[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by christiangirl

OKay, smarty pants, I'll take your word for it. But weren't Harry and Ron spotted when they first took off from King's Cross, still in London? That's when the invisibility function wasn't working and they were afraid people would see them.

From HP and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 5, "The Whomping Willow":

You were seen, [Snape] hissed, showing them the headline: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. He began to read aloud: "Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office Tower . . . at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Herry Bayliss, while hanging out her washing . . . Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles . . . reported to police . . . Six or seven Muggles in all.