#Remus lupin is a f1 racer

[spookeart]

Got asked to post this here because the quality on insta is trash, so enjoy🫠

[fromdecemberwithlove]

She killed the engine a few meters away from her destination and wiped her hands on her jeans-clad thighs. Her heart rate sped up as she stared at the kaleidoscopic lights in the distance.

“I’ll ask you again,” said Ginny. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”

Hermione gave a curt nod.

She didn’t want to do this; she had to do it.

“If Harry—when Harry finds out we came here, he’s going to lose it.”

“He’s head over heels in love with you Gin,” said Hermione. “If he’s going to be cross with anyone, it will be me.”

The guilt was already gnawing at her conscience. But telling her best friend about her plan hadn’t been an option. He would have tried everything to stop her, or worse — volunteered to take her place. She couldn’t allow that. This was her fight.

She turned towards Ginny. “You don’t have to be here, you know,” she said. “I can still drive you back if you-”

“And miss the chance to see the look of shock on their faces when you beat their King? No way,” she shifted in the passenger seat to face her. “I want to be here. What they did to you this time is inexcusable. If Neville hadn’t let you out, you could have been seriously harmed, or worse.”

A shiver ran down her spine. Three weeks after the incident, traces of trauma still clang to her mind. It haunted her dreams, flashes of her leaving the school library at night, the force of their hold as they grabbed her from behind, the bag over her head, the zip ties around her wrists. The paralyzing fear that made it impossible for her to scream as her assailants dragged her away before throwing her body on the cold, hard floor of the cafeteria’s walk-in freezer.

Ginny squeezed her arm, pulling her out of the memory. Hermione realized that her hands were shaking slightly. She curled them into fists in her lap.

Yes, she needed to do this.

“I still think you should have told the headmistress about it, McGonagall would have believed you.”

Hermione shook her head. “It wouldn’t have mattered. One phone call from daddy dearest and the disciplinary commission would have made the complaint magically disappear.”

Ginny groaned in frustration. “I wish I could do more to help. Those arseholes need to learn that there are consequences to their actions.”

“You’re here, that’s enough for me,” said Hermione with a smile that Ginny returned.

They both turned back towards the windshield and watched as more cars drove into the abandoned race track up ahead.

The rally racing venue on the outside of town dated back to the late 60. After being gutted and partially destroyed in the early eighties to build an apartment complex, the project had fallen through because of a legal dispute regarding the ownership of the land. It had sat empty for years until three legendary Hogwarts students had given it a new life. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and James Potter, known as the Golden Trio, had claimed the three remaining racing lines of asphalt during their time at school. They had restored some of the floodlights around the track and began racing their cars every Friday night for the fun and thrill of it, under the cheers of the spectators who drove there to watch and bet on their races.

They’d even given the place a new name: The Shrieking Track. Although it had started off as a joke, it had stuck to this day. The name came from the sound the rackety metal structure, where the stands had once been, made when the thunderous vibrations of the cars racing at full speed on the asphalt shook the place.

For the last two years, Draco Malfoy had reigned supreme over the Shrieking Track. It was his territory. What better way to crush him than to beat him under the watchful eyes of his minions and adoring fans.

“I hate to say this but—” Ginny bit her lip“—they will be out for blood after you humiliate him.”

“I know,“ she said.

Hermione wasn’t delusional. She expected them to retaliate afterwards. But she was determined and ready for them this time around. While a part of her acknowledged that this wasn’t her most brilliant idea, she felt sure it was the only way for her to exorcise her trauma and take back the control they had deprived her of when they’d ambushed her that night.  She never wanted to feel the terror that had gripped her again, nor the helpless she’d felt lying on that icy floor, shivering in the biting cold of the freezing unit.

“At least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I’d beat him where it matters. After graduation, I’ll never see him or his little fan club ever again.”

“I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he’s going to realize he just lost to you,” grinned Ginny, pulling out her cell phone from her pocket. “I’ll make it my screensaver.”

Hermione laughed.

The element of surprise was crucial for her plan to have maximum impact.

While people at school knew that Harry raced in official competitions, no one suspected that she, too, was more than capable of racing a car. And since she always drove to school with her childhood friend, they didn’t even know she owned a vehicle.

Phoenix, the name she’d given her Ford Mustang when she was 12, was her pride and joy. She’d been nothing more than a frame and wheels when she’d first laid eyes on her, but she’d instantly fallen in love with it.

The old banger had been a gift from Sirius. After they’d pestered him to teach them more and more about cars, Harry’s godfather and legal guardian had bought the wreck, along with Thunderbolt, Harry’s Honda Civic, as summer projects for them.

