Out and About

At exactly 8 o'clock the next morning, Hermione met Remus at the bottom of the grand staircase. Her eyes were a little blood shot and her steps were slower than normal, but no less graceful. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, instead using the time to try to narrow down her career choices. She had gone through about a hundred of the pamphlets, setting aside the ones she had no interest in.

So far, her list of rejected professions included Professional Quidditch Player (though she had been practicing her flying), Dragon Tamer (as if anyone could actually tame a dragon), Seer (no explanation needed), Knight Bus Operator (she tried to avoid that particular joy whenever possible), and Magical Seamstress along with about 50 others. She found that Remus had been right, it would not be too hard to weed out the undesirable professions from the ones that looked interesting.

"Ready to go, Hermione?" Remus asked cheerfully, earning a half glare from her at his obvious well restedness.

"I suppose. You really won't tell me where we're going?"

"Not yet." He smiled. "You'll see soon enough!"

Hermione just sighed and followed him as he lead her to a part of the Chateau that she hadn't been in before. He lead her down a long hall toward a middle aged man wearing coveralls. He looked a bit like Maurice, but there were differences. His hands looked as if they had been very dirty and he'd just washed them but hadn't managed to get all of the dirt off, especially from under his short fingernails.

Hermione's observations were cut short when they got close enough for Remus to start the introductions.

"Hermione, this is Édouard, Maurice's oldest son and caretaker of my babies." Remus smiled at the man and shook his hand vigorously. "Is she ready, Édouard?"

"Oui, monsieur. She has been filled and bathed and she shines like a beautiful gem."

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Remus clapped his hands in apparent glee. "All the necessary papers are where they should be?"

Édouard nodded, "Oui, monsieur. Yours and the mademoiselle's."

Remus nodded and clapped the man on the shoulder, "Excellent. You have done well. Thank you, Édouard."

Édouard bowed to Remus and wished them well on their trip. Then, he turned and was gone.

Hermione didn't quite know what to make of this conversation, or the man she had just met. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided she'd just have to wait and see what all this talk about babies and papers. Remus opened the door that they were standing by and gestured for her to proceed him.

The smell of motor oil and gasoline assaulted her when she walked through the entrance. Fluorescent lights and concrete floors felt slightly out of place in this almost majestic Chateau. Big machines that she knew were used to lift cars so you could work on them stood silently to one side of, what she now realized was a garage. A very LARGE garage. And on the other side, stood seven different cars and as many motorcycles.

She knew none of them were new. They had an older look to them, but you couldn't tell how old they were by their condition. Each vehicle gleamed in the harsh fluorescent lighting and they all looked as if they had just come off an assembly line somewhere.

On the walls above the cars and motorcycles, there were names. Amelia, Fiona, Beatrice, Helen, Juliet, Lola, and Margaret were the cars and Cecil, Sierra, Mabel and Agatha were the motorcycles. Under each name was the make, model and year. Hermione's eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she read what each one was.

Amelia was a black 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe. Fiona was, evidently a cherry red 1929 Mercedes-Benz 38/250 SSK. Beatrice was labeled as a 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa and was a golden yellow color. Helen, a 1930 Bentley Speed Six was dark green. Juliet was black, and looked a bit like the 'Bat mobile' to Hermione, she was labeled as a 1937 Alfa-Romeo 8C-2900. Lola a bright blue machine was labeled as a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette. Margaret, the last car in the Garage was labeled as a 1969 Chevy Camero and was a dark orange color. Each car shone with lovingly applied wax and there wasn't a speck of dirt anywhere on them.

Hermione didn't get to read what the Motor Cycles were, because Remus was already walking through one of the doors that lead outside. She followed him quickly and saw that he was heading toward another car. This one she actually recognized without having to be told what it was! This one was newer than the others had been and Hermione recognized it as a Ford Mustang.

Hermione hurried toward Remus and caught up with him just in time to hear him say "Portus" and the car glowed for a minute making the blue of its paint seem brighter. When the thought entered her mind to shield her eyes, the car stopped glowing and Remus turned to her with a bright smile.

"Hermione, I'd like you to meet Sally. Sally, this is Hermione."

At this point, Hermione thought Remus had gone quite mad, but she decided to humor him. "Hello, Sally." She smiled wryly and nearly burst out laughing, but managed to control her humor. "Mustang Sally! I get it!" She thought to herself.

Remus gave her a calculating, almost worried look. Before she could ask, he turned to her and said, "You do know how to drive, don't you?"

"Yes." She smiled, realizing that he was worried she would hurt his 'baby'. "My parents started teaching me when I was about 15. We only drove in empty parking lots and such, but I was able to get my provisional license when I was 16 because both of my parents work and aren't around much. I was going to take my final test this summer, but... well, you know."

"Indeed I do. Alright!" He thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think you're ready to take your driving test today? I know you haven't practiced much lately. Do you want a refresher?"

