Harry glanced again at the clock. It was nearly one, and Hermione kept
giving him meaningful looks from her chair across the living room. Harry
still hadn't thought of a good distraction. He avoided at Hermione's gaze.
Mr. Granger was sitting in his usual spot in the corner, reading a
newspaper. It was Monday, but he only worked four days a week, and Monday
was his day off. Mrs. Granger, however, was working. Harry shuttered. Who
would want to be a dentist? All those awful drills and gadgets. Harry had
once had an abscessed tooth, so the Dursley's had been forced to take him
to a dentist. Dudley had taunted him about it before hand, and by the time
he actually got into the dentist's chair, he was utterly terrified. Harry
was so worked up that the assistants had to bodily restrain him, and then,
as a last resort, they had put him under. One moment Harry had been
screaming bloody murder, and the next, he had woken up with cotton wads
stuffed in his cheeks. It's like medieval torture, he thought. Mr. Weasley
would love it, I'm sure. Suddenly Harry had an idea. He looked at Hermione,
who gave him a quizzical look.
"Mr. Granger," he said politely. Mr. Granger folded his newspaper down to see who called, "Oh, Harry, yes, umm, what?"
"Did you know that Mr. Weasley is very interested in Muggle artifacts?"
"Uh, yes, as a matter of fact. He seems quite fascinated with anything electrical."
Ron and Ginny looked up from their game of Wizard's chess, and looked from Mr. Granger to Harry quizzically.
"Well, I know this is a little much to ask, but Hermione tells me you are a dentist. We don't really have anything like that in the magical world, and I'm sure Mr. Weasley would be very interested in all those drills and things..."
Harry trailed off, afraid to be rude, but Hermione jumped in and saved him.
"Daddy! You could take the Weasleys on a tour of your office!" Mr. Granger looked rather trapped, "It's your day off! No one will be there! And the Weasleys won't mess anything up!"
Ron looked excited and said, "That would be sooo cool! My dad gets home for lunch at one! That's in like ten minutes!"
"Please, Daddy..." said Hermione, "For my friends..."
"Uh... well... all right... sure... why not?" He smiled and set his newspaper aside. Wizard chess forgotten, Ron went to round up the rest of his family. Mr. Weasley arrived at one, but forgot all about eating when he heard about going to the dentist's office.
"Oh, Molly! The dentist! I've heard about it all from Hermione and the Grangers! But to actually see it!"
So all the Weasleys, with the exception of Ginny, who complained of a headache and decided to stay home, took off with Mr. Granger to the dentist. Hermione did not go, saying she had seen the inside of the dentist's office too many times for comfort. Harry, however, could think of no good excuse to stay home, and, too proud to admit his terror of anything dental, he accompanied the Weasleys.
It was a normal dentist's office, complete with fish tank and cheap magazines, but Mr. Weasley was enthralled. He stood by the fish tank for a full five minutes, and asked, "Do they help somehow? What do fish have to do with teeth?"
Mr. Granger explained that they were just there for decoration, but Mr. Weasley remained skeptical.
Harry thought it might have been a bad idea to invite the twins when Mr. Granger showed them the drills. Fred and George examined them very closely, and then peeled off by themselves, whispering. Ron seemed more interested in the dentist's chair. It was white, and clean, perfectly sterilized and just as terrifying as Harry remembered the last one being. Ron, of course, had no idea of the horrors that occurred in chairs of that type.
"It looks so comfortable! Why does it have to be so fancy?" At that moment, Harry noticed a strong resemblance between Ron and his father.
"Well," said Mr. Granger, looking over at Harry with an expression of... could it be mischief? "I could give you a demonstration..."
"Yeah!" said Ron, jumping eagerly into the chair. The twins looked up from their isolated conversation, and seeing Harry's eyes wide in silent terror, rejoined the group, smiling expectantly. Meanwhile, Mr. Granger had fitted an apron around Ron's neck. He put on his rubber gloves, and asking the Weasleys to remain calm during the demonstration, he turned on the bright overhead light and aimed it at Ron's mouth.
"AH!" cried Ron, "WHAT'S THAT?"
"It's just a light, Ronikins!" said Fred, snickering.
"Oh," said Ron, sounding embarrassed.
Then Mr. Granger arranged his tools. It was clear that now he was in his element, and was no longer the shy Mr. Granger who hid in the corner behind his newspaper. He selected a tiny mirror, and before Ron could react, he skillfully shoved it into Ron's mouth and pulled aside his right cheek. Ron yelped. Then Mr. Granger selected a delicate pick, and began scraping Ron's teeth.
"AH!" Ron yelled.
"Don't talk," said Mr. Granger, "My hand might slip."
Ron went perfectly still. Ron's parents were looking on in fear, but the twins were barely containing their mirth. Harry, empathizing with poor Ron, jabbed George in the ribs.
"Ow!" he yelped.
"Next I'll have Mr. Granger demonstrate on you!" whispered Harry, and both the twins lapsed into respectful silence.
"My goodness, Ron," Mr. Granger was saying, "Four cavities! No more sweets for you! How often do you brush your teeth?"
Ron squirmed, and gave a plaintiff mumble.
"I thought so," said Mr. Granger, shaking his head. He glanced at the clock, then at Mr. Weasley, and said, "Well, I could probably do the fillings sometime next week, it would take too long now, and you probably have to get back to work."
Mr. Weasley looked at the clock forlornly, it was nearly 2:30. He sighed, "Yes, I WOULD like to be there for that... well, all right... sometime next week."
Mr. Granger removed his gloves and they shook on it. Meanwhile, Ron was trembling like a leaf.
