Percy Jackson and the Hound of Hogwarts [Book 3]

4) The Knight Bus

We were several streets away when Harry sat down suddenly, sitting on top of a low Mangolia wall. I silently put his books and presents into his trunk, knowing he was angry.

Suddenly, he very quietly mumbled, "I'm going to be expelled."

I closed his trunk and sat beside him, "No, you won't. They can't prove you did it."

He looked at me as if I were crazy, so I said, "Well, she was insulting me and my mother. Didn't really care that she was dead. That was bad. It didn't help that she was insulting you, either. My fatal flaw is loyalty, Harry. They'll look at me, too."

Harry didn't look too reassured.

We sat in the cold for awhile. I then watched Harry look down at his wand.

"No," I warned, but he started digging through his trunk.

Suddenly, I felt as if we were being watched. Harry stiffened, and I knew he felt the same. I calmly took Riptide out of my pocket, flipping it around and watching Harry scan the street.

I couldn't see anything.

I knew where it was. I turned around and looked at the spot between a garage and a fence. It was too dark to see anything, but Harry was looking there, too.

"Lumos," Harry whispered.

"Harry!" I hissed.

I knew Harry toppled backwards once he saw it. Lurking in the shadows was something large, with big, bright eyes.

There's a loud BANG, and next thing I know, there was bright lights and a pair of massive wheels. A large, triple decker, violently purple bus was sitting there. It seemed as if it had appeared out of thin air. I managed to translate the gold lettering above the door. The Knight Bus.

Suddenly, a conductor in a purple uniform jumped out of the bus and spoke loudly, "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—"

He cut himself off suddenly as he caught sight of Harry on the ground.

Harry staggered to his feet, snatching up his wand and staring wide-eyed at Stan. Stan probably wasn't much older than us, about eighteen or nineteen.

"What were you doin' down there?" Stan asked Harry, then looked at me. "What was he doin' down there?"

"Fell over," Harry said quickly.

"'Choo fall over for?" Stan sniggered.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Harry said frustrated. Harry's jeans were torn, and one of his hands were bleeding. I saw him look back at the spot the thing had been, but I already knew it wasn't there. Stan gave me a confused look.

"'Choo lookin' at?"

"There was a big black thing," Harry said, pointing at the gap awkwardly. "Like a dog... but massive..."

Stan's mouth was open slightly, staring at Harry, "Woss that on your 'ead?"

"Nothing," Harry flattened his hair over the scar.

"Woss your name?" Stan demanded.

"Neville Longbottom," Harry said. "So — so this bus, did you say it goes anywhere?"

"Yep," Stan said, "anywhere you'd like, long's it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater. 'Ere," Stan looked suspicious, "you did flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"

"Yes," Harry said hurriedly. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?"

"Eleven sickles each, but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice," Stan said.

Harry rushed in getting his sickles out. I calmly pulled out thirteen, knowing there wasn't enough room for me to help get Harry's trunk onto the bus.

I stood at the front of the bus while Stan shoved Harry's trunk under one of the beds.

"This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom, Ern. And this is..." Stan trailed off, looking at me.

"Percy Jackson," I said, holding out the sickles. Stan took them, and quickly got me a hot chocolate. Harry stared at me funny.

"What? It's good," I said in Greek, and watched his eyes light up as he understood. Harry had learned some of the basics. Stan looked at me weird then.

"Take 'er away, Ern," Stan said to the driver, and were off with a BANG.

Harry fell back on the bed at the sudden speed. I still stood, drinking my hot chocolate and watching the street blur by. This was not where we had been before.

"This is where we was before you flagged us down," Stan said, watching Harry with amusement. "Where are we, Ern? Somewhere in Wales?"

"Ar."

"How come the Muggles don't hear the bus?" Harry asked.

"Them!" Stan said condescendingly. "Don' listen properly, do they? Don' look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don'."

"Best go wake up Madam Marsh, Stan," Ernie said. "We'll be in Abergavenny in a minute."

Stan walked up some stairs, and I watched the streets whiz past. Every once in awhile, Ernie would drive onto the sidewalk, and the mailboxes and trash cans would jump out of the way.

Magic.

"'Ere you go, Madam Marsh," Stan chirped as Ern stomped on the brake. Beds slid forwards by a foot, and Harry looked up at me and whispered, "How are you so balanced?"

I shrugged. Secretly, I knew it was because of camp. Balancing (while avoiding lava) on the climbing wall was definitely one of my favorite activities.

Madam Marsh climbed out of the bus, and Stan threw her bags out after her. The doors shut, there was another loud BANG, and we were on our way.

I finally sat on the edge of Harry's bed, pulling out my drawing pad, and I began to sketch the bus.

"That man!" Harry yelped suddenly, and I jumped. "He was on the Muggle news!"

Stan looked at the paper and chuckled.

"Sirius Black," he nodded. "'Course 'e was on the Muggle news, Neville, where you been?"

I looked up at the paper and grimaced, "Henry says that he's a bad man." I glanced at Harry, frowning.

As Harry read over the paper Stan and tore for him, Stan said, "That Henry's right."

I frowned, "Escaping Azkaban isn't easy. Wonder if they're ever gonna find him."

Stan nodded, then went back to reading the rest of his paper.

"Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" Stan said to Harry.

"He murdered thirteen people," Harry handed the paper back to Stan, "with one curse?"

"Yep," Stan said, "in front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Ern?"

"Ar."

"Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," Stan swiveled one his chair.

"What, Voldemort?" Harry said. I kicked him in the shin while everyone else freaked out.

I really like hot chocolate, but I can't drink too much of it without getting bored. I swear I have ADD but for foods only. It's a problem. Like, if I don't have a different taste during eating or whatever, it'll start to taste nasty. Still, I eat food because food is good. I just drink apple juice with it. But I'm not going to drink apple juice with hot chocolate. I'm weird, but not that weird. Also, we've got green Hawaiian Punch and I really want to drink it but it's in the back of the fridge and that means moving things to get to it.