Glenn and Hermione had already sent out their Christmas gifts in advance via the Owl Post. So, early the m, they packed up Crookshanks and joihe group of students heading home for Christmas at Hogsmeade Station.

  Crookshanks: Finally remembered me, huh?

  Due to the tensioween Hermione and Ron, Crookshanks hadn’t had the eet Ron’s rat, Scabbers.

  During css hours, Hermione would let Crookshanks roam freely around the castle. her she nlenn worried about him getting into trouble—Crookshanks was incredibly clever. He had already befriended many of the professors at Hogwarts and often visited their offices te for food. The professors, in turn, were quite fond of this peculiar yet intelligent feline.

  Professonagall, in particur, absolutely adored him, being a cat lover herself.

  Crookshanks had some serious es!

  After a long jourhe Hogwarts Express safely arrived at King’s Cross Station. Glenn and Hermioepped onto the ptform, but this time, no one was there to pick them up.

  “So, how are we supposed to get home? It’s quite far from here,” Hermione asked, a hint of worry in her voice. Usually, her parents or an aunt and uncle would pick her and Glenn up, but now they had to figure it out on their own.

  “Let me think. We have a few options… hmm, a bus, a taxi… not much else,” Hermione said, ting on her fingers.

  “There’s another option—the Knight Bus,” Glenn suggested, introdug a term Hermione had never heard before.

  “The Knight Bus? What’s that?”

  In respoo her curiosity, Glenn expined simply, “It’s a magical version of a modern bus, created for wizards to travel.”

  Hermione’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Really? I’ve aken magical public transport before!”

  “Whe on, hold onto me,” Glenn warned. “The Knight Bus isly a smooth ride.”

  He had taken the Knight Bus before when visiting Knockturn Alley to sell potions. Even with his exceptional physical band resilience, he still found the experiensettling.

  Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “How do you know what it’s like to ride the Knight Bus?”

  As far as she knew, Glenn rarely left the house except to apany her on outings or training sessions. When would he have had the ce to ride it?

  Unfazed by her questioning look, Glenn replied calmly, “I read about it in a book. You find it in the library—‘Modern Magical Creations: Inspired by Muggles.’ It has a detailed description of the Knight Bus, including its ior and user experiences.” Glenn wasn’t lying; he really had read about the Knight Bus in that book.

  However, he didn’t want Hermioo know about his occasional trips to the dangerous Knockturn Alley. There was o worry her unnecessarily—she already had enough oe.

  “There’s a book like that? How did I not know about it?” Hermione excimed in disbelief. She had no memory of such a book existing.

  Suddenly, she grew anxious, muttering something about her “purity as a bookworm” not being high enough. Glenn sighed and handed her a calming potion.

  Hermione, forced to drink the potion as Glenn held her mouth open, kicked at him in protest, only to have her foot caught mid-air.

  She promptly set Crookshanks down and unched herself at Glenn, engaging him in close bat.

  How dare he pour a straion into a girl’s mouth without her permission!

  Over the years, Hermione had kept up with her bat training under Glenn’s guidance. Of course, she still couldn’t beat him.

  Crookshanks, sitting on the ground, yawned and watched the two humans exge blows with precise movements. He smacked his lips in exasperation.

  These two humans… pying their weird games again?

  Panting, Hermioually found herself pinned in Glenn’s arms. She patted his hand, signaling him to release her.

  “Not mad anymore?” Glenn asked, loosening his grip.

  Hermione rolled her eyes, picked up Crookshanks, and decided to ignore him for the time being.

  Glenn led Hermioo ay street and raised his wand.

  At that moment, a three-story purple bus appeared out of thin air with a dramatic screech, its rear end lifting slightly as it came to a halt in front of them.

  The Knight Bus ductor, Stan Shunpike, greeted them enthusiastically. His eyes lit up when he reized Glenn.

  “Well, well, a regur er!” he excimed.

  Before Stan could say mlenn spped one Galleon and thirteen Sickles into his hand, grabbed Hermione, and quickly boarded the bus.

  No way was he giving Stan a ce to start chatting.

  The bus was empty, and si was nighttime, the seats had been repced with beds. The interior was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside. rows of beds with brass railings filled the dimly lit space, illuminated by flickering dlelight.

  “Crookshanks, inside you go,” Glenn said, opening his ented bag auring for the cat to climb in.

