Written for THC Round 6

Hufflepuff

Astronomy

Drabble

[Object] Snowdrops

Word Count: 973

x

Also fulfilling a tumblr request for Hermione giving Ron a driving lesson :)

Era: Epilogue

Rating: K

Driving Lesson

"Impervious."

A protective barrier spread across the car's windshield, repelling the heavy snowdrops so they simply bounced away. Ron glanced down momentarily as he shoved his wand back into his pocket, and as a result, he nearly missed the flashing brake lights of the car in front of him.

"Ron!"

"Oh shit, sorry!" Ron slammed on the breaks, and the car skidded across the snow. For a moment, he lost control, and he braced for a collision as they drifted into the next lane. He loosened his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel as soon he could feel traction from the tires again. Hermione looked tense but sighed with relief. In his peripheral vision, Ron could see she had one hand on her heart while the other gripped the handle above the window.

Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand for the second time. He was about to cast a cushioning charm around the car when Hermione interrupted him. "Ron, what are you doing?"

"Casting a cushioning charm!"

"You can't do that, Ron."

"What if we crash?"

"Just don't crash!"

He ignored her and cast the cushioning charm anyway, earning an indignant huff from the passenger seat. "What?"

"You can't use magic when you're driving, that's what."

"I dunno, Hermione, it sure makes it easier."

She leaned over and flipped a lever next to the steering wheel. "This is how you activate the windshield wipers."

"The Impervious Charm works better."

"What if it's snowing during your driving test? Are you going to whip out your wand and cast a charm in front of your Muggle instructor?"

Ron groaned. "I can always Confund them—"

"What?!"

"No, I'm not gonna use the charm," he mumbled.

"Good," she quipped.

There was a smug silence between them, and it made him hesitant to ask his next question. "Can you show me again?"

Hermione laughed. "It's right here," she said, motioning to the side of the steering wheel.

"And if I need to defog the windows?"

"You're insufferable," she replied, pressing a button on the dashboard.

Ron smiled. "I know."

The day of Ron's driving test was no less gloomy. Snowdrops threatened to fall from the cold, gray skies, and he wished Hermione could be there to remind him which buttons to press if it did. Not that he'd need her to, but just in case.

The nervous pit in his stomach reminded him to stop underestimating the complexity of Muggle technology. Huddled in his coat, he greeted the driving instructor with a sheepish grin.

"Hi, I'm Ron Weasley. I'm here for the test."

The Muggle man eyed Ron from head to toe. "You?"

"Yes, me."

The man shrugged and scribbled something on his clipboard. "I was expecting someone younger."

"Sorry to disappoint," said Ron jovially, hoping for a chuckle from the man, but he had no such luck.

"Should be pretty simple," he said, motioning toward the car.

Ron entered first and placed his hands on the steering wheel. The man settled into the passenger seat and pulled out his clipboard. Ron could tell he was watching him through the corners of his eyes, so he made a show of adjusting his mirrors and clicking on his seatbelt. The instructor scribbled on his clipboard, and Ron hoped he hadn't missed anything.

As soon as Ron started the car and pulled out onto the road, the inevitable happened: the skies seemed to open up like a split paper bag, and thick drops of snow fell like confetti.

"Rough weather for your driving test," joked the instructor.

I'll say, thought Ron. The windows started to fog, and Ron could hardly see the road in front of them. The man looked at Ron expectantly, so he clicked what he thought was the right button, and sighed relief when the mist on the windshield began to recede. Now for the swiper things. He turned the same lever Hermione had used before, and the blades began to move.

Ron tried to ignore the scribbling from the passenger seat as he slowed to a stop at an intersection, preparing to make a turn.

"Are you missing something?" asked the instructor.

"Erm...What?"

"Your turn signal."

"Oh, of course," said Ron, clicking on the lever while the man's ominous scribbling continued.

The snow became heavier, and soon enough, the swipers couldn't keep up. Ron had never needed to adjust the speed before and realized he had no idea how. He began to panic.

"You might want to turn those up."

No shit. "Yeah, I will, just a sec."

He could feel his wand in his pocket; it would be so easy to cast an Impervious charm, but unfortunately, the instructor was looking right at him. "Do you know how to increase the speed?"

"No. No, I don't." At this point, Ron knew he wasn't passing this test without a little bit of magic. He reached into his pocket as the man leaned across to adjust the blades' speed for him. Before he had a chance to look back, Ron pointed his wand at him and muttered, "Confundus."

The man shook his head a few times as if he had water in his ears. "Where are we?"

"We were just finishing up the driving test."

"Right." The instructor looked at his notes. "I didn't write much down. You must have done very well."

"Oh, erm—"

"I guess you can head back. Congratulations, you passed!"

"Great!" he said to the instructor, who was no longer watching Ron, but staring blankly out the window.

Ron felt a pang of guilt, knowing Hermione would probably be angry about how he had passed his driving test. She didn't need to know…

All in all, she'd probably be excited he could finally drive now, and when he drove in the snow, he'd just cast a damn Impervious Charm.