Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Bailey, her puppies, her mate, and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
A Dog's Purpose Is Strange Magic 3 Chapter 3
Harry has no need to be ashamed of his actions as he stomps away from Number 4 Privet Drive lost in his fury. With how Aunt Marge was ruthlessly and relentlessly provoking him and Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia doing nothing to stop it his reaction is more than justified. Shouldn't have expected anything less from them anyhow. The insincerity behind their end of the bargain despite Harry doing his utmost to uphold his was utterly deplorable.
But, as they get further and further away from there, Bailey must admit that storming out as they did with no plan and nowhere to go is a bit impulsive.
Thus making his choice quite rash.
Nothing can be done about that now. He can't just go and change his mind. Harry just has to go with it.
And as his caretaker and companion Bailey accompanies him.
Harry has put them in even more of a bind having not been in a calm enough state of mind to contemplate grabbing any Muggle currency for transportation to get to the Leaky Cauldron in London. He could fly them there on his Nimbus Two Thousand underneath the Invisibility Cloak but that might get him into even more trouble than he already is for that stunt. He does have some pocket money, but there's no way for him to use any of it without drawing unwanted attention and weird looks.
Harry and Bailey are literally stranded.
Instead of continuing to wander around aimless Harry stops them at a vacant park out of the Privet Drive district in Magnolia Crescent to cool down and clear his head, simmer down, and assess his available options that won't bring about any devastating consequences with the law in careful calculation.
Bailey moves warily around her boy to give him the space he needs to accomplish this.
Harry plants himself on a bench, burying his face in his hands inhaling and then exhaling deeply in a repeated fashion.
Groaning, Harry said "What the hell did I just do?"
Bailey woofed sympathetically, nudging her cold and wet nose against his cheek.
Fondling her ears and kissing the spot between her eyes, Harry said "At least I have you, right, Bailey?"
Bailey licks his wrist.
It's a good thing she's here keeping him company or else Harry might've lost himself in a panic.
But it's quickly decided by him that he'll fly on his broomstick to London underneath his Invisibility Cloak with Bailey, go to Gringotts in Diagon Alley, withdraw the rest of his money from the Potter vault, and begin life as an outcast somewhere else. Despite his age, Harry is confident that he and Bailey can find work somewhere. Neither are afraid of hard work. They've been doing it all their lives. Maybe on a farm out there where no one really knows him. Surely there are those out there in the industry who might take some pity on a teenage runaway and his dog.
With time of the essence, keeping a low profile so no one would call the Muggle police, Harry opens his trunk and pushes the contents aside searching for the Invisibility Cloak.
Bailey remains on the alert, keeping an eye out for danger. This late at night one never knows who could be out here skulking around. There's no need for him to look up. He knows he can count on Bailey implicitly to watch his back.
Bailey's attention to detail is well founded as it pays off in these circumstances.
A funny prickling on the back of Bailey's neck has made her sense they're being watched. Funny enough there's no one visible in the vicinity. So instead of a person, it must be an animal. If it's a raccoon or a fox, then Bailey is going to chase them off the scene right quick. But there's no indication it's either of those things. There are some faint traces of scent marks from them, but they're so long ago that she can barely make them out.
No, this is something else entirely.
Bailey's breath hitches, catching the smell of another dog really close by.
A couple of seconds after she picks it up Bailey successfully pinpoints it concealed deep in the shadows of some clustered together bushes.
A growl rises in Bailey's throat. The familiar sound alerts Harry that the two of them might potentially be in danger. Since he's already in trouble for using magic, seeing no harm in doing anymore, Harry uses a spell to light his wand to get a better look analyzing the threat. The resulting light illuminates the surrounding area, and, in that darkness, a black and very big dog is unveiled staring at them with wide and gleaming eyes.
Bailey spreads her stance into an attack position. Her hackles are raised, lips peeled away from her teeth as she voices more low shuddering growls.
Harry ventures a step closer which is an action Bailey would've heavily advised against.
The black dog bares its teeth at Harry and barks harshly in a booming voice.
The force behind it makes Harry stumble backward, tripping on his heels over the sidewalk and landing hard on his butt.
Bailey is about to retaliate and warn the intruder off them in their tripulant situation when a surprise bulldozes in between them.
Thanks to her enhanced canine hearing Bailey can hear it coming before she sees it. Harry had been starting to rise, but she yanks him back at the last second by his pants and he stumbles back onto the ground flat.
