(A/N: Want to read ahead of what I have posted so far? Go to my Patreоn and get your early access chapters ^_^
By becoming a patron, you'll instantly unlock access up to 22 chapters (Chapter 87 already)
https://www.pаtreon.com/HPMan
Thank you for your support! Two chapters today. Enjoy!
______________________
I wandered through the woods and valleys for about two hours until I came to a normal asphalt road. There was a good chance I was in England, so I took my wand out of my holster and voted. Nothing. Waited a minute - nothing. Maybe I should wait longer.
I didn't leave my seat, and as it turned out, for a good reason. After five minutes, a tall purple three-story bus pulled up in front of me, literally out of thin air. It stopped abruptly, and the front doors opened.
"The Knight Bus!" shouted a young fellow with light stubble and a disheveled bus conductor's uniform. "Hurrying to the rescue of the wizards!"
He grinned, dashing and goofy.
"Even if it's in Morgana's backyard," he added more quietly, but I heard him.
"Hello," I said to the man with a smile. "I'd like to go to London."
"Get in, lad," said the conductor. "Twelve sickels."
"Oh, wow!"
"What did you expect!" said the man, with an express waving of his hands. "We usually shuttle through London and the suburbs, but we're somewhere around..."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, staring up at the ceiling.
"Somewhere near Sunderland."
"But that's the other end of the country!"
"Exactly!"
I unwittingly copied the expressive manner of my interlocutor's speech. I checked my money, which, strange as it may seem, had not gone anywhere. Not many galleons left.
"For a galleon without a shake?"
"Deal! You heard Ernie, to... Where in London?"
"Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron."
"Got it. To the Cauldron, Ernie! Sit down, boy. You got about five seconds left. Heh-heh."
I quickly took my seat and braced myself for some incredibly aggressive driving, but it was a miracle! The Knight Bus drove smoothly and incredibly fast! The picture was blurring. I just wanted to say, "Sulu, switch to Warp!"
We got to the Leaky Cauldron in fifteen minutes, and no shaking.
"Great!" I tossed a coin in my hand and handed it to the conductor.
"If you find yourself on the edge of the world again, call me!" The conductor waved at me as I got off. "We'll give you a ride."
I did not go into the pub but walked up to Grimmauld Place. I looked exotic, to say the least, and I did not cast a spell because they would register any witchcraft outside of Hogwarts. People looked at me with such interest at times because the sky was cloudy and it was chilly, and I was Indiana Jones, only in shorts and a hat. It's lovely. But shyness is not about us, and so, with my head held high, I made my way to the house on the Grimmauld and... I could have just called Kreacher! Oh, dear. The inertia of thought is a terrible force!
I entered the house, and in a completely uncivil manner, dropped my bag in the hallway and got to the portrait of Walburga.
"Good evening. Or day, or whatever it is outside the window," I greeted and sat down in my usual place opposite the portrait.
"It's tea time for five minutes already," the portrait lady said. "Kreacher!"
A clap sounded at my side.
"Kreacher is here, Mistress," the old house-elf bowed.
"Make tea and cookies for Maximilian."
"Right away, ma'am," the house-elf bowed again and went to the kitchen with a dejected stride.
"Maximilian," Walburga inspected my appearance and made herself comfortable in the chair. "And why do I think that you have prepared a rather interesting story?"
"To make a long story short, I went on a trip with my foster parents to Egypt. After visiting the museum, we went to the pyramids, and there I found a tour for wizards. However, when our group picked up the portkey, we were transported... Basically where we needed to go, to the entrance, except we were all paralyzed, and the guide took turns putting Obliviate on the wizards and using the intercontinental portkey to send me to some house near Sunderland. Lucius was waiting for me there. He wanted to kill me, but he was careless and lost his head. I didn't take the trophy-it had dissolved in the acid. Interestingly enough, the rest of the body went somewhere by the portkey."
Walburga was silent for a few seconds and then just burst into hysterical laughter. She remained in this state for at least ten minutes. Frightened by this mistress's behavior, Kreacher walked around and looked around, bringing me tea and a plate of cookies.
"Something like this," I summed up as I placed the empty cup on the saucer. "Lucius had passed away safely, and now there are fewer threats to my health. By the way, how can I get in touch with the Knights in Egypt? I wouldn't want to trouble them."
"Let's keep it simple. Kreacher!"
Another clap came from the side.
"Kreacher is here, Mistress..."
"The portkey to Giza, Egypt."
Kreacher waddled off somewhere, and I stared at the portrait with a question.
"What are you wondering about? There are many different portkeys in the house, including one to Cairo and one to Giza. Egypt has its own counterpart to the Knight Bus, summoned the same way, only the wand must be held vertically. A few sickels will get you where you need to go.
"Kreacher here, ma'am," the house-elf said, bowing down. In his hands, he held a small iron bar, no larger than a pen.
"Give it to Maximilian."
I accepted the bar.
"The activator is standard - Portus. Go ahead, I can see that you're worried. In the meantime, I'll think...
"Have a good day."
"I'm a portrait, Maximilian. What could be better."
I seem to be perceived a little better.