Disclaimer: Never has been, never will be.

Chapter 24: Buses and Peas

Previously: 'Miss Evans, I will gladly let you and Mr Potter go to Muggle London, but only for a short while, to lessen the likelihood of any danger. I think, therefore, that it would make the most sense to go next Hogsmeade visit – the one on the first weekend in June. Miss Evans, I hope that you will be able to make sure that Mr Potter does not break too many Wizarding Secrecy laws,' Dumbledore replied, with a twinkle in his eyes.

Satisfied with this personally reasonable answer, the two students took their leave, and returned to the common room, where they were once again bombarded with questions from their friends, which they refused to answer, as to where they had been all afternoon.

Once more the days slipped past, with nothing much to note except an increased workload for the seventh years, Lily's stress levels reaching dangerous heights, and the preparations for the disco getting well under way. The N.E.W.T.s were nearly upon them, and most of the time, despite the lovely weather, was spent inside, studying. After a couple weeks of this, James, Sirius, Caroline, Sarah, Peter and Suzie managed to persuade Lily and Remus to let them study outside. All in all, the time passed quickly, and it was, in fact, two weeks after Sarah's birthday when it was the first of June, and the last Hogsmeade visit of the year.

'Just think, it's our last ever Hogsmeade visit!' said Sarah, giggling. 'Let's try and go around all together.'

Lily and James glanced at each other.

'We'd love to, Sarah,' said Lily, gently, 'but James and I have to go – we've got something we need to do…'

'Oh, please?' begged Suzie. 'You disappeared last time too!'

'I'm sorry, Suzie, but we have to,' said James firmly.

Suzie seemed about to protest, but suddenly Caroline said, grinning, 'If they have to go off, then don't try and stop them.'

'Caroline!' scolded Lily, annoyed at what was being implied.

'Just go, guys,' said Remus. 'The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back.'

Lily smiled weakly, aware that she was letting her friends down, and not liking it one bit. She looked around at their faces, which showed expressions ranging from disappointed to amused, going via resigned.

'Thanks. We'll be back as soon as possible, promise!'

'You shall, or you shall invoke the wrath of the Blackmeister!' called Sirius, as they walked off.

'The Blackmeister?' they heard Caroline say, 'Why the Blackmeister?'

'Well, think about it. Gibsonmeister? Daviesmeister? Lupinmeister? Pettigrewmeister? Hawlingmeister?'

'Fine, fine, your point is made…' By this point, her voice had faded into the distance, and they couldn't hear her any more.

'Let's go, Lily Flower,' said James in Lily's ear as she sadly watched her friends' backs recede into the distance. They had turned a corner and were now safe to Apparate to London without being seen by other students. Lily disappeared first with a soft pop, and James disappeared, a moment later, with a slightly louder crack. They both arrived a second later in Diagon Alley, the end farthest away from the Leaky Cauldron, which had a different exit.

'How long did Dumbledore say we were allowed?' asked James.

'Four hours. Didn't you read the note he sent a week ago?'

'Yes, well, I don't have a super-memory like yours, Lily dear. So, how do we get to this crazy shop then?'

Lily bristled. 'It's a good shop – we bought stuff to decorate our rooms with there –'

'I'm sure. How are we going to get there?'

'I have an A-Z. It's not far.'

'Excuse me, a what?'

'A-Z. It's a map of London.' Lily waved it around. 'We'll have to take a bus, but it's not far, really.'

'A bus?'

'Big red thing, James. I thought you took Muggle Studies?' Lily rolled her eyes.

'Muggle Studies? No! Of course not!' said James incredulously, 'what kind of a useless subject is Muggle Studies?'

'You'd know what a bus is.'

'Yes, well, I suppose I never thought I'd have a chance to wander around Muggle London with a beautiful girl, looking for a place to buy disco balls.'