Hermione was a little apprehensive about taking a test she hadn't known she was going to have to take without revising at least a little, but she knew she had memorized practically the whole booklet her parents had taught her out of.

"No. I think I'll be fine." She smiled a bit at Remus and said, "After all, I am a know it all."

He chuckled a bit and said, "Alright, lets go!" When Hermione started to go around to the passenger side, he corrected her saying, "You might as well get used to the car first. Why don't you drive?"

"Really?" The witch almost jumped up and down in excitement. "Oh, wow! I've always wanted to drive a Mustang!"

Remus laughed a bit and opened her door for her. "Just be careful, she's my newest baby." He got in on the passenger side and opened the glove box to reveal a three envelopes with documents in them. The first had the registration and insurance information in it. The second had Remus's personal documents such as his driver's license, passport, birth certificate and several credit cards, a cheque book and a stack of 20 pound notes. The last envelope had Hermione's documents in it. Her birth certificate, passport and provisional driver's license.

When she asked about his birth certificate, drivers license and passport, he replied, "A couple of generations ago, when my great, grandfather Lupin was born, his father worked closely with Muggles. He decided that it would be an advantage if our family could hide in the Muggle world if we needed to. Actually, several Wizarding families had that idea, including the Potters and the Boncours. Around that time they came out with birth certificates and everyone in my family now has a muggle birth certificate. Some even have driver's licenses and passports, though I think we are in the minority."

Remus had her start the car and, after she adjusted the mirrors and seat to suit her, he had her drive down the long driveway and stop just before they reached the edge of the fidelius charm.

"I turned Sally into a portkey that will take us about 20 minutes outside of London. That way no Muggles should see us. But just to be sure, why don't you put a disillusionment charm on us."

Hermione agreed and after performing the charm, Remus activated the portkey and they were off!

They appeared on a lonely stretch of two-lane highway. Hermione could just make out little white spots that were sheep on the rolling green hills on either side of the road. She looked at Remus and he just pointed straight ahead, so she started driving.

By this point, Remus had become accustomed to her drive for perfection, but even though he knew that she probably hadn't driven since last summer, he was mildly surprised by how effortless she made it seem. She hadn't yet gotten her driver's license, but she seemed as if she'd been driving for years.

Eventually, he felt so comfortable with her skills that he leaned back in his seat and just relaxed. He had completely zoned out so Hermione's question caught him off guard and he had to ask her to repeat herself.

"I asked if you would mind me turning on the radio?" She knew he was feeling relaxed and was elated that he thought she was a good enough driver to allow himself to relax while she drove his baby.

"Oh! I suppose that would be alright. Music is, after all, a magic greater than anything we do."

Hermione gave him a sad sort of smile, remembering as, no doubt, he was that it was Dumbledor who said that. After a moment, she reached over to the radio and tuned it to one of her favorite stations. 'Good Vibrations' by the Beach Boys was playing and Hermione started to sing along.

Remus gave her a funny look and when she looked over at him, the look was still on his face. She just sent him a huge smile and went right back to singing along with the radio. When the song was over, she looked over at Remus again and laughed out loud at the dumbfounded expression on his face.

"What?"

"I didn't know you could sing!"

He sounded so shocked that Hermione felt laughter bubble up once more and let it flow from between her lips. "You sound almost offended! Am I truly that bad?"

Horrified at the prospect of her thinking he didn't like her singing, he hurried to reassure her. "NO! That's not what I meant! I've just never heard you sing before and ..." Remus trailed off as he realized that she was still chuckling softly. "Oh, you. You know you have a beautiful voice!"

"Yes," she said, "but it's always nice to hear it from someone other than my parents." Still grinning, she sighed with pleasure as 'Hotel California' started to play.

"This is my favorite song." She started to sway to the music. "I just love the accompaniment. It's so haunting."

Remus smiled and when the singer began to sing, he sang along, earning a beaming smile from Hermione. When the parts with harmony came, he was pleasantly surprised when she sang yet another harmony, making the song even more complex than it was already!

They continued like that through Patsy Cline's 'Crazy', 'Daydream Believer' by the Monkeys and 'Return to Sender' by Elvis Presley, where Remus did a fair Elvis impersonation that had Hermione in stitches. They found a fast food restaurant and stopped for a bite. After breakfast, they continued as they had been, singing and laughing and just enjoying each other's company.

By the time '455 Rocket' by Kathy Mattea was over, they were at London's city limits and traffic was becoming more congested by the minute. Hermione turned off the radio and sent an apologetic look toward Remus saying, "Sorry, I need to concentrate on driving for now. I know my driving skills are fine, but the guy speeding up on us might not be as much of a know-it-all as I am."

Remus was impressed with her defensive driving and told her so, adding, "I'm glad you're taking good care of my Sally."

Eventually, they came to the building they were looking for. It was a small white cement building with the words Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency over the front doors. The parking lot was fairly empty and Hermione passed several empty parking spaces before she parked about 50 feet from the other cars.

