'What?' said Ron loudly, looking around into the pitch dark, and gripping Harry's elbow very hard.

'There's something moving over there,' Harry breathed. 'Listen ... Sounds like something big.'

They listened. Some distance to their right, the something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees.

'Oh fuck this,' groaned Amelia.

'Oh no,' said Ron. 'Oh no, oh no, oh –'

'Shut up,' said Harry frantically. 'It'll hear you.'

'Hear me?' said Ron in an unnaturally high voice. 'It's already heard Fang!'

The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs as they stood, terrified, waiting. There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.

'What d'you think it's doing?' said Harry.

'Probably getting ready to pounce,' said Ron.

They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move.

'D'you think it's gone?' Harry whispered.

'Dunno –'

Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that  they flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder.

'Harry!' Ron shouted, his voice breaking with relief. 'Harry, it's our car!'

'What?'

'Come on!'

'What do you mean it's your car? Ron what the hell, answer me!' shouted Amelia running over to Ron.

Harry blundered after Ron towards the light, stumbling and tripping, and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing.

Mr Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlamps ablaze. As Ron walked, open-mouthed, towards it, it moved slowly towards him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner.

'It's been here all the time!' said Ron delightedly, walking around the car. 'Look at it. The Forest's turned it wild ...'

'Badass,' breathed out Amelia is shock.

The wings of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. Apparently it had taken to trundling around the Forest on its own. Fang didn't seem at all keen on it; he kept close to Harry, who could feel him quivering. His breathing slowing down again, Harry stuffed his wand back into his robes.