Chapter 161: This is not the bus to the underworld
On the windshield of the bus, Irina could see the words "Knight Bus" written in golden letters.
At that moment, a young boy wearing a purple uniform jumped off the noble bus and shouted to Irina and Hagrid: "Welcome to the Knight Bus, the bus for witches and wizards in distress. Emergency transport is available. Just wave your wand, hop on the bus, and we'll take you wherever you need to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I'll be your conductor tonight."
When Irina heard the voice, she saw a boy, seemingly around eighteen or nineteen years old, with large ears and a few pimples on his face, standing at the door of the vehicle.
Hagrid approached and asked, "Hello, how much to get to Dorset County?"
Hagrid informed Stan Shunpike of the location of a Muggle shopping center near Newt Scamander's residence.
"Eleven silver Sickles, sir," Shunpike replied, lifting his head to look up at the tall Hagrid. "But if you pay fourteen, you get chocolate, and if you pay fifteen, you get chocolate and a toothbrush, of any color you like."
Hagrid counted out fourteen silver Sickles from his pocket and handed them to Shunpike, then struggled to squeeze himself into the relatively narrow door of the Knight Bus.
Irina handed Shunpike eleven silver Sickles. Though the chocolate sounded tempting, she didn't want to end up vomiting it all up after enjoying the treat.
After Hagrid and Irina boarded the bus, Shunpike closed the door behind them.
The Knight Bus was an emergency passenger transport for wizards in distress. Wizards rarely choose to take the Knight Bus during the day, as it was considered a form of underworld transport. Therefore, when Irina and Hagrid boarded the bus, it was empty except for the driver and conductor, Shunpike.
Inside the bus, there were no seats; instead, six or seven brass-framed beds were placed by the windows with curtains. Candles were lit on stands beside each bed, and the dim light of the candles barely illuminated the space, casting a pale glow on Shunpike's face, who appeared a bit pale from staying up all year.
In this strange, warm bus, Irina shuddered inexplicably. She felt like she wasn't sitting on a noble bus but rather in a hearse heading to the underworld.
"You two sleep on these two beds."
Shunpike whispered, pointing to two bunks behind the driver.
Hagrid's large frame seemed particularly uncomfortable in the knight bus. He struggled to squeeze onto the bed, but it still trembled under his weight.
Irina waved her wand, summoning four iron chains to secure Hagrid to the bed, and then closed her eyes as if she were dead.
"Drive, Ern."
Shunpike sat on a chair next to the driver and spoke to him.
There was another deafening sound, and the Knight Bus shot off, leaping from its starting point.
Crash!
Irina turned her head and saw that the bed Hagrid was lying on had finally given way under his weight, and Hagrid collapsed. Due to the inertia caused by the Knight Bus's sudden takeoff, his whole body crashed, his head hitting the wooden wall with a force that almost broke it.
Seeing this scene, Irina's lips curled slightly. She waved her wand again, and more chains appeared, tying Hagrid to the floor. This saved him from flying around the bus, but he still felt the pain from being bruised and swollen.
The Knight Bus sped down the street at high speed, even swerving onto the sidewalk, weaving between street lamps, mailboxes, and garbage bins.
These obstacles, like street lamps, mailboxes, and trash cans, would automatically avoid the Knight Bus under the influence of some strange magical force and then return to their original positions after the bus had passed.
Moreover, when the Knight Bus tried to pass through a narrow alley barely a meter wide, a magical force would compress the entire bus from the outside, without changing the scene inside at all. The bus would become as thin as a biscuit and then return to its normal size after passing through the alley, or there would be a magical force that would split the houses on both sides of the alley, and then they would return to their original state after the bus had passed.
Though Irina was strapped to the bed and couldn't move, the Knight Bus made an ear-splitting noise with every step, leaping miles at a time, making it impossible for Irina to stay on the bed and sleep.
Irina felt nauseous, and the sudden dizziness almost made her want to throw up the acid in her stomach.
On the other hand, the tall Hagrid didn't feel much from the jolt. He shook his head and waited for the Knight Bus to reach its destination.
As the Knight Bus bounced around, Shunpike handed Hagrid a steaming cup of hot chocolate, with a white mist swirling above it. The Knight Bus suddenly turned sharply, nearly spilling the hot chocolate onto Hagrid.
Hagrid gestured for Irina to loosen the iron chain on his right hand, then drank the chocolate in one gulp and said with satisfaction, "Oh, thanks."
The Knight Bus was very fast, taking less than half an hour to reach Dorset.
"Here we are, sir and madam!"
Shunpike opened the bus door and gave a slight bow to Irina and Hagrid.
The two of them got off the Knight Bus. Not far from them was the Muggle shopping center Hagrid had just mentioned.
The Knight Bus left again, while Irina stood still, continuously vomiting.
Fortunately, breakfast had already been digested after six or seven hours, or else Irina would have died from the discomfort.
The old Hagrid gave Irina a gentle pat on the back and said, "Let's go. We still have to walk to Mr. Scamander's house. You can take a rest on the way."
Irina nodded weakly and followed Hagrid's steps.
The two of them walked through Dorset for nearly half an hour and arrived at an area of villas on the outskirts of Dorset.
Each villa in this villa area was quite large, equivalent to a small castle, and the courtyard attached to each villa could be compared to two large playgrounds.
Obviously, these were small mansions!
Irina and Hagrid reached the end of the villa area. Irina, being careful, noticed that among the house numbers on her right, the house behind villa number 41 was numbered 43, instead of the expected number 42.
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