At Remus's raised eyebrow, she explained, saying a bit defensively, "I don't want anyone to accidentally hit Sally or ding her doors!"

Remus chuckled and nodded his appreciation as he gathered the envelopes from the glove box. After she had locked the doors, he offered her his arm and escorted her into the austere looking government building.

Though there weren't many cars in the parking lot, they still ended up waiting nearly two hours! When she took her test, she found out why. There was only 3 or 4 people working there and each of their desks were piled high with papers and their in boxes were full!

She took the written portion, breezing through it so fast that when she tried to hand it in the first time, the stern-looking lady behind the desk, looked at her with a piercing stare and asked if she was absolutely sure that she had answered all the questions.

"Yes, ma'am." She said. "I answered all of them and I'm fairly sure they're correct."

"Well," the woman huffed, "we'll just see about that."

She took out the grading key and a red pen. She went down the answer sheet and, frowning, did it again. Eyes as wide as saucers, she checked it a third time. Muttering to herself about easier tests than when she took it, she marked Hermione's paper as 100 pass.

"I don't know how you did it, Miss, but you answered each question correctly in a quarter of the time it usually takes people your age to take this test." She glared at Hermione once more as if she could figure out how she'd done it and told her to go wait in the waiting room and she'd be called for the practical part of the test.

So, Hermione went to sit with Remus again and waited for yet another hour before she was called and they headed outside to do the driving portion. On their way cowards Sally, the man giving the test lit up a cigarette. As he smoked like a chimney, he asked her to read a license plate that was maybe 20 meters away.

When they reached Sally, the man was still smoking his cigarette. When Hermione just stood by her door, he said, "Come on, kid. I don't 'ave all day."

Hermione knew that Remus wouldn't want the man to smoke in his baby so she said, as respectfully as she could, "Sir, Sally is a non-smoker. When you're finished, we can begin."

He glared at Hermione and tried the door. After another minute or so of glaring, he finally put out the odious cigarette. "Fine." The tester groused. "Happy now?"

She nodded and unlocked the doors, letting him get in the passenger seat and getting in, putting on her seatbelt and adjusting her mirrors as she'd been taught. She looked over at her passenger to see if he was belted in and noticed that he wasn't. She waited a moment until she was sure he wasn't going to put it on.

"When you're ready?"

"You can start. Just back out, and turn onto the main road."

She looked at him pointedly. When he didn't respond, she asked, "Aren't you going to wear your safety belt?"

Grumbling slightly that no, he wasn't, the tester wrote something on his clipboard. Knowing that she was probably pushing her luck, she nevertheless insisted that he do so before she would go. She got yet another glare for her trouble, but he fastened his belt anyway.

Finally, she could comfortably start her test. He had her demonstrate merging onto a motorway and turning left, and right. He had her parallel park, and he had her park in a parking spot. He thoroughly put her through her paces. After nearly 30 minutes of testing, he had her pull back into her original parking space, turn off the engine and get out of the car.

"Young lady," he said, "you are, without a doubt, the bossiest and most demanding person I have ever tested." He smiled wryly and handed her the page that had her results on it. "As a result of your insisting that I first put out my cigarette before getting in your car, ensuring that your vision wasn't impaired and insisting that I put on my safety belt, ensuring that all in your car were sufficiently protected in the event of an accident, I am very happy to say that you have just received the very first set of full marks that I've ever given. Congratulations."

Hermione beamed at the man she had thought surly only moments before. "Thank you, Sir."

The man began walking back to the building. "If you'd care to wait about ten more minutes, I'll personally go make your license right now."

"Thank you again. I'd appreciate it very much." Hermione was all smiles as she walked into the waiting room and sat next to Remus once again. She told him what had happened and he congratulated her.

"By the way," Remus said, giving her a hug, "thanks for not letting him smoke in Sally. She truly is a non-smoker."

They both chuckled a bit more and they waited. About ten minutes later, Hermione's tester and the stern lady that had given her the written portion came out to the waiting area, giving Hermione her new license and a certificate stating that she had received perfect scores on the driving test. They both congratulated her one more time and Remus and Hermione were finally free of the DVLA.

"Next stop, The Leaky Cauldron." Remus smiled cheerfully at her, saying, "I think this deserves a celebration lunch!"

Hermione smiled back and handed him the keys. "I won't argue! Breakfast has long since worn thin and I do feel like celebrating!"

Authors Note:

I know, this chapter doesn't seem done and it's not. But I'm afraid that if it gets any longer, it will be like the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man. (Meaning that it will grow into a life of its own.) I will be putting this chapter up in two installments. Next part of the chapter: Diagon Alley!!!

Oh, did anyone notice that Mrs.Granger misspelled Diagon Alley? She spelled it Diagonally. LOL! No one seemed to catch the apparent misspelling. Oh, well. More tomorrow or the next day! I'm on a bit of a roll.

Thanks for sticking with me!

AF Marauder