It arrives with a deafening bang and a sudden blinding light that erupts around them. Bailey jumps back standing with one paw over her boy in an attempt to shield him. Good thing he'd stepped back when he did or else he might've been run over.
Bailey can't believe her eyes.
Rolling down on the street in front of them is a triple-decker, violently purple bus that has literally appeared out of thin air. The gold lettering pained over the windshield spelled The Knight Bus.
Bailey's never seen a bus like this before. She had seen plenty of them whenever she visited London with her boy, but none looking at any of them like this.
The bus reaches a slow stop in front of them on the curb.
The doors slide open and a conductor wearing a matching purple uniform and cap steps out of the bus to the bottom step and begins to speak loudly into the night as if he's reading from a rehearsed script.
He probably is judging by the old card he's reading from in his hand.
Leaning lazing against the door, legs and arms crossed, in a bored tone of voice, the conductor said "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor for this evening."
His wand hand? Well, that certainly explains the reason why this bus just randomly showed up directly after Harry pulled out his wand.
Bailey relaxes her stance moving off Harry so he can sit up properly.
Spotting Harry sitting on the ground instead of standing, dropping his professional manner, Stan said "What were you doing down there?"
"I fell over," said Harry, frankly, aiming a disgruntled look at Bailey.
Bailey turns her head away innocently batting her eyes and holding her nose in the air.
Exasperatedly, Stan said "What did you fall over for?"
Indignantly annoyed, Harry said "I didn't do it on purpose.
Harry stands dusting the dirt and loose gravel off his clothes. Bailey assists by using her tail and wiping the rest of it off. Remembering the other dog Bailey peers around the front of the bus and sees the stray has vanished. She assumes it must've gotten spooked by the Knight Buse's sudden arrival.
"It's gone," murmured Harry, brow furrowed.
Impatiently, Stam said "Well, come on, then. Let's not wait for the grass to grow."
Harry's trunk is heavy, so he assists Stan in carrying it inside the Knight Bus.
Noticing the scar on Harry's forehead, abruptly, Stan said "What's that on your head?"
Flattening his hair over his scar, Harry said "Nothing."
Good for him. They've got to be inconspicuous.
Persisting, Stan said "What is your name?"
Saying the first name that came into his head to act as a cover identity, Harry said "Neville Longbottom. So…so this bus, did you say it goes anywhere?"
Posturing proudly, Stan said "Yep, anywhere you like as long as it's on land. Can't do anything underwater. Hey, you did flag us down, didn't you? Stuck out your wand, right?"
"Yes," said Harry. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?"
"Eleven sickles," said Stan. "But for thirteen you get hot chocolate and for fifteen you get a hot water bottle and a toothbrush in the color of your choice."
Bailey doesn't think Harry needs any of that right now but it's a good thing to know.
Digging in the trunk for his money pouch, Harry said "What about my dog? Is she being on here going to be a problem?"
Shrugging, Stan said "As long as she doesn't make a mess then it's okay. We have owls, toads, and cats in here all the time."
Harry exhales in relief. He extracts the money, shoving some silver into Stan's hand.
Bailey clambers onto the Knight Bus eager for them to leave.
Bailey is astounded to find that there are no seats. Instead there are half a dozen brass bedsteads standing beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed. Some of these beds are currently occupied while others are empty. Bailey suspects there are more beds above filled by more passengers. Stan places Harry's belongings under the vacant bed right behind the driver.
Gesturing toward the driver, an elderly wizard wearing thick owlish glasses, Stan introduced "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom, Ern."
Ernie nods in greeting to Harry.
Bailey hops onto the bed wasting no time in making herself comfortable.
Bailey's never been on a bus before so she assumes it should be fun. It'll save time when it ultimately comes to getting to London in a timely fashion.
Bailey's seen plenty of reckless drivers on the television but none more so than this Ernie.
The moment Stan gave the green light to Ernie they were off.
There was a tremendous bang and the next moment Harry found himself flat on one end of the bed, thrown backward by the sheer speed of the Knight Bus. Bailey is flat on her stomach with her legs and paws spread to latch onto the sides to prevent herself from becoming airborne.
Outside, through the window, they are bowling along numerous different streets that they can't identify because of the rapid pace. Harry can look out the window the entire ride, but Bailey doesn't change it. Her heart is already beating so fast that Bailey is astonished she doesn't have a heart attack.
So much for getting any rest. No solace is to be found here.
The only good thing achieved during the entire ride behind all the bumping, bouncing, and jostling around is news on what's occurring within the magical community.
