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Vacation at Hermione's	By : CP Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 18793 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Third Chapter: Orange Surprise

Reading time: ~50 minutes

Harry helped Hermione clear the table. The kiss had made them busy with breakfast for much longer than expected. They had taken their time because they were enjoying each other’s company too much to leave. He inevitably discovered that he and Hermione were a romantic couple, and he wondered why he had not realized this some time ago.
In order not to hang around lazily all day, Harry and Hermione decided to visit the Diagon Alley. Harry, who had only Galleons, Sickels and Knuts left for the entire summer vacation, wanted to exchange some of them for Muggle money so that he could have something at his disposal especially for Hermione’s birthday.
“Do you have a garage?“ He suddenly asked Hermione.
Hermione was surprised at the question. “Sure,” she replied, “come with me, I’ll show you where. I don’t know what you’re up to, but you have to be done when my parents get back home. Usually their cars are parked in there.”
“No problem,” he said with a smile, “I just need a place to conjure a car for us so we can drive to the Diagon Alley. Flea powder doesn’t work here, does it?”
“That’s right,“ she confirmed.
“You know we have to be careful that Muggles don’t see us. And nobody but us can look into the garage.”
“Come on!“ said Hermione, pulling him behind her. Her soft, warm hand felt so good that he hardly wanted to let go of her when they stood in front of the garage door. They entered, Hermione closed the door and Harry immediately started his spell. It was complicated to conjure a car, above all, because magicians did not use vehicles and could apparate anywhere. The act of producing Muggle utensils was one of the key disciplines of a magician, so Harry carefully payed close attention to execute everything in the correct order. One spell was not enough in this situation. Hermione gave him a hand every now and then when she saw him puzzled and supported him with her strong spell expertise, even if she did not know what Harry’s imagination was like. A little later they were finished and a sports station wagon shined at them. Hermione was amazed as she walked around it in admiration.
“What kind of vehicle is that?” She asked enthusiastically.
Harry had to laugh and asked her playfully, “Are you sure you really want to know? You’re usually only interested in books and not in cars.”
“Yes, I would really like to hear you ponder about cars. You guys are always in your element there,” Hermione grinned.
“Very well,“ Harry began, getting ready to give her a lecture on the set of wheels. “This is an Audi,“ he said, beaming, pointing at the four rings on the grille. Hermione watched with interest as he showed her the huge air intakes and she saw a large quattro lettering above the spoiler lip under the radiator. “So,” Harry continued, and she could see how much fun he was talking to her about vehicles, “as you may see, it’s not an off-the-shelf car. But it doesn’t say what it is anywhere as well, and that’s a good thing. It’s only causing problems. It is enough if the connoisseurs can see it.”
“And? What kind of model is it?” She asked curiously.
Harry almost burst with pride. “It’s an RS6 and it is one of the most powerful production cars from Germany. But...” he elongated, “it was in a gym once again and now it’s definitely one of the strongest and fastest street legal cars you can buy.”
“Okay“, she answered questioningly, “and, um, how much power, or what you call it, does it have?“
“We’re talking about a thousand horsepower here and less than three seconds from zero to one hundred.“ When he saw Hermione’s questioning look, he quickly translated for her: “That’s a hell of a lot of horsepower and it’s pretty fast.“ Still, he wanted to complete his remarks and finally added without paying attention to Hermione: “One brutally inflated turbocharger instead of the standard two, four liter engine displacement and an eight-speed automatic. In addition, over twelve hundred Newton meters of torque and over three hundred kilometers per hour at max.
I think that’s it,” he mused aloud.
“You really seem to like the car,“ Hermione concluded.
“You’re right, I’ve always dreamed of such a beast. I’m really happy that I’m able to drive one now.”
“Harry, I think you really deserve this after everything that had happened. If you don’t, who else?” She paused. “So, strong and fast, yes?“
Harry growled and nodded in agreement.
“I like that.
Then I just have one more question. Why is the car so... big?”
Harry blushed. “Well, I thought once we... you know... have children, we don’t need to get another car.“
Hermione beamed. “You want children with me? Is that true?“
“Yes...“ Harry replied quietly, his face getting even redder.
“Aww. Nobody has ever paid me such a wonderful compliment. How can I ever show my gratitude for that? Come let me hug you.” She immediately pulled him towards her and hugged him tightly. He reciprocated her hug, then picked her up and tossed her up in the air. Hermione caught her breath before cheering and kissing him on the forehead, overwhelmed. She never expected that she would find Harry’s company so pleasant. She was already wondering what would happen if he was not around. Certainly she would be plagued by constant lovesickness and would only think of him. Harry was the best that could have ever happened to her.
When he put her down on the floor again, she glared at him overjoyed while she buried her hands in his hair and disheveled it. He held her so tightly as if he did not want to let go of her anymore.
After a while, which they had stood together so intertwined, he spoke cautiously. Obviously, he was uncomfortable breaking off the intimate contact. “We should get ready, so we can start. It’s already after noon.”
“Alright,“ she replied cheerfully.
They went back inside the house and prepared for their trip. It would take them a little while to get to their destination and they had to be back before eight o’clock in the evening...
Hermione disappeared shortly in the bathroom and came back in a seductive cloud of perfume. Charmed by her scent, Harry freshened up as well before he dressed to go. Hermione grabbed her jeweled handbag and pulled on a beige anorak. She chose brown shoes with small heels that clinked softly as she walked across the tiles. She looked very neat in this outfit. Harry had chosen a black jacket and dark blue shoes.
“Shall we?“ Hermione asked, hooking up to Harry.