Sirius believed in teaching through action and working on building their respective cars had taught her and Harry everything they knew about car restoration and engine building. Racing had come naturally after that. Sirius raced motorbikes for a living and they went to his competitions with Remus whenever the events didn’t conflict with school and didn’t take place outside of the country.

Hermione loved racing, loved the rush of adrenaline as she picked up speed, the complete focus each turn required, feeling the car she spent years working on rumble beneath her hands—there was nothing like it.

When Sirius signed up Harry for his first autocross race at 14, she had begged and pleaded with her parents to do the same. They had refused her each time. She had tried each year after that, but they never budged. The only compromise they’d allow her was being Harry’s practice partner. And never without supervision.

Tonight, she was breaking all their rules. That she couldn’t care less was testament to her determination to see this through.

Draco Malfoy was going to regret pushing her too far.

Ginny checked the time on her phone. “It’s time to sign up.”

Hermione took a deep breath and started her engine. As she approached the gaping hole that was once the entrance, trepidation gripped her stomach.

Although she knew everything about the history of the track, this was only her second time at the Shrieking Track. Sirius had been adamant about never letting Harry race here. While he wasn’t ashamed of his past, he wanted his godson to remain on the legal side of racing. It was the reason he’d allowed him to enter his first autocross race at such a young age.

However, when they were 13, she and Harry had snuck out one night to come watch the racers at the Shrieking Track. It was one of her favorite memories. She’d slipped out of her bedroom window and met Harry down the street where he’d been waiting for her with their bicycles. When they’d arrived at the legendary track, it had been everything they had ever dreamt about—the roaring of engines revving and cars zooming and the smell of tires rubbing on asphalt. The sensory overload had been an incomparable rush.

They’d watched the racing champions at the time, Ginny’s brothers Bill and Charlie take on racers one after the other and beat them with ease. They’d even been lucky enough to witness the emergence of a new racing star known as Tonks—the first female racer to make history since Harry’s mother Lily Evans. The pink haired punk girl had tied with Charlie Weasley in an impressive four loops race against the clock. Incidentally, much like Lily Evans before her, Tonks ended up dating her rival. They were getting married this summer.

Some hopeless romantic believed that any female racer who tied with a champion racer would live happily ever after with him. Hermione knew that was a load of rubbish. Although Harry’s parents had been madly in love, happily ever after hadn’t lasted past ten years before they’d both died in a plane crash. They’d been on their way to a second honeymoon, leaving 9-year-old Harry under the care of Sirius and Remus.

They had met that year when he’d enrolled at her school. He was being mocked for not having parents and she had punched the kid laughing at him in the face. That kid was none other than Draco Malfoy. That had marked the beginning of their feud.  

The irony of meeting both her best friend and her worst enemy on the same day wasn’t lost on her. Guilt tightened her chest at the thought of Harry and his reaction once he’d learn about her racing Malfoy. She hoped he’d understand why she couldn’t take the risk of dragging him into this. His future in racing would be in jeopardy if word got out about him coming to the Shrieking Track.

Malfoy would relish the opportunity to get him disqualified and kicked out of the circuit. Before becoming the reigning champion of the Shrieking Track, Malfoy had been Harry’s rival in every autocross competition since they were 14. He’d stopped competing in legal events with no explanation. Rumors around the circuit about the reason behind his sudden departure from the circuit ranged from him deciding to move on to F1 competition to being unofficially banned for violating some policy.

Whatever happened had led Malfoy to take over the Shrieking Track, annihilating the then champion, Cormac Mclaggen.

Malfoy never failed to throw his status of Champion of the legendary racing track in Harry’s face, taunting him about not living up to his parents’ legacy, baiting him to come here and compete. Hermione had been Harry’s voice of reason each time, reminding him of what was important: everything Sirius and Remus had done for him, as well as his future career as a professional racer.

She was almost choking on the hypocrisy of it all when she parked behind a couple of cars in the middle of the racing arena. The track’s infield was nothing more than a vast dirt lot after it had been stripped years ago. It was the designated area for spectators and racers before they had to take their place behind the starting line.

Ginny unbuckled her seat belt. “All right, I’m going to register you,” she said.

She exited the car then stuck her head in the open windows. “Looks like his Majesty and his court haven’t arrived yet, but stay here just in case.”

