Chapter Two A Familiar Face
Hedwig returned with a dead mouse and nipped Harry affectionately. She nestled companionably on his shoulder, and Harry stroked her fondly.
"Busy day, ay?" he said her. Hedwig hooted in reply. " Send me a letter would you? Hold on..." and he got out a quill - it was getting a bit tatty - and wrote a letter to Ron, and one to Hermione, telling them about Sirius' mysterious gift. Just as he sent her off he was called down for tea. Later, Harry pulled on a blue wooly jumper Mrs Weasley had made for him last Christmas, and carefully hid his wand. Taking his money, Floo Powder and letter, he set off for Little Whinging Park
Filled with curiosity and excitement, Harry got off the bus and strode through the gates. He checked his new watch, it was 6:30; it wouldn't be dark for a while, and found an empty corner in the park. After collecting some dry wood and heaping them in a pile Harry cursed as, match after match, the wood wouldn't light. A long while later (Harry noticed the light was fading) he whooped with delight as the wood flickered into life. He heaped some more wood on, and with anticipation took his pot of Floo Powder out of his pocket and sprinkled some on to the fire. I hope this works, Harry thought as he eyed the feeble flames. The fire roared and blazed, Harry smiled in relief. Double checking his piece of parchment and checking to see if there were any Muggles lurking about, he said clearly,
"Wizards Floo-Mail" Harry gave a start of surprise... isn't that man in the fire....?
"Welcome to Wizards Floo-mail where you can send and receive mail by Floo Powder, I am your postman tonight, Stan Shunpike, how may I help-", he looked up from the documents that he was holding and gave a start. Mouth gaping open he gabbled,
"...Ha-Harry Potter!! It's me, Stan, from Knight Bus! I was your conductor. Great to meet you again!" he beamed, "Remember me? You told me you were Neville? Two years ago? None of me friends believed me, ya know? But I'm in luck! Me meeting you, again, you!"
"Of course I do Stan...you really saved my skin", Harry said, as soon as he could get a word in edgeways. "So what are you doing here? Don't you still work as conductor? How's Ernie?", he asked politely.
"Well yeah, I still work there, but I've traded jobs with me cousin Sally Skems. Oh, won't she be kicking herself now, missin' out on meetin' you! Ernies still driver, won't he like to meet you again?"
"So what do you do at the Floo-mail Office?" Harry hoped he could nudge Stan in the direction of mail, he was starting to worry about the time.
"Oh that reminds me...sendin' or receivin'?" right on cue.
"I'm receiving. From Snuffles"
"Okay then, c'mon." Stan started to walk away. Harry was puzzled. Stan turned back,
"Well?"
"Erm. I don't know what to do," Harry said foolishly.
"Oh sorry Harry! Please forgive me" Stan apologised, " I thought you knew! Well, just step into the office and we'll get your mail"
"Okay then" Harry said nervously. He'd had bad experience with travelling by Floo Powder. He took in a deep breath, reminded himself to close his eyes and tuck in his arms and stepped into the flames, which didn't burn him." Here goes" he muttered.
Harry opened his eyes, Stan Shunpike stood - barely jumping - right in front of him, smiling with joy.
"I'll just get your mail" he told Harry and stepped over to the fire Harry had just emerged from.
"Mail room" he ordered. A tall man was standing there as he took the order from Stan. Harry noticed house-elves running about behind him, fetching and carrying mail and packages. Harry listened to the conversation.
"Hullo Sid, I've got a special order for you. Send an elf up 'ere with it would ya?" Stan asked.
"Sure" grumbled Sid, he had dark rings under his eyes, wrinkles and a snarl on his face,
Harry didn't like the look of him much.
"What's the name?"
"From Snuffles, to 'Harry Potter'" announced Stan proudly, emphasising the name. Sid peered past Stan at Harry. He scowled. "Right you are Stan" and vanished.
"He didn't seem to like me much did he?" Harry commented.
