On his first day as a ticket collector for the Knight Bus, Stan Shunpike encountered a major setback. Working the night shift without the ability to sleep was already quite unpleasant, and when he had just opened the door, he nearly got sliced in half. Once he regained his composure, Shunpike was already contemplating updating his resume and making a run for it.

Looking at the two people who had approached him, Stan wanted to grab them by the collar and ask what kind of madness they were up to, but upon seeing the size of the trench on the ground, he decided to act as if nothing had happened.

Clearing his throat, Stan said, “Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, an emergency service for witches and wizards in distress (do you really think people like you would find themselves in trouble? Truly, the heavens have eyes). Just extend your wands and board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go (if possible, I’d love to refuse you service). My name is Stan Shunpike, and tonight I’m your ticket collector (I really am out of luck)—so, where do you want to go?”

While internally complaining, he completed the opening remarks prescribed in the manual, then Stan looked at the two and asked for their destination.

Les glanced at him meaningfully and told Stan that he and Lupe were headed to Diagon Alley.

Stan immediately began calculating the fare based on their destination. Since he wasn’t very skilled at the job yet and was also not great at math, it took him a while to figure out that the total fare for the two was one Galleon and one Sickel.

“But if you pay an extra six Sickels, you can get two chocolates; pay an extra eight, and you can get a hot water bottle and toothbrush in any color you choose,” Stan enthusiastically pitched the small items available on the bus.

Galleon? Sickel? It seemed these were the currencies currently used by wizards. He was quite interested in this, as during his active years, the currency used by wizards was extremely chaotic, with some using precious metals directly, others using Muggle money, and even some using leaves from the Dreamgrass as currency… Galleon and Sickel sounded much more reliable than those things.

Likewise, Les was also intrigued by the chocolates, toothbrushes, and hot water bottles that Stan mentioned. However, Lupe directly stated that they only needed two tickets.

There was no choice; the werewolf was poor and couldn’t afford to spend an extra Knut.

Lupe secretly glanced at Les and, seeing him standing there unmoving, sighed quietly: indeed, it was unrealistic to expect him to pay for the tickets.

She pulled out a shriveled purse and dumped the coins inside onto the counter.

Les: …

The curious glances from Stan Shunpike and the passengers deeper in the bus made his face flush with heat. He quickly reached into his own purse and pulled out two gold coins.

“Here, this should be more than enough.” He tossed the coins into Stan’s hand, and both Les and Lupe boarded the Knight Bus.

Stan stared at the gold coins in his hand, momentarily stunned: it wasn’t uncommon for travelers to pay with foreign money, but why didn’t he recognize these coins at all? They were neither American Galleons nor French Galleons; could they be from Central Asia or Africa? But in any case, it was two gold coins, enough to cover their fare.

Once inside the bus, Les couldn’t help but scrutinize the interior: the layout of the bus was completely different from that of a carriage; there were no seats, only six beds with curtains. Some beds had their curtains drawn, from behind which came the occasional loud snoring.

Stan didn’t intend to seat the two on the first floor; he led Les and Lupe up the narrow staircase all the way to the third floor. It was empty and absolutely quiet, allowing them to choose a spot to sleep that they found appealing.

Not only did he arrange a place for them to sleep, but Stan also brought them chocolates, toothbrushes, and hot water bottles—he believed Les had paid enough.

Once Stan hurried away, only Les and Lupe remained in the bus. Watching Stan’s departing figure, Lupe quietly remarked, “He seems quite afraid of you.”

Les smiled slightly, “That’s only natural.”

Before they could chat further, there was a loud bang from the bus, causing both to stumble slightly, nearly thrown off balance by the sudden lurch of the vehicle. Les steadied himself by grasping the brass pillar beside the bed and looked out the dark window, discovering that the bus had left Dean Forest and was now driving steadily and quickly along a flat road.

To Les’s surprise, there were poles erected at intervals on both sides of the road, each topped with a light! As far as he could see, these light poles stretched to the horizon, likely numbering in the thousands.

How much lamp oil or candles would be used that night! Les marveled silently: this was just a desolate road with not many people, yet the current queen was so extravagant?

He admitted that he appreciated grandeur, but he couldn’t reach this level.

After sharing his shock with Lupe, she looked at Les with a strange expression.

“Actually, it’s not that bad, right? I’ve heard Muggles use something called ‘electricity’ for lighting, which doesn’t cost much,” Lupe said. Although she had only a vague understanding of Muggles, she had some common knowledge of daily life, so she could provide Les with a little explanation.

Les: Electricity for lighting?

He wasn’t very clear on the principle behind it; he only knew that the world had changed too much, and he really needed to catch up on his lessons.

The driver seemed not to be very skilled at handling the steering wheel, continually crashing into roadside lamps, fences, and even oncoming trucks, yet in the end, nothing was hit, as those “obstacles” jumped out of the way when the bus came near, returning to their original positions once it had passed.

“What an interesting spell; I remember that Ravenclaw seemed to have used a similar one before.”

Watching this familiar scene, memories began to surface from the depths of his mind.

“Let me drive next time, I’m begging you.” Godric looked pale—just moments ago, while he was polishing the sword, Rowena had driven the cart straight into a large tree by the roadside, nearly impaling herself with the long sword in her hand.

“This cart is very expensive, Rowena!” After taking a look at the state of the carriage, Salazar Slytherin’s face darkened.

“I will fix it!” Rowena blushed and repeatedly assured him that she could fix Salazar’s cart in the blink of an eye.

“Even if it’s fixed, it’s still a cart that’s been in an accident! And my horse is limping!!!”

“I’ll heal it, but Rowena, you really aren’t suited for driving.” Helga Hufflepuff, a good friend of Ravenclaw, stepped in to ease the situation and began treating the injured horse from the accident.

After being stripped of her driving rights for two days, Rowena suddenly “shook” again; after casting a spell on the cart, she forcefully snatched the reins from Godric’s hands and, as usual, began to speed.

But this time, as the cart was about to crash into a tree, the tree seemed to grow legs and jumped out of the way by itself.

Rowena laughed triumphantly.

“If I can’t dodge the tree, then let the tree dodge me, right?”

“I think there’s still room for improvement in your spell.” Watching the tree that had moved into the middle of the road, Salazar couldn’t help but comment.

“I’ve been too busy these days; let’s talk about it later,” Ravenclaw casually brushed it off and sped up the cart.

Until the day Salazar left, he never got to see Rowena improve her spell.

Watching those obstacles that automatically avoided the bus, then returned to their original positions, Les smiled in relief: Rowena, someone has helped you improve this spell.