Chapter 3: Goodbye Canada
The bus came to a slow stop at the Greyhound Bus Stop in Pembroke, Ontario. Heyyou stood up, and walked to the back of the bus, only to find that his five passengers had fallen asleep. He conjured up a bucket of freezing water and held it by the handle. With an evil grin on his face, he emptied the bucket over them. All at once, the five of them screamed and jumped up. As quick as they'd waken up, he magically dried their clothes. "You may want a jacket," he suggested as he pointed out the window.
The five peered out the window, still half asleep. Cora jumped. "Is that snow!?"
Heyyou laughed. "Yes b'y, that's snow. And it's rather cold outside, so yeh's better get a coat on." He snapped his finger, and their coats appeared in the seat in front of them. The four girls had identical black trench coats. Chris had a black winter coat that seemed a little too big for him. Cora had her scarlet gloves, Nakuru with her blue mittens, Gwen with her pink mittens, and Aimera had her bare hands. Chris pulled a toque from his very large pocket. At the top of it, was a fluffy pom-pom. Heyyou stared blankly at it. "I worry about'chu."
Chris smiled. "I gotta have my toque!"
Nakuru smiled. "Yes, Chris.we know."
The five disembarked the bus, and stepped into the heaping two and a half feet of snow. Heyyou smiled. "Have fun," he said with a chuckle.
Cora blinked. "Snow! Wee!"
Nakuru turned to the driver. "Uhm, where's the portkey, Heyyou?"
He smiled. "It's at Walmart."
Gwen turned around and stared at Heyyou. "It's where?!"
Heyyou laughed to himself. "Yeppers! Seph though it would be funny.yer looking for a Hawaiian alien. That's all I can tells yeh. Now I must be off.I gots teh be in Port Aux Basques in two hours."
The five said goodbye, and looked around them. They were surrounded by snow. Gwen and Cora were having fun building a snowman, while Aimera made snow angels. Chris sighed. "Alright you three.we need to get to Walmart now. The portkey is set to eight thirty, and it's already six. We need to find Walmart, and find the Hawaiian alien. We don't have time for games right now."
Nakuru grinned. "Well then, let's get going." With that, she walked into the bus station, which appeared to be a small shoe store. She greeted the man behind the counter. "Excuse me, but could you tell me how to get to Walmart? My friends and I are from out of town."
The man gave clear directions. "Continue down Lake Street until the street curves. Right at the curve, there will be a big McDonald's. Turn left onto Pembroke Street West, then continue until you see Walmart. There will be an intersection there. You turn right, then you're there. It's that simple."
Nakuru paused a moment before continuing. "How long do you suppose it will take on foot?"
The man chuckled. "By foot? Ma'am, there's two or more feet of snow outside, it's fifteen below zero, and you're new to the area. And by the looks of your attire, I can clearly see that you're not dressed for the weather."
Nakuru looked at her coat and blue mittens. "It isn't that cold out, sir."
He smiled. "I can call a taxi for you if you'd like?"
Nakuru grinned. "I don't have any money, sir. Thanks anyways. And thank you for your directions."
The man raised an eyebrow as she walked out of the small store, then went back to business.
Chris walked over to Nakuru. "So where is it?"
She bowed her head and pointed in random directions. "It's that way then that way then that way.then that way again."
Chris smiled. "That's it? That's easy! Straight, then left, then straight, then right! Thank you Nak."
Cora looked confusedly at Chris. "Only you could decipher those directions, yanno." She smiled, stood up, and wiped the snow from her coat. She looked over at Aimera and Gwen who were still in the midst of having fun. "And as for you two, we need to get to that portkey. We've been at this bus stop for half-an-hour! It's six thirty, and I'm getting cold."
Gwen smiled. "Alright Core. No more fun for us." She snapped her fingers, and the snowman Aimera and she had been building quickly turned to a puddle.
"Hey! What was that for?" cried Aimera as she sulked over her loss.
"Le'ss go," suggested Chris.
The four started walking, but quickly noticed that Nakuru was still standing in front of the entrance to the shoe store. The four turned around and noticed she was almost doubled over laughing. Aimera looked confusedly at Nakuru, then to the others. "I think she's finally cracked!"
