Harry's arrival aboard the Knight Bus was somewhat unexpected for Barnaby, but not entirely surprising, considering the kind of luck the boy seemed to have. As Harry tried to regain his composure after his first ride on the bus, Barnaby gave him a sympathetic look.
"You should sit down, Harry," Barnaby suggested, giving him a reassuring pat on the back as the boy wobbled.
Harry, still rubbing his nose, quickly obeyed and collapsed onto one of the empty beds. His trunk rolled slightly before Stan secured it with a simple spell.
"So, what are you doing here, Harry?" Barnaby asked with genuine curiosity. "I didn't expect to see you away from your aunt and uncle's house so soon."
Harry hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Uh... it was an accident," he said, trying to explain the strange chain of events that had led him to end up on the street. "You know, Aunt Marge... and a bit of accidental magic…"
Barnaby raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He knew that Harry's life with the Dursleys wasn't exactly easy, but even so, he was surprised that something had triggered such an extreme reaction.
"Sounds like you've had a rough night," Barnaby commented as the bus took another sharp turn, sending the hanging chandelier swaying dangerously above their heads, startling Harry as he realized its presence. "But look on the bright side, you're here now. Do you have any plans on where to go?"
Harry hesitated again, uncertain about his future; he wasn't even sure if he could still go to Hogwarts after what had happened.
"Hmm, how about staying with my father and me?" Barnaby proposed, realizing that Harry had no idea what to do next or where to go.
His cabin might not be a palace, but anywhere was better than the Leaky Cauldron—at least until Tom learned the concept of "basic hygiene requirements for an establishment."
"Can I?" Harry had been considering getting a room at the Leaky Cauldron or perhaps going to the Weasleys' house, but since he didn't want to be a burden to anyone, he was leaning more towards the first option.
"Why not?" Barnaby countered with a smile. "You'll have a clean bed and all the food you want; it won't be much different from being in the castle. Though I'll make you work to earn your stay. No freeloaders," he gently reminded him. "Besides, I won't ask you to do anything complicated, and you'll have plenty of free time to explore Hogsmeade."
"Of course!" Harry would feel terrible staying somewhere for free without helping out with some chores. "But about Hogsmeade… I don't think I can go. My aunt and uncle didn't sign my permission slip," he said, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.
"Don't worry, I've got a solution for that," Barnaby assured him with a mysterious smile. "And you'll only need the permission slip when you start your third year, not before, understand?"
Harry suddenly brightened up, realizing that Barnaby was right. It shouldn't be a problem for him to visit Hogsmeade during the rest of the holidays, as if he were just sightseeing.
"About that…" Stan couldn't help but interject into the conversation. "Maybe it's not a good idea to let Harry Potter wander around Hogsmeade on his own, at least not since that guy escaped."
"Who?" Harry asked, not understanding why this should concern him.
"You know, he's—"
"Stan!" Barnaby interrupted the conductor decisively, raising his voice and startling both Harry and Stan. "I'll explain it to him tomorrow. I think we can all see he's pretty exhausted, and now isn't the best time."
"Er, I suppose you're right," Stan said, taking off his conductor's cap and rubbing his not-so-clean hair.
Harry alternated glances between the two, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Just try to relax until we get to Hogsmeade, Harry," Barnaby suggested as he made himself comfortable and pulled a letter from his jacket to open and read. "Don't worry about anything else for now."
Harry could only nod and try not to fall over again as the magical vehicle sped through all kinds of streets and roads.
By the time they got off the Knight Bus, Harry couldn't help but ask, still trying to overcome his dizziness:
"Is it always this hectic?" Though the sensation was a thousand times better than the Apparition Dumbledore had once put him through, it was still uncomfortable.
"No, today was pretty quiet since there weren't too many people," Barnaby replied distractedly, thinking about the contents of Tonks's letter as he looked around to get his bearings. "Come with me. I don't think you want to walk all the way to Hogwarts in your condition, dragging your trunk, and it's too late to explore Hogsmeade."
Harry noticed the shadow rising over him, and before he could react, it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived—only now they were standing beside Hagrid's hut!
"How did you do that?!" Harry exclaimed, but when he saw Barnaby's hands moving, about to make a familiar gesture, he stopped him. "I get it, magic." Now he felt embarrassed for asking such an obvious question.
Barnaby lowered his hands, looking disappointed that he couldn't make the gesture.
"Come on, I just got back from a trip abroad, and I haven't greeted my father yet," he said as he approached the hut's door. "It'll be a double surprise for him to see us return together."
"Oh, okay," Harry was about to drag his trunk when he saw Barnaby raise an eyebrow. "Right, magic," he slapped his forehead and cast the Levitation Charm on his luggage.
"Good, you're getting better," Barnaby nodded as he prepared to turn the door handle. "By the way, do you like sakura mochi?"
"Huh?"
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Sorry for the delay in the chapter, I've been terribly busy for the last week.