Star of Gryffindor - Book 1

Chapter 2 - Diagon Alley

Reality struck me as Ms. Potter led me out into the night. How on earth were we going to get there? And I didn't have any money! How would I pay for any of this?

Ms. Potter seemed to sense my worry. "If you're wondering how we're traveling, I hope you don't object to the bus. Not the muggle one, of course! You're not old enough to Apparate, obviously, and the Lewis's chimney isn't connected to the Floo network, so we'll have to take the Knight Bus."

I understood exactly none of that. I had so many questions, but decided on the easiest. "What's 'Muggle'?"

Ms. Potter, thank goodness, didn't seem fazed by that at all. "Muggles are the non-magical population. I believe you are the child of two muggles, but we can't be sure, since the Lewises aren't your birth family, are they?"

I just nodded. All right, so we would be taking the bus. I could do that. My other original question bobbed to the surface. "What about money? I don't have any...it's got to be really expensive, right?"

"Don't worry about that. Hogwarts has a fund for students who might need help purchasing robes or books. Everything is taken care of," Ms. Potter said firmly.

At the curb, Ginny suddenly stopped. She held her arm up. For a second, I stared at her in confusion. What was she doing?

Suddenly, there was a loud pop, and a purple triple-decker bus appeared in front of us.

I stumbled backwards in amazement. "What the..."

A middle-aged man in a conduct it's uniform stepped down the stairs. "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 evening."

Ginny said a quick thanks, and led me up the stairs. I stared at the interior of the bus in amazement. Instead of rows of seats, there were rows of beds. I was about to ask Stan Shunpike why, when Ginny grabbed my arm and pulled me down onto the bed next to her.

A second later, I knew why. The bus took off with a lurch, and I almost fell backwards, off the bed. When I finally managed to sit up again, I noticed we were in a completely different part of London. "What..."

"'Choo been on the Knight Bus 'efore?" Stan Shunpike asked me, chuckling at my bewilderment.

"No..." I glanced around. On the floor a few paces away was a newspaper. That wouldn't have been that extraordinary if the pictures on the front page hasn't appeared to be moving. I blinked, and shook my head. I needed sleep.

Ginny and Stan were talking about something I'd never heard of, "Quidditch," and Stan seemed to be a little in awe of her, and kept mentioning how he'd had her husband on this very bus, twice. Ginny did not seem all that impressed.

I don't know when or how I fell asleep, between the sudden stops that threw everyone forward, and the lurching starts that made us in danger rolling down the length of the bus, but I did. All that cleaning earlier had worn me out. Soon, Ms. Potter was shaking me awake. We alighted from the bus in front of a tiny, dirty pub. The swinging sign over the door said "The Leaky Cauldron." I stood staring stupidly at it as Ms. Potter retrieved my suitcase, then led me through the doors.

I was too tired to listen as she talked to the nice-looking lady at the bar, or notice what were apparently her children watching me from behind her. Ms. Potter beckoned me to a door off the side, and led me to a small bedroom, where I promptly fell into bed and slept like a baby.