Chapter 649: Knight Bus (Edited)

The next day, after breakfast, the group prepared to return to Hogwarts, once again accompanied by Tonks and Lupin as their escorts, while Professor McGonagall had returned to the school the previous night.

Fish hadn't gone because he had heard that they were not taking the Hogwarts Express but the Knight Bus.

"When the Knight Bus first started operating, several pure-blood wizards wrote to the Daily Prophet's readers' column to counter this 'Muggle insult,'" Mr. Weasley was telling Fish about the ride they were about to take. "But more wizards have welcomed it, and now it's an indispensable mode of transportation in England!"

"That bus, can it fly like your car, Arthur meow?"

(?ω?)

An excited Fish asked.

"Ahahahaha..." Mr. Weasley chuckled dryly. "They can fly, but they don't do it very often. It mostly travels on the ground. In fact, my car was inspired by the Knight Bus for many things, like flying and stealth. Unfortunately, I could never quite figure out the function of the Knight Bus that can automatically leap over all obstacles..."

Mr. Weasley, who had been slightly embarrassed, grew more enthusiastic, but his voice quickly died down when he realized Mrs. Weasley was staring at him.

On the other hand, Neville's grandmother whispered to Neville, and Sirius pulled Harry aside in a whisper and slipped a small package to him, and Fish perked up his ears and listened but didn't pay much attention.

After bidding farewell to everyone else, Fish stepped out of 12 Grimmauld Place and headed to the sidewalk. Behind them, number 12 rapidly shrank, the houses on either side stretched to squeeze it, and in the blink of an eye, it had disappeared.

"Come on, the sooner the bus arrives, the better," Tonks said, sweeping the square, and Harry noticed a certain tension in her eyes. Lupin waved his right hand, wand still in hand.

"Boom!"

A bright purple, three-decker bus fell from the sky, nearly colliding with a lamppost but leaping back to avoid it.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus!"

Stan Shunpike, the conductor Harry had met once, hopped off and greeted the crowd with enthusiasm.

"We've got it, thanks," Tonks said quickly. "Get on, get on..."

She pushed Harry and the others towards the bus.

Harry avoided Stan's gaze with some embarrassment because the last time he rode the Knight Bus, he had used Neville's name, and now Neville was standing beside him...

But his concern was obviously unnecessary because when Fish appeared on the bus, he immediately caused a stir.

Apart from a few passengers who had been lucky enough to be rescued by Fish, the wizards who only knew Fish from the newspapers were especially excited to see Fish for the first time, crowding around him, wishing for nothing more than to talk to him.

Stan, the ticket seller, stood in front of Fish with Ernest, the driver, and calmed the crowd so much that he didn't bother to greet Harry, only nodding at him from a distance.

Harry let out a huge sigh of relief and followed Ron, Ginny, and Tonks up to the top deck, while the twins, Neville, and Lupin headed to the back of the deck, leaving only Hermione beside Fish.

Stan, the conductor, and Ernest, the driver, managed to calm the crowd, collecting Hermione's twenty-two Sickles and then going to the back to collect from Lupin.

Fish, on the other hand, approached the driver and asked, "Ernest, can Fish ride on top of the bus?"

(?ω?)

"Call me Ern," said the conductor, wearing thick glasses. "You'll be safer inside the bus."

Hermione retorted, "If Minerva finds out, she'll scold you again."

The idea of climbing on top of the bus to vent was discouraged by the conductor and Hermione, so Fish had to settle for the next best thing, asking to sit next to the driver's seat and watch him drive.

Unlike Muggle buses, the Knight Bus stools weren't fixed to the bus, and even the shapes were so varied that it seemed like the passengers themselves had brought them.

Hermione had an issue with this, as she found the design so unreasonable that she muttered about the poor experience while carrying the chairs with Fish.

The bus started, not too fast for Fish, but Ernest drove with a wild style, swaying around Grimaud Square, taking turns and twists and occasionally hitting the pavement.