Hermione nodded. She grabbed the baseball cap with Sirius’ racing team logo from her backseat and put it on, tucking her short hair inside. Through the windshield, she watched Ginny walk up to Lee Jordan. Despite having graduated two years ago, he was still the MC for the races at the Shrieking Track. Students often spoke of his commentaries, and he had a reputation for being a fair judge. It was a wonder Malfoy hadn’t replaced him with one of his henchmen.

Lee looked surprised at the sight of Ginny. She’d been a regular of the Shrieking track until she started dating Harry. While her brothers were legends in this place, Ginny had no interest in car racing. She was a motorbike racer through and through, and Sirius had been her idol growing up. Hermione remembered with amusement the day Harry took his girlfriend home to introduce her to his godfather. The self-assured young woman had turned into a blushing, giggling fan girl. She’d come a long way since then, and Sirius had even taken her under his wing, helping her with her training.

She heard them before she saw them. The roaring of engines revving and music blasting echoed in the night. Her keys rattled in the ignition and she wrapped her fingers around the lion keychain she shared with Harry to stop it. They’d gotten them on his 11th birthday at the zoo. A fresh wave of guilt washed over her. Her cell phone pinged with a text notification. She fished it out of her jeans pocket and read Ginny’s message: they’re here.

Hermione looked up and saw Ginny tilt her head toward the opposite side of the infield. She recognized Malfoy’s silver and emerald Toyota Supra and Blaise’s black Subaru Impreza with green pinstripes. Theodore Nott got out of a blue-grey Ford RS Cosworth. It was her first time seeing it, but she’d heard rumors that he’d tweaked it to produce 600 bhp, making it capable of more than 200mph.

People immediately swarmed their cars and as soon as Malfoy emerged from his, a girl flung herself at him, forcing him backward against the car door.

Her phone beeped again, and she smiled when she saw Ginny’s emoji rolling its eyes.

G. W: if she wasn’t so desperate, maybe she’d see that he doesn’t give a shit about her.

H: Love is blind.

G. W: That’s called obsession, and Astoria Greengrass is a stalker.

Hermione watched as the girl grabbed Malfoy’s head and stuck her tongue down his throat, making the crowd cheer and hoot and laugh.

“He doesn’t seem to mind,” she typed when Malfoy squeezed the girl’s bum with both hands.

Ginny sent a vomiting emoji before adding, “They deserve each other.”

“Five minutes,” Lee Jordan's voice boomed. He lowered the megaphone and signaled towards the racing lane. “First up tonight, Blaise Zabini and Justin Finch-Fletchley.”

Her eyes widened at the second name. She knew Justin from her further math class. He was aiming for Oxford after getting his A-levels. She didn’t understand what he was doing here, ready to race, and even less why it was Zabini.

Ginny opened the passenger’s side door and got back into the car.

“You’re last against Malfoy,” she told her. “Lee agreed to call for Phoenix instead of announcing your name. He seemed excited about the big reveal. He said to wish you good luck.”

“Do you know why Justin is racing Zabini?” asked Hermione, pointing toward the two racers who were making their way towards the asphalt lanes.

“It seems Zabini made a move on Justin’s girlfriend Hannah at some party last weekend.”

Hermione arched a brow. “So this is what? Him defending her honor?”

“Boys will be boys and all that nonsense.”

“Who else is on the list tonight?”

“Seamus is racing Dean, again,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “They are currently tied with 45 wins each.”

Everyone knew Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas only raced for fun. The two best friends enjoyed challenging each other, and the Shrieking Track was just one of the places they picked for their friendly rivalry.

“Is Malfoy racing anyone else?”

“Yes, Nott. It’s their time of the month,” said Ginny with a grin.

Hermione laughed. Malfoy and Nott went head to head once a month. She remembered how Nott had taken great pleasure in reminding his best friend of his victory during their last race, much to Malfoy’s irritation.

“All right people, you know the rules,” Lee Jordan’s voice echoed again over the noise. “Cut off your music and let’s hear the engines roar and the track shriek!”

The crowd cheered and the music blaring from various vehicles stopped.

“Which one of you lovely ladies is going to do us the honors tonight?”

Several hands shot up and Greengrass unglued herself from Malfoy to jump up and down with both arms in the air. Hermione saw Malfoy motion for Lee to pick her.

“Astoria Greengrass.”

She heard the girl’s squeal and couldn’t help but be impressed at her ability to run with stiletto heels over the infield’s uneven surface. Lee handed her the black-and-white checkered flag and stepped to the side while she took her place in front of Blaise's Subaru Impreza and Justin’s maroon Alfa Romeo.

“Get ready!”

“They’re not going for a full loop, just the length of the straightway,” Ginny told her.