Turns out the man Sirius Black on the Muggle news is actually an escaped prisoner from a Wizards prison. That explains why no one on the news channel conveyed to the public where he'd been locked up. The infamous prisoner they had in Azkaban as they said and has so far eluded all law enforcement out pursuing him to keep the public safe. Stan answers all questions Harry has on the subject of this Sirius Black.
Turns out Sirius Black was a big supporter of Voldemort back in the day before he was brought down. He'd been chased into a corner and as a last resort in order to remain free of imprisonment had turned his wand on Muggles and terminated the wizards and about 12 Muggles caught in the crossfire. Sirius Black showed no remorse laughing when he was apprehended. What has been scaring people is that there's never been a breakout like this from Azkaban before in their history. It's left so many clueless and pondering on what sort of magical means long forgotten within his disposal that could get him out.
The Knight Bus rolls through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths, and trees. Leaving puzzled and baffled Muggles none the wiser on how these things were upended or where that random gust of wind came from. After a while, Stan remembered that Harry had paid for hot chocolate but poured it all over Harry's pillow when the bus jerked terribly. One by one wizards and witches descended from the upper floors of the bus looking just as queasy as they felt.
Eventually, Harry and Bailey are the only passengers left. Harry mentions he needs to get to Diagon Alley and is taken right there.
A couple of minutes later the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a familiar small and shabby pub.
The Leaky Cauldron.
Exactly the destination Harry and Bailey desired to reach all along.
Oh, the Knight Bus has saved a massive amount of time all right, but by the end of the ride Bailey feels like her stomach has been upturned inside and out and Harry is no better.
Honestly, if Bailey even lays eyes on that dratted Knight Bus again it'll be too soon.
The Knight Bus was hell on wheels.
Bailey beats Harry to the steps. Once on the sidewalk, she heaves repeatedly, throwing up the little food she had eaten before their hasty departure from Number 4 Privet Drive.
When she's done hacking out her guts Bailey spies the person standing in the door leading into the pub. She recognizes him immediately from when he visited Hagrid's hut last year.
Cornelius Fudge the Minister of Magic.
This is the one person Harry wanted to steer clear of and yet here he was waiting for them.
Bailey fails to warn Harry in time to stay on the Knight Bus.
Stepping out into the light and moving straight for Harry, Cornelius Fudge said "There you are, Harry."
Harry turns as the Minister places a hand on his shoulder so he can't run away.
Leaping down onto the pavement, Stan said "What did you call Neville, Minister?"
Frowning, Cornelius Fudge said "Neville? This is Harry Potter."
"I knew it," shouted Stan, pumping his fist in the air gleefully. "Ern! Guess who Neville is Ern! He's Harry Potter! I can see his scar!"
The Knight Bus will have to get a new conductor to its name if Bailey has anything to say about it if Stan doesn't shut up.
Although it is too late. The Minister already has identified her boy.
Testily, Fudge said "Yes, well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked Harry up, but he and I need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now."
Fudge increases the pressure on Harry's shoulder, steering him inside the pub. Bailey follows scowling at the Minster's manhandling of her boy.
A stooping figure bearing a lantern appears through the door behind the bar.
Tom, the wizened, toothless landlord and owner of the Leaky Cauldron itself.
"You've got him, Minister," exclaimed Tom, grinning. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"
Consideringly, Fudge said "Perhaps a pot of tea."
Stan and Ern appear, carrying Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage.
"How come you didn't tell us who you are, eh, Neville," said Stan, beaming at Harry.
Bailey woofs admonishingly, smacking Stan lightly in the face with her tail.
"Hey! I let you on the Knight Bus and this is how you show your appreciation," said Stan, angrily.
Bailey barks, pushing Stan back toward the door.
"All right keep your fur on. We're going. We're going," said Stan, affronted.
Pointedly, Fudge said "And a private parlor, please, Tom."
Tom beckons Fudge toward the passage that led from the bar. Fudge marched Harry along the narrow passage after Tom's lantern with Bailey keeping abreast and then into a small parlor. Tom clicked his fingers and a fire burst into life in the grate.
Grateful for the warmth Bailey goes over to the rug in front of the fireplace and settles down with an appreciative sigh.
Indicating a chair by the fire, Fudge said "Sit down, Harry."
Harry sat down and Bailey placed her chin over his feet to keep him grounded and calm his anxiously racing heart.
"I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic," he said.
