"Talking"
"Parseltongue"
"Goodbye Uncle Vernon."Chapter 4: Traveling
Five minutes later Harry and Nagini were resting under a small tree in Surrey Park. Harry was holding a small rucksack with the few miserable rags, err...clothes, he owned in it. Harry looked a little sick after being kicked out of the only home he had ever known, but Nagini looked fairly pleased with herself.
"Now that they've kicked me out, where will I go? I don't want to go to an orphanage?" whined Harry.
"No one is going to an orphanage childe. I will take you to your true home. Now hold up your right hand and..."
"My true home? Where is it? What does it look like? How do we get there? What..."
"Ssstop! hissed Nagini. Harry immediately stilled at the harsh hiss and tensed slightly as if wait for a blow. Sssh, I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to listen to what I say and not ask questions until I'm done and once we leave you can't ask questions until we get home. OK?"
"O.K."
"Good. Now listen close. In a minute you must stick out your hand as if calling an imaginary bus. You must truly wish to catch this bus, all right?"
"Uh-huh"
"Good. The Knight Bus should answer your call. Tell the conductor that your name is Alex and that you wish to go to the Leaky Cauldron. If he wants to know why, tell him that stepped out of the wrong floo gate in an empty house and need to meet them there. Once you get to the Leaky Cauldron you need to find the innkeeper, Tom. Ask him if you can use some of his floo powder to get home. Tell him you got separated from your parents and are to meet them back at your house. You will take a small pinch of the green powder and toss it into the fire. It will turn the flames green. Once the flames are green you can step into the fire without burning yourself."
"What do you mean? Fire hurts. It hurts badly," Harry stated emphatically remembering the time his Uncle introduced him to candle wax.
"It's magic. The fire will not hurt you as long as the flames are green. You will step into the fire and softly say, 'Riddle House'. I will be invisible. You must remember all of these directions, because you cannot talk to me in front of others. Most witches and wizards would react negatively if they knew you could speak to me. Also you must cover up your scar. You and your scar, especially your scar, are famous in the wizarding world. They will know who you are immediately unless it is covered. No one can know that Harry Potter has discovered the magical world or that you have left your relatives. Do you understand?"
"Yes. My name isAlex, I got lost and am trying to get home, I need to catch the bus to the um, the um..."
"Leaky Cauldron"
"take the bus to the Leaky Cauldron and find Tom to ask for flew powder."
"Close enough, now I'm going to disappear, but I will be nearby, I promise." With that, Nagini did indeed disappear, before telling Harry to call the bus.
Then, following Nagini's hissed instructions, he put a bandana over his scar. As soon as finished he stuck out his right hand and imagined he was calling a bus. The next thing he knew he heard a loud POP and a scarlet double-decker bus appeared directly in front of him, startling him and making him jump backward in fright. Out of the door stepped a gangly, acne covered teen.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus. Comes to the aid of any stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor." Then he caught sight of Harry, "Why hello. Who are you? Did you call us?"
"Hello, my name is...Alex, and yes, I called you. I need to get to the Leaky Cauldron."
"Where is your parents young man? Your not running away is you?"
Harry shook his head, "no. I fell out of the wrong floo gate, into an empty house. I amsupposed to bemeeting my parents at the Leaky Cauldron."
"Alright. I guess we can take you then. Your a little young to be using the floo network, but no harm. No charge, just hop right on, we'll get you there soon. Alex, this is Ernie, our driver. Ernie this is Alex."
"Humph."
"So Alex do you want any hot chocolate?"
"Umm...yes please."
"Ok then. Just sit back on the bed and I bring it right out. Let's go Ernie." With another loud BANG they were off. An hour later, the loud, rough ride was over and Ernie came back to announce, "Leaky Cauldron! This here's your stop young Alex."
"Thank you. Bye-bye."
"Bye! Your welcome." BANG the bus vanished yet again.
Harry walked in to the pub and headed straight towards the bar where a slightly pudgy, and had a friendly smile was cleaning some glasses.
"Ah hem. Excuse me, sir?"
"Yes? Ah, Hello young sir. My name is Tom, I run this place. How may I help you?"
"I was wondering if I could use some of you floo powder. I got lost and my mommy said to go home ifI got lost."
"Sure, sure. It's in the jar just over the fireplace there."
"Ok. Thank you."
"No problem, no problem at all. Here let me help you, I don't think you'll be able to reach that high." With that, Tom moved Harry through the crowd toward the fireplace. Once there he took a jar off the mantelpiece and offered it to Harry.
Harry took a pinch of the green powder and threw it into the fire. The flames turned green just as Nagini had said it would so Harry took a deep breath and stepped into the fire, ready to spring back if necessary. He was pleasantly surprised to learn that he wasn't burnt, but that it was rather pleasant. He waited a second, then felt Nagini nudge his leg so he opened his mouth and all but whispered, "Riddle House". The next thing he knew he was tumbling through the floo network. "OW!" Suddenly, he thumped into something hard. Then there was a tingling sensation and he felt as if he were swimming in jell-o. Finally he tumbled out of a fireplace into a small room.
The first thing he saw was two large, apparently glowing eyes.