"Nonsense! Sid's just like that. No one could not like you! Except maybe...You-Know-Who" he added in a whisper, looking frightened at the very name, but staring at Harry with a great grin. Harry just stood in silence, uncomfortable with Stan's obvious admiration. TAP TAP The door interrupted this awkward moment.
"Lots of packages for Mr Potter!" came a small voice.
Lots? Harry thought.
"Come in!" said Stan. And with that came a house-elf balancing three small packages wrapped in brown paper, and half a dozen house-elves pushing a gigantic parcel on a cart, which was unmistakably-
"A motorbike!" gasped Harry. He thought back to when he heard how Hagrid had borrowed Sirius' flying motorbike, to recover Harry from his house, the night his parents were killed by Voldemort. "A FLYING motorbike?" he added hopefully, with disbelief.
"Oh wow!" Stan grinned with envy, "There's hardly any of THOSE left anymore, ya lucky thin'!"
And indeed Harry was lucky. As he unwrapped the bike, he saw how beautiful it was, gleaming black and a little note attached saying 'Happy Birthday Harry! From your Godfather.' Harry was about to open the other parcels when he realised that they might be dangerous. He didn't know if they were from Sirius. "Uh...excuse me. Who are these packages from?" he asked casually.
"They're from someone anonymous Mr Potter, sir. We were unable to trace who they were from." The house-elves squeaked. Harry looked at his watch; it was 8:00. Yikes.
"I have to go Stan, I'll open these later," a sudden thought struck him, "Oh Stan, I got a MUGGLE bus here, I can't take a motorbike on them and I can't drive this!" Harry said worriedly.
"Well now, why dontcha get the Knight Bus? You can meet Sally then and say hi to Ernie!" Stan suggested , amazed by his own brilliance.
"Thanks Stan, you're ace... now how do I get back?"
"Sit on the motorbike and I'll push you through"
"Thanks Stan, I REALLY owe you know!"
"Goodbye Harry Potter! Come and see me again soon!" he called as he pushed Harry through, who was clutching his parcels.
"I promise Stan...bye!" and he vanished.
End of Chapter Two
Hedwig returned with a dead mouse and nipped Harry affectionately. She nestled companionably on his shoulder, and Harry stroked her fondly.
"Busy day, ay?" he said her. Hedwig hooted in reply. " Send me a letter would you? Hold on..." and he got out a quill - it was getting a bit tatty - and wrote a letter to Ron, and one to Hermione, telling them about Sirius' mysterious gift. Just as he sent her off he was called down for tea. Later, Harry pulled on a blue wooly jumper Mrs Weasley had made for him last Christmas, and carefully hid his wand. Taking his money, Floo Powder and letter, he set off for Little Whinging Park
Filled with curiosity and excitement, Harry got off the bus and strode through the gates. He checked his new watch, it was 6:30; it wouldn't be dark for a while, and found an empty corner in the park. After collecting some dry wood and heaping them in a pile Harry cursed as, match after match, the wood wouldn't light. A long while later (Harry noticed the light was fading) he whooped with delight as the wood flickered into life. He heaped some more wood on, and with anticipation took his pot of Floo Powder out of his pocket and sprinkled some on to the fire. I hope this works, Harry thought as he eyed the feeble flames. The fire roared and blazed, Harry smiled in relief. Double checking his piece of parchment and checking to see if there were any Muggles lurking about, he said clearly,
"Wizards Floo-Mail" Harry gave a start of surprise... isn't that man in the fire....?
"Welcome to Wizards Floo-mail where you can send and receive mail by Floo Powder, I am your postman tonight, Stan Shunpike, how may I help-", he looked up from the documents that he was holding and gave a start. Mouth gaping open he gabbled,
"...Ha-Harry Potter!! It's me, Stan, from Knight Bus! I was your conductor. Great to meet you again!" he beamed, "Remember me? You told me you were Neville? Two years ago? None of me friends believed me, ya know? But I'm in luck! Me meeting you, again, you!"
"Of course I do Stan...you really saved my skin", Harry said, as soon as he could get a word in edgeways. "So what are you doing here? Don't you still work as conductor? How's Ernie?", he asked politely.