“Of course,“ he replied casually. They went to the car and got in. Harry put the ignition key in the center console and hit the start/stop button to the right of the steering wheel. “That’s called a ‘keyless start,’” Harry told her. With a menacing deep bubbling, the monster under the hood came to life.
“Jeez, now that sounds really decent,“ said Hermione admiringly, pulling the corners of her mouth down and nodding approvingly. “Not bad, not bad.“
“That’s why I like this thing so much,“ Harry beamed and opened the garage door with a radio transmitter from Hermione’s pocket. Then he let the car roll out before clicking the gate closed behind him. Hermione put the transmitter back in her pocket and stowed her purse in the footwell.
They drove out onto the empty road and turned into a motorway feeder road at a large intersection. “I can’t go fast,“ he told Hermione. “The car is new and has to be run in first.” The Audi’s exhaust gurgled contentedly and the eight-cylinder engine rumbled with understanding. “If you like,“ Harry added, “we’ll go for another spin after that before we return home.“
Hermione looked around the futuristic cockpit, then looked at Harry. “I’d love to,“ she beamed excitedly. “Maybe we should postpone our... date from tonight to tomorrow, what do you think?“
“That’s up to you. If you don’t mind. But we can still try to be back in time.” They pulled onto the freeway and Harry gently patted the accelerator. The engine rumbled peacefully and they accelerated rapidly. As announced, he held back. He had once read in a trade magazine that a new vehicle should be run in for at least a thousand, better two thousand kilometers, and he wanted to stick to it. The car should not suffer permanent damage right from the start, it was too beautiful for that – and too expensive: one would have to pay a good quarter of a million euros for it including the engine conversion. Even if Harry had not explicitly ‘bought’ it, the car was still in his possession now. So one could speak of a purchase and assess it accordingly.
For a while they drove on the busy street. “I think we have to get off at the next exit,“ Hermione said finally, frowning.
“Yes, that’s right,“ Harry said with a look at the GPS. Already also an announcement called out for the turn, so the Audi left the expressway. The virtual map guided them to Diagon Alley. After a quick search for a parking space, Harry parked the car in a diagonal parking bay near the Leaky Cauldron. Some people peeked curiously at the exotic vehicle and some asked for a test drive cautiously and a little embarrassed. Harry agreed kindly, but only on the condition that they handled the vehicle carefully and ran it in a little. Perhaps they would then have the opportunity to drive out the Audi on the way back. Unnoticed, he cast a powerful spell that was supposed to make the time in the car pass more slowly and thus gave the drivers the opportunity to cover a greater distance.
Hermione had hooked herself back to Harry and together they left the parking lot in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. They entered the bright Diagon Alley, which was hustle and bustle compared to the surrounding Muggle streets. First of all, they visited the Gringotts Bank and Harry exchanged some gold from his dungeon for Muggle money. When he was of the opinion that he had put enough of it aside, he nodded and the two stepped out.
“What do you need all that money for?“ Hermione asked.
“I thought it could not hurt if I had a little muggle money in the last summer vacation and also in the least busy one, so we can have a good time.“ He deliberately did not tell her that he wanted to put something aside for her birthday as well. His girlfriend would find out soon enough.
“That’s a very good idea,“ Hermione muttered. “The weather is still pleasantly warm. What do you think of an ice cream at Florean?” She asked in a sweet voice. Harry had the same idea. He agreed and they made their way to the ice cream parlor, which is well known in magical circles, sat outside at a table and each ordered a large sundae. Florean Fortescue was freed from captivity after the fall of Lord Voldemort and was soon back in his ice cream parlor. Thanks to his customers, he quickly recovered from the past exertions. Once the cups had been brought, the two began licking and twisted their eyes in utter bliss. Harry swallowed and said, “I’ve eaten ice cream so often here, but this one,” pointing to the sundae in front of him, “is the best I’ve ever had. Or maybe it’s just been too long. Or it’s because I’m sitting here with a lovely lady whose company makes everything so much more pleasant.”
Hermione blushed. “You’re right,“ she agreed. Then she asked with a heartfelt eye clink: “May I try yours?“
“Of course,“ he replied and pushed the mug over to her.
“Then you can too, don’t you think?“ Without waiting for an answer, she took her ice goblet and placed it in front of Harry. They tasted both and were as blown away as they had been with their own mugs. Then they exchanged the cups again.
“I didn’t just taste the ice cream,“ said Hermione, pausing meaningfully. “I tasted you,“ she added suggestively.
“Are you preparing for tonight?“ He replied with a crooked grin.
“Of course!“ She laughed and Harry lost himself in her face once more. Mainly it were her eyes that attracted his gaze like a magnet. Hermione was watching him and her eyes started to twinkle.
“Hey Harry,” she whispered, “you should wait until we’re home to do that. It gets a little weird when you stare at me so greedily. People are already looking over at us with interest. You can of course undress me with your eyes later, but now you better refrain from it.”
“Alright,“ he replied in a whisper and looked back at his sundae.
It took them a while to finish. Then they got up, paid, and Harry explained, “We’d better get moving. I want to buy you something else in a Muggle store and I don’t know how long they’ll be open.”
“That’s so sweet of you,” she replied delightfully and hooked up with him again. They went back to the Leaky Cauldron, stepped through the door onto the street and went to the parking lot. Her car had just returned and the driver got out with a huge grin. “The car, this blazing engine and the acceleration is really fantastic,” he exclaimed enthusiastically.
“You did comply with the conditions, didn’t you?“ Harry stated menacingly and the driver nodded eagerly. “Very well!“ Harry nodded satisfied, the man handed him back his key and thanked him again profusely.
