Anduran Cherbis's gaze fell on Harry's forehead, but he saw nothing beneath the thick fringe. Then his gaze shifted to Harry's face, and he suddenly looked uncertain.
Hagrid, however, looked rather pleased with himself. In a cheerful voice, he said, "Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall asked me to take our little Harry here to get everything ready before he starts school."
"It really is you!" Anduran exclaimed, practically snatching Harry's hand and shaking it vigorously:
"What an honor! Such an honor to meet you, Harry-oh, I mean Mr. Potter! Such an honor!"
His voice was so loud that it drew the attention of everyone else on the bus.
"Potter? Which Potter? Harry Potter?" the passengers called out. Someone even leaned halfway out of a window. Most of the people aboard were dressed very strangely, but considering that they were probably all wizards, Harry wondered if this was simply what passed for fashion in the wizarding world.
"Of course! What other Mr. Potter could it be? Shit, you lucky bastards get to meet Mr. Potter just like I do!" Anduran shouted.
Then something happened that Harry simply couldn't understand. The driver and the handful of passengers all hurried off the bus. Although they looked doubtful at first sight of Harry, their faces lit up with delight once Hagrid confirmed who he was.
What followed was equally unexpected. These rather odd-looking people actually lined up to shake his hand one by one, their faces full of joy and emotion. One of them even tried to join the back of the line for a second turn, only to be caught by Hagrid.
"All right, all right! Our Harry needs to get to the Leaky Cauldron. It's late, and he needs his rest!" Hagrid said.
"Of course, of course!" The passengers all nodded eagerly.
"Please come aboard! We've got beds and seats! Take whichever you like, Mr. Potter!" Anduran warmly ushered Harry onto the bus and found him a seat, saying excitedly, "I'll cover your fare. Please don't think anything of it. It's my honor!"
"What about me, Anduran?" Hagrid asked with a chuckle.
"Eleven Sickles!" Anduran turned to him, his face instantly serious. His expression changed faster than a page could turn.
"We've known each other for nearly ten years!" Hagrid complained loudly.
"Yes, so it's eleven Sickles, and I can throw in a cup of hot water for free!" Then he turned back to Harry with a fawning smile. "Mr. Potter, what would you like to drink? Milk? Hot cocoa? We have chocolate, too. All free for you, of course."
Hagrid grumbled, but he still fished a handful of silver coins from his pocket and pressed them into Anduran's hand. Then he sat down beside Harry, muttering things like "cheapskate" under his breath.
Harry was still utterly bewildered. Everything that had happened in the four or five minutes since Anduran first shook his hand made no sense to him. Why did all these strange-looking people seem to know him?
But before Harry could work it out or ask Hagrid, the bus started moving.
"What the fuck!" Harry couldn't help swearing!
With a piercing shriek, Harry was slammed back against his seat.
The Knight Bus was far too fast! The tremendous inertia threw him backward, pressing him into his seat with a force he had never experienced even in his classmate's father's sports car. Outside the windows, the scenery blurred into streaks of light and indistinct shapes.
"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry. I forgot this was your first ride and didn't warn you. When the bus starts, you need to press yourself right back against the seat and hold on to a handrail. Once we're moving, though, you'll be fine." Looking thoroughly apologetic, Hagrid gestured for Harry to grab the horizontal rail in front of him.
Harry hurriedly followed Hagrid's advice and grabbed the rail. The tremendous force pinning him back vanished almost instantly.
"Amazing magic!" Harry said, rather astonished. Although he knew a few minor spells himself, most of them affected the mind: sensing other people's emotions, improving memory, making people excited or dazed, and things like that.
The meditation method he knew did seem to have made his body healthier, though, and had considerably improved his memory and reflexes.
Beyond that, he couldn't effectively use any of the immensely powerful elemental spells in his memories, limited as he was by his own magical power and the scarcity of magical elements. The Flame Dragon Technique, which should have summoned an enormous dragon of flame, could only light a cigarette in practice.
So, to Harry, this big bus seemed rather more magical.
"Oh, yes." Hagrid smiled. "A very interesting little bit of magic!"
"A little bit of magic?" Harry smacked his lips, even more intrigued by the magical world that was about to open up before him.
In Britain, wizard lore was practically common knowledge. After all, the legendary Merlin, who had helped King Arthur ascend to the throne, was a wizard. But who had ever truly seen magic?
Harry felt lucky. Although he already possessed some knowledge of magic, it was too scattered and disorganized. At most, he could use it for little tricks. Now, though, he was going to become a real wizard. He wondered whether, once he became one, he would be able to put that magical knowledge of his to use.
Nearly everyone on the bus was staring at Harry, some openly and others furtively, as though missing even one glance would be a terrible loss.
Harry hadn't really noticed at first, but with nothing visible outside the windows, he could only look around inside the bus, and he soon caught on. It made him very uncomfortable. Girls at school often stared at him too, and when he was younger, boys had as well, but these were all old men...
Before you continue