Then there was a loud bang, and the car stopped so abruptly that all the passengers lurched forward, many of them falling onto their chairs, Hermione screaming and holding onto Fish, and Fish wrapping his arms around her to prevent her from falling.

The design... doesn't seem so bad after all...

Hermione thought as she was embraced by Fish...

The next moment, the car started again, and they were driving on a highway, the three-story Knight Bus swaying from side to side, occasionally tilting at a terrifying angle, as if it could tip over at any moment.

"Nyahaha! Your bus is much funnier than the Hogwarts train!"

(≧≦)

An excited Fish simply stood up, put his arm around Hermione, grabbed the back of the driver's seat with one hand, and cheekily said to Ernest, "Can we go faster, Ern?"

"Of course!" Ernest replied with a wide smile.

He had been receiving complaints from passengers about his driving skills, and it was a rare compliment from the famous Fish McGonagall, which made Ernest very happy...

Then he stepped on the accelerator.

Amidst the screams of the other passengers and the rattling of luggage, the Knight Bus rocked even more exaggeratedly, zigzagging in and out of Muggle traffic, the occasional vehicle or obstacle too late to avoid being affected by the car's own magic, veering to the side unnoticed by the Muggles around.

Bang!

The chairs slid backward as the Knight Bus jumped from the Birmingham highway onto a quiet country road with a series of sharp curves. A hedge jumped out of the way as the car mounted the curb on both sides.

They passed through a main road downtown, over a viaduct in the middle of a mountain range, and then along a cold and windy street between tall buildings, each time with a loud thud.

Occasionally, passengers got off, and it was unknown whether they had actually reached their stop or couldn't bear the torment and wanted to escape.

"I can't believe this bus has been running for over a hundred years..." Hermione, who had buried her head in Fish's arms shortly after the start of the journey, whispered in a low voice.

Even with Fish's protection, she still felt her stomach churning, and her head was so dizzy that she would have fallen to the floor if not held up by Fish.

Hermione hadn't seen the other passengers, but the frequent sounds of vomiting and screams behind her told the story.

After an exhilarating ride, the Knight Bus stopped in front of the gates of Hogwarts.

Except for Fish, everyone else looked pale and hurriedly got off the car as if fleeing.

"I've changed my mind," Ron swore firmly, clutching his still upset stomach and bruised forehead. "I don't want to ride in this thing again."

Tonks also wondered, "I have the impression that the Knight Bus is much faster than usual today..."

Lupin, who was on the same level as Fish, looked at Fish, who was still somewhat discontented, and sighed in unison.

"What's wrong, nya?"

(?ω?)

Upon catching his gaze, Fish returned it with confidence.

"No, nothing's wrong..." George and Fred waved their hands in perfect synchronization. "We were just thinking... Dad's car is nothing compared to the Knight Bus."

"That's right, nya!" Fish vigorously nodded in agreement. "This bus is much more fun than Arthur's car."

"Well, it's time for you to go in." Tonks probably guessed the reason why the Knight Bus was particularly wild today. She discreetly rolled her eyes before cautiously glancing down the secluded street. "I hope you have a great time at school."

Harry chuckled dryly and said nothing. The idea of having to attend classes with Snape afterward was not pleasant to him.

The twins nodded their heads in unison and said, "That toad Umbridge won't make our school day enjoyable."

"Speaking of toads... Neville, Trevor is escaping again, nya."

(ΦωΦ)

Fish warned, pointing to a toad hopping in the nearby snow.

"Oh, dear!"

Neville rushed over and grabbed Trevor, putting him back into his pocket.

As everyone felt queasy, Lupin approached Harry and whispered, "Harry, I know you don't like Snape, but he's brilliant in Occlumency, and we—Sirius included—want you to learn to protect yourself, so study hard, alright?"

"Yes," Harry replied heavily. He looked at Lupin and bid him an excited farewell. "Goodbye..."

After bidding farewell to both Lupin and Tonks, they joked and laughed as they walked along the icy path toward the castle.