"Well then I am no daughter of yours, thank you very much!" You cried before slamming the door and walking down the long driveway in a huff. Your parents didn't even follow you or stop you from leaving and at that point you knew it was the end. The end of being their puppet, the end of being used, the end of- no! The beginning of a new life, a new you.
You checked your pockets for your wand and inwardly smiled. Finally you were free. You walked down the long and almost never ending road, the anger towards your parents still surging through your body when all of a sudden you heard the screeching of loud and rusty brakes.
You jumped closely towards the wall and looked at the violently purple bus. At that moment a man came into view and began speaking.
"Hello, and welcome to The Knight Bus, an alternative transport system for a stranded witch or wizard." You raised a brow as the man stepped out of the bus motioning for you to come towards him. "You are a stranded witch aren't you?" he asked hesitant to whether you needed assistance or not. You nodded you head and took a step forward. The man walked back onto the bus and clasped his hands together rubbing them together for heat.
"Lovely," he said "Step on board and we shall take you wherever it is you want to go." You took another step towards the bus and looked inside. It wasn't totally occupied but there were one or two wizards seated towards the back. Suddenly the man grabbed your arm and pulled you in."C'mon we haven't all night. I'm Stan and I'm your conductor for the night." He pushed you further down the aisle.
"You'd better hold on." He stated, a slight grin maneuvering itself on his grubby face. You quickly grabbed hold of a seat beside you and managed to mumble that you were heading towards the Leaky Cauldron. Stan the conductor nodded.
"That'd be fourteen Sickles." He stated before placing his hand on the drivers shoulders giving him a little pat, almost as if it were for encouragement. The diver nodded his head like a zombie and with a loud bang the bus sped off.
The speed caught you a little off guard and sent you flying to the floor. You moaned as your eyes fell on the few passengers who were neatly seated in their seats. A hair barely moving out of place. You groaned and pulled yourself off the floor and into a near-by seat.
Stan's gaze kept travelling towards you and you began to feel slightly uncomfortable. You watched as the scenery outside flew passed you, as if it were a blur. You stomach felt sore and so you closed your eyes and leaned again the window for support. The knight bus flew through the darkness scattering bushes and shrubs, trees and distant houses, and you sat restlessly, uncomfortably propped up against the cold window.
"Right. Next stop- The Leaky Cauldron" Stan shouted. You shifted and fell forward a little as the bus came to a sudden stop. The screeching of the rusty breaks echoing through the unoccupied bus. Stan walked down the aisle towards your seat and held out a hand.
"Fourteen sickles please." He asked shaking his empty hand in front of your face. You stood up pulled out a handful of coins and counted out fourteen Sickles, almost throwing them at Stan before hopping off the bus. You turned to say a quick thank you, but the bus had already sped out of sight.
You sighed and dug your hands deep into your pockets before walking into the Leaky Cauldron.
You looked around and cringed as the musty smell hit you. You took a few more steps in and looked around. Many booths were occupied by strange men but one face was recognisable.
"Uncle Pete?" you asked as you took a few steps towards the booth in which he was sitting in. He turned around an met your gaze a questioning look upon his face.
"Now if it isn't my favourite niece." He spoke as he motioned for you to come and sit with him and a cloaked man. "Debora, is everything alright? It's a bit late to be roaming the streets of London isn't it." He asked, with a hint of concern in his voice. You took a seat and nodded.
"Er, yeah I guess it is." You shrugged meeting the gaze of the cloaked man. He seemed very familiar. He nodded in your direction and then his cold, grey eyes moved to his bottle of fire whiskey.
"Deborah what happened, Why aren't you at home?" Your uncle asked again. You shrugged and pulled you cold hands out of your pockets, cracking your knuckles out of annoyance.
"They're at it again." You quietly muttered. Referring to your parents and their constant fighting. Pete nodded his head in understanding. He ushered you out of the booth, quietly excusing himself from his company and brought you to the bar.
"I'll pay for your room." He insisted, pulling out his wallet and handing you ten galleons. You quickly wrapped you arms tightly around you uncle, who was more or less a father-like figure to you. He gave you a quick kiss on the forehead and called over Tom, the wrinkly, withered landlord. He got you a room until you were leaving for Hogwarts in three days time. You were grateful and gave him another hug, before following Tom down the hallway.
"Stay safe." You managed to hear your uncle shout from the front of the Leaky Cauldron. You inwardly smiled again. And continued to follow Tom to your room. He opened the door and walked inside. He looked around the room muttered something that sounded like 'sweet dreams' and stalked back out of the room, closing the door behind him.
You looked around. It was a nice enough room, a bit small but it would do for a few days. You pulled back the cover of the beds and jumped inside, tightly pulling the blankets over your body shivering body. You lay in silence for a while gradually falling into a dreamless sleep.