socalfunplaces Chapter 74 Get on the bus!
Chapter 74 Get on the bus!
September 1st, the morning light was crisp and clear.
Lucas took off his apron and put an extra-large, four-layer insulated food container into Ellie's suitcase.
He pulled his suitcase and walked out. Ellie was already waiting at the door, and Buck, the sheepdog, was wagging his tail happily at her feet.
As for Pepper, it's still sleeping.
Its original words were: "I've been up all night, I'm not even this tired from selling my body! You two-legged beasts can go squeeze into the chimney, I'll fly to the fucking Hogwarts when I wake up."
With the connection to the magical contract, it could naturally find Lucas, so Lucas ignored it.
Finley McGregor stood at the farm gate, an old pipe in his hand. His white hair stood out sharply in the morning light, and the wrinkles on his face seemed deeper than usual. The old man looked at his two children, who were about to embark on their journeys, took a deep drag on his pipe, and said nothing.
"Grandpa, I'm going now," Lucas said. "I've put all your pills away in their usual spot. And the weekly nutrition menu is on the fridge. I also want to—"
"Get lost, kid! I'm not so old that I can't take care of myself!" Finley interrupted him rudely, but immediately put on a smiling face for Ellie. "Oh, I wasn't talking about you, Ellie. You're welcome to come over anytime you want."
"Thank you, Grandpa Finley." Ellie hugged him, and Lucas seized the opportunity to give his grandfather a hug as well. Grandpa didn't say anything, but his arms suddenly tightened.
Just as Lucas was about to turn his head, he heard Finley whisper, "Take care of yourself, kid, don't get hurt again."
His voice suddenly rose again: "If you end up in the hospital again, I'm going to file a complaint against Hogwarts! I'm going to see your headmaster and show him what I'm capable of!"
Lucas smiled: "Don't worry, Grandpa, I'll be good and safe, and I'll come back to see you again at Christmas."
Finley snorted, waved his pipe at him again, and then smiled at Ellie, saying, "Alright, you two go ahead. Ellie, if Luca bullies you, write to me and I'll teach him a lesson!"
"Okay, Grandpa!" Ellie smiled brightly.
......
After a dizzying spin, Lucas and Ellie spewed out of the fiery fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron. The large suitcase landed squarely on Lucas, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.
"Lucas!" Hannah cried out, running up to Lucas and grabbing his arm. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Hannah—" Lucas's voice trailed off as he saw a tall, thin man with a serious face and a meticulously groomed beard standing behind Hannah, staring at him with a stern, scrutinizing gaze.
Uh, he is—
"Hello Lucas." A beautiful, smiling woman suddenly turned around and shook Lucas's hand. "I'm Hannah's mother, and this is Hannah's father. Oh, you must be Ellie, right?"
Her brilliant blonde hair and light green eyes were exactly like Hannah's, and when she smiled, gentle lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, making her very approachable.
"Good morning, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Abbott and Mrs. Abbott," Lucas greeted. He had heard about her parents, Violet Abbott and Fiona Abbott, from Hannah long ago.
"What a handsome and good boy." Fiona looked Lucas up and down, nodding with great satisfaction. "We all know about you: you're very brave, you've risen to fame, you were awarded a medal by Minister Fudge, and you're also an amazing genius chef. I dare say, among all the young wizards your age, no one is more outstanding than you."
Villette looked at Lucas seriously before extending his hand to shake Lucas's hand, but his movements were very stiff.
“Yes, it’s you, Lucas McGregor.” Villette’s voice sounded authoritative and intimidating. “Listen, kid, the newspapers may be singing your praises, but to me…”
"Honey, don't scare Lucas," Fiona suddenly glared at her husband.
Villette paused, lowered her voice, but still said firmly, "No way, my precious daughter talks about him all the time, I want to see this kid for myself—"
"Dad!" Hannah stamped her foot in embarrassment and annoyance.
Fiona's smile remained unchanged, but she moved closer to her husband: "So what do you want to say, darling? We agreed, they're just friends, it hasn't gone that far!"
Villette's voice trailed off: "Yes, I just wanted to say that fame is a double-edged sword... Lucas, you can't be complacent, you have to keep working hard..."
Lucas suppressed a laugh: "Okay, Mr. Abbott, thank you for your guidance."
Fiona turned to Lucas and Ellie with a bright smile: "Alright, kids, let's go. The car has been waiting outside for a long time."
The Abbott family's car was parked on the street outside the Leaky Cauldron. It was a vintage car with a shiny black paint job. A stern-faced driver took Lucas's suitcase and opened the car door for them.
When Lucas climbed into the carriage, he was surprised to find that it was a completely different world inside. The exterior was just two compartments, but inside there were several rows of spacious leather sofas, and even a small round table with black tea and snacks.
After the car started, the driver jerked the steering wheel, and the old car, like an eel smeared with butter, strangely weaved, expanded, and contracted through the congested traffic of the morning rush hour. It could pass through even the narrowest gaps, and even slid past the chassis of a double-decker bus twice. Yet, the interior remained calm and very comfortable.
When they arrived at King's Cross Station, the car came to a stop, and Lucas felt a blur before his eyes. Before he could even see what was happening, the driver was already standing by the door, opening the doors for the passengers.
"You all get out of the car first," Villette's voice rang out again, full of authority. "I want to have a man's talk with Lucas!"
His expression was extremely serious, and Hannah's face turned pale.
However, before Lucas could respond, Fiona grabbed her husband's ear and twisted it: "Villette Abbott! What stupid thing are you going to say now? We're going to be late!"
"Ouch! Honey, be gentle! This is in front of the children!" Vilette instantly lost her composure and begged loudly for mercy. Lucas and Ellie in the back row tried their best to suppress their laughter.
Fiona snorted and let go, leaving Vilette rubbing her ears in frustration as she slunk away, leading everyone into the station, with the driver following behind, dragging several suitcases.
The Abbotts led their children through the partition between platforms nine and ten. After a slight chill, Lucas felt a sudden opening in the sky.
The crimson Hogwarts Express sat silently on the platform, puffing out white steam, which was crowded with wizarding families seeing them off and young wizards boarding the train. Cats of various colors darted around at their feet, and the hooting of owls rose and fell in waves.
Lucas watched all this with excitement, his heart pounding faster than ever.
My dream is about to begin.
Violet hugged Hannah tightly, her eyes reddening.
Then he turned to Lucas again, his eyes widening sternly.
"Listen, kid, if Hannah loses a single hair because of you—"
"That's not Lucas's fault, I must have dropped it myself!" Hannah shouted, her face flushed. "Come on, Dad!"