Fearless

Regulus, James and I were several streets away before collapsing into a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, panting from the effort of dragging our trunks. We all stared at each other with wonder.

"I wonder why that mysterious letter told us to wait at Magnolia Crescent for the Knight Bus?" Regulus questioned, he stared from James to me. I shrugged as I pulled out my wand out flipping it around between my fingers. The two boys laid their trunks out flat out on the ground, taking a seat.

"Do you think it was wise to just up and leave the Nott Manor?" I mumbled - keeping my eyes on the twirling wand. Neither of my brothers answered back as they whispered to each other quietly. James is tall, well-built, with haughty good looks with fair skin and short curly hair though he is smaller than Regulus: James held stormy grey eyes. Regulus is tall, well-built, darkly handsome with fair skin, short lustrous black hair with bright blue eyes and an air of casual elegance.

"Hunter, put that away!" James whispered harshly, Regulus turned towards me with a smirk plastered on his face. We were usually getting in trouble together. "What if a Muggle sees you?" I shrugged as I watched him; moving my dark curls away from my eyes, he humphed as he crossed his arms turning back towards Regulus.

I jumped as I heard someone drop a large object down on the pavement a few feet away from me in the dark. I gripped my wand tightly, standing up and moving away from Regulus and James and down the road. I watched as a boy about my age paced back and forth, he shivered as I put my wand in my waist lining.

"Are you alright?" I asked causing the boy to jump and look my way towards Magnolia Crescent. He held untidy jet-black hair but held startling green eyes that glowed in the darkness with almond-shaped eyes. His physique was small and skinny with a thin face and knobby knees.

"Sure?" He questioned, his face slick with sweat. "Who are you?" I grinned as I caught sight of his trunk.

"I'm Hunter Black, and you're a Hogwarts student?" He raised his eyebrow while pushing his hair back off of his forehead, I caught a glance of the scar that laid on his forehead.

"Isn't Hunter a boy's name and how do you know about Hogwarts?" I laughed as I pulled my wand out of my waist and smirked as his eyes widen in shock.

"Because I'm a witch and yes Hunter is a boy's name, you can call me something else my friends back in France use to call me Lillie." He nodded as he went over back towards his trunk, picking it up.
"Where's your stuff?" I laughed as I pointed back towards where I came from.

"My brothers are over there." He nodded as he started towards the way that I pointed too. We reached Regulus and James, I watched as he looked down at his wand, he was clenching in his hand.
"Who do you got there, Hunt?" Regulus asked, I shrugged as I looked towards the boy, I did know who the boy was but I wasn't going to go all crazy. The boy looked from Regulus to me and then back.

"I'm Neville Longbottom and you are?" He questioned, I rolled my eyes, if you were going to fake your name at least use your real first name: The boy who stood next to me was in fact Harry Potter.
"This is Regulus, my twin brother," I said. I pointed towards James with a smile. "And that's my older brother James. We're starting Hogwarts this year." Harry's eyes brighten as he grinned at me, he nodded as he set his trunk down.

He opened the trunk, pushing the contents aside, looking for something but before he found it, he straightened up suddenly, looking around him once more.

I felt a funny prickling on the back of my neck making me feel as if I was being watched, but the street appeared to be deserted besides the four of us, and no lights shone from any of the large square houses. Harry bent over his trunk again, but almost immediately stood up once more, I clenched my wand. I had heard it: someone or something was standing in the narrow gap between the garage and the fence behind me. Harry and I squinted at the back alleyway. If only it would move, then we'd know whether it was just a stray cat or --- something else.

"Lumos," Harry and I muttered, and a light appeared at the end of our wands, almost dazzling us. We held it high over our heads, and the pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and between them I saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes.

Harry and I stepped backwards at the same time. My legs hit the curb and I tripped. My wand flew out of my hand as I flung out an arm to break my fall, and I landed hard with my back against the curb ---

There was deafening BANG, and I threw up my hands to shield my eyes against a sudden blinding light ---

With a yell, I rolled back onto the pavement, just in time. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt exactly where Harry had just been lying. I grinned as I knew where they had come from: The Knight Bus.

