A Lesson in Driving
Summary: Set in the Through the Wall Into my Heart Universe one month after Hermione's forced journey back to an alternative past. Hermione works as a driver instructor for both magical and Muggle cars. Never thinking that James Potter would show up for a driving lesson.
Hermione froze and cursed her rotten luck.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as she unlocked the student driver designated car.
"Well, good morning to you too, Hermione."
She shot him a look that caused him to smirk instead of showing any signs of being intimidated by it or her like Ron would have done... she shook herself. Now was not the time to dwell on her past... or what will be the future.
"I'm here for a driving lesson," James said. He didn't like the look of remorsefulness that flashed behind those hazel eyes and not for the first time, wished he could make her smile. She smiled so little and when she did it really transformed her hard, no-nonsense image into one of laughter and fun. If only she wasn't actively trying to avoid him. He had to call up some family favors at the Ministry to even find out where she worked since he hadn't seen her after their talk with Dumbledore last month. She hadn't even gone with him to Lily's wedding or answered any of his owls.
Okay, so he brought her back in time some nineteen years but that shouldn't mean they couldn't be friends... or more than friends. They were destined to be together after all, and he was a very persistent man.
"Here let me," he quickly took the door handle from Hermione and opened the passenger door for her.
"Thanks, but I could have gotten that myself."
"I have no doubt but I got to earn some bonus points with my new favorite teacher somehow."
Hermione chuckled and shook her head. "Get in James."
"Yes, Madam Instructor," he tipped his non-existent hat and ran over to the driver side and got in. This was going to be fun.
"Now tell me what you know about Muggle cars?"
He had been wrong.
"You just suck the fun out of everything," he accused as he studied the steaming bonnet of the car.
"I do not!"
His lips curled in spite of himself. "Fun-sucker."
"Fun-sucker?" she opened and closed her mouth. "All I did was I refused to play your ridiculous idea of blind-man's-buff-driving-derby-thing."
"Exactly. If you had just told me there were these trees in the middle of the road-"
"They are supposed to be here. It's a boulevard."
"Still terrible place for trees, I say."
Godric, help her. What was she going to do now?
"So, how did I do?"
"How did-" she forced a slow, long breath to control her mounting anger. "You wreck the car into a tree while wearing a blindfold. What do you think your marks will be, James?"
He rubbed his chin. "Was rotten luck with the tree I must admit... otherwise I think I did well, so acceptable?"
He was hopeless. Utterly hopeless and clueless. "You failed your lesson and now I'm probably going to be let go from my job."
"Why?"
"Because you crashed into a tree."
He waved his hand. "No, not about my grade - although, I still protest I did a bang up job for my first time behind a wheel - but why would you be fired? You didn't crash into a tree, that shouldn't be there, I did."
"But I was the instructor and I should have prevented the whole thing and would have if the damn instructor controls worked like they were supposed to do."
James grinned. He might have had a small hand with preventing her controls from working. It wouldn't have been as fun playing that trust building game if he hadn't discretely hexed them.
"What if we don't tell anyone about this?"
"We can't do that, James."
"Why not?"
Hermione waved to the dented fender and steaming bonnet. "Because it is pretty obvious that there has been an accident."
"Oh, is that all," he took out his wand and quickly repaired the car like new. "there all fix now."
"You can't do that."
"I think I just did. Now how about you leave work early and we go to this nice restaurant I know of down the-"
"No."
"You didn't even hear where it was," he protested trying not to let the hurt from her refusal show. "you don't give charming handsome wizards enough of a chance love."
Hermione rolled her eyes and got back into the car and started it. "Get back into the car, James."
James smirked as he got in and buckled up his seat belt. "Does this mean I'm not expelled from the Magical Means Driving School after all?"
Hermione laughed. A genuine laugh that warmed James's heart. He wanted to hear her laugh again.
"It's Magical Wheels and I never said anything about expelling you, James. In fact, it looks like you need plenty of lessons before you'll be able to pass your driving exam," at James's wicked grin she quickly clarified, "without any blindfolds or magic."
"Aye, aye Madam Fun-sucker."
"Stop it."
"Whatever you say," he smirked, "Fun-sucker"
The light smack to his shoulder was more than worth it as Hermione chuckled in spite of herself. He was slowly getting to her.
Fini
Disclaimer: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter does not belong to LittleTee, (who shall henceforth be referred to as "The Author.") While the plot of this fanfiction, (henceforth to be referred to as the "Story,") is of The Author's creation, neither the characters nor the locations therein belong to The Author, as they belong to JK Rowling, with the exception of any characters or locations within this Story which have no representation in cannon-these original characters and locations are the property of The Author. This is a work of fiction produced for the single purpose of entertaining fans of Harry Potter, and no Copyright infringement is intended.
Submission for: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Forum's September Event: Back To School and Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges Forum's The Ten Pairing Challenge, V2.
Back to School:
Team - The Dazzling Dragon-Keepers
Rules: There will be 60 prompts (two for each day of the month), and you will use these prompts as the theme in your drabble (or longer). You can submit one story a day, or several a day, or none a day - it's up to you, so long as all 60 prompts have been used by the end of September. It is two prompts per story, no more, no less. It doesn't matter how you mix and match them!
Prompts:24 (action) Being given/giving a driving lesson and 45 (dialogue) "You just suck the fun out of everything." / "I do not!" / "Fun-sucker."
Menagerie of Pairings Challenge:
Prompts: (Pairing) Hermione/James
Story's Word Count: 904
Author's Note: Okay, some good news and some not so good news. Good news: I'm going to continue or fill in the missing years of Through the Wall and Into My Heart as a multichapter story. The not so good news: It won't be till sometime next year till I post it. (I have too many ongoing fics to not devote some time on them first. Sorry.)
This was my second time writing Hermione/James and I am still unsure if I have them close to what they should be as characters... writing James is so much harder than it should be. *sigh*
As always, feedback is cherished and appreciated.