Like they didn't already know that except the man wasn't aware they bore witness to that particular meeting. Quite possibly Harry's own Invisibility Cloak might be confiscated right there in front of him.
Tom reappears bearing a tray of tea, crumpets, and a plate of mixed pork and chicken, and a small bowl of water for Bailey. He places the tray on the table and the plate and bowl on the floor. He then exits closing the door behind him as Bailey digs right in.
Pouring out the tea and distributing it in the teacups, buttering himself a crumpet, Fudge recounts "Well, Harry, you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think…but you're safe and that's what matters. Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then…You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that and no harm done."
Harry and Bailey can't believe their ears. It would've been better news if what happened to Aunt Marge was irreversible. I would've been perfect karma for how abhorrent she acts and probably be a blessing to her own neighbors.
Assuming Harry is concerned about Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's reactions, Fudge said "Ah, you're worrying about the reaction of your aunt and uncle? I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."
It could've been nicer if other more permanent and warm living conditions for a home were arranged instead, ignoring any inconvenience created. Heck, Bailey reckons even the ricketiest house in London would be an improvement over the Dursleys.
Unsticking his throat, Harry said "I always stay at Hogwarts for the Easter and Christmas holidays, and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive."
Speaking in a worried tone, Fudge said "Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down. They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other very deep down."
Fudge wouldn't be saying this if he were stuck with the Dursleys for a week.
Clearing his throat, Fudge said "So all that remains is to decide where you're going to spend the last three weeks of your vacation. I suggest you take a room here at the Leaky Cauldron."
"Hang on," blurted Harry. "What about my punishment?"
Blinking in confusion, Fudge said "Punishment?"
"I broke the law," said Harry, dumbfounded, having expected far more severe consequences sent his way. "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"
"Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that," laughed Fudge, taking a bite of his second crumpet. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!"
"Last year, I got an official warning just because a house elf smashed a pudding in my uncle's house," exclaimed Harry. "The Ministry of Magic said I'd be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!"
Bailey narrows her eyes at the Minister. He's suddenly awkward, imperceptibly twitching his fingers nervously on the arms of the chair.
Furthermore, something's off. The Minister of Magic is deliberately keeping information from Harry.
The question is why?
Bailey can't fathom a suitable answer to this specific mystery behind this impromptu and unmerited encounter.
The Minister of Magic came himself when he could've instead sent an agent in his place.
"Circumstances change, Harry. We have to take into account…in the present climate…surely you don't want to be expelled," said Fudge in befuddlement.
Shaking his head, Harry said "Of course I don't."
"Then what is all the fuss about," said Fudge, smiling. "Now, have a crumpet, Harry, while I go and see if Tom's got a room for you."
Fudge strode out of the parlor and Harry gapped after him. Harry doesn't bother with the crumpets, not hungry. He hands them off to Bailey and she consumes them with great pleasure. Fudge returns, accompanied by Tom.
Accommodatingly, Fudge said Room eleven's free, Harry. I think you'll be very comfortable. Just one thing and I'm sure you'll understand…I don't want you wandering off into Muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. I'm sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me."
"Okay," said Harry, wisely choosing not to object and appear disagreeable, "but why-?"
"Don't want to lose you again, do we," said Fudge with a hearty laugh. "No, no…best we know where you are…I mean." He then cleared his throat loudly and picked up his pinstriped cloak. "I'll be off, plenty to do, you know…"
"Have you had any luck with Black yet," asked Harry.
Finger slipping on the silver fastenings of his cloak, startled, Fudge said "What's that? Oh, you've heard. Well, no, not yet, but it's only a matter of time. The Azkaban guards have never yet failed…and are angrier than I've seen them. So, I'll say goodbye."
"Minister? Can I ask you something," said Harry, a lightbulb suddenly igniting in his head.
"Certainly," said Fudge, smiling.
Cautiously, Harry said "Third years at Hogwarts are permitted to visit Hogsmeade, but my aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form for obvious reasons. Do you think you could maybe sign it in their place? I mean, you're the Minister of Magic. If you give me permission, then shouldn't it be okay?"
Looking unbelievably uncomfortable, Fudge said "Ah, no, no, I'm very sorry, Harry, but as I'm not your parent or guardian it is out of my hands. Rules are rules. Perhaps you'll be able to visit Hogsmeade next year. In fact, I think it's best if you don't…yes…I'll be off. Enjoy your stay, Harry."
With a shake of Harry's limp hand, Fudge departs the room.
