Knight Bus

The **Knight Bus** is a triple-decker purple bus which provides emergency transport for a stranded witch or wizard.

## About

### Appearance

The bus is a purple vehicle which has three floors, gigantic wheels and headlights with gold lettering above a windscreen for the sign *The Knight Bus*. The conductor wears a purple uniform. During the day time, the bus has unbolted seats. At night time, the seats are replaced with half a dozen unbolted brass beds on each floor. The windows are curtained, the walls are wooden-panelled and candles illuminate the bus. It has a narrow, wooden staircase leading up to higher floors.

### Function

If a witch or wizard is stranded, the bus can be called if they stick their wand hand out. It will immediately appear. The conductor greets the passenger, invites them on board and tells them they can go anywhere they want so long it is on land. If the bus is about to drop someone off at a destination but someone calls for the bus elsewhere, it will abandon the stop to go and pick up whoever it is. It is possible for a person to book beds for a specific pick-up time if they know they will have to travel ahead of time.

It has a driver and conductor. The driver is seated in an armchair behind the wheel. The conductor sits in an armchair beside the driver's seat, telling the driver when they are ready to start driving. The driver tells the conductor when they are about to arrive at a passenger's destination and the conductor will go and tell the passenger. The bus drops passengers off in the order in which they get on the bus. Passengers can sleep in a bed at night and are told by the conductor what bed to take. Because the seats and beds weren't bolted down, passengers are thrown round by the speed of the bus and look pleased to be leaving when it is their stop.

The bus travels at a very high speed and is able to get from Surrey in England to Abergavenny in Wales in no time. It isn't noticed by Muggles because they can't hear it and do noy look properly due to the speed it travels at. Ernie is a bad driver but even though he keeps going up on the pavement, the bus is enchanted so that everything in the way jumps out the way and gets back into place when the bus is gone. It also helps to get down narrow roads. It bangs when it is being driven and jumps hundreds of miles at a time.

Passengers have to pay for the Knight Bus's services. It is eleven sickles to go any distance. Hot chocolate is sold for thirteen sickles, and a hot water bottle and toothbrush in the colour of choice is fifteen sickles.

## History

In August 1993, Stan Shunpike was the conductor and Ernie was a driver. Harry Potter was stranded because he had abandoned Privet Drive for good, and unintentionally stuck his wand hand out and called for the bus. It arrived in Magnolia Crescent immediately and the shock knocked him to the ground. Stan greeted Harry and told him what the bus was for. The bus was about to arrive in Abergavenny when Harry had called in Surrey. It soon turned back to Abergavenny and dropped Madam Marsh at her destination, and Stan had her bag thrown from the bus. There was a wizard sleeping in a nightcap near Harry's bed. It was soon thundering through a narrow country lane. He was too scared to tell Stan who he was, and told him he was Neville Longbottom instead. It dropped every passenger at their location, going from Abergavenny to Anglesey, and up to Aberdeen. Harry was eventually dropped at the Leaky Cauldron, where Cornelius Fudge was waiting.

## Employed

* Ernie (driver, 1993)
* Stan Shunpike (conductor, 1993)

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 3
2. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 14
3. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Chapter 24