Harry and Hermione got into the orange car and he started the engine. Now that it was warm, it purred like a trusting tiger. Harry checked the virtual cockpit and checked the odometer. He showed the number three thousand and Harry was amazed how the car had covered this distance in the short time of about two hours. “The car has been driving five times as far as expected. Even if you had floored it across the Autobahn at three hundred, six hundred kilometers would have been the maximum. Yes, my magic has more than fulfilled its function,“ he replied a little proud. “Well, the car is run in now, it’s currently four o’clock, so about three hours until we should be home. Let’s go for a ride?” He asked conspiratorially.
“Let’s go for a ride,“ Hermione confirmed.
“But first we go to the ladies’ outfitter,“ he replied cheerfully.
After Harry had selected the race mode on the turbo administration panel, which was now pumping a boost of just shy over three bar through the huge turbocharger, he tapped the left paddle switch on the steering wheel. A white ‘R’ lit up in the cockpit, indicating that reverse gear was engaged. Carefully he drove back onto the street, then tapped the right paddle switch twice – now the gear S1 was engaged – and floored it. The RS6 woke up with a roar and leaped forward in giant leaps. Some people stopped on the street and turned to look at them curiously or gave them a thumbs up. Almost all of them grinned happily and some waved at them. He did not want to imagine what the orchestra sounded like from the outside, but judging by the appreciative looks it had to be a brilliant sound.
The reaction in the car was so sudden that it pressed Harry and Hermione into their seats with unimaginable force. Hermione opened her eyes wide, pressed her legs on the floor as hard as she could, and held onto the dashboard with a fearful look. “Harry,” she screamed in panic, “stop it. Halt immediately! I said stop! STOP!”
But Harry quickly slammed into second gear and immediately the dual clutch transmission had changed it. Then he let it go at that, so as not to freak out Hermione and make her mad, and took his foot off the accelerator while he shifted up the gear two more times and adjusted the speed to the permitted fifty kilometers per hour. At the same time, he reset the boost pressure and vehicle configuration to standard. Hermione’s breath came in gusts and she suddenly gave him a stern look. “Never do that again. Never. Ever. Got it?” She gasped breathlessly.
“Yeah, going well, huh?“ Harry ignored her demeanor. “I just wanted to show you that this car can be very dangerous if you are not careful. And that works best if you are tossed in the deep end. I think I succeeded in that lesson.” He grinned. Hermione rolled her eyes and moaned loudly. “You are really incorrigible,“ she replied angrily.
“Oh, look,“ Harry suddenly shouted, “we’re there.“ He turned on the indicator and parked the car on the street side in a parking lot.
“There? Where?” Hermione asked suspiciously, looking around quickly.
“Come on!“ Harry said, getting out. Hermione did the same and he led her into a small, nondescript shop called Ladies’ Outfitter Helena. They entered and a pretty young woman who had lingered behind the counter came up to them with a beaming expression on her face. She was barely older than Harry, had green eyes like him and a very pleasant body. A light blue dress flowed around her gorgeous stature and emphasized her powerful female outline. The heels of her pumps clinked softly as she approached them. “Oh, hello,“ she called happily. “My name is Ms. Helena. What can I do for you?” She asked attentive and looked at Hermione. “Maybe a pretty evening dress for the young lady?“
Harry cleared his throat audibly and Ms. Helena looked over at him. Her smile lost a bit of its radiance, but when Harry gave her a deeply amused look, it returned immediately. He beckoned her a little closer and then whispered to her so Hermione could not hear her. Ms. Helena nodded every now and then as a sign that she had understood or quietly made one or the other suggestion. As Harry had finished, she said, elated, “Yes, sir, we’ll get that managed. Give us a few minutes, I’m going to choose something for your beloved lady and expect you to be in the back at the catwalk afterwards. Please follow the signs to get there.
My dear,“ she said to Hermione, “would you come with me, please?” Hermione was about to protest, but Harry gave Ms. Helena a meaningful look and she nodded.
“I have absolutely no idea what’s going on here,“ she grumbled and she was visibly uncomfortable not being in the picture for once. But Harry only waved at her and made his way to the catwalk while Ms. Helena firmly dragged the recalcitrant Hermione behind her. Harry reached the back of the shop, sat down on an invitingly wide, snuggly comfortable chair right next to the catwalk and stretched his feet. Then he leaned back while waiting for Hermione.

After a while Ms. Helena came back with her. Hermione looked like a different person in her stunning outfit. She wore a fiery red, strapless dress, which showed her bare skin above her breasts. Around her legs the dress was cut wide and flowed around them in large waves as she came towards him. It suited her very well and Harry was dying to take it with him for her. The dress highlighted her brown hair and Harry nodded appreciatively as Hermione walked past him, turned around at the end of the catwalk, and strutted back. Behind her back he raised his thumb clearly visible for Ms. Helena, who was waiting at the beginning of the catwalk for his assessment, then held up two fingers so she could choose another. The lady smiled knowingly.
The second dress was bright yellow and Harry knew at first sight that it was not what he expected. In addition to the dress, Hermione was also wearing bright yellow gloves, the extensions of which ran up to her upper arm. At the end of the fabric on her arms there were white ruffles and the dress itself was covered with ruffles at the top as well. It had a similar cut to the first dress, but with completely superfluous straps that did not go with it at all. Harry showed no movement as Hermione walked past him, turned and came back. He looked around at Ms. Helena, looked disgruntled, and pointed down with his thumb. Her smile lost some of its intensity, but she inclined her head slightly to show that she understood. Then Harry raised three fingers in the air and she nodded eagerly.
