Chapter 525: The Knight Bus
Chapter 525: The Knight Bus
"Where is Albert going?"
Early in the morning, after breakfast, Nia stood at the door with her chubby tomcat, seeing Albert off as he disappeared from their doorstep.
Lowering her waving arm, Nia turned to her parents, sensing that they were keeping something from her regarding her brother.
"He's been invited by someone. You know, it's good for your brother to network; it'll help his future," Daisy said gently.
Herb nodded in agreement with his wife. Indeed, it was true.
However, this time, Albert was not off to an academic gathering but rather to his girlfriend's place for dinner.
The night before, Albert had finally confessed to them that he had a girlfriend.
At that moment, both Herb and Daisy had sported knowing expressions. They had never worried about Albert finding a girlfriend, given his exceptional talents and his recent win as the International Wizard Chess Champion. How could he not attract a partner?
What concerned them more was whether the couple would have anything in common.
But upon hearing that the red-haired beauty, Isabelle, was also a genius, the couple breathed a sigh of relief. Surely, two geniuses would have plenty to talk about.
Indeed, their son never failed to make them proud.
It was just that Nia seemed somewhat averse to the idea, so for now, they could only help keep the matter a secret from her.
They blamed themselves for not fulfilling their parental duties properly in the past, always having Albert look after his sister, which led to Nia developing a strong dependence and admiration for her brother.
This situation would likely improve only as Nia grew older.
Albert walked to a secluded street corner, pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, and then looked around. Soon, he spotted a bus approaching.
He quickly raised his wand and waved it forward.
A few seconds later, a vibrant purple triple-decker bus came to a halt in front of him, almost running over a pedestrian on the sidewalk.
If not for magic, the Knight Bus would have surely caused numerous Muggle casualties.
A young man, around twenty-five years old, stood at the doorway, dressed in a purple uniform. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and read aloud in a fluent tone, "Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, an emergency transport service for distressed witches and wizards. Simply step aboard and we will take you wherever you desire. My name is James Joyce, and I am your conductor."
After a brief pause, he sized Albert up, from his attire to his face, and then said, "You are Albert Anderson, aren't you?"
"Can Muggles not see this Knight Bus?" Albert asked, changing the subject as he noticed that none of the nearby Muggles seemed to pay any attention to the bus.
"If they don't listen or look properly, they won't notice anything," Joyce said with interest, his eyes fixed on Albert's face. "The youngest International Wizard Chess Champion, Mr. Anderson, I presume. It's an honor to meet you."
"To be honest, it's been a long time since Britain had a winner of the International Wizard Chess Championship!" he exclaimed, and then surprisingly, he reached out to shake Albert's hand. "You are definitely the most distinguished wizard I've had the pleasure of serving during my time as a conductor."
"Next summer, you'll surely have the chance to serve someone even more distinguished than me," Albert said as he began reaching into his pocket for some Galleons. "How much to go to Tinworth-in-Cornwall, please?"
"Nine Sickles," Joyce replied.
"Nine Sickles," Albert promptly paid the fare and climbed aboard. The inside of the bus was filled with a random assortment of chairs haphazardly placed by the windows. Unfortunately, a few unlucky wizards who had been sitting down seemed to have been thrown to the floor due to the bus's sudden stop, and they were now grumbling as they tried to get back to their feet.
A loud bang echoed as the wizard who had just started to stand up was knocked down again due to the bus's momentum.
"What a terrible feeling," Albert thought. If he hadn't grabbed the nearby railing, he might have ended up in the same predicament.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Anderson, the champion himself, riding our Knight Bus."
Joyce knocked on the window, smiling as he addressed the driver, "This is our driver, Ern Prang."
"Oh, is that Anderson?" The driver craned his neck to get a better look at Albert, paying no mind to the road ahead.
"Watch out, you're about to crash!" Albert shouted, feeling the need for his wand to give him a sense of security, despite knowing that an accident was unlikely.
Just as the Knight Bus was about to collide with the car in front, the parked car seemed to grow legs and jumped out of the way, an incredible sight.
"Follow me," Joyce led him to an empty bed on the second level and handed him a ticket, "There's a bit of a detour to get to Tinworth, so I suggest you take a seat and rest for a while. Of course, if you'd like to get off early, a tip is required."
"I'd rather not detour."
As he spoke, Albert pulled out a Galleon from his pocket.
"Oh, you're quite generous. Certainly, no problem," Joyce said in surprise at the sight of the Galleon that Albert slipped into his hand.
"But first, we have to let Mrs. Marsh off."
Just then, there was a sound of retching and a terrible clatter from below, "She's feeling unwell. It should only take about ten minutes, and then you'll arrive at your destination."
After he finished speaking, there was another bang, and he nearly fell to the ground as the scenery outside the window changed once more.
"Abergavenny. Next stop, Tinworth-in-Cornwall."
The bus rumbled along a narrow country road, with trees on either side leaping out of the way to make room for the unlicensed bus, fearful of being mercilessly crushed.
A witch disembarked with Joyce's assistance, looking rather worse for wear.
Soon, the Knight Bus continued on its way, and there was another loud bang, followed by a change in the scenery outside the window once more.
"What a terrible experience. I'd better not take this thing again next time."
Riding a bus that kept banging and jumping forward hundreds of miles at a time was not a pleasant experience. Albert almost fell down five times and felt nauseous; riding the Knight Bus was even worse than using the Floo Network.
The bus suddenly drove onto a busy main road in a bustling area, then appeared on a bridge, and finally, he heard someone shout that they had arrived at Tinworth.
Finally here.
Albert breathed a sigh of relief and quickly disembarked, not wanting to spend another moment on the bus.
Soon, he heard a bang, and the Knight Bus disappeared from view.
"Some kind of Disapparition technique?" Albert muttered. "No wonder there's always a banging sound, but it doesn't seem to move very far each time."
He was curious as to how the witches and wizards managed to make an entire bus Disapparate.
Shaking his head, Albert looked around. This was a small town by the sea, and there were no Muggles in sight.
How was he going to find Isabelle's home? Albert sent Isabelle a message and then walked along the street. Soon, he spotted her in the distance, waving at him.
However, who was the person next to her?
Albert quickened his pace and saw a young man giving him a hostile glare.
"Isabelle, who is this...?" The young man asked first.
"Albert Anderson, my boyfriend. And you are...?" Albert returned the glare, soon understanding the situation, and muttered, "What a pitiful guy."
"You're faster than I expected."
"That's the power of money." Albert smiled and took Isabelle's hand as they walked away, leaving the Muggle youth staring after them.
"You've got quite the charm. It's a pity he's not the protagonist of a novel; otherwise, he'd never be able to win over a beautiful heroine like you."
(End of Chapter)
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