“I can’t believe Justin agreed to that.”

“Actually, he’s the one who suggested it.”

She turned towards her, stunned. “What?”

“Get set!”

Ginny shrugged. “That’s what Lee told me. Maybe he modified his car, and no one knows about it?”

Astoria waved the flag as she yelled, “Go!”

The instant both cars shot forth, Hermione could see that Justin was no match.

“He didn’t.”

“Poor Hannah,” said Ginny as they watched Blaise reach the end of the straightaway in seconds.

“What do you mean?”

“They bet her.”

“They did what?” her voice rose with indignation.

“The deal was for Zabini to give his car to Justin for a week if he won.”

Hermione scoffed, before it turned into full-blown laughter. She couldn’t believe Fletcher’s absurdity.

Ginny grinned. “And if Zabini won, Hannah would have to date him for a week.”

“That is just so bloody Neanderthal! And she agreed?”

“You know Hannah, she is so painfully shy, I don’t think she had much of a say in the situation.”

“That’s just appalling.”

“No argument here.”

They watched with disgust as Zabini wrapped an arm around an uncomfortable-looking Hannah Abbott while Justin glared at his rival, fists clenched. Hermione lost all respect for him when he got back into his car, slamming the door closed before tearing off the place in a rage, leaving his girlfriend behind.

“Malfoy and Nott, five minutes,” announced Lee once the congratulations died down.

The atmosphere shifted as both racers got back into their cars and drove onto the asphalt. They were the center of everyone’s attention. The tension in the air was palpable.

“Ready to taste defeat, Nott?”

“You said the same thing last month, you still lost,” replied Nott, but his tone was playful and Malfoy smirked and flipped him off.

The crowd roared and hooted at the banter. As people began placing their bets on the outcome of the race, Hermione noticed Greengrass glaring at Nott.

“Don’t talk to him like that,” she almost snarled, causing general laughter.

Ginny snorted. “My god, she’s mental.”

“Get to it, Astoria,” growled Malfoy.

“Teach him a lesson, babe,” she blew him a kiss before raising the flag. “Get ready!”

The deafening sound of powerful engines coming to life filled the space.

“Get set!”

They inched forward toward the white starting line.

“Go!”

Both cars shot forward under the crowd’s screams and cheers.

Hermione held her breath. Her fingers tightened around her steering wheel as her blood sang with the urge to get on the track, too—to be racing, to feel the roar of her own car echo in her bones.

“What do you think?” asked Ginny.

“You tell me. I’ve never seen Nott race.”

“There’s not much difference in performance between their cars. It usually comes down to skill between those two.”

Malfoy took the first turn and the second smoothly while Nott slowed down to avoid skidding off the 9-degree banking. Both of them maneuvered the sweeper curve with ease. As they approached the third turn, Nott sped up, reaching Malfoy. From their vantage point on the infield, it looked like he was about to crash into the green Toyota.

Hermione heard people gasp and scream amongst the spectators, before they exploded in cheers as Nott overtook Malfoy and shot past. The screech of Malfoy’s tires echoed in the night as he struggled to right the position of his car after the turn. Nott took the fourth and final turn first. They were neck and neck as they raced the straightway towards the finish line.

They both crossed it under the cheers of the crowd who began running toward the racing lanes to welcome them. Greengrass jumped on Malfoy again as soon as he was out of his car, planting a kiss on his lips. Zabini went to Nott and clapped him on the back, dragging poor Hannah with him.

“Which one got there first?”

“Malfoy,” answered Hermione as Lee Jordan’s voice announced the same name through his megaphone over the noise of celebration. “And congratulations to our two racers who both beat their personal best time tonight.”

The crowd parted as Nott walked over to Malfoy. They high-fived each other, wearing matching self-satisfied grins.

“Next month is mine,” said Nott, going back to his car to move it off the track.

Malfoy barked out a laugh. “Keep dreaming.”

Seamus and Dean took their turn on the asphalt next. The general feel of the race was more playful than actual competition, a stark contrast to the display of tense rivalry Malfoy and Nott had shown before. The crowd cheered as they raced around the track three times, overtaking each other at each turn, pushing their engines harder on the last turn before the finish line.

As people celebrated Dean’s win around her, Hermione took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She was next. Her stomach was in knots as apprehension and excitement warred with each other. She wiped her hands on her jeans again and closed her eyes, visualizing the track in her mind, the way Sirius had taught her.

Although she’d seen Malfoy race against Harry countless times, this was different. This was his territory, and he was in his element. But she knew she could take him. He’d never seen her race. He didn’t know her style of driving. As long as she stayed focused, she would beat him. She had to beat him.

