Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======The Knight Bus====== =====Object Information===== * **Type:** [[Magical Transportation]] * **Owners:** [[Ministry of Magic]] (Pottermore) * **Maker:** Dugald McPhail (Pottermore) =====Description and Appearance===== The [[Knight Bus]] is a vivid purple, triple-decker bus that provides emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. The name "The Knight Bus" is written in gold lettering across its windscreen. Its interior changes depending on the time of day. By night, the bus has no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads are arranged along the windows. By day, the bedsteads are replaced by a collection of mismatched armchairs. A large [[chandelier]] hangs from the ceiling of the first deck, and a narrow wooden staircase provides access to the upper levels. The ride is notoriously bumpy and violent, with the bus's contents, including beds and passengers, sliding around as it lurches and screeches to a halt. =====Magical Properties and Usage===== The primary function of the [[Knight Bus]] is to provide rapid transport for any witch or wizard in need. * **Summoning:** To summon the bus, a witch or wizard must stand at a curb and stick out their wand arm. The bus will appear with a loud bang. * **Travel:** The bus travels at immense speeds, seemingly ignoring the laws of physics. It can squeeze through impossibly narrow gaps, and streetlights, mailboxes, and other objects leap out of its path. It is invisible to [[Muggles]], who do not see or hear it, merely reacting to the sudden displacement of air as it passes. * **Fares:** A ride costs eleven [[Sickles]]. For thirteen [[Sickles]], the passenger also receives a cup of hot chocolate. For fifteen [[Sickles]], a passenger can also get a hot-water bottle and a toothbrush in the colour of their choice. * **Staff:** The bus is operated by a driver and a conductor. The most well-known staff are [[Ernie Prang]], the driver who wears thick spectacles, and [[Stan Shunpike]], the conductor with large, protruding ears. =====History===== The concept of the [[Knight Bus]] was first proposed in 1865 by the then-[[Minister for Magic]], Dugald McPhail. The idea was inspired by the newly popular [[Muggle]] bus services and was designed to provide a discreet method of transport for underage or infirm wizards who could not [[Apparate]]. The proposal was initially met with resistance from pure-bloods who objected to adopting a [[Muggle]] invention, but it was eventually approved and has been in service ever since (Pottermore). =====Role in the Story===== The [[Knight Bus]] serves as a crucial mode of transportation and a source of information at key moments in the series. * **//Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//:** [[Harry Potter]] accidentally summons the bus for the first time after he flees [[Number Four, Privet Drive]] upon inflating his [[Aunt Marge]]. The bus takes him from [[Little Whinging]] to the [[Leaky Cauldron]]. During this journey, he learns from [[Stan Shunpike]] and a copy of the [[Daily Prophet]] that the dangerous wizard [[Sirius Black]] has escaped from [[Azkaban]]. * **//Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//:** [[Harry]], [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]], [[Fred Weasley]], [[George Weasley]], and [[Ginny Weasley]] ride the bus from [[Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place]] to [[King's Cross Station]] at the beginning of the school year. They are escorted by [[Nymphadora Tonks]] and [[Remus Lupin]]. A fellow passenger, [[Madam Marsh]], is mentioned. * **//Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//:** While not ridden, the bus is relevant as [[Harry]] learns of [[Stan Shunpike]]'s arrest as a suspected [[Death Eater]]. Harry later defends Stan's innocence to [[Minister for Magic]] [[Rufus Scrimgeour]], believing Stan is not capable of such actions. * **//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//:** While on the run, [[Harry]], [[Ron]], and [[Hermione]] briefly consider summoning the bus, but decide against it, correctly assuming that the [[Ministry of Magic]], now controlled by [[Lord Voldemort]], would be monitoring it. =====Behind the Scenes===== * **Etymology:** J.K. Rowling has explained that the name is a play on words. It sounds like "night bus," a real-world service in many cities, but also references the idea of a "knight" coming to the rescue, fitting its purpose as emergency transport (Pottermore). * **Film Adaptation:** In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, the [[Knight Bus]] is shown with a talking [[Shrunken Head]] (named Dre Head) hanging from the rearview mirror, which offers commentary and jokes to the driver and passengers. This character does not appear in the novels. The interior chaos is also visually exaggerated, with beds sliding dynamically from one side of the bus to the other (film).