"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 is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve ---"

The conductor stopped abruptly. He had just caught sight of Harry and I. We were still on the ground. Harry snatched up his wand and scrambled to his feet. I grinned as Regulus stood in front of me with his hand held out, I gripped it tightly as he pulled me up. Stan Shunpike was only a few years older than I was, eighteen or nineteen at the most, with large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples.
"What were you two doin' down there?" said Stan, dropping his professional manner.
With the roll of my eyes. "We feel over," Harry said before I could speak up.
"'Choo fall over for?" sniggered Stan. I clenched my fist, I could feel Regulus's hands go to mine as he tried to unclench it.
"We didn't do it on purpose, now do your job nothing good for -"

"Hunter Lillie!" James yelled. I could feel everyone watching us, I shot a sneer at him as I turned my eyes back towards Stan, both of my knees in my jeans were torn and bleeding, the hand that I had torn out to break my fall was bleeding and my favorite maroon sweater was ripped at the sleeve. I suddenly remembered why Harry and I had fallen over, both of turned around quickly to stare at the alleyway between the garage and the fence. The Knight Bus's headlamps were flooding it with light, and it was empty.

"'Choo lookin at?" Stan asked.

"There was a big black thing" Harry said, pointing uncertainty into the gap.

"Like a dog ... but massive..." I finished off as Harry and I looked at each other. Turning back towards Stan, whose mouth was slightly open. WIth a feeling of unease, I saw Stan's eyes move to the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Woos that on your 'ead?" Stan ask abruptly.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly, flattening his hair over his scar.

"Well, that was a rude question, wasn't it?" I sneered at the bloke in front of me, he skipped my question, turning back towards Harry.

"Woss your name?" Stan persisted.

"Neville Longbottom," Harry said, saying the first name that came into his head.

"Do you usually ask your riders their names?" I questioned as I pulled my hand away from Regulus's setting it on my hip. "If so my name is Hunter Black and this is -" I tried to continue before Harry cut me off sending me a look.

"So ---- so this bus," he went on quickly, hoping to distract Stan, "did you say it goes anywhere?"
"Yep," said Stan proudly, "anywhere you like, long's it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater. 'Ere," he said, looking suspicious again. "you did flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"
"That was us three," James piped up.

"How much would it be to get to London?" Regulus asked, moving to grab his trunk and mine.
"Eleven Sickles," said Stan "but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbush in the color of your choice."

"We can only afford Eleven Sickles," James told Stan as he handed him just enough sickles for James, Regulus and I to get to London.

"Do you mind if I tag along?" Harry asked, I smiled at him and nodded exultantly. Harry rummaged one more in his trunk, extracted his money bag, and shoved some gold into Stan's hand. I made my way onto the bus as the boys helped Stan lift everybodies trunks along with our animal cages.
There was no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in the brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-paneled walls. A tiny wizard in a nightcap at the rear of the bus muttered, "Not now, thanks, I'm pickling some slugs" and rolled over in his sleep.

"You 'ave this one," Stan whispered shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the river who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. My bed was next to Harry's, Regulus's was next to mine and James was besides Regulus's. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom and his friends," I rolled my eyes.

Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses, nodded to us, Harry nervously flattened his bangs again as we sat down on our bed.

"Take 'er away Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's.

There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment I found myself flat on my bed, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus. Pulling myself up, I stared out the dark window and saw that they were now bowling along a completely different street. Stan was watching Harry's stunned face with great enjoyment, he wasn't the only one; we all were.

"This is where we was before you flagged us down," he said. "Where are we, Ern? Somewhere in Wales?"

"Ar," said Ernie.

I picked up the slightly curling Daily Prophet that held a large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at me from the front page. He looked strangely extremely familiar. I could feel Regulus and James looking over my shoulders as Harry moved towards my bed.
I held the paper up to the candlelight and read outloud:

BLACK STILL AT LARGE

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner
ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding
capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.
"We are doing all we can to recapture Black,"
said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this
morning "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."
Fudge has been criticized by some members of
the International Federation of Warlocks for in-
forming the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis.
"Well, really, I had to don't you know," said an
irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to
anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have
the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not
breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone.
And let's face it --- who'd believe him if he did?
While Muggles have been told that Black is car-
rrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use
to kill each other), the magical community lives in
fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when
Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse

"Black?" Harry asked just as Stan walked back towards the front of the bus, Stan looked down at the Daily Prophet. "Are you related to him?" Harry was looking at me, I shrugged as I threw the Daily Prophet next to me.

I looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed to be alive. I had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes back in Beauxbatons Academy, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.
"Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan.

"He murdered thirteen people?" asked Harry, handing the Daily Prophet back towards Stan. "with one curse?"

"Yep," Stan said, "in front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused dinnit, Ern?"
"Ar," said Ern darkly.

Stan swiveled in his armchair, his hands on the back, the better to look at us.

"Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said.

"Voldemort?" I question causing Harry to stare at me. Even Stan's pimples went white; Erm jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus.

"You outta your tree?" yelped Stan. "'Choo say 'is name for?"