At the end, Ms. Helena presented him with a dress that caught him completely off guard. It was of the same color as the gorgeous dress from Harry’s daydream from the day before. His jaw dropped, because it matched his girlfriend so perfectly that he did not even need to see any more. He immediately raised both thumbs without waiting for Hermione to pass him. He would buy her this dress no matter how expensive it was, no matter what it costed! It was exactly the dress he wanted her to wear on her birthday. Ms. Helena shone with sparkling eyes and was pleased that she had found the right one.
Only now did Harry have eyes for the fabric on Hermione’s skin. It emphasized her fantastic body so wonderfully that his eyes immediately became filled with hearts. He got hot and realized that he was sparkling red. The dress had a V-shaped neckline with subtle buttons. The cut resembled the blouse in Harry’s dream to a hair’s breadth. There, Hermione had only closed the last four buttons and already in this situation she was far too revealing with her deep charming cleavage. It highlighted her stimulating breasts heavenly and also her other stature was excellently drawn. Much like the first two dresses, this one had a long, fashionable cut next to the right leg as well. With every step it blew wildly behind her and magically drew Harry’s fiery gaze.
Now that Hermione knew how adorable Harry found her in this getup, she walked up to him beaming with joy and took an extra-long time to pose in front of him. Harry nodded encouragingly and as she had arrived as they end of the catwalk, turned around and went back, Harry saw his chance. He jumped up, climbed the catwalk himself, grabbed his girlfriend by the arm and whirled her around to him. She beamed at him, but he only noticed it briefly.
His hands closed tightly behind her back, he pulled her in as close as possible and spoke in a low voice: “Like this, and only like this, I want to see you on your birthday. You look just divine, my angel!” He kissed her passionately, then let go of her. Hermione looked at him completely puzzled. “See you in the anteroom, baby,“ he whispered to her. Hermione turned around tentatively, walked shakily back to Ms. Helena, who had watched his stormy demeanor with envy. Harry climbed down from the catwalk, followed the signs out, and waited there until Hermione had changed and reappeared with Ms. Helena.
“We’ll take the red and the green one, please,“ Harry said when they both returned.
“With pleasure, sir,“ Ms Helena replied sweetly. She typed on a calculator and then said, “That’ll be nine hundred and forty-nine euros and ninety-nine cents.“ Harry took out his wallet and pulled out two five hundred euro bills. Ms. Helena thanked him with a smile and gave him the change.
Harry took the bag of clothes from the saleswoman before he and Hermione left the store. He unlocked the car, put the bag carefully on the back seat, and then got in. As he programmed the GPS, Hermione mumbled softly, “I cannot believe what you just bought for me. Harry, that was almost a thousand euros for just two dresses!”
“So what?“ Harry replied calmly.
Tears filled her eyes. “You spent way too much money on me without batting an eyelid.“
“The best is just good enough for you,“ he said absently and tapped the display, a little annoyed, because the GPS was not doing what he wanted.
Finally he had finished programming it and looked up at her attentively. Hermione was crying, thick tears dripping from her eyes and ruining her restrained makeup. “Hey, what’s going on, my angel?“, He asked, dismayed, but when he saw her slumped in the passenger seat, he suddenly fell silent and hugged her lovingly as far as this was possible in the cramped cockpit. He gave her a few tender kisses to get her mind off things. Apparently this worked extremely well. Then he handed her a handkerchief and she dabbed her tearful eyes. They were still puffy red, but by the time they got home it would be better for sure.
“Are you okay?“ Harry asked gently. Hermione nodded, then managed a crooked smile. She shyly raised her left hand and stroked his cheek seductively. “I would really like to go for a spin now,“ she purred attractively and Harry blushed violently. She pulled a bushy brush and make-up out of her pocket and used the mirror in the vehicle’s sun visor to touch up the smudged areas on her skin.
Harry started the engine, which was bubbling of anticipation and transferred its deep bass in the internal of the Beast. A thousand and twelve horsepower were now in his hand – or rather his foot – just waiting to be unleashed. The engine block had cooled down again and so Harry wanted to warm up the car first. He was careful to treat the vehicle well so that he could drive it without maintenance for as long as possible.
He put the car in reverse and the parking aid beeped faster as the car rolled back a little and slowly approached the rear vehicle. Then he turned on the indicator to drive off. From the outside it looked like a blinking tape that ran from the inside to the outside, giving the impression of an individual will. Harry carefully pulled the car out of the parking space and lightly flicked the accelerator. Gurgling softly, the car started gleefully and Harry drove through town towards the Autobahn. There was a lot of traffic, so they often had to wait on completely overcrowded streets in front of short-wave traffic lights to be able to cross the intersection. When they reached the feeder road, the traffic slowly cleared and after they pulled up the Autobahn junction, the street was swept empty, as if someone had conjured all the cars away.
“You might want to hold on,“ Harry said calmly and glanced at Hermione, “I guess this could be more brutal than in town.“
“Alright,“ she muttered, “that might not be a bad idea with my anxiety.“ She grabbed the handle above the door and hooked her right hand there.
“We still have about two hours,” he said easily, “we can spend them here, on the Autobahn, if you like,” he said.
Then they came onto the acceleration lane and since the car had warmed up, Harry pinned the pedal down to the floor pan. The reaction was prompt and pressed both of them into their seats.
“Ahh,“ Hermione huffed and squeezed her eyes tight as she looked as if she was being led to the scaffold, her face horrified and her eyebrows drawn together.
