SEEN ✱ WATCHING THE MOVIES (HARRY POTTER)

{49} RIDING THE KNIGHT BUS

"Yeah, a creepy-looking dog!" Pansy retorted, her lip curled in a mixture of fear and fascination as her eyes remained transfixed on the screen, unable to look away from the uncanny spectacle.

"The Grim!" Neville's voice broke through the collective gasps of shock and disbelief, his eyes widening in recognition as the weight of the moment settled heavily on his shoulders.

In the grandeur of the Great Hall, a wave of astonishment cascaded through the sea of students, their whispers and exclamations blending into a tumultuous chorus as all eyes remained fixed on the unfolding spectacle, the air crackling with an undercurrent of trepidation and awe.

Mia, ever the enigmatic figure, rolled her eyes with an air of exasperated amusement and motioned for Sirius to come closer, a silent call laden with unspoken history and unexpressed emotion.

"Why were you there?" Mia questioned, her gaze a tapestry of confusion woven with threads of long-buried affection and unresolved emotion.

Sirius, his countenance a mosaic of sorrow and wistful adoration, sought to articulate the raw complexities of his heart. "I had to see you. I had to see how you grew up and if you were okay. The last time I saw you, you were just a year old," he confided, his voice imbued with a timbre of vulnerability that echoed through the hallowed hall, laying bare his soul to the woman he had yearned to protect.

Tears shimmered in Mia's eyes, mirroring the torrents of emotion that flickered across Sirius's weathered visage. She reached out, her hand finding his in a tender embrace, offering a fleeting moment of solace and solidarity before withdrawing, her gaze drawn back to the screen with a poignant sense of longing and anticipation.

[Wand outstretched... she trips, tumbles over the forgotten trunk. The tip of her wand Blazes. BANG! twin beams of blinding light spear the night.]
Mia: Aaaah! [Giant wheels bear down. Mia rolls clear -- just as a preposterously purple, triple-decker bus screeches to a halt. Gold letter glimmer above the windscreen: The Knight Bus.]

"What?" Many voiced the question with slow, uncertain cadence, their collective bewilderment echoing through the hall like a peal of distant bells.

A chorus of relieved exhalations filled the air, a symphony of breaths mingling with the lingering tension like a gentle breeze sweeping through a tranquil vale.

"Well, at least you made her summon the Knight Bus. That's at least something," Remus declared, a note of whispered contentment threading through his words like a delicate ribbon of hope woven into the fabric of his being.

"What's the Knight Bus?" a wide-eyed first-year Muggleborn inquired, her curiosity piqued by the mention of this enigmatic conveyance that existed beyond the realm of her prior experience.

Just as Hermione, with her customary scholarly zeal, was poised to enlighten the young girl with a comprehensive explanation, Mia intercepted her with a decisive gesture, halting the impending flood of knowledge in its tracks.

"You'll see," Mia interjected, her voice imbued with a sense of enigmatic certainty, her words hanging in the air like an unanswered riddle, pregnant with the promise of adventure and discovery.

[The doors hiss. Snap back. reveal Stan Shunkipe, an 18- year-old boy in a Wrinkled conductor's uniform. Pasty face. Raccoon eyes. Stan looks like he hasn't seen the sun in years.]

The unfamiliar sight of the Knight Bus elicited a collective gasp of awe from those who had never beheld its unusual form before. Their eyes widened with a blend of curiosity and amazement, their expressions reflecting a palpable sense of wonder at the sight before them. It was as though they had stumbled upon a secret marvel, a wondrous discovery that stirred the imagination and kindled a spark of excitement within their hearts.