Chapter 75: The Knight Bus
"Expelliarmus!"
"Stupefy!"
George took advantage of the brief moment when the two seventh-year wizards were attacking each other. Using his speed, he closed the distance, circled behind them, and cast his spells with his wand pressed against their backs. In the end, he managed to win the duel by sheer luck.
To be honest, if it weren't for his physical advantages, his magical skills and combat techniques wouldn't have been enough to defeat the two seventh-year wizards.
However, this duel gave him a lot of new insights into magical combat in the Harry Potter world.
In particular, the combat techniques used by the two seventh-year wizards were highly instructive and beneficial for him.
"George helped maintain order and demonstrated excellent dueling skills. While he still has room for improvement compared to me, he's already quite impressive. Twenty points to Slytherin!"
Lockhart stepped forward and wrapped an arm around George, causing Snape, who had been a step slower, to raise an eyebrow. However, since Lockhart had awarded points to George, Snape didn't say anything. Instead, he walked to the center of the stage:
"It seems you lot are still struggling to grasp the basics of dueling. Alright, let's have two of you come up at a time. Professor Lockhart and I will provide one-on-one guidance, and then you can duel."
"That's a great suggestion, Professor Snape. I'll take George under my wing."
Lockhart immediately called out George.
A cold glint flashed in Snape's eyes:
"George is too skilled to serve as a good demonstration. I think Malfoy and Potter would be better choices. I'll guide Malfoy, and you can guide Potter."
"That works too."
Lockhart thought for a moment and agreed. After all, Harry's fame was on par with George's, so it wasn't a bad idea.
All the young wizards stepped off the stage, leaving only Snape, Malfoy, Harry, and Lockhart.
George stood offstage, knowing exactly what was about to happen but choosing not to intervene.
He needed the Chamber of Secrets incident to continue causing a stir. Only then would Dumbledore be temporarily suspended next semester, giving George the opportunity to raid the Restricted Section and acquire all the dark magic books.
Given his current situation, the only way to learn the three Unforgivable Curses and spells like Fiendfyre was through the Restricted Section.
However, whenever he entered the Restricted Section, Dumbledore would secretly monitor him, making it too risky to browse the dark magic books.
In many ways, George resembled a young Voldemort. If he showed too much interest in dark magic, Dumbledore would likely become uneasy.
Therefore, George had been careful to restrain himself.
As expected, during the duel between Harry and Malfoy, Malfoy used the Snake Summons Spell, and Harry, for the first time, revealed his Parseltongue ability, inherited from Voldemort. This caused a massive uproar.
Most of the school believed Harry was the heir of Slytherin, as only Slytherin could speak Parseltongue.
However, the Dueling Club continued to meet every night, and George attended regularly, practicing his dueling skills with the seventh-year wizards. His wand combat techniques improved significantly.
Soon, Christmas approached, and the school went on holiday.
Hogwarts' Christmas break lasted over two weeks. After bidding farewell to his professors and classmates, George packed his suitcase, took his pet Pigwidgeon, and boarded the Hogwarts Express for the journey home.
Six months ago, when he had first arrived at Hogwarts, he had been just an ordinary young wizard with a basic grasp of spells like the Unlocking Charm.
Now, he was the famous "Star of Slytherin," undefeated in duels against seventh-year wizards.
And this was without using his psychic abilities. If he combined his magic with his powers, his strength would increase significantly.
After all, his psychic abilities had also improved since the start of the term, allowing him to easily control objects weighing several hundred pounds.
In the evening, as the sky was just beginning to darken, George stepped out of King's Cross Station.
Unlike the other young wizards, who were greeted by their parents, George, as an orphan, had to return alone to his home in Knockturn Alley.
This Christmas, he hadn't informed Tonks of his return, so she wouldn't be there to pick him up in her magical car, as she had done last time.
Favors and relationships shouldn't be squandered on trivial matters. Even the best relationships can fade if overused.
"Knight Bus!"
Standing by the roadside, George raised his wand and waved it in the air, then shouted.
In less than a minute, with a deafening roar, a bright purple triple-decker bus appeared in front of George.
With Pigwidgeon, his large owl, taking the subway or a taxi wasn't convenient. He hadn't yet mastered the Disillusionment Charm and couldn't fly openly.
So, he chose the Knight Bus, a common magical public transport in the British wizarding world.
The Knight Bus was a magical public transportation service set up by the Ministry of Magic to assist underage wizards or those too weak to Apparate.
Inspired by Muggle buses but enhanced with magic, the Knight Bus was incredibly fast and could take you anywhere in Britain.
It had been in operation since 1865 and was highly praised by wizards.
"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's Stan Shunpike, and I'll be your conductor tonight..."
A young wizard in a purple uniform jumped out of the bus and addressed George.
George curiously examined the magical bus before boarding with his luggage:
"Hello, Mr. Shunpike. Please take me to the Leaky Cauldron!"
"Seven silver Sickles. Pay ten, and you get hot chocolate. Pay eleven, and you get a hot water bottle and a toothbrush, any color you like."
The conductor followed George onto the bus.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"George. Here are seven silver Sickles."
George placed his luggage on a bed and handed over seven silver Sickles.
The interior of the Knight Bus was different from a regular bus. Instead of seats, there were brass-framed beds with magical candles on the bedside shelves.
Passengers could sleep on the beds until they reached their destination.
"George... that name sounds familiar, and you look familiar too."
The conductor paused, then quickly rummaged through a box of discarded newspapers and pulled out an issue from a month ago.
He glanced at the newspaper, then at George, and his eyes widened in surprise:
"So you're that once-in-a-millennium Quidditch prodigy, George!"
"It seems I've gained some fame in the wizarding world."
George smiled and nodded, not denying it.
The conductor, clearly a Quidditch fan, became much friendlier upon realizing George's identity and struck up a lively conversation.
This was the power of fame. Even strangers would feel an immediate sense of goodwill upon meeting a celebrity.
"Let's go, Ern."
The conductor signaled to the driver, and with a loud roar, the Knight Bus shot forward at an incredible speed, as if entering another dimension.
The streetlights, mailboxes, and trash cans ahead automatically jumped out of the way as the bus passed, then returned to their original positions once it had gone by.
(End of Chapter)