Trouble Fox

Night of the Knight Bus

"So."
Brittany said as she set her trunk down at sat next to Harry's trunk on the edge of the road.
"We have no money, no food, and are out here in the middle of the night with nowhere to go. Didn't think this through, did you?"
Harry shook his head.
"It's no use. You should go back, you've got a chance at continuing to live a normal life at Hogwarts."
Brittany opened her mouth to say, "What's that supposed to mean?", but thought better of it and listened to Harry.
"I'm sure to be expelled, if not arrested,"
Harry muttered. Brittany shrugged and said,
"Well, if you are arrested, I'm breaking you out of Azkaban."
Harry shook his head incredulously.
"And how are you going to do that?"
Brittany laughed and shook her head.
"I dunno, magic. Or not magic. Didn't Hermione say something about how wizards haven't got any logic?"
Harry shook his head and leaned over his trunk, rummaging through it. Brittany tensed up and stared at the opposite side of the road into the alley.
"There's something watching us."
Harry turned around and raised his wand.
"Lumos."
The bright light blinded the both of them for a moment, but then showed there was nothing there. Brittany stood up and backed up onto the sidewalk as Harry stepped back and tripped over the trunk. His wand flew into the air and there was a loud bang, and Brittany jumped back rather quick. A large purple three decker bus was coming to a halt in front of them. The conductor stepped off the back and read from a piece of paper,
"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'll be your conductor this eve-"
He looked up from the script he was reading and at Harry.
"What 'choo doin down there?'
He asked.
"I fell over."
Harry answered. Brittany had the sudden urge to say obviously as slowly as possible.
"What 'choo fell over for?"
At this moment Brittany knew Stan wasn't the brightest.
"I didn't mean too!"
Harry snapped at him. Brittany noticed he was bleeding.
"Oh! Your hand, are you okay?"
She asked. Harry didn't answer. He was looking over where he had shined his wand before. Stan watched Harry incredulously.
"'choo lookin at?"
Harry shook his head.
"There was a big black thing... Like a dog, but massive."
Brittany made eye contact with Stan, who seemed to ask, 'Is 'e mental?'.
Harry shook his head again and looked back at the Knight Bus. Stan's eyes moved to his forehead.
"Woss that on your 'ead?"
He asked. Harry flattened down his bangs quickly and said nothing.
"Right. Woss your names again?"
Harry said,
"Neville Longbottom."
Quickly, and Brittany followed by saying,
"Emily McKenzie."
Brittany glared at Harry for not coming up with a fake name, but it was too late.
"So, this bus, you said it goes anywhere?"
Harry asked Stan, changing the subject.
"Right, just nuffink underwater. You can't your friend did flag us down, dincha?"
Stan asked. Brittany tried to say they were siblings, but Harry interrupted her.
"Yes. Yes I did. How much would it be to get to London?"
Harry asked.
"Eleven sickles. But for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush in the colour of your choice."
While Harry rummaged in his trunk for some gold, Brittany pulled a handful of sickles out of her trunk and handed them to Stan. She got on the weirdest bus she had ever seen, full of beds instead of seats, and Harry followed after her. She wondered why Harry had stopped her from saying they were siblings, but she understood when she saw their reflections in the window. They looked nothing alike. Brittany looked like their mum, fair freckled skin and red hair, while Harry looked like their dad, tan skin and black hair. It was hard to believe they were twins. When she was younger, she used to think that they were lied to by the Dursleys, that they certainly weren't twins, but then they did a school project on genetics where they had to bring in a picture of their parents. Aunt Petunia was angry about it, but did manage to find one picture with Lily in it (though it was crumpled and smudge in places as though it had been thrown away, only to be retrieved later in regret). She said she had none of James, but Brittany found an old picture tucked under a box in the basement with both her parents as well as several other people in it. Brittany thought she looked fairly similar to the girl in the photograph, if only she didn't have an ugly scar. The boy next to her looked just like Harry, but without the girl's bright eyes, which brought her to the conclusion that they were definatley siblings. During the project, the teacher at school said it was possible for Harry and Brittany to be twins, but considering they looked as if they weren't even the same race, it was more likley one of their parents had an affair. (Which was not an appropriate thing to say to a child. Brittany told Aunt Petunia but all she said was that it didn't surprise her. James Potter wasn't trustworthy in her opinion.) Brittany didn't believe the teacher and looked at the photo to remind her. She could have sworn it waved at her a few times... And it may have. Then she went to Hogwarts where everyone twittered about how Harry had Lily's eyes and how much he looked like James, so she stopped considering they weren't siblings. Still, she guessed Harry didn't want to have to explain why they looked so different. The bus lurched forward with a loud bang, snapping Brittany out of her thoughts, and they were suddenly zipping past the countryside.