Harry Potter flags down the Knight Bus

After accidentally inflating his Aunt Marge and fleeing Number Four, Privet Drive, Harry Potter found himself stranded in the dark Muggle world of Magnolia Crescent, with no money, no way to contact his friends, and the terrifying certainty that he had just broken the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry so badly that he expected Ministry of Magic representatives to swoop down on him at any moment. As he sat on a low wall, contemplating a desperate plan to bewitch his trunk, tie it to his broomstick, and fly to London under his Invisibility Cloak, a strange prickling on the back of his neck made him feel he was being watched. He cast a Lumos spell and saw, in the gap between a garage and a fence, the hulking outline of something very big with wide, gleaming eyes. He stepped backward, tripped over his trunk, and landed hard in the gutter.

The Summoning and the Bus

A deafening BANG and a sudden blinding light announced the arrival of the Knight Bus, a violently purple triple-decker bus that screeched to a halt exactly where Harry had just been lying. A conductor in a purple uniform, Stan Shunpike, a pimply young man of about eighteen or nineteen, leapt out and began his professional spiel: "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." Harry, still sitting on the ground, scrambled to his feet and snatched up his wand. Stan, dropping his professional manner, asked what he was doing down there. Harry, annoyed, said he had fallen over. When Stan asked what he was looking at, Harry pointed uncertainly into the gap where he had seen the creature, describing it as "a big black thing... like a dog... but massive." Stan's eyes moved to the scar on Harry's forehead, and he asked what it was. Harry, fearing the Ministry was looking for him, quickly flattened his hair over his scar and gave a false name: Neville Longbottom. He then asked about the bus, and Stan confirmed it could go anywhere on land. Harry paid eleven Sickles for a ticket to London, and he and Stan lifted his trunk and Hedwig's cage onto the bus.

The Journey and Revelations

The interior of the Knight Bus contained no seats, only half a dozen brass bedsteads beside curtained windows, lit by candles. The driver, Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard with very thick glasses, nodded to Harry. With another tremendous BANG, the bus shot forward, and Harry found himself flat on his bed, thrown backward by the speed. Stan, watching Harry's stunned face with enjoyment, told him they were somewhere in Wales. Harry asked how the Muggles didn't hear the bus, and Stan replied contemptuously that they didn't listen or look properly. The bus kept mounting the pavement, but lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way. Harry, unable to sleep, fell to wondering what was going to happen to him and whether the Dursleys had managed to get Aunt Marge off the ceiling. Stan unfurled a copy of the Daily Prophet, and a large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the front page. Harry recognized him from the Muggle news. Stan identified him as Sirius Black, "possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress," and explained that Black had murdered thirteen people with a single curse in broad daylight, was a big supporter of You-Know-Who, and had laughed when cornered. Harry, feeling worse than ever, imagined Stan telling passengers in a few nights' time about how Harry Potter had blown up his aunt. The Knight Bus rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes, wastebaskets, telephone booths, and trees, and Harry lay restless and miserable on his feather bed.

Arrival and Confrontation

Finally, Harry was the only passenger left. Stan asked where in London, and Harry said Diagon Alley. With another BANG, they were thundering along Charing Cross Road. Ern slammed on the brakes, and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry jumped down the steps and helped Stan lower his trunk and Hedwig's cage onto the pavement. As he said goodbye, Stan was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a voice say, "There you are, Harry." He looked up to see Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself. Stan, excitedly, asked what he had called Neville, and Fudge, frowning, repeated, "Neville? This is Harry Potter." Stan shouted gleefully that he knew it, and that he could see his scar. Fudge, testily, steered Harry inside the Leaky Cauldron, where he told Harry that the Ministry had dealt with the blowing-up of Aunt Marge, that she had been punctured and her memory modified, and that Harry would not be punished. Harry, stunned and confused, realized that Fudge's leniency and the Minister's personal involvement were not about the underage magic incident at all, but about something far more serious: Sirius Black was after him, and the Ministry was desperate to keep him safe.