“Relax,” said Harry, conspiratorially calm, “and open your eyes. It’s not that bad.” She opened one eye, then the other, and saw the landscape slide past her. With an effort, she relaxed and let her hand slip from the handle. Finally she made herself comfortable and watched the scattered cars that they passed.
“There you go,“ said Harry satisfied, “isn’t that liberating?“
Interestingly enough, Hermione got him pretty soon and she even found pleasure in driving on the road with Harry like that. The traffic got a little thicker because they came to a busy interchange with frequent congestion and Harry immediately slowed down.
“It has to be here,” he said, “we have to change the Autobahn.” He moved into the outermost lane and turned on the indicator. “And this time,“ he added decisively, “you are going to keep your eyes open, okay?“ Hermione mumbled in agreement and Harry switched to the deceleration lane. He slowed down a little further and turned. The traffic was a little thicker on the crossing freeway. Harry saw a gap on the lane next to the acceleration lane, hit the pedal a little harder – which pressed them into the seat immediately again – and rushed past three vehicles before he sidled into the spacious gap and thanked the man behind.
“Well,“ began Hermione, “I like it when you show muscles, but you don’t have to impress me.“
“I don’t,“ he grinned. “I do this for my own satisfaction.“
She had to laugh and shook her head in disbelief. “You really are incorrigible,“ she repeated.
Harry managed to change lanes and drove behind the man in front of him in a sufficient distance. The traffic cleared after a while and the gaps widened. He looked in the rearview mirror. Vehicles that overtook with them quickly changed lanes, as if trying to avoid an accident. He already saw the reason for this: A pretentious-looking car was approaching at breakneck speed, but Harry could not change lanes because he was parallel to the car driving next to them. Even after that, Harry made no move to clear the way. Why should he? Some cars were still to be overtaken and there was no opportunity to fill a gap just yet. He waited patiently for the car in front of him to pass, but that did not mean the man behind him had to pester him so that he could look into their trunk. At some point the car in front of them would give way. It just took a little bit of patience.
But the car behind the beast did not understand to keep the safe distance. It pulled up so close that Harry was seriously worried he would ruin his car and that was not even the worst. The driver flashed the headlights continuously and the left indicator had been on for minutes while he danced like crazy behind her monster, sometimes here, sometimes there and actually tried to drive past on the right of the guardrail.
“Oh, look at that,“ Harry said, calmly pointing with his thumb through the rear window. “He really wants to be brazen.“
“Let him be,“ Hermione replied slowly, placing a hand on his arm soothingly. But he could not obey her order because they had passed the vehicle on the right and the car behind them was already pulling onto the other lane and started accelerating.
“You’re not overtaking on the wrong side here,“ Harry stated seriously, pushing the gas pedal a little harder himself, which made the RS6 thump threateningly, thereby reducing the distance to the vehicle in front.
“I know I shouldn’t do that, the safety distance is indeed for our security, but this is an absolute no-no, sorry!“ The car next to them came ever closer sideways, had even already crossed the line marking to push them off and take their place. Hermione did not even have to point it out - her panicked look out the window was enough for Harry. He immediately had his hand on the horn and held it there steadfastly. Hermione saw the driver of the second car with deep red face next to him, gesturing wildly to let him pass. But still he made no move to return to his trail.
“Well then,” Harry sighed, shaking his head to Hermione, “I told you this car is not off the shelf. I’m going to do something now that could possibly get a little noisy. Please don’t be frightened, okay?” He thought for a moment. “No, you know what? You may do that.”
He opened a small compartment in front of the gear lever. Three buttons with a trumpet pictogram appeared. All three were equipped with LEDs and shone in different colors. The middle one was an aggressive red, on the left it was a poisonous green and on the right a pleasant blue.
“I’ve had some air horns installed,“ he said quickly. “Their usage is legal as long as there is only one sound at a time. As you can hear, “he looked meaningfully at the steering wheel, which he was still pushing down, “we have a car horn. The buttons down there are different horns. Air horns, precisely.”
“What are air horns?“ Hermione asked interestedly, but Harry just smiled while obviously avoiding an answer.
“I’d say,” he replied, “try it out. But remember, only one at a time. You can leave out the blue one for now. Oh, and first green and then red, okay? Do not hold it down too long. As I said, don’t be frightened.”
Hermione pressed the green button. The sound that seemed to come from the floor of the vehicle was so bright and piercing that she immediately winced. And it was loud! Damn loud! In a way, it resembled a truck horn. But as far as she knew, not every truck had a horn like this. Hermione had heard something like this before, but only on trucks that had things mounted on the roof. Could that possibly be the solution to the riddle?
She released the button.
“That’s an air horn,“ Harry grinned steadfastly. “From a truck.“
The driver next to them had jerked back into his lane a little, but stayed there only for a brief moment. He had already overcome the shock and danced sideways to them again. Hermione’s finger went to the red button. Harry noticed and held her hand gently for a moment.
“So you want to bring in the big guns? Go ahead, but no longer than a second, okay?” He asked. She did not know why, but there would be a reason.
Hermione nodded. “Understood.“
She pressed the red button.
Hermione felt like her eardrums were about to burst. The volume had tripled compared to the truck horn and she immediately understood why Harry had warned her not to use it for too long. Immediately she released the button. It was ringing in her head. She quickly looked at her friend. “Okay, now I’m awake. Good grief!” She exclaimed. “What should the others think of us? This is not normal anymore!“
“No, that’s an air horn,“ Harry replied seriously. “From a train.“
The driver next to them finally stayed where he was. Hermione’s cinematic performance had mercilessly prevented further attempts to cut in front of them. He was falling back a little, but otherwise drove in parallel with them.
