The Test

Hermione and Ron continued with their dance lessons and they were actually improving. Their dance teacher said that they had made excellent progress, Hermione was just happy that she and Ron wouldn't look like idiots when they took their first dance.

Hermione also continued with her driving lessons and her driving instructor said that she was doing really well and was ready for the test in a week. Hermione was well prepared; she had been doing well in lessons and reading up on driving. Whenever Mr. Weasley was over he seemed fascinated with Hermione's car as he was with all muggle-made objects.

Hermione was at number twelve Grimmauld Place, Harry and Ginny had finally moved in and Hermione and Ron were helping them unpack,

"So where do you want this?" asked Ron, holding a picture,

"Just put it there for now." said Harry, Ron did so,

"Oh, I just thought." said Ginny,

"What?" asked Hermione,

"We should have a party." said Ginny,

"A party?" asked Harry, "For what?"

"A housewarming party." Ginny said,

"When?" asked Ron,

"When we've finished unpacking." said Ginny,

"What, today?" asked Ron,

"No," said Ginny, "I mean when we're done done, like tomorrow or the next day."

"Sounds good." said Hermione.

A couple of days later, Hermione again stood in Grimmauld Place but this time people were there, music was being played and food and drink was served, it was Harry and Ginny's housewarming party.

"Well, its going well so far isn't it?" Ginny asked Hermione,

"Yeah, yeah, and the place looks great." said Hermione,

"Thanks." said Ginny, "For the compliment and, you know, doing most of the decorating yourself."

"You're welcome." Hermione laughed.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves; the furniture had been pushed back in the living room to make way for dancers. The record that Ginny had bought in Hogsmeade in Dominic Maestro's was playing on the gramophone; Hermione recognised it as a record from the wizarding band, the Weird Sisters.

Ron cam up to Hermione in a fake posh swagger,

"Would you care for a dance?" he asked,

"Why certainly." said Hermione, maintaining the posh,

"Didn't they already do that at the wedding?' Ginny was saying to Harry, "You need to get some new material!" she called to the dance floor, Ron made a rude hand gesture at Ginny and quickly put it away as Mrs. Weasley was in the room, luckily she didn't see it. Hermione could tell that the dance lessons had paid off as Ron wasn't terrible, he wasn't particularly good, but. he didn't step on her toes and he no longer fling her off to different sections of the room, she could now complete a full spin, it wasn't the best of dancing but it was alright, Hermione noted that they would still need a few more lessons.

Hermione spoke as she danced with Ron,

"I'm taking my driving test in two days." she said,

"Good for you," said Ron, "I'm proud of you." he said,

"Thanks." said Hermione,

"I bet you'll do great." said Ron, "I bet you'll ace it." he added, "Like a test at Hogwarts."

"Thank you for the Quidditch lessons,' she said, "If I forgot to say, I really appreciated it."

"Ah, that, it's no problem." said Ron, "It was fun for me too."

"I think we need some more dance lessons though." she added,

"Really, but I'm a terrific dancer." he said sarcastically, Hermione laughed.

"You are quite good but I think we should perfect it." said Hermione,

"Fair enough," he said, "I want our wedding to be perfect for you." he said, "Of course, it already will be as long as you turn up." he said,

"Thank you." she said simply and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Hermione was later talking to Harry in the kitchen,

"So how's the search for Katrina and Hodge going?" she asked, thirsty for new about it,

"It's going okay, still no word on where they are, we have some aurors from all over the world looking out for them, we're waiting to hear back from them at the moment." he said,

"What about the murder of Mitzi Kolinsky?" asked Hermione,

"We still don't know, we know she was strangled which suggests that a muggle or a squibb, and we think that it's linked to the money going missing." said Harry,

"Well we can rule out Mitzi." said Hermione,

"Not necessarily." said Harry,

"But she's dead." said Hermione,

"She could have stolen it before she was murdered, maybe that's the murderers motive, of course, it could be the other way around." said Harry,

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione,

"Well, the person who stole the money could have been the person who killed Mitzi." said Harry,

"Sounds logical." said Hermione, "And you're sure that the two are connected?" Hermione asked him,