Nakuru stopped laughing, and looked at the others, who were shivering from the cold. "No, no, no! Guys I'm fine!"
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Then what may I ask is so funny?"
She began to giggle summore. "The lot of us are acting like a bunch of Muggles! Think about it, why don'tcha?!"
Chris looked at the others with a stupid grin on his face. "We're idiots."
Cora punched Chris playfully on the arm. "Idiots, eh? What exactly do yeh mean by that?"
He looked over at Nakuru, who was smiling broadly. "She's right. We should be ashamed to call ourselves Witches and Wizards."
Gwen smacked her forehead. "Duh! I get it now!"
Cora still seemed utterly clueless. "What? Get what?"
Gwen walked over to her and patted her on the head. "Poor, poor, Core. You know, with our seven years of experience.you'd think we could remember one of Prof Young's classes."
"Conjuring?" she asked as if she still had no clue what she was talking about.
Nakuru sighed. "Think Cora, think. Last year.Prof Young's class.us in the front row."
Cora shrugged. The four others all gave a big sigh before shouting, "APPARITION!"
Cora smiled. "Oh!!! Apparition! Okay! I get it now! We're going to apparate in front of Walmart?"
"Yes, you freak!" yelled Gwen before disappearing completely. The four others did likewise, after making sure no one was watching.
The five of them appeared in front of an incredible building, with a massive blue siding and huge white letters proclaiming that where they were about to go was the Mecca for their materialistic generation.Walmart. Nakuru smiled. "Heh heh heh. Now remember guys, we're looking for a fluffy Hawaiian alien."
Chris smiled as they walked into the over-crowded store. "Our best bet is the toy section. But remember.HANDS OFF!"
Gwen chuckled to herself as she spotted the stuffed animals. "I like this place," she said quietly. She hobbled over to the display of fluffy things. "Are bears considered fluffy Hawaiian aliens?"
Cora smiled. "No, Gwen.bears are not aliens." She walked over to a big display of Barbie dolls. "I remember these," she said with a shudder. "Evil things! Their hair would never stay straight and brushable!"
Chris looked at Cora as if she'd suddenly gone mad. "Barbies?"
"My mom would buy them.I didn't play with them much," Cora replied, defending her image as a 'never-played-with-Barbies' girl. Chris laughed, eyeing Cora suspiciously. "And I suppose you never played with G.I. Joe's?!"
Chris buried his nose in the nearest book, Lord of the Rings.
Nakuru was bus scanning the shelves. She looked at the large electrical clock on the wall behind the cash registers. Seven thirty, she thought to herself as she looked back to the shelves of Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon action figures and toys. She shuddered as she scanned the shelves, giving evil glances at the odd Pikachu or Goku. That's when she heard it.
"ALOHA!"
Startled, she jumped back and looked around. She spotted the fluffy blue alien-like creature that had just spoken. She picked up the box and read the instructions. Say 'Aloha Stitch'. She smiled profusely. "Aloha Stitch," she said watchfully.
No sooner than she's greeted it, it replied. "Yeah?"
She giggled uncontrollably, and read the instructions below. 'Sing me a song', she thought to herself. "Sing me a song."
All of a sudden, Stitch burst into song. "Aloha hey.aloha hey.!"
Nakuru began laughing, and continued her conversation with the stuffed toy. "Tell me a joke."
It replied promptly, "Knock, knock."
Nakuru had a broad smile on her face. "Who's there?"
"Island."
"Island who?" she asked with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Island on Earth five days ago!"
She hugged the toy. "Aww! This is so cute! I wannit!" She looked around. "Hey guys! Get over here! You have to see this!" The four came rushing over. Nakuru smiled and showed them the toy. "This is Stitch. Watch this." She held Stitch close to her face, so he could hear her. "I love you."
"I love you too."
The five of them mauled the toy, grabbing at him with excitement. They all wanted a turn with the cutest toy on Earth. All of a sudden, there was a flash of light, and the five found themselves surrounded by swirling colours. As quickly as they'd been flung into the blur, it ended, and they found themselves standing outside a building called The Three Broomsticks. Chris looked around confusedly. "Where'd the toys go?"
"Where'd the teddies go?!" demanded Gwen, who sat down angrily on a nearby bench. "And where are we?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. "Yer in Hogsmeade," said the voice calmly.
