"No, thank you. To Godric's Hollow."
"Fifteen Silver Sickles!" Pool said, smiling.
Gary took the silver coins from his wallet and handed them to him.
"Alright," Pool accepted the coins, not minding Gary's cold demeanor, and continued to enthusiastically introduce, "This is Ern Prang, the driver for this trip. He's an old driver with fifty years of experience, and he drives incredibly steadily."
Pool gave a thumbs-up.
The driver sat in an armchair behind the windshield, greeting Gary with a chuckle. He was a bald, middle-aged Wizard wearing thick glasses.
Gary nodded slightly and, guided by Pool, walked into the bus. There were no seats inside, only six copper-framed beds.
The dim light came from candles stuck on shelves on the walls, and there were small wooden stairs leading to the upper floor.
"Right here, then." Gary saw an empty spot on the first floor, placed his suitcase on the empty bed. The bed next to him was occupied by a bearded uncle with a somewhat fierce look in his eyes.
He was flipping through The Daily Prophet, not looking at Gary, but simply putting down the leg he had propped on the bedpost.
Pool helped him put his luggage on the nearby shelf and then left.
Gary lay on the bed, let out a long sigh, and closed his eyes, preparing to rest.
"The door's locked! Drive!" He could clearly hear Pool's cheerful voice from afar.
The bus jolted violently, then roared forward at an astonishing speed. Gary had to grip the railing by the bed. He saw the bearded uncle next to him remain unmoving, calmly reading his newspaper, which Gary found somewhat admirable.
The bus ride was too bumpy for any rest. Gary pulled open the curtain and found the bus careening wildly on the sidewalk. Rows of lamp posts, mailboxes, and trash cans all jumped out of the way as the bus approached, then returned to their original positions once it passed.
"Hold on tight, we're speeding up!" Gary heard Pool shout.
Bang! Gary felt the air around him rapidly compress, the squeezing sensation making his body difficult to move. Then the air exploded with a crisp sound, Gary regained his freedom, flexing his wrists. Gary looked out the window and found that the bus had actually arrived directly at Diagon Alley.
"Diagon Alley stop. Passengers arriving, please exit through the rear door. Passengers boarding, please state your destination," Pool said formally.
The bearded uncle gathered his backpack and exited through the rear door.
Many passengers boarded at this stop, most carrying bag after bag of items, and the interior of the bus was instantly packed.
The passengers squeezed upstairs, and it took Pool a long time to settle all the customers by himself.
"Drive, drive!" Pool's uniform was disheveled, and there was a fresh scratch on his face. He sat exhausted in the chair behind the windshield, panting heavily, looking utterly resigned.
After a dozen more stops, the Knight Bus finally arrived at Godric's Hollow. Gary yawned and jumped off the bus, carrying his suitcase.
The Knight Bus vanished with a bang.
The bus stopped at the village entrance, still a considerable distance from the Shafik home. Gary carried his suitcase and walked into the village. It was evening, and many families were already enjoying dinner, the aroma of food wafting into Gary's nose, making him feel rather hungry.
He quickened his pace, heading home.
"Mom, I'm home!" He hung his keys on the hook beside the door, put down his suitcase, and called out loudly.
"How many times have I told you not to shout in the house? Go put your suitcase in your room and then come down for dinner," Mrs. Shafik said, walking out of the kitchen, wearing an apron.
"Alright," Gary replied, "What's for dinner? It smells good."
"Pizza. I saw that Muggles really like this stuff, so I went to the supermarket to buy ingredients and try making it. It does smell good," Mrs. Shafik explained.
Gary quickly went back to his room to put away his suitcase, then came out for dinner.
Neither of them ate much, so sharing one pizza was just right.
"Mom, a few of my classmates want to come visit us," Gary picked up a slice of pizza, the melted cheese stretching into strings that were hard to break. "Do you think that's okay?"
"Of course. Your dad and I won't be home, so remember to entertain your classmates well," Mrs. Shafik nodded in agreement.
On July 9th, a knock sounded at the door early in the morning.
Mrs. Shafik had not yet left for work. When she opened the door, she found four children.
"Hello, Auntie," Lily and the others greeted politely. "We are Gary's classmates…"
"Ah, come in," Mrs. Shafik invited them in. Gary, hearing the knock, also immediately ran downstairs. "You came so early?"
"It's our first time riding the Knight Bus, and we weren't familiar with the process, so we left a bit early," Howard replied. Gary felt his stomach had grown another size in just one week.
After greeting them, Mrs. Shafik packed up her things and left for work, leaving the five children at home.
Alfrina went upstairs to visit Gary's room, while Lily, Howard, and Kona sat on the living room sofa.
"Your home is decorated so warmly," Kona picked up a Unicorn plushie from the sofa, a small, palm-sized item that looked quite cute.
"My mom decorated all of this. She just likes small decorations," Gary took some Cokes from the fridge. "Those dahlias are quite precious, so be careful." He noticed Howard was very curious about the dahlias placed by the balcony and specifically reminded him.
"Thanks," Howard took a can of Coke. "These dahlias are in good condition."
"These are grown by our family. Every family in the Shafik family has them," Gary explained. He gave another can to Kona.
Alfrina came rushing downstairs. Gary handed her a can of Coke. "Hey, you even have Coke at home?"
"Not originally. My mom said since it's your first time visiting, we should have some of your favorite drinks on hand, so she went to a supermarket in London and bought some snacks," Gary said.
"Take us on a tour of Godric's Hollow. It's our first time here," Lily waved, refusing the Coke; she didn't like the taste. "I heard there are quite a few Muggles here?"
"Yes, this is the largest mixed Wizard and Muggle village in Britain. This television was installed by my neighbor, Uncle Tom, who is a Muggle and is responsible for all electrical installation and repairs in the entire village."
Gary led them out of the house. He locked the door and then took the four of them for a stroll around the village.
"At that end of the village is the ancestral home of the Bones family; they live a bit secluded… Across the road lives Bathilda Bagshot, the author of History of Magic. She's a kind old lady." Gary was very familiar with the village; he had interviewed many Wizards there before, so he knew exactly where they all lived.