After a while, Harry’s man in front changed lanes and since the lane next to them was blocked for overtaking, the tailgater had to come back behind them again. Unfortunately, his high potency posturing did not change a bit at all and Harry replied with a smile: “He will get the lesson of his life today.“
“No, Harry, no!“ Hermione cut in imploringly. “Don’t do it! You’re still putting us in danger.”
“Don’t worry,” Harry said, grimly determined, “I’ll be careful. Other people would have understood right after hitting the truck horn that I’m not to mess around with. But if he really wants to find out the hard way, please. I don’t want to get in his way.”
Hermione sniffed hard, but then let him do it. He quickly explained to her: “There is no model name on the rear. He has not yet noticed what’s in store for him. It’s actually a shame, you really can’t overlook these fat exhaust pipes. And we have an absolutely outstanding automatic transmission. Well, let’s just chamber a round...”
That being said, he floored it and the RS6 roared angrily while it pressed them into their seats with the force of a cannonball. While in the traffic, the car had selected the eighth gear and slid on clouds, but now in the dynamic mode, the transmission changed into third gear and the engine revs increased by around a factor of five. The lane in front of them was free for miles and the car had enough space to go on a rampage. The monster seemed to know this as well and hopped forward almost in the joyful expectation of finally being free of leash. The crackling exhaust rioted to perfection and with every gear change of the incredibly fast gearbox, the exhaust system cracked ecstatically and a small flame rose from the oval stainless-steel pipe. The sound of the system was so wonderful that Harry’s heart bounced up and down happily. Sitting in this vehicle with Hermione was the best thing for him and when he looked at her, he was delighted to see that she was constantly looking into her outside mirror and watching the vehicle behind them. So she likes it too. I knew it.
The distance to the straggler increased unnaturally quickly and when Harry took one last quick look in the rearview mirror, he saw an extremely perplexed driver crawling behind him with his mouth open. Surely he too had already reached the floor pan and was wondering why it was not moving forward.
“I should not say this, but... this is awesome,“ Hermione exclaimed with shining eyes and her mouth was joyfully open in complete amazement at this turn. “I love it.”
The RS6 was shooting boisterously to itself as he fired more quickly over the road. Harry’s foot had never left the accelerator and when Hermione glanced at the speedometer, it seemed to her that the needle only knew one direction: clockwise, it was just passing one hundred and thirty at an incredible speed and heading for one hundred and sixty, then the gear changed into fourth and it was past one hundred and ninety and two hundred and ten, doggedly trying to run out of the clock face in the right corner. Two hundred and fifty were done, the gear change in number five came promptly, and Hermione knew from Harry’s explanations that this speed would normally have been the limit in the standard version.
But not with this refined creature.
While they were pondering, the pointer had already set course for the three hundred-mark, sixth gear was engaged and Hermione hesitantly wondered where the end would be.
The car was still pushing like a wild bull, one last gear change, and Hermione carefully risked a glance over the dashboard. The landscape only flew wildly past them in a blurry color gradient and the engine thundered angrily, as if it wanted to prevent any attempt by the other people to move into its lane. Nobody seemed to spare a thought about it; there was still nothing to be seen on their lane. Cars flew past on their side in horror and immediately blurred in panic with each other while Harry relentlessly sent it on the gas pedal of the colossus and the orange dragon – apparently pulling a flaming tail behind it – raced rumblingly across the track.
Hermione took another look in the outside mirror, which was not so easy as she was still being brutally pressed into the seat and could only lean her body forward with great effort, and noted with grim satisfaction that the other car was just visible as a small point. Harry stared on the street with great concentration, so that she would not allow herself to interrupt him on his fiery ride. Maybe they should go to a racetrack to release the RS6 for a moment, she thought, but quickly dismissed the idea. Hermione would not be able to cope with being shaken back and forth for so long and then would have to vomit while driving.
In this beautiful vehicle.
No, she thought resolutely, definitely not.
She looked back at the speedometer and saw that the red needle had long left three hundred kilometers per hour behind. It was moving more slowly now, but Hermione could not see a number on the measure. It could not show more than three hundred and thirty. Searching, she let her gaze wander. Harry seemed to have noticed too and clicked the levers on the steering wheel. Eventually the display changed and the speedometer disappeared. Instead, the speed appeared as a number in the tachometer. It was at three hundred and forty and slowly rising.
Three hundred forty-five…
Three hundred and fifty...
Three hundred and fifty-five...
Hermione glanced down the street for a moment. Still no obstacles. Good. Then she quickly looked back at the speed and held her gaze there as if spellbound.
Three hundred and sixty...
Sixty-two…
Sixty-four…
Three hundred and sixty-five... The landscape flew past them. Hermione saw everything in a tunnel vision. Harry’s ankles were white from holding the steering wheel so hard and his eyes were narrowed in concentration.
Sixty-seven…
Sixty-eight…
Sixty-nine…
Three hundred and seventy...
The number stopped.
Harry glanced down at the speed and a satisfied smile crept onto his face. Then he took his foot off the gas completely and let the car roll. Hermione’s effort to withstand the pressure in the seat now felt like she was crashing into the windshield and quickly tensed her muscles to slide back into the seat.
The evil growling of the Audi turned into a lovely purr and the steam hammer under the hood gurgled happily when Harry had reached a moderate speed again and let the car merge into the lane next to them. He released his grip on the steering wheel and his features relaxed. Hermione looked at him enthusiastically.
