Fixing the Future

4.5

Harry rushed down the steps, dragging his trunk behind him when Uncle Vernon stopped him at the bottom of the steps.
'You bring her back! You bring her back now. You put her right!'
'No! She deserved what she got!'

'Couldn't agree more!' Sirius cheered as they all nodded their agreement.

Uncle Vernon yelled and reached for Harry when he whipped out his wand, pointing it at his uncle, making him cower.

'Keep away from me.'
'You're not allowed to do magic outside school.'
'Yeah? Try me.'
'They won't let you back now. You've nowhere to go.'

'He could go to the Weasley's.'
'Or the authorities.'

'I don't care. Anywhere's better than here.'
Harry walked outside at night, down the street.
Harry continued to walk panting as he lugged his trunk before stopping in front of a playground, a dog barking in the distance.

'Really didn't think that through, did he?' Marlene mused.

He wheeled his trunk over under a streetlight and sat down. The light then started flickering, Harry watching it as it went out.
The merry-go-round and swings started to move and creak as the wind picked up, the see-saw flipping to the other side.

'You his is like a scene straight out of a horror film.' Alice shuddered and Alyssa nodded,
'Tell me about it.'

Rustling was audible, Harry looking across the street wide-eyed as a huge dog came out of the bushes, taller than the bench it was next to. Harry stood looking at the dog cautiously when it started barking, frightening him and making him take out his wand.

James, Remus and Peter all turned to Sirius with raised eyebrows,
'Sirius?'
'What? There are lots of black dogs out there...right?'
'Yeah...sure.'

Sirius frowned, not wanting to accept that the dog was him, knowing that meant he had stood by for 12 years without helping Harry.
Alyssa, who noticed his expression,
sighed slightly.

Harry stumbled back, falling over onto the pavement when bright lights flashed on him, a horn heard honking. A purple triple-decker bus, with the name "Knight Bus" on it, pulled up in front of him, a young man standing at the back, reading a piece of parchment.

'What the-' Lily said in awe. Many of the others shared her reaction whilst other purebloods shrugged it off.

'Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor for this evening.'

He put the piece of parchment back into his jacket and looked in front of him a bit confused before looking down.
'What you doin' down there?'
'I fell over.'
'What'd you fell over for?'
'I didn't do it on purpose.'
'Well, come on, then. Let's not wait for the grass to grow.'

'Rude.'

Harry looked behind the bus, the bushes shown with the dog gone. Stan appeared next to him looking in the direction he was.
'What you lookin' at?'
'Nothing.'
'Well, come on, then. In. Nah, nah, nah. I'll get this. You get in.'
Harry got on the bus as Stan picked up his trunk...grunting and struggling to do so.

'Gordon Bennett.'
Harry looked around the bus, finding three beds, one of them occupied by a snoring wizard. He walked forward slowly, a chandelier shown hanging from the third floor of the bus.
'Come on. Move on. Move on, move on.'
'Alright, alright.'

Harry stood at the front of the bus, in front of a bed, as Stan stood in front of him. He gave him his tickets.

Stan knocked on the window, focusing on a shrunken head.
'Take 'er away, Ern.'
'Yeah... Take it away, Ernie. It's going to be a bumpy ride!'