CHAPTER THREE
THE KNIGHT BUS
Ginny knocked on the closed door to Harry's room.
"Harry. It's me." She called.
She took the silence as a 'come in' and opened the door to see Harry laying face down on his pillow.
"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed as he sat up and turned away from her.
"You okay?" she asked gently.
Harry nodded as he rubbed his eyes under his glasses.
"Dusty house." He stated to explain why he was rubbing his eyes.
Ginny wasn't fooled for a second.
"Aunt Marge is a bitch" she stated.
"I could have told you that." Harry said
"Well, we're done with that chapter and nobody blames you for leaving when you did. Hearing those things about your parents was bad enough the first time without reliving it. By the way, BRILLIANT job with the engorgement charm."
"Thanks." Harry said with a sniff. "Stupid allergies."
Ginny rolled her eyes at the lie.
"Well, c'mon. We're going to continue with the book."
"If it's all the same, I think I'll skip out on the rest of the book." Harry said remembering how much he had hated Sirius that year.
Ginny gave him a look.
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Meanwhile,
"Hopefully those two are behaving up there." Fred teased.
"Our little Harrikins and ickle Gin-Gin are growing up" George fake cried.
"They're JUST FRIENDS!" Ron declared not sure if he should be crept out by the mere possibility of his best mate and his sister.
"Shall we decide who's going to read next or wait for those two?" Flitwick asked.
"I'll read." Bill said taking the book.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" a voice came from the other side of the door.
Everyone turned to see the door opening and Ginny Weasley dragging Harry Potter by the ear.
Remus chuckled. It was James and Lily all over again.
Ginny then threw Harry onto the couch so he was back to being sandwiched by the two Marauders. She then took her spot between her parents as everyone gave her a 'what the hell just happened' look.
"Long story." She said ignoring Harry's death glare. "Who's up next?"
"Chapter Three: The Knight Bus" Bill started.
Harry pretended he didn't see Sirius' 'we'll talk later' look.
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"You did too." Ron stated. "The Burrow."
"I didn't realize you were back in the country and I thought I wouldn't be welcomed." Harry argued.
"You're ALWAYS welcome at the Burrow, Dear." Molly told him.
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"Hagrid was expelled and he wasn't outlawed." Charlie argued.
"Besides Mr. Potter." Dumbledore added, "Considering the fact that this was prior to Voldemort's reappearance and the Ministry had nothing against us, they would have done an inquiry. Considering what I saw when I came to the scene and from what I got from Mrs. Dursley, it would have been quite understandable. Especially after hearing what exactly was said just now. I wouldn't be surprised if moments like these was the reason magic was cut off while we read."
"What do you mean 'would have done'?" Remus asked. "An inquiry WASN'T done?"
"Fudge decided to let Harry off the hook because the boy had a 'mass murderer' out to get him." Tonks explained. "He was so relieved Harry was found alive, he let the boy off with a warning."
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"And don't you forget it" they chorused.
"Even if you were Undesirable Number 1 we'd help." Ron added.
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"Why am I scared to hear this?" Molly groaned.
"Because this is one of the same boys who flew a car from London to Scotland." McGonagall answered.
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"Good choice with the cloak" Moody praised. "Might also want to use a shielding charm as well."
"DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!" Molly and McGonagall shouted. And to everyone's shock, Sirius had joined them.
"Oh please." Remus rolled his eyes and whacked his friend. "This is SO something you would have done. In fact, you DID do!"
"I had the sense the call the knight bus!" Sirius defended as he wrapped his arm around Harry.
To his shock, Harry tensed at the touch.
Deciding to stop any potential arguments, Bill continued.
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"Just tell them you're part of a cult" Tonks said.
"Dare I ask how you know that?" Remus asked.
"Worked for me during guard duty just last month." Tonks said. "Some muggle police man asked why I was out in the dead of night dressed in a robe and my hair purple. I told him I was part of a cult and I was looking for cat droppings to be used in a 'spell' to protect the British government. He told me to carry on, though he did look disturbed."
"Atta Girl!" Sirius praised.
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"Constant vigilance." Moody praised.
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"It was a stray alright." Harry chuckled.
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"That was almost too close for comfort." Molly said placing a hand over her heart.