The bus came to a slow stop at the Greyhound Bus Stop in Pembroke, Ontario. Heyyou stood up, and walked to the back of the bus, only to find that his five passengers had fallen asleep. He conjured up a bucket of freezing water and held it by the handle. With an evil grin on his face, he emptied the bucket over them. All at once, the five of them screamed and jumped up. As quick as they'd waken up, he magically dried their clothes. "You may want a jacket," he suggested as he pointed out the window.
The five peered out the window, still half asleep. Cora jumped. "Is that snow!?"
Heyyou laughed. "Yes b'y, that's snow. And it's rather cold outside, so yeh's better get a coat on." He snapped his finger, and their coats appeared in the seat in front of them. The four girls had identical black trench coats. Chris had a black winter coat that seemed a little too big for him. Cora had her scarlet gloves, Nakuru with her blue mittens, Gwen with her pink mittens, and Aimera had her bare hands. Chris pulled a toque from his very large pocket. At the top of it, was a fluffy pom-pom. Heyyou stared blankly at it. "I worry about'chu."
Chris smiled. "I gotta have my toque!"
Nakuru smiled. "Yes, Chris.we know."
The five disembarked the bus, and stepped into the heaping two and a half feet of snow. Heyyou smiled. "Have fun," he said with a chuckle.
Cora blinked. "Snow! Wee!"
Nakuru turned to the driver. "Uhm, where's the portkey, Heyyou?"
He smiled. "It's at Walmart."
Gwen turned around and stared at Heyyou. "It's where?!"
Heyyou laughed to himself. "Yeppers! Seph though it would be funny.yer looking for a Hawaiian alien. That's all I can tells yeh. Now I must be off.I gots teh be in Port Aux Basques in two hours."
The five said goodbye, and looked around them. They were surrounded by snow. Gwen and Cora were having fun building a snowman, while Aimera made snow angels. Chris sighed. "Alright you three.we need to get to Walmart now. The portkey is set to eight thirty, and it's already six. We need to find Walmart, and find the Hawaiian alien. We don't have time for games right now."
Nakuru grinned. "Well then, let's get going." With that, she walked into the bus station, which appeared to be a small shoe store. She greeted the man behind the counter. "Excuse me, but could you tell me how to get to Walmart? My friends and I are from out of town."
The man gave clear directions. "Continue down Lake Street until the street curves. Right at the curve, there will be a big McDonald's. Turn left onto Pembroke Street West, then continue until you see Walmart. There will be an intersection there. You turn right, then you're there. It's that simple."
Nakuru paused a moment before continuing. "How long do you suppose it will take on foot?"
The man chuckled. "By foot? Ma'am, there's two or more feet of snow outside, it's fifteen below zero, and you're new to the area. And by the looks of your attire, I can clearly see that you're not dressed for the weather."
Nakuru looked at her coat and blue mittens. "It isn't that cold out, sir."
He smiled. "I can call a taxi for you if you'd like?"
Nakuru grinned. "I don't have any money, sir. Thanks anyways. And thank you for your directions."
The man raised an eyebrow as she walked out of the small store, then went back to business.
Chris walked over to Nakuru. "So where is it?"
She bowed her head and pointed in random directions. "It's that way then that way then that way.then that way again."
Chris smiled. "That's it? That's easy! Straight, then left, then straight, then right! Thank you Nak."
Cora looked confusedly at Chris. "Only you could decipher those directions, yanno." She smiled, stood up, and wiped the snow from her coat. She looked over at Aimera and Gwen who were still in the midst of having fun. "And as for you two, we need to get to that portkey. We've been at this bus stop for half-an-hour! It's six thirty, and I'm getting cold."
Gwen smiled. "Alright Core. No more fun for us." She snapped her fingers, and the snowman Aimera and she had been building quickly turned to a puddle.
"Hey! What was that for?" cried Aimera as she sulked over her loss.
"Le'ss go," suggested Chris.
The four started walking, but quickly noticed that Nakuru was still standing in front of the entrance to the shoe store. The four turned around and noticed she was almost doubled over laughing. Aimera looked confusedly at Nakuru, then to the others. "I think she's finally cracked!"
Nakuru stopped laughing, and looked at the others, who were shivering from the cold. "No, no, no! Guys I'm fine!"
