Ron pulled out of the driveway hastily, making the wheels squeal. He
gave the steering wheel a fierce jerk to avoid hitting the Weasleys'
mailbox, then pulled onto the road without looking first.
Hermione had been trying to keep quiet about his not-so-good driving skills, but couldn't stand it any longer. She had managed to keep quiet for a grand total of eighteen seconds. "Really, watch where you're going! We could've been hit! You didn't even look to see if anything was coming before you pulled onto the road."
"Hermione, we're in the middle of nowhere! Cars never come by here. The neighbors' chickens rarely even cross this road," Ron told her.
Hermione huffed. "Well, there's bound to be something on the road. Probably those chickens." She gestured vaguely out the window. "There's all sorts of things out there, waiting to run out onto the road and get hit. We're bound to get into a wreck with you!"
"Well, would you listen to that, Gin? Apparently we haven't figured out /I the chicken crosses the road, but we've decided I will most definitely hit the chicken with the car."
"Oh, don't drag her into this, Ron!"
"Well, it's not like she can't hear us. Might as well let her have a say in my bad driving also." Ron turned around to look back at Ginny. "What do you think, Gin?"
"I'm thinking you should probably keep an eye on the road." The younger girl nodded toward the road. "There's a turn coming up."
Ron yanked at the steering wheel. "I knew that."
"For goodness' sakes, Ron. I could drive better than you," Ginny teased. "At least I wouldn't drive us into mailboxes."
"I never actually hit that mailbox, you know..."
Hermione pointed out the window. "Watch out for the chicken."
The boy frowned and tried very hard to ignore the chicken comment. "Anyways, that's just too bad, Ginny. You're not driving. I'm the oldest one here, meaning I'm the one that should drive."
"There's another chicken coming up."
"For God's sake, Hermione, I see the chicken!"
Ron swerved to avoid the upcoming poultry, running the car off of the road. They skidded along the gravel while the driver jerked the steering wheel frantically to try to get back onto the road. After several failed attempts and much shouting, the car had managed to dent its side by grazing a large tree and then as a finale got stuck in a ditch.
The kids in the car, all heaving breaths and trying to figure out exactly how much damage had been done.
"Anyone hurt?" Hermione asked.
"No."
"No."
They sat silently for a while longer. There was quiet shuffling and shifting, but no one spoke for a long while.
Ron broke the silence. "It wasn't my fault."
The girls glared. How stupid could he be? Here they were, in a wrecked borrowed car, and all Ron could think about was getting the blame off of himself.
"Well, it wasn't. If you hadn't had pointed out that stupid chicken..."
"Oh, shut up." Hermione clapped a hand over the boy's mouth. "Ginny, how are we going to fix this?"
"I don't know."
"Get out of the car and see how much damage was done."
Ginny followed the instruction, getting out of the car and circling several times before stooping down the look at the dent.
Hermione removed her hand from where it laid over Ron's mouth. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"
He hesitated. "I... I'm an idiot." He then bent over to give her a small and uncertain kiss on the forehead. "And I'm sorry." With that, Ron pushed the car door open and stood beside Ginny to assess the damage.
"It's only a dent. Nobody will notice," Ginny said hopefully.
Ron ran his hand over the dent. "Gin, it's more than a foot long. Somebody's bound to notice. Besides, how are we going to get out of the ditch?"
The girl shrugged. "No idea."
"Well, we've got to try something. Get in the car."
"Ron, this isn't going to work."
It was settled. After several attempts of trying to get out of the ditch, nothing had worked. It was hopeless. They would just have to walk back and tell everyone what had happened.
Ron got out of the car, muttering and cursing. He then resolved to take out all his anger by repeatedly kicking the oak tree.
Ginny was mumbling under her breath about how much they were going to get in trouble and how it was all her brother's fault.
Hermione, however, was quietly thinking. It was times like these were her brain could get her out of bad situations.
"Ginny... get into the front seat."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it before Ron notices. Maybe you can get the car out of the ditch."
Ginny reluctantly slipped into the driver's seat, then shifted the car into reverse. "I don't see how this is going to work, Hermione. If Ron couldn't do it..."
"You've seen how he drives. You can't expect him to. At least try it. What could it hurt?"
Ron noticed the rev of the engine and the turning of the wheels immediately. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled above the noise.
There wasn't much he could do. The car thrashed about in the ditch for a while, then one wheel managed to find its way onto safe footing. The other back wheel followed, pursued by the other two shortly afterward. The car was out of the ditch.
Ron ran up to the vehicle. "Ginny..."
