Chapter 10. In Nature's Hands
Disclaimer. I will never own Harry Potter! *Throws Tantrum*
When the old lady, who introduced herself as Mrs. Roberts, left them in a small room with one small but comfortable looking bed, Hermione immediately squared it off with Harry.
"Since we already have one bed," Hermione said with hands on her hips. "I'm taking it," Hermione plunked her bag on the bed. But Harry took the bag off the bed.
"Oh no," retorted Harry. "It was you who got us into trouble. So I am taking the bed."
Hermione's jaw dropped open and watched Harry sat down on the bed. "What a gentleman," Hermione said full of sarcasm. She sat down on the foot side of the bed and looked at Harry. "If you did not insist on eating lunch, we would be in Cardiff right now."
"Well, if you did not insist on hitch hiking, we could've gone back to London and not in the middle of nowhere without any money," Harry answered back.
They were now facing each other, daring each one to come up with a better answer, when the door started to open. Harry quickly placed his hand on Hermione's waist and pulled her towards him. Hermione was surprise with the gesture and was about to say something when Mrs. Roberts came inside the room with a blanket and two pillows.
"Is everything okay," Mrs. Roberts asked. She handed the blanket and pillows to Hermione.
Harry quickly answered, "Oh, there's nothing wrong. Thank you very much for being so kind and letting us stay for the night."
Mrs. Roberts nodded and said before leaving the room, "When you're done changing clothes, join me in dinner."
Hermione immediately pulled away from Harry when the kind old lady left the room. She stood up and said, "Since nobody would like to give in, I say we share the bed."
Harry raised an eyebrow. This lady could be shocking sometimes, he thought. "Its' okay with me." He got his bag and started to look for a pair of comfortable pajamas and white shirt.
What, Hermione thought wildly, he was supposed to refuse! He should've thought that it is inappropriate to sleep besides a woman who is not his fiancée. Hermione gasped when she saw Harry taking off his trousers and quickly turned her back from him. "What are you doing? You could have warned me," she said angrily.
Harry tried to control his laughter behind Hermione's back. After changing into pajamas, he walked towards her and whispered in her ear. "You have to get used to it, wifey. Besides you'll be snuggling with me the entire night." He said playfully.
Hermione blushed and quickly turned around to chuck the head of this infuriating man but found him already on the door.
"Be quick, my small and lovely wife," Harry said sweetly. "You don't want to keep Mrs. Roberts waiting."
Harry immediately closed the door before he could get hit with a flying pillow.
It was almost seven o'clock in the morning, the next day and here they are in Mrs. Roberts' store, trying to sort the fruits in the old lady's stand.
Harry dropped a pumpkin into the fruit area when she saw Hermione sitting beside the stall, trying to take the ants out of a bunch of raspberries. He could not help but smile. Last night at dinner, she walked into the small kitchen wearing a pair of shorts and red tank top. She has dried her not so bushy but curly hair and it was flowing freely, untied in her back. She smiled pleasantly when she entered the room. She's so beautiful, just like an angel, Harry thought.
After their dinner, they were talking to Mrs. Roberts and doing their best not to get back to the room. Eventually, Mrs. Roberts shooed them away, telling them that they should sleep early since the van would leave at four in the morning. Harry went inside the room first and lied down to the bed.
He was thinking if Hermione would seriously sleep beside him. He was thinking about sleeping on the floor, when Hermione came inside the room. Without saying anything she lay down beside Harry, with back towards him.
Last night, he faced Hermione's back and could not help but noticing how sweet-smelling she is, He wanted to touch her hair, run his fingers through it. His heart was beating fast in his chest, he wanted to turn Hermione towards him and kiss her. Merlin, Harry thought. He was sweating, this is not good. Think about Ginny. He turned his back and faced the wall.
Until now, Harry was only thinking about what happened. His heart is still hammering in his chest. Did she feel the same way, Harry thought while looking at Hermione's quiet figure. These hormones are making me crazy, Harry started to walk away to carry another set of pumpkins.
Hermione could not help but notice Harry. Who would not notice a six footer hunk walking around, with the torso naked and sweaty from carrying several pumpkins back and forth. Hermione tried to calm herself and drew several deep breaths. Stop having fantasies, Hermione scolded herself. He is engaged. Engaged! She wanted to shout at the last word.