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Then what may I ask is so funny?"
She began to giggle summore. "The lot of us are acting like a bunch of Muggles! Think about it, why don'tcha?!"
Chris looked at the others with a stupid grin on his face. "We're idiots."
Cora punched Chris playfully on the arm. "Idiots, eh? What exactly do yeh mean by that?"
He looked over at Nakuru, who was smiling broadly. "She's right. We should be ashamed to call ourselves Witches and Wizards."
Gwen smacked her forehead. "Duh! I get it now!"
Cora still seemed utterly clueless. "What? Get what?"
Gwen walked over to her and patted her on the head. "Poor, poor, Core. You know, with our seven years of experience.you'd think we could remember one of Prof Young's classes."
"Conjuring?" she asked as if she still had no clue what she was talking about.
Nakuru sighed. "Think Cora, think. Last year.Prof Young's class.us in the front row."
Cora shrugged. The four others all gave a big sigh before shouting, "APPARITION!"
Cora smiled. "Oh!!! Apparition! Okay! I get it now! We're going to apparate in front of Walmart?"
"Yes, you freak!" yelled Gwen before disappearing completely. The four others did likewise, after making sure no one was watching.
The five of them appeared in front of an incredible building, with a massive blue siding and huge white letters proclaiming that where they were about to go was the Mecca for their materialistic generation.Walmart. Nakuru smiled. "Heh heh heh. Now remember guys, we're looking for a fluffy Hawaiian alien."
Chris smiled as they walked into the over-crowded store. "Our best bet is the toy section. But remember.HANDS OFF!"
Gwen chuckled to herself as she spotted the stuffed animals. "I like this place," she said quietly. She hobbled over to the display of fluffy things. "Are bears considered fluffy Hawaiian aliens?"
Cora smiled. "No, Gwen.bears are not aliens." She walked over to a big display of Barbie dolls. "I remember these," she said with a shudder. "Evil things! Their hair would never stay straight and brushable!"
Chris looked at Cora as if she'd suddenly gone mad. "Barbies?"
"My mom would buy them.I didn't play with them much," Cora replied, defending her image as a 'never-played-with-Barbies' girl. Chris laughed, eyeing Cora suspiciously. "And I suppose you never played with G.I. Joe's?!"
Chris buried his nose in the nearest book, Lord of the Rings.
Nakuru was bus scanning the shelves. She looked at the large electrical clock on the wall behind the cash registers. Seven thirty, she thought to herself as she looked back to the shelves of Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon action figures and toys. She shuddered as she scanned the shelves, giving evil glances at the odd Pikachu or Goku. That's when she heard it.
"ALOHA!"
Startled, she jumped back and looked around. She spotted the fluffy blue alien-like creature that had just spoken. She picked up the box and read the instructions. Say 'Aloha Stitch'. She smiled profusely. "Aloha Stitch," she said watchfully.
No sooner than she's greeted it, it replied. "Yeah?"
She giggled uncontrollably, and read the instructions below. 'Sing me a song', she thought to herself. "Sing me a song."
All of a sudden, Stitch burst into song. "Aloha hey.aloha hey.!"
Nakuru began laughing, and continued her conversation with the stuffed toy. "Tell me a joke."
It replied promptly, "Knock, knock."
Nakuru had a broad smile on her face. "Who's there?"
"Island."
"Island who?" she asked with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Island on Earth five days ago!"
She hugged the toy. "Aww! This is so cute! I wannit!" She looked around. "Hey guys! Get over here! You have to see this!" The four came rushing over. Nakuru smiled and showed them the toy. "This is Stitch. Watch this." She held Stitch close to her face, so he could hear her. "I love you."
"I love you too."
The five of them mauled the toy, grabbing at him with excitement. They all wanted a turn with the cutest toy on Earth. All of a sudden, there was a flash of light, and the five found themselves surrounded by swirling colours. As quickly as they'd been flung into the blur, it ended, and they found themselves standing outside a building called The Three Broomsticks. Chris looked around confusedly. "Where'd the toys go?"
"Where'd the teddies go?!" demanded Gwen, who sat down angrily on a nearby bench. "And where are we?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. "Yer in Hogsmeade," said the voice calmly.