She smiled. "Yeah, I know. I got the car out. It was Hermione's idea for me to try."
"But..."
"Now get in the back. I'm driving."
Hermione had been trying to keep quiet about his not-so-good driving skills, but couldn't stand it any longer. She had managed to keep quiet for a grand total of eighteen seconds. "Really, watch where you're going! We could've been hit! You didn't even look to see if anything was coming before you pulled onto the road."
"Hermione, we're in the middle of nowhere! Cars never come by here. The neighbors' chickens rarely even cross this road," Ron told her.
Hermione huffed. "Well, there's bound to be something on the road. Probably those chickens." She gestured vaguely out the window. "There's all sorts of things out there, waiting to run out onto the road and get hit. We're bound to get into a wreck with you!"
"Well, would you listen to that, Gin? Apparently we haven't figured out /I the chicken crosses the road, but we've decided I will most definitely hit the chicken with the car."
"Oh, don't drag her into this, Ron!"
"Well, it's not like she can't hear us. Might as well let her have a say in my bad driving also." Ron turned around to look back at Ginny. "What do you think, Gin?"
"I'm thinking you should probably keep an eye on the road." The younger girl nodded toward the road. "There's a turn coming up."
Ron yanked at the steering wheel. "I knew that."
"For goodness' sakes, Ron. I could drive better than you," Ginny teased. "At least I wouldn't drive us into mailboxes."
"I never actually hit that mailbox, you know..."
Hermione pointed out the window. "Watch out for the chicken."
The boy frowned and tried very hard to ignore the chicken comment. "Anyways, that's just too bad, Ginny. You're not driving. I'm the oldest one here, meaning I'm the one that should drive."
"There's another chicken coming up."
"For God's sake, Hermione, I see the chicken!"
Ron swerved to avoid the upcoming poultry, running the car off of the road. They skidded along the gravel while the driver jerked the steering wheel frantically to try to get back onto the road. After several failed attempts and much shouting, the car had managed to dent its side by grazing a large tree and then as a finale got stuck in a ditch.
The kids in the car, all heaving breaths and trying to figure out exactly how much damage had been done.
"Anyone hurt?" Hermione asked.
"No."
"No."
They sat silently for a while longer. There was quiet shuffling and shifting, but no one spoke for a long while.
Ron broke the silence. "It wasn't my fault."
The girls glared. How stupid could he be? Here they were, in a wrecked borrowed car, and all Ron could think about was getting the blame off of himself.
"Well, it wasn't. If you hadn't had pointed out that stupid chicken..."
"Oh, shut up." Hermione clapped a hand over the boy's mouth. "Ginny, how are we going to fix this?"
"I don't know."
"Get out of the car and see how much damage was done."
Ginny followed the instruction, getting out of the car and circling several times before stooping down the look at the dent.
Hermione removed her hand from where it laid over Ron's mouth. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"
He hesitated. "I... I'm an idiot." He then bent over to give her a small and uncertain kiss on the forehead. "And I'm sorry." With that, Ron pushed the car door open and stood beside Ginny to assess the damage.
"It's only a dent. Nobody will notice," Ginny said hopefully.
Ron ran his hand over the dent. "Gin, it's more than a foot long. Somebody's bound to notice. Besides, how are we going to get out of the ditch?"
The girl shrugged. "No idea."
"Well, we've got to try something. Get in the car."
"Ron, this isn't going to work."
It was settled. After several attempts of trying to get out of the ditch, nothing had worked. It was hopeless. They would just have to walk back and tell everyone what had happened.
Ron got out of the car, muttering and cursing. He then resolved to take out all his anger by repeatedly kicking the oak tree.
Ginny was mumbling under her breath about how much they were going to get in trouble and how it was all her brother's fault.
Hermione, however, was quietly thinking. It was times like these were her brain could get her out of bad situations.
"Ginny... get into the front seat."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it before Ron notices. Maybe you can get the car out of the ditch."
Ginny reluctantly slipped into the driver's seat, then shifted the car into reverse. "I don't see how this is going to work, Hermione. If Ron couldn't do it..."
"You've seen how he drives. You can't expect him to. At least try it. What could it hurt?"
Ron noticed the rev of the engine and the turning of the wheels immediately. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled above the noise.
There wasn't much he could do. The car thrashed about in the ditch for a while, then one wheel managed to find its way onto safe footing. The other back wheel followed, pursued by the other two shortly afterward. The car was out of the ditch.
Ron ran up to the vehicle. "Ginny..."
She smiled. "Yeah, I know. I got the car out. It was Hermione's idea for me to try."
"But..."
"Now get in the back. I'm driving."