𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞

Chapter 2

Sereia walks down the stairs, pulling her trunk behind her. Vernon walks to her.
Vernon: YOU BRING HER BACK! YOU BRING HER BACK NOW! YOU PUT HER RIGHT!
Sereia: No. She deserved what she got.
Vernon screams and grabs her jacket. She points her wand at him. He backs away in fear.
Sereia: Keep away from me.
Vernon: You can't do magic outside school.
She walks down the last steps and smirks.
Sereia: Yeah? Try me.
Vernon: They won't let you back now. You've nowhere to go.
Sereia: I have a place where I can go. Besides anywhere is better than here.
She opens the door and leaves. She walks down the street with Marge screaming in the distance.

They begin to laugh again.

She stops beside a playground and sits on the sidewalk. She pulls off her backpack and puts it next to her. The street light behind her begins to flicker. She looks at it before looking around as wind blows, blowing her hair around and her bangs back over her forehead. The playground carousel and swings and the seesaw begin to move. She spins her head to the front, hearing growling. She pulls her hair out of her face and sees a black dog waking out of the bushes. She slowly stands up and the dog begins to bark. She pulls her wand and pen out of her pocket. She takes a step back and trips and falls to the ground.

"Really" says Remus. Sirius grimaces. "My bad." Remus shakes his head.

She looks to the right when she hears honking and sees a purple double-decker bus become visible. The bus stops in front of her. She looks at the man wearing purple pants, a white button up with a black tie, a purple jacket and a purple hat, standing at the back doors. He pulls a card out of his pocket.
Stan: "Welcome to the Knight Bus... emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard.
She sits up more.
Stan: "My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor for this evening.
He puts the card back in his pocket and looks around. He looks down and looks at Sereia confused.
Stan: What you doing down there?
Sereia: I fell over.
Stan: What you fall over for?
Sereia: I didn't do it on purpose.
She stands up. Stan waves her inside.
Stan: Well, come on, then. Let's not wait for the grass to grow.
She walks to the end of the bus and looks around it, to the place the dog was. The dog is gone. Stan looks around the bus.
Stan: What you looking at?
Sereia: Nothing.
He waves her in again.
Stan: Well, come on, then. In.
She takes her backpack and goes to grab her trunk but Stan stops her.
Stan: No, no, no. I'll get this. You get in.
She steps into the bus as Stan lifts her truck with difficulty.

Sereia rolls her eyes. "It wasn't even that heavy"

Stan: Come on.
He puts the trunk into the bus. Sereia pockets her wand and pen as she looks at the men sleeping in one of the three beds on the bus. Stan leans against her trunk groaning. Sereia moves slowly around the bed with the men and looks up, at the compartments on the bus. Stan comes behind her.
Stan: Come on. Move on, move on.
She walks to the front and stand in front of a bed. Stan moves around her and gives her a ticket. She looks at it and pockets it. Stan knocks on the window behind the sleeping driver.
Stan: Take her away, Ern.
The shrunken head hanging from the driver seat ceiling looks at Ern as he wakes up.
Shrunken head: Yeah, take it away, Ernie.
Ernie takes a bit of his sandwich and starts the bus. They zoom forward and Sereia falls onto the bed behind her. The man still fast asleep. The beds begin to move around as the bus zooms through the streets. Sereia looks at Stan who watches her curiously.
Stan: What did you say your name was?
Sereia: I didn't.
She pushes her bangs more over her scar.
Stan: Whereabouts are you headed?
Sereia: The Leaky Cauldron. That's in London.