"Well yeah, I still work there, but I've traded jobs with me cousin Sally Skems. Oh, won't she be kicking herself now, missin' out on meetin' you! Ernies still driver, won't he like to meet you again?"
"So what do you do at the Floo-mail Office?" Harry hoped he could nudge Stan in the direction of mail, he was starting to worry about the time.
"Oh that reminds me...sendin' or receivin'?" right on cue.
"I'm receiving. From Snuffles"
"Okay then, c'mon." Stan started to walk away. Harry was puzzled. Stan turned back,
"Well?"
"Erm. I don't know what to do," Harry said foolishly.
"Oh sorry Harry! Please forgive me" Stan apologised, " I thought you knew! Well, just step into the office and we'll get your mail"
"Okay then" Harry said nervously. He'd had bad experience with travelling by Floo Powder. He took in a deep breath, reminded himself to close his eyes and tuck in his arms and stepped into the flames, which didn't burn him." Here goes" he muttered.
Harry opened his eyes, Stan Shunpike stood - barely jumping - right in front of him, smiling with joy.
"I'll just get your mail" he told Harry and stepped over to the fire Harry had just emerged from.
"Mail room" he ordered. A tall man was standing there as he took the order from Stan. Harry noticed house-elves running about behind him, fetching and carrying mail and packages. Harry listened to the conversation.
"Hullo Sid, I've got a special order for you. Send an elf up 'ere with it would ya?" Stan asked.
"Sure" grumbled Sid, he had dark rings under his eyes, wrinkles and a snarl on his face,
Harry didn't like the look of him much.
"What's the name?"
"From Snuffles, to 'Harry Potter'" announced Stan proudly, emphasising the name. Sid peered past Stan at Harry. He scowled. "Right you are Stan" and vanished.
"He didn't seem to like me much did he?" Harry commented.
"Nonsense! Sid's just like that. No one could not like you! Except maybe...You-Know-Who" he added in a whisper, looking frightened at the very name, but staring at Harry with a great grin. Harry just stood in silence, uncomfortable with Stan's obvious admiration. TAP TAP The door interrupted this awkward moment.
"Lots of packages for Mr Potter!" came a small voice.
Lots? Harry thought.
"Come in!" said Stan. And with that came a house-elf balancing three small packages wrapped in brown paper, and half a dozen house-elves pushing a gigantic parcel on a cart, which was unmistakably-
"A motorbike!" gasped Harry. He thought back to when he heard how Hagrid had borrowed Sirius' flying motorbike, to recover Harry from his house, the night his parents were killed by Voldemort. "A FLYING motorbike?" he added hopefully, with disbelief.
"Oh wow!" Stan grinned with envy, "There's hardly any of THOSE left anymore, ya lucky thin'!"
And indeed Harry was lucky. As he unwrapped the bike, he saw how beautiful it was, gleaming black and a little note attached saying 'Happy Birthday Harry! From your Godfather.' Harry was about to open the other parcels when he realised that they might be dangerous. He didn't know if they were from Sirius. "Uh...excuse me. Who are these packages from?" he asked casually.
"They're from someone anonymous Mr Potter, sir. We were unable to trace who they were from." The house-elves squeaked. Harry looked at his watch; it was 8:00. Yikes.
"I have to go Stan, I'll open these later," a sudden thought struck him, "Oh Stan, I got a MUGGLE bus here, I can't take a motorbike on them and I can't drive this!" Harry said worriedly.
"Well now, why dontcha get the Knight Bus? You can meet Sally then and say hi to Ernie!" Stan suggested , amazed by his own brilliance.
"Thanks Stan, you're ace... now how do I get back?"
"Sit on the motorbike and I'll push you through"
"Thanks Stan, I REALLY owe you know!"
"Goodbye Harry Potter! Come and see me again soon!" he called as he pushed Harry through, who was clutching his parcels.
"I promise Stan...bye!" and he vanished.
End of Chapter Two