Public Transit

"Hermione," Ron began, pulling his striped scarf tightly around his neck, "is it really necessary to do this?"

"Yes," Hermione stated shortly, "it is quite necessary."

"I don't believe this," he muttered to himself, glaring at the bus sign looming down on them. "It's absolutely miserable outside, and we're out here waiting for a bus to come along and carry us off to Diagon Alley. We're magical, Hermione! Magical!"

"I know that, Ron," she scoffed, "but my neighbors don't. Harry needs a break, and I needed someone to come with me. I don't want to wander around Diagon Alley by myself, and you volunteered!"

"I could have brought brooms!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Ron!" she cried, "I live in a regular, residential, muggle-populated neighborhood! Don't even think about obtaining any brooms!"

"Yes ma'am," he replied curtly, but his eyes were shining and the edge of his mouth was curving. So far, Ron had really enjoyed his stay at Hermione's house for the Easter Holidays. He and Harry had been asked to come by Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who felt a bit guilty about the Weasley's always hosting the three friends. It had certainly been interesting, Ron mused, to stay in a non-magical house.

"There it is!" Hermione exclaimed, her bright brown eyes sparkling. He followed her gaze down the road, and strained to see a small, moving dot. He raised an eyebrow as she began to make preparations.

"You have your ticket, don't you?" she asked, fretting at him. He nodded, and held out a small, rectangular piece of paper. He couldn't imagine why muggles used tiny, square inch pieces of paper for tickets. It seemed like they were easy to loose, but Ron held his tongue and continued to watch her.

"No wonder you're cold, you didn't button your coat all the way up!" she said, and did the top two buttons up for him. The bus wasn't very far away now, and Hermione looked at her watch expectantly, "Right on time!"

He was quiet a bit taller than her, so he bent slightly to exclaim, "You know how ridiculous this is, don't you?! I've never been on a bus before; I usually use other methods of transportation. They seem so...slow."

She rolled her eyes and brushed some of her dark hair out of her face. "I know you do, but this will be fun: you'll see."

It was his turn to roll his eyes as the bus pulled up beside them. Grabbing his arm, she yanked him onto the bus.

***

There was no room on the bus for sitting down, so Ron and Hermione were forced to stand and hold onto the overhead rails. It was a bit more difficult for Hermione because she wasn't as tall as he was. Every time the bus rolled to a stop, she had the tendency to knock into Ron; although neither minded.

"I can't believe these stupid contraptions don't allow for more seating. I mean, people packed together in the aisle? It's complete madness!" Ron mumbled irritably to Hermione. He ran a hand through his copper hair and back, and looked out the window at the scenery passing them by.

"Oh!" Hermione called out, being pushed against Ron's jacket. A woman was ready to get off the bus, and squeezed past the pair. She looked disapprovingly at them and Ron smiled politely. Hermione smiled into his chest, recognizing the smell of him. She pulled away after a moment, and couldn't look him in the eyes.

"Take that seat," Ron said, indicating towards the spot the woman had left. "I can stand."

She nodded and took the seat, and they were quiet for awhile. Every once in awhile she would hear him mutter to himself about something, "Stupid contraptions...they're so bloody slow!"

Finally, the man beside Hermione was ready to leave, and she stood up to let him off. He looked at Hermione disapprovingly, but it could have been because Ron kept saying words like 'muggle' and 'magic'. At the moment, Ron was saying something absently about a broomstick, and Hermione cringed. Smiling, she offered to the man, "He's got an overactive imagination."

"Ah," the man said skeptically.

The pair took the empty seat, and she gave Ron the window seat, so he would have something to do. He looked outside in silence for awhile, and Hermione just smiled softly at him as they came to another stop. A man and two women filed off the bus, and Ron laughed.

"That woman, there? With the funny hat? She smelled like salami."

"She smelled like salami," Hermione repeated flatly, looking up at him.

"Yes. I stood beside for quite some time, because these stupid muggle buses don't have enough seats for everyone. They should really put beds in here; Harry says they're quite comfortable."

"Right," she agreed, rolling her eyes. "Ours is the next stop, Ron."

The bus rolled to a stop, and both were anxious to leave. As Hermione stood, Ron tugged at her wrist; and quickly linked hands. He explained simply, "So I don't loose you."

She smiled at him, and they fought their way off the bus. Stepping on the pavement, they breathed in some fresh, clean air and recognized the Leaky Cauldron Pub that would lead them into Diagon Alley. The wind was cold in downtown London, and this time it was Hermione who pulled tightly on her scarf.

Their hands stayed linked at their sides, and Ron smiled down on her. "Well, that was actually quite fun. I say we do it again sometime."

"Yes," she agreed, "how about on the way back?"

He laughed from the back of his throat, and she liked the rugged sound it made. "Let's go; we can catch another bus in an hour and a half."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "How do you know?"

"I took the bus schedule out of your jacket pocket."

***