“Neat,“ he said then, “neat, neat.“
Even if the ascension had only lasted a few minutes, Hermione felt as if it had been a few hours. It was so wonderful that she had trouble taking her eyes off Harry. She eagerly wanted to drill him with questions and to talk to him about the experience, but no sound came out of her mouth.
“Did you like it?“ He asked after a while.
She had finally found her voice again. “Of course, Harry! It was great how you put this man in his place. And that sound,” she exclaimed excitedly. “May I...“, and she shied away from asking the question, not knowing how Harry would react, “may I drive later too?“
Harry laughed. “I almost thought I could whet your appetite. Of course you may, my love. I’ll get off at the next rest area and we’ll do a driver’s change.”
When Harry got out at the rest area and went to the passenger side, he briefly grabbed Hermione’s arm. “I’m not saying this now because I do not trust you, but...“ He paused for a moment. “I’m afraid of you. Please drive carefully. You know how much he loves the throttle.”
She nodded eagerly. “It’s okay, I’ll be careful. I don’t want to drive as fast as you anyway.” Harry smiled, patted her shoulder reassuringly and tried to get in, but a vehicle stopped next to them and Harry looked up a little annoyed. To his greatest surprise, he found that he recognized the car as the one that had come into close contact. But when the man got out, he no longer looked angry, but utterly amazed. He must have driven behind and followed them to the rest area to find out what had pounded him into the ground so brutally.
“Do you want to carry your aggressive driving style over to your actions now?” Harry asked snippily. The man slowly shook his head like a little child who had made a mistake and been reprimanded by his parents. When he spoke it was a low, almost awe-inspiring voice. “I cannot believe what I just saw. Tell me what kind of vehicle is that?”
Harry actually did not feel like talking to the regulation dyslexic, but he decided to at least answer his questions politely. Although they almost got into an accident; still nothing happened. “This is an Audi RS6,” he said. “Just don’t be under the illusion that off-the-shelf cars are enough for me. Do you know Klasen Motors?”
“No,“ replied the man thoughtfully, “I’ve never heard of that.“
“That is – obviously – a tuning company that has done pretty much everything in their power with this vehicle.“
“Why do I have the feeling that ‘everything in their power’ is only a friendly paraphrase of ‘have made a surface weapon out of it’?“ asked the pursuer with a smile.
Harry had to grin. “I see we understand each other. Yes, you’re absolutely right. Just over a thousand horsepower in a two-ton station wagon can hardly be described as ordinary.”
The man’s eyes widened in surprise. “A thousand horsepower?!“
“Well,“ Harry said, “at least that’s the official statement.“
“Then I don’t even want to know what the unofficial is.“
“I’ll tell you anyway,“ Harry replied cheerfully. “There were a thousand and seventy on the dyno.“
The man scratched his head. “Now that’s a call. But PS alone is not enough,” he replied a little defiantly. “What about the torque? Or with the power to weight ratio?”
“The listed torque is twelve hundred Newton meters, but it’s clearly more again.” When he saw the questioning expression on his face, he quickly added: “Twelve hundred and sixty to be precise. The power-to-weight ratio is around one point nine.”
“Quite an accomplishment!“ Said the man appreciatively. “No wonder I did not stand a chance. I thought it was just a sporty family wagon. I didn’t skimp on the engine of my E-Class either, but I didn’t expect your vehicle to accelerate like that. There’s nothing written on the back as well,” he said, embarrassed. Harry could not help but grin and turned to Hermione. “You see?“ He asked her quietly. “Really got hoodwinked there.“ She smiled.
“You shouldn’t just look at the externals,“ Harry replied cheekily.
“Yes, I’ve noticed that now as well,“ the man grumbled and forced a smile. “You have a pretty girlfriend,“ he said then, giving Hermione a quick look.
“She’s lovely!“ Harry replied immediately. “Charming, happy, loveable and of course very attractive too.“ Hermione’s blood rushed to her head and her heart pounded. After all, Harry just talked candidly about her in front of a stranger and the only thing that she could do it was standing next to him speechlessly. She liked his serious compliments a lot and she smiled politely, even if she had sore knees.
“But I think I’m getting carried away,“ Harry was saying. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson.“
“I guess so. I just would have preferred not to find out that… way. I will take it easy now. Nobody wants to be tailgated, it just causes stress. Who knows, maybe you’ll be behind me at some point and then I would not want you to be attached to my trunk, no matter how fast I drive. For you, it would certainly be nothing to hit the gas and to close the gap.”
“You saw how easily I could outrun you,“ Harry replied.
“Yes. Yes, I have.” He paused for a moment. “Well then, I’m going to hit the road again. Have a nice day, both of you. Take care!“
“You too,“ Harry replied, “have a good trip.“ The man raised his hand in greeting, got back into his car and drove off.
Harry and Hermione got back in too, she was in the driver’s seat this time with Harry next to her. It took Hermione a while to acclimatize herself with the car, but then she was as quiet as ever and started the engine. He bubbled sweetly and as soon as she let him roll, he obeyed her order and they drove back onto the highway.
Now that they did not drive as fast as physics allowed, Harry was a pleasant passenger. He was chatting with Hermione and making a joke or two when he realized that she did not seem quite balanced. Then he asked: “What do you think of driving to the next interchange and then head back. It’s getting close to seven o’clock already and I don’t want your parents to worry.”
“Sounds good,“ she replied, “let’s call them so they know that we are on our way.“
“Good idea,“ Harry confirmed and dialed Hermione’s fixed-line number. He made a quick phone call, then put his cell phone back in his pocket. “They know the score,“ he informed his beloved and she nodded silently.