She had a terrible sleep last night. She was so conscious with the man lying beside her. Merlin's pants, Hermione thought, I could still remember his masculine smell. Hermione shook the image and smell out of her head.
This trip is full of bad luck, Hermione thought. They were able to get into the four o'clock truck, but unfortunately, two blocks away from Mrs. Roberts stall the minivan suddenly stopped and they could hear something hissing from the engine.
Harry and Hermione have to walk back to Mrs. Roberts' stall to tell her about what happened. Mrs. Roberts told them another vanwould come by. When the second van passed, the driver refused to take the two for free. The gasoline is very expensive now, insisted the driver and continued driving.
Mrs. Roberts remembered that a nephew would be going to Cardiff that morning.
"He would be driving a very old truck," Mrs. Roberts explained. "The ride could be uncomfortable." Harry and Hermione agreed, reaching Cardiff is more important than sparing their butts from some pain. So while waiting for Mrs. Roberts' nephew, they decided to help the old woman first to repay for her kindness.
But Hermione is finding it hard to concentrate. She kept on glancing on the finely chiseled torso of a guy who was parading himself in front of her. She could not help but notice other girls, who kept on passing in front of Mrs. Roberts stall, looking at Harry. And the idiot is smiling at them, she thought angrily. Mrs. Roberts noticed the creases in Hermione's forehead and could not help but chuckle, "You newlyweds were so quiet last night. I bet you want to be in Cardiff soon." She loudly called at Harry, "Put your clothes on and rest, my nephew will be here soon."
Hermione cheeks flushed red with what the old lady said. Harry entered the stall and could not help but notice Hermione's red cheeks. "Why are you blushing wifey?"
Mrs. Roberts laughed loudly. A few minutes later, her nephew stopped in front of the stall and kissed the old woman's cheek. Mrs. Roberts told her nephew about the two. Harry and Hermione looked at the truck, the old woman was not kidding when she said it was very old. There were a couple of men inside the truck, probably getting free ride, too.
Harry and Hermione embraced Mrs. Roberts hard when they said their farewells. They would be coming back, they promised. Mrs. Roberts told them to bring a baby when they got back. Both of them flushed red.
The ride was slow and rough. It was rattling loudly that Hermione was silently praying that the truck would remain intact throughout the travel. Harry meanwhile could not help but notice the two men eyeing Hermione the entire ride. They kept glancing at her and smiling at her. And this woman, thought Harry, who's so totally unaware of herself smiling back.
Harry scooted closer to Hermione and grabbed her hand. Hermione looked surprise and was about to pull her hand away when Harry whispered, "Remember, we're still married, wifey."
Hermione did not pull away, instead she leaned back towards Harry. Harry smile with approval, especially when he saw both men noticing how Hermione leaned back and started to look at the view outside the truck.
A few minutes later, rain started to fall hard, again. They quickly pulled the tattered transparent windows to keep them dry. Another few minutes, the wind was howling so loud and visibility was so poor. When they reached Pound Hill, the truck pulled to a stop in a gasoline station. Mrs. Roberts' nephew went out of the driver's seat and ran towards a group of policemen sheltered in station. Harry and Hermione looked at the driver talking with the policemen and ran back to the truck. He started to direct the truck to a parking space when Harry finally asked, "Are we staying here?"
"A large tree blocked the road ahead," explained Mrs. Roberts' nephew. "The entire road is blocked."
"Is there no other way?" Hermione asked.
"There is," said the driver. "But I can't go that way with this heavy rain, this is an old truck, it cannot make that steep climb."
"So what do we do now," Hermione asked the driver again.
"We wait. Whatever comes first, the road ahead is getting cleared or the rain stopping so we could take another route," explained the driver.
He motioned for the other two men inside the truck. They got out of the truck and started running to the gasoline station.
Hermione and Hermione looked at each other and sighed. "We're stuck," Hermione said. "Again," Harry concluded.
AN: Fast update right? I usually update in a week or less. But I enjoyed writing this chapter so I decided to post this one earlier than the schedule. I hope you enjoyed reading, too. Please review! :)