Harry and Professor McGonagall stared out into the empty road.
"Well, I guess that's that. They didn't really put up much of a fight, though," she said with a little twinkle in her eye.
"Did you expect them to?"
"I'm not about to say anything bad about your family, but I still think they could have been a little bit nicer. I mean they are not going to see you for almost a year."
"Thank goodness," Harry muttered under his breath.
"So... I think we should get going, don't you?"
"How exactly are we going to do this? The Hogwarts Express wouldn't take us there now, would they?"
"No, of course not. I find that traveling is much easier with the ability to apparate, but being that you are underage we'll take the next best thing. The Knight Bus!" Harry groaned as he heard this. He remembered his last experience with the Knight Bus all too well. Professor McGonagall reached inside her robes for her wand, and with a flick of a wrist the Knight Bus was standing right in front of them.
"Well, well, well, professor, long time no see." Said the tall, young, pimply boy standing in front of them.
"Yes it has been a long time!" McGonagall said merrily. "Working for the Knight Bus, now are you?"
The boy chuckled. "You caught me. And who is-- golly, that's Harry Potter. Hey, Neville, how're ya doin?" McGonagall eyed Harry suspiciously.
"Uh...fine...."
"Well hop on board. Where're we taking you today?"
"We'll be traveling to Hogsmeade. We'll have to walk from there. Is that alright with you, Harry?"
"That's fine." The two of them climbed aboard. Harry looked up and down the aisle at all of the little beds while McGonagall paid for their tickets. Being that the sun had not yet gone down, the only two passengers were sitting up- one reading the paper, the other lightly dozing. Soon enough, they bus had gone speeding off again, almost hitting the mailbox at the end of Privet Drive before it jumped out of the way.
The two of them picked seats towards the end of the bus, Harry lugging his trunk and Hedwig's cage behind him. The owl hooted loudly as they sat, so Harry stuck a finger through the cage and let him nibble it for a moment.
McGonagall and Harry sat in silence until Harry looked up and said, "So why am I needed back at Hogwarts. It's only a couple weeks until school starts."
McGonagall smiled. "It's not really my style to ruin surprises. Dumbledore has a job that he needs you for. But don't be worried." Harry's palms went sweaty. Suppose he had to face Voldemort again, surly he would not survive.
For the rest of the ride, McGonagall made mindless chatter with the other passengers while Harry sat in silence. Different mysterious reasons for why Dumbledore needed his help were scrolling through his head. Before he knew it, the other passengers had been dropped off and it was only he and McGonagall on the bus.
"Alrighty, next stop Hogsmeade."
Within minutes, they had arrived and they stepped off the bus onto the dark street. They continued up the path and soon enough Hogwarts could be seen in the distance. Harry couldn't help but smile.
"Well, I guess that's that. They didn't really put up much of a fight, though," she said with a little twinkle in her eye.
"Did you expect them to?"
"I'm not about to say anything bad about your family, but I still think they could have been a little bit nicer. I mean they are not going to see you for almost a year."
"Thank goodness," Harry muttered under his breath.
"So... I think we should get going, don't you?"
"How exactly are we going to do this? The Hogwarts Express wouldn't take us there now, would they?"
"No, of course not. I find that traveling is much easier with the ability to apparate, but being that you are underage we'll take the next best thing. The Knight Bus!" Harry groaned as he heard this. He remembered his last experience with the Knight Bus all too well. Professor McGonagall reached inside her robes for her wand, and with a flick of a wrist the Knight Bus was standing right in front of them.
"Well, well, well, professor, long time no see." Said the tall, young, pimply boy standing in front of them.
"Yes it has been a long time!" McGonagall said merrily. "Working for the Knight Bus, now are you?"
The boy chuckled. "You caught me. And who is-- golly, that's Harry Potter. Hey, Neville, how're ya doin?" McGonagall eyed Harry suspiciously.
"Uh...fine...."
"Well hop on board. Where're we taking you today?"
"We'll be traveling to Hogsmeade. We'll have to walk from there. Is that alright with you, Harry?"
"That's fine." The two of them climbed aboard. Harry looked up and down the aisle at all of the little beds while McGonagall paid for their tickets. Being that the sun had not yet gone down, the only two passengers were sitting up- one reading the paper, the other lightly dozing. Soon enough, they bus had gone speeding off again, almost hitting the mailbox at the end of Privet Drive before it jumped out of the way.
The two of them picked seats towards the end of the bus, Harry lugging his trunk and Hedwig's cage behind him. The owl hooted loudly as they sat, so Harry stuck a finger through the cage and let him nibble it for a moment.
McGonagall and Harry sat in silence until Harry looked up and said, "So why am I needed back at Hogwarts. It's only a couple weeks until school starts."
McGonagall smiled. "It's not really my style to ruin surprises. Dumbledore has a job that he needs you for. But don't be worried." Harry's palms went sweaty. Suppose he had to face Voldemort again, surly he would not survive.
For the rest of the ride, McGonagall made mindless chatter with the other passengers while Harry sat in silence. Different mysterious reasons for why Dumbledore needed his help were scrolling through his head. Before he knew it, the other passengers had been dropped off and it was only he and McGonagall on the bus.
"Alrighty, next stop Hogsmeade."
Within minutes, they had arrived and they stepped off the bus onto the dark street. They continued up the path and soon enough Hogwarts could be seen in the distance. Harry couldn't help but smile.