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 midair in a shower of multicolored 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 onto the purple button beside the speedometer.

With an unmistakable bellowing roar, dragon fire burst from the exhaust, whitehot

And blue, and the motorbike shot forward 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 onto the 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! No! Let me!"

"REPARO!"

There was a deafening bang and the sidecar broke away from the bike completely.

Harry sped forward, propelled by the impetus of the bike's flight, then the sidecar began

to lose height –

In desperation Harry pointed his wand at the sidecar and shouted, "Wingardium

Leviosa!"

The sidecar rose like a cork, unsteerable but at least still airborne. He had but a

split second's relief, however, as more curses streaked past him: The three Death Eaters

Were closing in.

"I'm comin', Harry!" Hagrid yelled from out of the darkness, but Harry could feel

the sidecar beginning to sink again: Crouching as low as he could, he pointed at the

middle of the oncoming figures and yelled, "Impedimenta!"

The jinx hit the middle Death Eater in the chest; For a moment the man was

absurdly spread-eagled in midair as though he had hit an invisible barrier: One of his

fellows almost collided with him –

Then the sidecar began to fall in earnest, and the remaining Death Eater shot a

Curse so close to Harry that he had to duck below the rim of the car, knocking out a tooth

on the edge of his seat –

"I'm comin', Harry, I'm comin'!"

A huge hand seized the back of Harry's robes and hoisted him out of the

Plummeting sidecar; Harry pulled his rucksack with him as he dragged himself onto the

motorbike's seat and found himself back-to-back with Hagrid. As they soared upward,

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 645