𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔. - golden trio era au

₃₂ ♙ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐬

♙

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐬

♙

Harry was well far ahead of Dawn, illuminated by the streetlamps. She didn't try to catch up, and she didn't dare to call out for him. He needed time to cool off. When he stopped to sit down on a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, she kept her distance and bothered herself with untying her wand from being strapped to her upper thigh. It wasn't easy as she had made the decision to wear jeans. 

When she finally freed it from her person without having to strip in the middle of the street, she started to walk closer to Harry, waving her wand at the road as she did so. With a loud bang that had Harry tumbling backwards, the large, purple triple-decker bus she had used in first year to get back to Hogwarts during Christmas. 

Harry stared, gobsmacked, at the vehicle that had appeared out of thin air. "What?" she said nonchalantly. "Did you think we'd spend the rest of our lives on this wall? Come on."

A conductor in a purple uniform leapt from the bus steps. This one was different to the one she had before. He was young, likely only five or so years older than them, with mousy brown hair that laid flat to his head and a face ridden with acne. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve - What you doin' down there?"

Harry was still on the ground. He snatched up his wand and scrambled to his feet at once. "Fell over."

"'Choo fall over for?" sniggered Stan. 

"I didn't do it on purpose," said Harry and he turned to somewhere behind him, staring into the alleyway between a hedge and garage. 

Dawn took the moment to turn to Stan. "What happened to Mr Harding?"

"Retired, din' he?" said Stan, not looking away from Harry. "'Choo lookin' at?"

"There was a big black thing." Harry pointed uncertainly to the gap. "Like a dog . . . but massive . . ." Stan's eye's were on Harry's forehead and he nervously flattened his fringe. 

"It's late," Dawn smiled purposely at Stan. "Could you get us to the Leaky Cauldron?" 

"'Course." Stan straightened himself up importantly. "For eleven sickles. But for firteen you get 'o chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot-water bottle an' a toofbrush in the colour of your choice." Harry rummaged in his trunk and produced twenty six shiny, silver sickles. Dawn grabbed his hand and tossed four back in with a warning look. She did not want to worry about spilling hot chocolate on herself with the way this bus moved. 

Stan helped them move their trunks up the steps and into the bus. Unlike last time, where there were a bunch of loose seats tossed inside, there were now half a dozen brass bed sets, still not bolted to the ground. A wizard in a nightcap was snoozing in the bed closest to the door muttering in his sleep. 

"You 'ave this one," Stan whispered, shoving their trunks and Hedwig's cage under the bed. They had been taken to the bed right at the front, nearest the driver who was sat in an armchair. This was the same person that drove last time. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. Ern, this is . . . ac'ly, you neva told me your name?"

"Neville Longbottom," Harry lied at once. Dawn, however, just stared silently at Stan until he grew uncomfortable and looked away. 

"Take 'er away, Ern," Stan said, settling himself in the armchair next to Ernie.