“We can still leave, you know,” Ginny’s voice cut into her concentration.

Hermione opened her eyes. “No,” her tone was firm and final.

“Alright ladies and gents, get ready for our last race of the night. And let me tell you, it’s going to be one for the books!”

People looked around, wondering who was going to put on a show next. Every head turned toward the sound of a car coming from the entrance towards the infield. Hermione recognized Parkinson’s BMW.

“Is that girl ever on time to anything?” said Ginny with irritation.

The animosity between her and Malfoy’s cousin was as infamous as Harry and Malfoy’s hatred.

A hush fell over the crowd and Hermione noticed the confusion on several faces. Parkinson exited her car and Malfoy, Nott and Zabini were on her immediately.

“Since when do you race?” asked the latter.

Parkinson blinked. “What? I’ll leave dying in a wreckage to you lot, thank you very much.”

“So you’re not Draco’s next challenger?”

She looked at Nott as if he’d sprouted a second head. “Have you gone mad? There’s no bloody way I’d do something so stupid.”

“Ladies and gents, for our last race of the night, welcome to the track Basilisk and Phoenix!” interrupted Lee Jordan.

Hermione could hear people asking who he was talking about. They all knew Basilisk was Malfoy’s car, but Phoenix was a mystery.

Ginny turned to her and put her hands on her shoulders. “You got this.”

Hermione smiled at the look of absolute confidence in her friend’s eyes.

“Leave him in your dust,” Ginny said, quoting Sirius' words to Harry before each race. She winked at her, and got out of the car.

Hermione pulled the cap down again and turned the key in the ignition. The sound made every person turn in her direction. She could hear her heartbeat echo her ears as she maneuvered the mustang out of the infield and onto the asphalt. She stopped behind the starting line and inhaled deeply before exhaling. She ran her hands over the sides of her steering wheel.

“We’ve got this beautiful. A Basilisk doesn’t stand a chance against a Phoenix,” she whispered to her beloved car.

She heard Malfoy pull up to her left, and the knots in her stomach tightened with nerves. She’d never felt this anxious racing Harry. Her body was taut with tension and her foot began tapping against the floor of the car in anticipation.

She took a deep breath again and tried to relax.

“Who’s that?” she saw Greengrass bend to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of her through the windshield. She lowered her head further to make sure her identity remained hidden.

“Come on Greengrass, give the signal or I’ll find someone else,” yelled Lee from the sideline.

“Don’t I have the right to know who I’m going up against?” said Malfoy and Hermione’s heart jumped in her chest.

“What’s the matter, Malfoy? Scared to race someone you don’t know?” came Ginny’s voice full of taunt, eliciting some laughs from the audience.

“Did your boyfriend finally find his balls, Weasley?”

“Last time I checked Malfoy—” Ginny crossed her arms, eyes ablaze with defiance “—you’ve yet to win against him so I’d tone down the arrogance if I were you.”

Zabini scoffed. “Oh, how I’ve missed you, little spitfire,” he said, leaving Hannah behind and coming over to Ginny. When he tried to put his arm around her, she ducked and the crowd laughed again.

“Who’s in that car, Ginerva?”

Hermione saw Ginny’s hand curl into fists. Everyone knew she hated being called by her full name and Parkinson delighted in using it.

“None of your business,” she replied, not looking at her nemesis. “Come on Jordan, let’s get this race going.”

The man marched over to Greengrass and took the flag from her hand. “Would you do us the honor, Ginny?”

“Hey!” Greengrass’ cry of protest was ignored as Lee dragged her out of the way. He handed the flag to Ginny, who marched onto the asphalt and stood between the two cars.

“Ready?”

Hermione turned the key in the ignition, and her car came to life. The familiar rumbling of the engine soothed her nerves, drowning out the noise outside. She was in her favorite place in the world and nothing could touch her here.

“Get set.”

It wasn’t Malfoy outside, revving up his engine. There was no crowd waiting to see who would win and who was behind the wheel of the Mustang. She was having fun with Harry, like she’d done for years—for the mere thrill of it and bragging rights. She was going to win and gloat for a week. A smile stretched her lips as apprehension lost against excitement and the tension ebbed away. Hermione opened her eyes and caught Ginny’s knowing grin through the windshield.

“Go!”

— I wanted to write something for Hermione’s birthday so I looked for a simple prompt and this happened because Fast and Furious came on Netflix’s suggestions for things to watch next. Initial Prompt : “Are you sure about this?”