“By the way, Russell, please forgive my presumption, I heard that your parents have passed away,” Professor Flitwick said with some hesitation, “but I don’t understand why the orphanage would allow you to come out alone. After all, according to British law, a child like you shouldn’t be able to live alone.”
“Can you tell me how you managed it?”
“There’s nothing to hide, Professor,” Russell shrugged. “Although my parents are gone, I have a few distant relatives. I signed an agreement with one of them. He adopted me, and I need to give him a reward after inheriting the inheritance. It’s that simple.”
“I see,” Professor Flitwick realized. “If you need any help, I’d be happy to assist you.”
“Thank you, Professor Flitwick, but do wizards also use pounds?”
“Don’t worry, Hogwarts has special subsidies for young wizards like you,” Professor Flitwick understood his underlying meaning. It was understandable for Russell to have such concerns. “And at Gringotts, the goblins also accept Muggle currency, including pounds, for exchange.”
“Russell, I’ll take you to Diagon Alley now. Are you ready?” Professor Flitwick stood up.
“Professor, please wait for me a moment,” Russell smiled apologetically at Professor Flitwick, picked up a pen, and wrote a note, roughly stating that he was going to Diagon Alley today and couldn't have lunch at the Addams Family.
He stuck the note on the window so Parsley could see it at a glance, and then he and Professor Flitwick went out the door.
Russell originally thought Professor Flitwick would take him to Diagon Alley by Apparition, as his stature would surely attract unnecessary attention if he used Muggle transportation. However, Professor Flitwick did not do so; instead, he stood by the roadside and extended his wand.
Seemingly noticing Russell’s confusion, Professor Flitwick explained, “This is how you summon the Knight Bus. You just need to extend your wand into the air, and it will appear in front of you, following the direction.”
The Knight Bus? Russell’s face turned a little pale. He had suffered from motion sickness since he was a child, and he wondered if the magical world’s bus would be any better.
“Professor, isn’t there a faster way? Like instantaneous movement?” Russell asked, unwilling to give up.
“Instantaneous movement?” Professor Flitwick paused, then chuckled, “You mean Apparition, right? This magic carries a certain risk, and for a child your age, there might be some side effects. I can’t take that risk.”
“Alright,” seeing that he had said so, Russell had no choice but to give up.
Before long, a purple triple-decker bus suddenly appeared in front of them, and with a loud bang, the door swung open.
“Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening…”
He suddenly stopped speaking, somewhat stunned, and his voice became stammering, like a poor student seeing his former teacher.
“Professor Flitwick, it’s… it’s been a long time,” he forced a smile onto his face. He never expected a Hogwarts professor to take the Knight Bus, as the experience was not very good, and could even be described as bad.
Stan Shunpike looked not much older than Harry, around eighteen or nineteen, with large, protruding ears and a few pimples on his face.
He was wearing a purple uniform, the same color as the Knight Bus.
“Shunpike, long time no see,” Professor Flitwick was also a little surprised. “I’m taking a young wizard who is about to enroll to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies.”
“Hello, Senior Shunpike, my name is Russell Fissone,” Russell greeted him with a smile. Shunpike then came to his senses and quickly ushered the two of them onto the bus.
“To Diagon Alley, it’s fifteen sickles per person,” perhaps because he was facing Professor Flitwick, Shunpike did not try to sell the package that included chocolate or a toothbrush.
Professor Flitwick counted out a Galleon and thirteen sickles from his pocket and placed them in his hand.
“Professor, thank you for paying for me,” Russell said, a little embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, this is travel expenses. Hogwarts has no intention of making the professors pay out of their own pockets,” he winked playfully.
Shunpike sat silently in the conductor’s seat, staring straight ahead without moving, which surprised the driver a little. Shunpike was known to be restless, always chatting with passengers whenever he had a chance, so why the change of heart today?
“Professor, do you know the Addams Family family?” Russell thought for a moment and decided to ask Professor Flitwick’s opinion of them.
“Addams Family?” Professor Flitwick’s face showed a hint of surprise. “Where did you hear that name?”
“They live near my house.”
“The Adams family also has a very long history, and their sphere of influence is very large,” Professor Flitwick said. “If they live near your house, they might be one of their branches.”
“Are they dangerous?” Russell remembered Snape’s instructions and couldn’t help but ask.
“Hmm…” Professor Flitwick pondered for a moment. “The Addams Family family’s main business is funerals, almost monopolizing all funeral-related industries in Europe and America. Therefore, they are also extremely skilled in necromancy, curses, and other magic, including many dark arts explicitly forbidden by the Ministry of Magic. But to say that they are all dark wizards would be too harsh.”
“However, for a young wizard like you, even if they don’t have ill intentions, they are still dangerous enough.” Russell understood his meaning, after all, Wednesday and Parsley played with real knives and guns.
“By the way, what are the names of the Adams you know?” Professor Flitwick was a little curious.
“The master is named Gomez Adams, and the mistress is named Morticia Adams.”
“So it’s them,” Professor Flitwick’s face showed an “as expected” expression.
“Professor, do you know them?”
“Of course,” at this point, Professor Flitwick’s eyes lit up. “Gomez was unstoppable in his first wizarding duel, entering the finals undefeated. Unfortunately…”
“Unfortunately, he met you?” Russell prompted at the right time.
“Exactly, he narrowly lost to me, taking second place, and it was like that for the next three years. Only after I stopped participating did he ascend to the champion’s throne. It’s just that later I heard his interest shifted from wizarding duels to Muggle fencing, and he never participated in another duel competition.”
A look of regret appeared on his face.