the other children. Sitting down at a wooden bench on the table reserved for first year students, you feel you are a long way from Leeds railway station.