**Chapter 17: The Knight Bus**
In fact, William, having just come out of Azkaban, still had a strong desire to communicate. But the conductor in front of him wasn't suitable. In William's memory, this person could chat with strangers for three or four hours straight, even making conversation out of nothing. If he had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation, the consequences would have been devastating.
As expected, before long, the conductor named Stan Shunpike carefully started up the conversation again.
"Um, the fare is thirteen Sickles."
William took out a Galleon from his pocket and handed it over—although he had encountered it many times, he still held a desperate attitude towards the Wizarding World's terrible currency exchange rates.
"If you add three Sickles, you can get hot chocolate. If you add four, you can get a hot water bottle and a toothbrush, color of your choice."
After confirming that the currency in hand was real, the conductor's words became more fluent.
*Add four? That brings the total to a whole Galleon, doesn't it? Is this guy slow?*
On the principle that bullying the dim-witted was immoral, William asked for the hot chocolate, then lay down on a bed with his change.
Yes—this bus had no seats at all, but was entirely made up of berths, like sleeping bunks. Its mode of operation wasn't like a normal vehicle, but rather a series of jumps, each jump a spatial leap of a hundred miles.
By now, William's excitement about being released from prison had faded. After taking a ship all the way, every joint in his body was protesting fiercely. He found his bed, lay down directly on it, closed his eyes, and drifted into a hazy sleep.
While he was sleeping soundly, the sound of the bus door banging shut suddenly echoed in his ear. This made William wake up instantly, and he firmly gripped the headboard with his hand.
Then, he fully woke up and realized there were no Dementors coming to feed. New passengers had boarded the vehicle, and this discovery made William exhale a sigh of relief.
He reached into his clothing and gripped the wand that didn't quite cooperate with him, a sense of security immediately filling his heart—just like finding a flashlight in the dark.
"Where are we?"
"Abergavenny. Your hot chocolate is ready. Do you want to drink it now? This is a delicacy you can't get anywhere else."
William didn't respond. He picked up the cup, tested the temperature, and then began to gulp it down. He didn't know if it was an illusion or if the chocolate here was mixed to a very high standard; after greedily drinking the entire cup, he even felt unsatisfied and wanted a second.
"Tastes good," William complimented. Taking advantage of his good mood to endure the nagging in his ear, he simply looked out the window to see how this speeding bus actually operated.
But this time, his curiosity taught him a firm lesson. In less than a minute, he gave up the idea of continuing to watch—roller coasters and pirate ships were dizzying enough, but this bus was even wilder than those rides. Even setting aside the terrifying speed boost of moving a hundred miles with each jump, the normal operating speed of this vehicle was faster than any race car. Especially since some magic had been cast on the bus's body, which caused anything it encountered to automatically move out of the way, making this high-speed race feel like something out of the crazy racing games he used to torture his keyboard with.
Especially when the vehicle jumped and landed again, it was like completing a lap and changing the map, giving William the constant feeling of having transmigrated into a game.
After several more "packet losses" (where the scene suddenly changes to something vastly different after network lag), the passengers on the bus got off one by one, leaving William as the only passenger going to Diagon Alley. It couldn't be helped; the Ministry of Magic had set up various transportation methods for Diagon Alley, and the Knight Bus was the slowest, most expensive, and offered the worst experience.
After using magic to clean the berths, the conductor simply sat next to William and cautiously asked, "How's the environment in Azkaban? Is the food good? Are there a lot of Dementors there?"
*How did this guy survive until now without getting beaten to death?*
The thought floated through William's mind, and he almost kicked him like he would have in prison, only realizing as he started to stand that he wasn't in Azkaban anymore.
The conductor didn't wait for his reply and continued speaking to himself, "I don't think I'll ever go to Azkaban. I'm just an ordinary conductor, and I haven't even been out of school that long. Speaking of which, William, it feels like it's been less than half a year since we last met, and you've already managed to visit Azkaban."
William began searching his mind for effective jinxes and started trying to recall if the investigation into the prisoners' incarceration had included any cases of wizards being sent in for fighting.
Just then, the sound of brakes screeched, and the Knight Bus slid to a halt in front of a shabby little pub. That was the final stop of this journey: the entrance to Diagon Alley, The Leaky Cauldron.
Relieved, William put his wand back and rushed for the exit, taking two steps at a time.
"Alright, William, let's talk more next time we meet!"
Behind William, the conductor waved his hand.
"You have gained temporary approval from a magical creature, acquiring Treasure Chest x1."
"What the hell is 'temporary approval'?" William mumbled as he opened the Treasure Chest.
From the shabby chest, a solitary card jumped out.
**[Incarcerated Stan Shunpike:** Stan Shunpike, who speaks without thinking and has a loose tongue, was reported by an exasperated passenger when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returned. With his poor reputation, he was sent to Azkaban with almost no questions asked.
**Skill: Out of Control:** Tear up this card. For the next hour, your voice will have the ability to detonate the darkness in an opponent's heart. The success rate is related to the opponent's strength.]
William, having no choice, solemnly accepted the card and internally warned himself to absolutely not go around making sarcastic, passive-aggressive comments, unless it was from behind the safety of a screen.
But then again, after seeing this card, the rage that had just flared up inside him instantly vanished completely.
Looking in the direction the bus drove away, William silently muttered, "You too," then strode towards The Leaky Cauldron—this was the pub most frequently mentioned by all the prisoners.
William pushed open the door and walked towards the bar.
"Tom, give me a beer and a quiet room."
"William? Long time no see—huh?"
Tom's voice suddenly stopped; he remembered something, but quickly composed himself. A beer slid in front of William.
"The beer's on me. The room is five Sickles a day. How long will you be staying?"
"No fixed time. Depends on when I receive my notice." William took the beer, pulled out ten Galleons from his money pouch, pushed the money over, and grabbed the mug to slowly take a big gulp.
"Breakfast and lunch will be here. We can tally the bill then."
"Alright, dinner tonight is on me. Your room is number sixteen."
Old Tom threw over a key. William caught it smoothly, turned, and walked up the wooden stairs.
(end of chapter)