Tom moves in and leads him and Bailey to their living quarters for the duration of the stay. Inside was a very comfortable looking bed, some highly polished oak furniture, a cheerfully crackling fire that Bailey would take advantage of, and perched on top of the wardrobe was someone Bailey didn't think would be here.
"Hedwig," gasped Harry.
The snowy owl clicked her beak, fluttering down onto Harry's arm.
"Very smart owl you've got there, Mr. Potter," chuckled Tom. "Arrived about five minutes before yourself. If there's anything you need don't hesitate to ask."
Tom then left with a bow.
Harry sat on his bed for a long time, absentmindedly stroking Hedwig, Bailey curled around his back acting as a cushioned pillow. It's hard to believe that they'd left Privet Drive behind them mere hours ago, he wasn't expelled, and that they were facing three weeks of freedom without the Dursleys hanging over their heads.
Harry signs, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
Hedwig chirps, lightly nipping his ear in concern. Not liking seeing Harry like this.
"It's been a very weird night, Hedwig," yawned Harry.
Hedwig releases another chirp and chooses a perch in the room to settle.
Harry lies down with his head on Bailey's back. The duo falls into a deep sleep and well-deserved sleep. It's been a very long night by all accounts.
At least now they can have a breather and rest easy.
Authors Note:
What characters in the series do you think the pups should be paired with? You already have indications for one so what do you think the rest should be individually?
For those of you on fanfiction I'm sure you've been facing the many unwanted ads when you're reading a story. Well, yesterday, I finally had enough, and I got an adblocker app. It worked! No more ads on any level! The one I got is Adblock Pro: Safari Ad Blocker. It really works. Just follow the instruction video that it attached to it.
Heads up everyone there's someone on fanfiction you need to seriously watch out for. Early a couple of months ago after I woke up I was checking my email and I saw I had a new guest review on my A Dog's Purpose Is Strange Magic 2 sequel. I took a look at it and got a very big shock. Some random person I've never spoken to before on here or anywhere else in my life was basically threatening me. Intimidating and practically ordering me to write a threatening letter to someone on their behalf, telling to stay off of for life or else they and everyone else close to them would be killed, disgustingly telling them to kill themselves. And at the bottom of the message this crazy person wasn't done. Warning me that if I don't send the letter then they would kill me and for confirmation to email them to make absolutely sure I complied with their demands. Of course I did nothing of the sort. Instead of doing what they wanted I reported them to the website, sent copies of this deplorable guest review message to police officer cousins of mine so they could have it on file, and I went to a nearby police station and reported it.
When I spoke to the police officers and they checked everything on the message they saw, that while the address and names of business were accurate the people and their names were not. They agree it was more than likely a scam because of the email address on the bottom in order to perhaps get access to personal information or potentially hack my computer. Despite that I'm still very happy they took it seriously as I showed and told them everything. All the same I'm still very happy that I brought this to the attention of law enforcement. Even though the entire thing might be fake I'm still very happy to have brought this to the attention of those who can do something about it if it was legit in some way. This may have been a scam, but it's obvious these people are beyond irresponsible if they try to goad people into sending death threats to random strangers just to get access to info.
Be that as it may if this does unfortunately happen to you do not send any messages to the email addresses they put down and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you bring the message to the authorities immediately whether it is legit or not.
Because it's a guest review it might not be visible for a couple of days as it loads if it is sent to you. But when it does you should definitely pressing the report abuse button and send it to the email that leads to the support staff that is available.
Just a heads up to those of you who aren't aware of this yet, Email alerts for this website are now only active if Email opts is enabled in account settings.
I hope you all like this one! I certainly did while writing it for your vast enjoyment! ;D
For those of you just starting out with my stuff there are other works on my profile that may catch your interest. I highly recommend you take a look as soon as the opportunity presents itself to you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
Stay safe everyone. Especially with all of these crazy natural disasters occurring a lot lately due to global warming and climate change everywhere for sure. I swear it's like they're getting worse and worse all the time and it's like officials are simply just ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist entirely just to go on with their daily lives. Especially those in multi-million dollar companies that rely on certain elements of our planet that we rely on to naturally keep us safe instead of adapting and finding new safer ways to keep in business. There are so many options out there where they can adapt, but they just refuse to see it because all they care about is money. Climate change is altering so much faster than anyone can really keep track of.
So, in light of all this, it is important to live life to the fullest as much as anyone can.
I know I am. ;) See you guys next time.