  Crookshanks strutted ih his signature bow-legged gait. He trusted his humans—they wouldn’t harm him. Obedience was the way to glenn y down on one of the beds and patted the space beside him. “Hermione, e here.”

  The calming potion’s effects had worn off, and Hermione’s face turned bright red at Glenn’s straightforward invitation to share a bed.

  Seeing her shy rea, Glenn expined, “The bus is about to start moving. Lying down will make the ride less unfortable.”

  “Oh, oh!” Hermioammered, climbing onto the bed awkwardly. She instinctively ed her arms around Glenn and buried her fa his chest, too embarrassed to look at him.

  Glenn, however, had no time to enjoy the moment. He sprinkled a handful of dirt into the air, activating his alchemy.

  Sturdy yet flexible ropes materialized and ed around them, seg them tightly to the bed. Glenn positioned himself over Hermione, letting the ropes press into his back to shield her from disfort.

  “Passengers, fasten your seatbelts! We’re about to depart!” Stan Shunpike’s voice echoed through the bus.

  What seatbelts?!

  The moment, the bus lurched forward. The two of them were pressed into the bed by the sudden acceleration as the Knight Bus leapt into the air and sped off, boung and jerking wildly.

  Hermione finally uood why Glenn had tied them doositioned himself to absorb the impact.

  She g to him in terror as the bus soared and dropped, her head spinning from the relentless motion. Above them, the sounds of objects crashing and strangers cursing filled the air.

  Oh, Merlin’s cy stogs, this was worse than a roller coaster.

  What kind of “public transport” was this?! Even amusement park rides didn’t dare to be this extreme!

  Her flushed face turned pale, and all trabarrassment vanished. She wao scream, but all she could manage was a siear, which promptly flew off into the void thanks to the bus’s erratients.

  After what felt like ay, the bus finally came to a halt outside 444 Lily Street ione Distriaer.

  Glenn helped the pale and trembling Hermione off the bus. She g to him for support, uo take aep. As Stan cheerfully bid them farewell and ihem to ride again, Hermione’s voice quivered with desperation.

  “Glenn, please… I never want to take that awful Knight Bus ever again.”

  Her eyes glistened with uears.

  Too much excitement. This so-called public transport was a nightmare. Whoever wao ride it could go ahead—she was done!

  Onside the Granger household, Gleled Hermione on the sofa and mao soothe her before heading to the kit. He retrieved fresh ingredients from his ented bag and began preparing dinner.

  It was going to be a hearty and delieal. After nearly half a day on the Hogwarts Express, Hermione must be starving. The snacks orain could only tide her over temporarily. Thankfully, Glenn had a potion for everything, and the soothing draught he’d given her earlier had calmed her stomaough to restore her appetite.

  As the aroma of freshly cooked food filled the house, Hermione and Crookshanks wandered into the dining room, drawn by the smell.

  “Is it ese food again?” Hermioired brown eyes lit up with excitement. At school, whenever Glenn cooked ese dishes during their sessions with Hagrid, she found them absolutely delicious and pletely different from anything she’d ever tasted.

  “Yep,” Glenn replied, pg the final dish—a pte of vegetables—oable.

  With their stomachs growling, Hermione and Crookshanks obediently took their seats, waiting flenn to join them.

  It’s worth mentioning that Crookshanks, being part Kneazle, was half a magical creature and perfectly capable of eating Glenn’s cooking.

  As Glehe table, he g the one human and o sitting primly at the table and couldn’t help but smile. A warm feeling rose in his chest.

  “Let’s eat,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Yay!” “Meow!”

  The three of them began their meal.

  Hermione, not at using chopsticks, occasionally praised Glenn’s cooking skills.

  So unfair—why didn’t she have this kind of talent?

  Faced with Glenn’s delicious food, Hermione abandoned all pretense of de, stuffing her cheeks like a chipmunk.

  She couldn’t help it. She was famished, and Glenn’s cooking was just too tempting!

  Watg Hermione devour her food, Glenn smiled softly.

  He loved this atmosphere. He loved this girl. And in that moment, he thought to himself, It’s good to be alive.

  “Hmm? What are you smiling at? Stop ughing a your food!” Hermione scolded, her cheeks flushing as she assumed Glenn was teasing her eating habits. She swatted at him pyfully.

  “Alright,” Glenn replied with a grin.