Harry was feeling. ‘Snape’s had plenty of time to tell them everything about you he’s never mentioned before, so if we do run into any Death Eaters, we’re betting they’ll choose one of the Potters who look at home on a broomstick. All right then,’ he went on, tying up the sack with the fake Potters’ clothes in it and leading the way back to the door, ‘I make it three minutes until we’re supposed to leave. No point locking the back door, it won’t keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking … Come on …’
Harry hurried into the hall to fetch his rucksack, Firebolt and Hedwig’s cage before joining the others in the dark back garden. On every side broomsticks were leaping into hands; Hermione had already been helped up on to a great, black Thestral by Kingsley; Fleur on to the other by Bill. Hagrid was standing ready beside the motorbike, goggles on.
‘Is this it? Is this Sirius’s bike?’
‘The very same,’ said Hagrid, beaming down at Harry. ‘An’ the last time you was on it, Harry, I could fit yeh in one hand!’
Harry could not help but feel a little humiliated as he got into the sidecar. It placed him several feet below everybody else: Ron smirked at the sight of him sitting there like a child in a bumper car. Harry stuffed his rucksack and broomstick down by his feet and rammed Hedwig’s cage between his knees. It was extremely uncomfortable.
‘Arthur’s done a bit o’ tinkerin’,’ said Hagrid, quite oblivious to Harry’s discomfort. He settled himself astride the motorcycle, which creaked slightly and sank inches into the ground. ‘It’s got a few tricks up its handlebars now. Tha’ one was my idea.’
He pointed a thick finger at a purple button near the speedometer.
‘Please be careful, Hagrid,’ said Mr Weasley, who was standing beside them, holding his broomstick. ‘I’m still not sure that was advisable and it’s certainly only to be used in emergencies.’
‘All right then,’ said Moody. ‘Everyone ready, please; I want us all to leave at exactly the same time or the whole point of the diversion’s lost.’
Everybody mounted their brooms.
‘Hold tight, now, Ron,’ said Tonks, and Harry saw Ron throw a furtive, guilty look at Lupin before placing his hands on either side of her waist. Hagrid kicked the motorbike into life: it roared like a dragon and the sidecar began to vibrate.
‘Good luck, everyone,’ shouted Moody. ‘See you all in about an hour at The Burrow. On the count of three. One … two … THREE.’
There was a great roar from the motorbike and Harry felt the sidecar give a nasty lurch: he was rising through the air fast, his eyes watering slightly, hair whipped back off his face. Around him brooms were soaring upwards too: the long, black tail of a Thestral flicked past. His legs, jammed into the sidecar by Hedwig’s cage and his rucksack, were already sore and starting to go numb. So great was his discomfort that he almost forgot to take a last glimpse of number four, Privet Drive; by the time he looked over the edge of the sidecar, he could no longer tell which one it was. Higher and higher they climbed into the sky –
And then, out of nowhere, out of nothing, they were surrounded. At least thirty hooded figures, suspended in mid-air, formed a vast circle in the midst of which the Order members had risen, oblivious –
Screams, a blaze of green light on every side: Hagrid gave a yell and the motorbike rolled over. Harry lost any sense of where they were: street lights above him, yells around him, he was clinging to the sidecar for dear life. Hedwig’s cage, the Firebolt and his rucksack slipped from beneath his knees –
‘No – HEDWIG!’
The broomstick spun to earth, but he just managed to seize the strap of his rucksack and the top of the cage as the motorbike swung the right way up again. A second’s relief, and then another burst of green light. The owl screeched and fell to the floor of the cage.
‘No – NO!’
The motorbike zoomed forwards; Harry glimpsed hooded Death Eaters scattering as Hagrid blasted through their circle.
‘Hedwig – Hedwig –’
But the owl lay motionless and pathetic as a toy on the floor of her cage. He could not take it in, and his terror for the others was paramount. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a mass of people moving, flares of green light, two pairs of people on brooms soaring off into the distance, but he could not tell who they were –
‘Hagrid, we’ve got to go back, we’ve got to go back!’ he yelled over the thunderous roar of the engine, pulling out his wand, ramming Hedwig’s cage on to the floor, refusing to believe that she was dead. ‘Hagrid, TURN ROUND!’
‘My job’s ter get you there safe, Harry!’ bellowed Hagrid, and he opened the throttle.
‘Stop – STOP!’ Harry shouted. But as he looked back again two jets of green light flew past his left ear: four Death Eaters had broken away from the circle and were pursuing them, aiming for Hagrid’s broad back. Hagrid swerved, but the Death Eaters were keeping up with the bike; more curses shot after them, and Harry had to sink low into the sidecar to avoid them. Wriggling round, he cried, ‘Stupefy!’ and a red bolt of light shot from his own wand, cleaving a gap between the four pursuing Death Eaters as they scattered to avoid it.
‘Hold on, Harry, this’ll do for ’em!’ roared Hagrid, and Harry looked up just in time to see Hagrid slamming a thick finger into a green button near the fuel gauge.
A wall, a solid brick wall, erupted out of the exhaust pipe. Craning his neck, Harry saw it expand into being in mid-air. Three of the Death Eaters swerved and avoided it, but the fourth was not so lucky: he vanished from view and then dropped like a boulder from behind it, his broomstick broken into pieces. One of his fellows slowed up to save him, but they and the airborne wall were swallowed by darkness as Hagrid leaned low over the handlebars and sped up.
More Killing Curses flew past Harry’s head from the two remaining Death Eaters’ wands; they were aiming for Hagrid. Harry responded with further Stunning Spells: red and green collided in mid-air in a shower of multi-coloured sparks and Harry thought wildly of fireworks, and the Muggles below who would have no idea what was happening –
‘Here we go again, Harry, hold on!’ yelled Hagrid, and he jabbed at a second button. This time a great net burst from the bike’s exhaust, but the Death Eaters were ready for it. Not only did they swerve to avoid it, but the companion who had slowed to save their unconscious friend had caught up: he bloomed suddenly out of the darkness and now three of them were pursuing the motorbike, all shooting curses after it.
‘This’ll do it, Harry, hold on tight!’ yelled Hagrid, and Harry saw him slam his whole hand on to the purple button beside the speedometer.
With an unmistakeable bellowing roar, dragon fire burst from the exhaust, white-hot and blue, and the motorbike shot forwards like a bullet with a sound of wrenching metal. Harry saw the Death Eaters swerve out of sight to avoid the deadly trail of flame, and at the same time felt the sidecar sway ominously: its metal connections to the bike had splintered with the force of acceleration.
‘It’s all righ’, Harry!’ bellowed Hagrid, now thrown flat on to his back by the surge of speed; nobody was steering now, and the sidecar was starting to twist violently in the bike’s slipstream.
‘I’m on it, Harry, don’ worry!’ Hagrid yelled, and from inside his jacket pocket he pulled his flowery pink umbrella.
‘Hagrid!