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Everyone glared at Sirius.
"What?" Sirius asked. "Can't a guy check on his godson before going to commit one of the 13 murders he was imprisoned for in order to protect said godson?"
Harry winced as he remembered his reaction to seeing Sirius in the shack, but only three people noticed.
"Not when it nearly gives said godson heart failure and ran over by the Knight Bus." Remus stated.
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"Brilliant job Harry." Ginny said sarcastically to get him out of his mood.
"Well, I couldn't use a Weasley name." Harry defended.
"You could have used a Granger name." Hermione said. "As a muggleborn, my family isn't well known. And it's not so unusual for siblings to both be magical. Even though your aunt and mother are sisters and one's magic and one's muggle, look at the Creevy brothers."
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"Yet." Sirius declared.
Remus rolled his eyes.
"I think we missed something." Kingsley said after a moment of silence due to Sirius' statement.
"This idiot tried to go to Atlantis." Remus stated whacking Sirius upside the head over Harry. "Even tried to hijack the bus."
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"Best to do is ask for the chocolate AFTER you get there." Remus stated. And if you get motion sickness, you'll want that toothbrush."
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"Magic." The twins chorused as if explaining to a two-year old.
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"Don't blame her." Tonks muttered.
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Harry winced. A part of him wanted to leave the room like he had done for the previous chapter. However, he knew he couldn't KEEP doing that.
He decided that when they get to the part in the book where it talked about Sirius being the secret keeper, he'd leave again.
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"That's true." Kingsley agreed.
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"Oh for crying out loud." Sirius muttered with an eyeroll. "I'm HARMLESS!"
Snape gave him a look.
"To most." Sirius added.
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"No, no, no." Sirius said with a chuckle to lighten the mood. "Harry. You've got it all wrong. SNAPE'S the vampire."
"Excuse me?" Snape asked.
Sirius frowned when Harry wouldn't look up at him, obvious ashamed that he had believed the conversation they were reading about.
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In a desperate attempt to get Harry to smile again, Sirius tried again to lighten the mood.
"Oh yeah." He said sarcastically. "And Snape's my best mate in the entire world and the three of us make friendship bracelets all day and at night, take turns…playing with my cousin Bellatrix."
Everyone laughed except for Snape and Harry.
"If Bellatrix came at me for THAT game, I'd run in the opposite direction." Snape said. "actually, ANY type of game that's appropriate or inappropriate to discuss around children."
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"It's just a name." Harry muttered.
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Harry winced causing his friends to exchange a glance.
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"Oh I bet Bella wasn't happy to hear that theory." Sirius laughed.
"Nor was Lucius" Snape confirmed. "Unfortunately for you, admitting it would ensure his own conviction."
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"With grief." Sirius declared.
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Harry clinched his fists. Sirius did NOT deserve Azkaban!
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"No." Bill said with an eye roll.
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"Oh, NOW you can see it." Tonks said with an eye roll.
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"Probably didn't want you making a break for it." Kingsley chuckled.
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"I wanted a bit of privacy." Harry stated.
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"Not the brightest is he?" Ron asked.
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"Wish he acted like this this past summer" Harry muttered.
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"That sure didn't last long" the twins chorused.
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"Still don't" Harry whispered, despite the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that once Sirius read exactly how much Harry hated him during the year, he'd be forced back without the prospect of going back to his now beloved godfather.
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"VERY, VERY deep down." Fred said.
"So deep, it's never seen the light of day." George said.
"Now boys," Dumbledore tried to reason.
"Actually, that's pretty accurate." Harry admitted before tensing at his godfather's reassuring touch.
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"Tried to this summer." Harry muttered as he recalled how Fudge tried to bring up the incident.
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"Don't worry Harry" Fred said.
"We'll de-corrupt you." George said.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" McGonagall, Snape, and Molly chorused. However, Sirius gave them a wink of approval. He wasn't liking how tense Harry was.
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Harry shivered.
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"That's pretty gutsy Harry." Arthur said.
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"That's it for this chapter." Bill said.
"You okay Harry?" Sirius asked his godson.
Harry nodded absentmindedly. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look and dragged him out of the room.
"We'll be right back." Hermione said.