“Oh, look,” Harry exclaimed excitedly, “there is our friend. You know, the one we met at the rest area.”
Hermione grinned and got in position behind him. In fact, the car kept more distance now, but she had a fabulous idea. “May I engine-honk?” She asked, moved.
„Yes, of course. Knock yourself out,“ Harry replied calmly.
They drove into a tunnel. The gap was big enough and the RS6, which was enjoying itself again at cruising speed in eighth gear, glided gently behind the other car. The car shifted a few gears down after Hermione had pushed on the accelerator.
The roar of the steam hammer plunged the tunnel into a masterful orchestral soundscape and was reflected off the walls as all the drivers in the vicinity cringed and slammed on the brakes. The distance narrowed a little and Hermione took her foot off the pedal again before stepping on it again and both of them jerked back and forth because of the pressure in the seats.
“The tunnel is collapsing, Hermione,“ Harry exclaimed in mock horror and laughed. The driver in front of them looked in the rearview mirror and Hermione flashed the high beam briefly. As soon as he passed and pulled into the next lane, Hermione pulled up parallel to him. Harry looked out the window into the beaming face of the man who was clearly holding a thumb up. „He won’t forget this day,“ Hermione said cheerfully, and Harry agreed.
“It’s actually quite funny,“ he said. “At first you want to play macho and then suddenly you are as tame as a kitten. Well, I don’t care.”
The tunnel ended and the speed of the vehicles in front increased gradually. Hermione stayed with them and the car glided so silently that she did not even notice that she had already reached one hundred and eighty kilometers per hour. The car in front of them cleared the lane and Hermione stepped on the accelerator a little harder. The Audi jerked forward. “Oookay“ Harry said surprisedly grinning as the engine became louder again due to another change of gears downwards, “still shift one more gear down.“
They passed a few other cars and then saw the sign that hinted on a freeway junction. Hermione concentrated on getting in the proper lane and because Harry noticed her uncertainty, he supported her. “You have to keep to the right now and take the second exit. You know, these freeway junctions are built like cloverleafs. If you want to turn back, just take the second exit and turn again. Then you are on the same route in the opposite direction.”
“I know,“ she mumbled concentrated and got in the deceleration line.
The rest of the journey went without any major problems and they finally arrived a few minutes after seven in front of Hermione’s parents’ house. She parked the car in front of the house and got out. Harry took the key from the center console before leaving the monster himself. Then he clicked on the vehicle key and locked the car. Harry watched the doors lock, the exterior mirrors swinging in and the ingenious indicators blinking happily twice before they fell silent and the orange car came to a dark rest.
Hermione had meanwhile unlocked the door and called for him. He followed her quickly into the house. They went into the kitchen and met Mr. and Mrs. Granger there. Mr. Granger stared open-mouthed through the window at Harry’s new vehicle and it was not until Mrs. Granger greeted the two enthusiastically that he noticed that they had meanwhile entered. He spun around quickly and beamed at Harry. “Oh, hello Harry. Nice… car you have there,” he said hesitantly.
Harry had to laugh and replied, “Yes, I bought it today. It drives really well. If you want, you can go for a ride.”
“That’s a very tempting offer. I will think about it. Do you have some characteristics for me?” He asked excitedly.
“Of course,“ and while Harry was talking to Mr. Granger about the street car, Hermione was talking to her mother about her day and explaining that Harry had bought her two dresses. After both conversations had ceased, there was a moment’s silence.
Then Mr. Granger suggested to make some food and everyone helped to set the table. They satiated their hunger and when they were done Harry checked his watch. It was a quarter to eight and his heart skipped a great beat as he thought of his evening meeting with Hermione. He had no idea what she was up to, but alone time with her could only mean good things. After the table was cleared, Hermione finally said with a conspiratorial glance at Harry: “I’m going upstairs already.”
“Alright,“ her parents replied and Harry added:
“I’ll join you soon, Hermione, I want to talk to your parents about something.“
“Okay,“ she replied cheerfully and kissed him on the cheek. Harry blushed a little, shrugged and grinned sheepishly as Hermione walked up the stairs to her room. Her parents laughed. “You’re doing her well,” said her father, “she hasn’t been in such a good mood for a long time. I hope you’re not thinking about standing her up, are you?” He asked, his eyes sparkling menacingly.
“Of course not!“ Harry replied indignantly, and Mr. Granger’s features smoothed.
“Well,” said Mrs. Granger, “you wanted to talk to us. What’s up?“
“It’s your daughter’s birthday,“ Harry began. “I would like to take her out for dinner, but I was always handcuffed to the house or room with my uncle and my aunt and I never really got out. To be honest,“ he mumbled sadly, “I have no idea what stylish establishments there are around here.”
“Oh,“ said Mr. Granger elongated, “well, if it’s nothing more. I think we can help.” Harry listened attentively as he presented him with a number of restaurants and their advantages and he tried to keep everything in mind. Then he made a selection that seemed classy to him, and Mrs. Granger suggested, “I think you should make an appointment there. They are well attended.”
Harry nodded to show that he understood. “Thanks,“ he replied politely, and Hermione’s parents smiled.
“Never mind. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.”
Harry turned to leave and left the car keys and registration papers on the table like coincidentally. At the kitchen door he turned around again, looked directly at Mr. Granger, glanced at the key and said loud enough for him to hear: “Oops!“
Mr. Granger beamed and when Harry left the room, he heard him speaking to his wife: “Come dear, let’s go for a ride.“
Harry quickly ran up the stairs and checked his watch.
One minute to eight.
He gathered up all his courage and knocked on Hermione’s door.
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Vacation at Hermione's