"Well we definitely don't think that the two events were just coincidences, it seems right that they're connected some how." said Harry,

"So are you trying to find the thief?" asked Hermione,

"That's a separate investigation, we've looked into it, whoever did it left nothing behind, and we're pretty sure that they've done this before, they're professionals." Harry told her,

"They, you mean, more than one person?' asked Hermione,

"We think so, no-one person could have done that, the countries money is in the largest and most protected vault in Gringotts, dragons, trolls, multiple vault doors, acromantulas, dementors, riddles, puzzles, boggarts, and more, the whole works, when we broke in there were four of us and one of us was a goblin, we barely got in or out alive, yes, we think it was more than one person." said Harry,

"Fair point," said Hermione.

"All of the creatures were fine afterwards, no damage done, that means that these people didn't even defeat them, they slipped right past them, nothing and no-one remembers anything that happened, we're thinking the Imperious Curse, on a massive scale." said Harry,

"Wow, they must be quite skilled to pull off an Imperious Curse like that." said Hermione,

"I know, that's what worries us, they could be right under our noses as we speak." said Harry.

Hermione stepped into the car next to the driving examiner, he was a stern looking man with a clipboard, Hermione got in, closed the door, put on her seat belt and put her key in the ignition and already he was scribbling his pen down on his clipboard, Hermione felt nervous but she knew that she could do it, she had done great in lessons, this shouldn't feel any different,

"Okay, now go onto the road and do it as I tell you." The examiner continued to bark directions that Hermione followed; she did them well as long as she kept her nerve, the examiner wrote more and more on his clipboard every time Hermione made a turn or parked or stopped or did anything he told her to do.

There were two cars parked on the curb leaving room for one other car,

"Park there." said the examiner, Hermione went between the two cars, drove forwards and reversed a little bit, she parked perfectly in the middle of them and the examiner wrote more on his clipboard, Hermione had actually made him smile and it looked like he hadn't smiled in so long that it hurt his face. "Very good," he said.

"Um, thank you." said Hermione,

"Now get out of it." he said, Hermione did so, it was difficult but all three cars came out untouched afterwards. Hermione continued driving going, straight, left, right, doing U-turns, parking in car parks, pulling over and more, the examiner still continued to scribble down on his clipboard and Hermione made him smile, now, multiple times. The test was soon over and Hermione had done everything asked of her perfectly, Ron was right, it was like a school test at Hogwarts.

A few days later, Hermione sat in front of a photographer, she was getting her picture taken for her brand new driver's licence, she had passed the test with flying colours, and she got full points. After her picture was taken, she gave her information and it had been printed, checked and laminated, Hermione received her driver's licence and she felt proud.

She stared at it and saw her name behind the plastic, she saw her basic information about her, her finger print, her signature and her photograph, it didn't come out bad, It came out looking like her, brown eyes and big, bushy, brown hair, she was quite happy with it.

Hermione thought that it would be more symbolic to drive there and back, she pulled up beside her house and saw Ron waiting there, she got out of the car and locked it,

"Did you get it?" asked Ron, Hermione whipped out her new licence and Ron looked at it,

"I'm pretty sure." she said,

"Yay, I'm so glad." he said,

"Me too." Hermione said,

"Well, now it's official, you're a driver." said Ron, "I'm proper impressed." he added,

"Aw, thanks." she said, she rewarded him with a quick kiss and slipped her new licence back into her pocket.

Over the next couple of weeks, Hermione and Ron continued with their dance lessons, Hermione was as good as ever, maybe a little better, and Ron had made excellent progress since the housewarming party. On their last lesson the two of them swept out the class and stole the floor, Hermione and Ron looked amazing together, so graceful, they contrasted well so that it looked more elegant and fit for a wedding. The rest of the class' jaws had dropped and they stared, fixated with the brilliant dancing that was going on in the room. Ron twirled Hermione magnificently and didn't step on her or physically harm her in any sort of way, not once. They ended with Hermione running up, diving over Ron and being caught in the torso, they froze in the position and the whole class, and the teacher, clapped for them, amazed by them, Ron lowered Hermione to the ground safely and kissed her, everyone in the class rushed up to them and congratulated the two of them.