'Hmph. Oh look, there's a bus stop,' she peered up at it. 'Well, we want a 74…' she glanced for a moment at the pole, with the map on it, showing her the stops each bus would go to. 'Yes, here's fine.'

James looked at her. 'What d'you mean, a 74?'

Lily rolled her eyes again, 'Well, each bus has a different number, and that tells us where it goes. There's the 74 route, the 49 route, the 14 route, and so on. They each go on a different route, and we need a 74. That'll take us to Old Brompton Road. Have you got your fare?'

'Um…I think so. How much is it again?'

'It's about 40p,' replied Lily, looking down the road for any buses coming.

'Peas?'

James' loud exclamations of ignorance were attracting looks from the other people at the bus stop, even though he had, at least, had the sense to dress in what Lily had told him.

'Pence, James. Pence,' hissed Lily. 'Keep your voice down.'

'Yes, miss,' murmured James.

'Ah, here it is. We're getting off at a request stop, so I'll pull the dinger. You don't touch anything.'

'Oh, OK,' said James, nodding.

'Just stand behind me. I'll get your ticket.'

'You know, I'm starting to think I should have taken Muggle Studies.'

'Yes, I think so too. Two, please,' said Lily to the conductor, taking James' money out of his limp hand.

'OK. So this is a bus.'

'Yes, James, this is a bus.'

'And the money is made up of peas.'

'No, James, it's pence. One penny, two pence. One hundred pence per pound. That's it. We have one, two, five, ten, twenty and fifty pence pieces. We have one pound coins, and five pound, ten pound, twenty pound and fifty pound notes. Helpful?'

'Just about. Ok, money, I understand. Travel, I now understand. But seriously, how do you contact each other? I mean, you can't exactly stick your head in the fire…'

'Well, you can, but it would really hurt. We can send letters, or phone each other.'

'What each other?'

'Phone. Telephone. It's an electrical appliance – everyone who has one has a phone number. You press the buttons that make up the number on the phone, and than the phone will ring in the person you're calling's house. They can pick up the phone, and then you can talk to them…' James' eyes had a glazed look. 'How much of that did you understand?'

'Not much. It might work if you had a phone to show me.'

'It might.' They sat in silence for a while, past Gloucester Road Station and Earl's Court, until they came to the West Brompton Station stop.

'Ours is the next stop,' said Lily, getting up, pulling the string that rung the bell, and going to stand in the corner to get off.

'You know, your world is crazy,' said James to her, conversationally.

'Yours is pretty weird too, you know.'

'Possibly.'

'Get off now.'

'Fine.'

They walked along Old Brompton Road until they came to a side-street. They walked along there for a while, until they came to another street which branched off it, which Lily directed them to go down. It seemed pretty deserted, except for one small shop, the sign above which read "All Kinds of Everything". To their surprise, and worry, there was shouting coming from the shop, accompanied with flashes of light which were unmistakably curses.

'We can either walk calmly away, or we can run towards the fray and hope no-one gets too hurt,' said James, in what he hoped was a reasonable and level voice, but Lily was already running towards the shop.

'I never knew the Owens were magical! I don't think they are!'

The words sunk into James' brain, and he realised their meaning – an unprovoked attack on Muggles, by the Death Eaters. Before he knew what he was doing, he too was running towards the shop, drawing out his wand.

Ooh! Suspense! And just who are the Owens?

The bus fare is as correct as my sources can calculate (my mother and father, both of whom might have some idea) for this time (around 1975). The 74 does actually go to Old Brompton Road, and it actually is a request stop. I know, because I looked this stuff up when trying to find out stuff for this chapter. And Hepsa looked up which buses went where. Praise us. Do.

Review replies:

Pyrotechnic – I've updated again. See, you didn't need to cut off any limbs; asking nicely does just as well. I would probably be able to type it leg-less, but you hitting me on the head with my own leg might be slightly distracting.

Review topic: Peas. Money. Buses. Whatever takes your fancy.

Larka :)