I shurgged as I played with my fingernails. "Sorry," I said hastily. "Sorry, I --- I forgot ---"
"Forgot!" said Stan weakley. Blimey, my 'eart's goin' that fast..."

"So --- so Black was a supporter of Vol - You - Know-Who?" Harry prompted with a small frown forming at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah," said Stan, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, that's right. Very close to You-Know-'Oo ---"
Harry nervously flattened his bangs down again.

" --- all You-Know-Who supporters were tracked down," James stated calmly.

"Most of 'em knew it was all over, wiv You-Know-'Oo gone, and they came quiet. But not Sirius Black. I 'eard he thought 'e'd be second-in-command one You-Know-'Oo 'ad taken over." Stan finished off.
"Anyway, they cornered Black in the middle of a street full of Muggles and Black took out his wand and he blasted half the street apart and a wizard got it, and so did a dozen Muggles that got in the way." James started one more after Stan had stopped.

"'Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper.
What?" asked Harry and I at the same time. I wondered why James had never told Regulus and I this before.

"Laughed," said Stan. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. An' when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, 'e went wiv 'em quiet as anyfink, still laughing 'is 'ead off. 'Cos 'e's mad, inee, Erm? Inee mad?"

"If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now," said Ern in his slow voice. "I'd blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you. . . after what he did. . ."
"They 'ad a job coverin' it up, din' they, Ern?" Stan said.

"'Ole street blown up an' all them Muggles dead. What was it they said 'ad 'appened, Ern?"

"Gas explosion," Jame quipped up before Ernie could answer.

"'An' now 'e's out," said Stan, examining the newspaper picture of Black's gaunt face again. "Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, 'as there, Ern? Beats me 'ow 'e did it. Frightening', eh? Mind, I don't fancy 'is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?"

Ernie suddenly shivered.

"Talk about summat else, Stan, there's a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles."
Stan put the paper away reluctantly, Harry leaned against the window of the Knight Bus, I turned my back towards him our back touching as I followed his lead, feeling worse than ever. I couldn't help imagining what Stan might be telling his passengers in a few nights' time.

Regulus leaned towards me, gripping both of my hands in his, motioning his thumb in a circle. "Are you alright, Huntie?" I nodded as I gave him a soft smile.

"'Ear about that 'Arry Potter? Blew up 'is aunt! We 'ad 'im 'ere on the Knight Bus, di'n't we, Ern? 'E was trying to run for it...." I snorted with amusement as I felt Harry tighten up.

The Knight Bus rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees, and Harry and I laid against the window restless. After a while Stan remember that Harry had bought a hot chocolate, but poured it all over my pillow when the bus moved abruptly from Anglesea to Aberdeen. One by one, wizards and witches in dressing gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked please to go.

Finally, Harry, Regulus, James, and I were the only passengers left.

"Right then, you four," said Stan, clapping his hands, "where abouts in London?"

"Diagon Alley," the four of us said in union.

"Righto," said Stan. "'Old tight, then. . ."

BANG

We were thundering along Charing Cross Road. Harry and I sat up and watched buildings and benches squeezing themselves out of the Knight Bus's way. The sky was getting a little lighter. I began jumping slightly in my seat as we got closer to Diagon Alley, it was one of my favorite places in the Wizarding World, the first and second place is Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

Ern slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby-looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Thanks," Each of us said to Ern as we passed him. We jumped down the steps and helped Stan lower our trunks and our animal cage onto the pavement.

"Well," I said happily. "Bye then!" I could hear Harry and Regulus laughing behind me.
But Stan wasn't paying attention. Still standing in the doorway to the bus, he was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

"There you are, Harry, James, Regulus, and Hunter," said a voice.
Before we could turn,we felt a presence standing behind us. At the same time Stan shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere!"

We all looked up at the presence to see Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself.
Stan lept onto the pavement besides them.

"What didja call Neville, Minister?" he said excitedly.

Fudge, a portly little man in a long pinstriped cloak, looked cold and exhausted.

"Neville?" he repeated, frowning. "This is Harry Potter."

"KNEW IT!" I shouted excitedly as I dance around the pavement as everyone stared at me, most likely probably wondering if I was sane.

"I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "Ern, Ern! Guess 'oo Neville is, Ern! 'E's "Arry Potter! I can see is scar!"

I step forward with a sneer curling on my lips but before I could say anything, Regulus, James and the Minister pulled me back.

"Yes," said Fudge testily, "well I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked these four up, but we need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now..."

Fudge ushered us all inside the pub. A stooping figure bearing a lantern appeared through the door behind the bar. It was Tom, the wizened, toothless landlord.

"You've got them, Minister!" said Tom. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"
"Perhaps a pot of tea,"