"You mean I have to come back?" he asked shakily. Mr. Granger and Mr. Weasley turned to him with identical grins, and he shuddered. Mrs. Weasley undid the apron and helped Ron out of the chair.
"It's barbaric," she said, hugging him close, "Don't worry, I won't let them."
They left the dentist's office, and Mr. Weasley returned directly to work instead of going back to the Granger's house. As they walked to the bus station, Mrs. Weasley attempted to convince Mr. Granger not to fill Ron's teeth.
"Honestly, I don't see how Muggle children survive it!" she said.
"Well, we usually give them novocaine, then they don't feel a thing."
"Novocaine?! What is that?"
"Umm... It makes your mouth go numb so you can't feel anything. We just inject a shot of it about five minutes before we start," he offered reassuringly. He had doubtless assured many other concerned mothers in this way, but Mrs. Weasley was not to be mollified.
"A SHOT!?"
Mr. Granger looked less certain about answering this time. Molly Weasley's temper was beginning to boil, and he did not look as though he wanted to feed the flames.
"A SHOT!!??" She repeated, now really angered.
"Well, yes," he replied meekly. Harry looked over at Ron, whose eyes were wide with new found fear as he listened to their argument.
"Is he joking?" he asked Harry in a hoarse whisper. Harry shook his head. Ron blanched further. Thankfully, by that time the bus arrived, and Mr. Granger and Mrs. Weasley broke off the debate. The bus was fairly full, so everyone sat in separate pairs. It seemed to Harry, watching the adults sit together, that they might have picked up where they left off, but from where he and Ron were sitting in the back of the bus, he could not hear anything. Ron too, was looking fearfully in their direction, swallowing thickly whenever he noticed Harry watching him.
"I'm not scared," he said defiantly, when Harry caught his eye for the third time, and looked out the window for the rest of the trip. Harry shrugged and said nothing.
"Mr. Granger," he said politely. Mr. Granger folded his newspaper down to see who called, "Oh, Harry, yes, umm, what?"
"Did you know that Mr. Weasley is very interested in Muggle artifacts?"
"Uh, yes, as a matter of fact. He seems quite fascinated with anything electrical."
Ron and Ginny looked up from their game of Wizard's chess, and looked from Mr. Granger to Harry quizzically.
"Well, I know this is a little much to ask, but Hermione tells me you are a dentist. We don't really have anything like that in the magical world, and I'm sure Mr. Weasley would be very interested in all those drills and things..."
Harry trailed off, afraid to be rude, but Hermione jumped in and saved him.
"Daddy! You could take the Weasleys on a tour of your office!" Mr. Granger looked rather trapped, "It's your day off! No one will be there! And the Weasleys won't mess anything up!"
Ron looked excited and said, "That would be sooo cool! My dad gets home for lunch at one! That's in like ten minutes!"
"Please, Daddy..." said Hermione, "For my friends..."
"Uh... well... all right... sure... why not?" He smiled and set his newspaper aside. Wizard chess forgotten, Ron went to round up the rest of his family. Mr. Weasley arrived at one, but forgot all about eating when he heard about going to the dentist's office.
"Oh, Molly! The dentist! I've heard about it all from Hermione and the Grangers! But to actually see it!"
So all the Weasleys, with the exception of Ginny, who complained of a headache and decided to stay home, took off with Mr. Granger to the dentist. Hermione did not go, saying she had seen the inside of the dentist's office too many times for comfort. Harry, however, could think of no good excuse to stay home, and, too proud to admit his terror of anything dental, he accompanied the Weasleys.
It was a normal dentist's office, complete with fish tank and cheap magazines, but Mr. Weasley was enthralled. He stood by the fish tank for a full five minutes, and asked, "Do they help somehow? What do fish have to do with teeth?"
Mr. Granger explained that they were just there for decoration, but Mr. Weasley remained skeptical.
Harry thought it might have been a bad idea to invite the twins when Mr. Granger showed them the drills. Fred and George examined them very closely, and then peeled off by themselves, whispering. Ron seemed more interested in the dentist's chair. It was white, and clean, perfectly sterilized and just as terrifying as Harry remembered the last one being. Ron, of course, had no idea of the horrors that occurred in chairs of that type.
"It looks so comfortable! Why does it have to be so fancy?" At that moment, Harry noticed a strong resemblance between Ron and his father.
"Well," said Mr. Granger, looking over at Harry with an expression of... could it be mischief? "I could give you a demonstration..."
"Yeah!" said Ron, jumping eagerly into the chair. The twins looked up from their isolated conversation, and seeing Harry's eyes wide in silent terror, rejoined the group, smiling expectantly. Meanwhile, Mr. Granger had fitted an apron around Ron's neck. He put on his rubber gloves, and asking the Weasleys to remain calm during the demonstration, he turned on the bright overhead light and aimed it at Ron's mouth.
"AH!" cried Ron, "WHAT'S THAT?"
"It's just a light, Ronikins!" said Fred, snickering.
"Oh," said Ron, sounding embarrassed.
Then Mr. Granger arranged his tools. It was clear that now he was in his element, and was no longer the shy Mr. Granger who hid in the corner behind his newspaper. He selected a tiny mirror, and before Ron could react, he skillfully shoved it into Ron's mouth and pulled aside his right cheek. Ron yelped. Then Mr. Granger selected a delicate pick, and began scraping Ron's teeth.
"AH!" Ron yelled.
"Don't talk," said Mr. Granger, "My hand might slip."
Ron went perfectly still. Ron's parents were looking on in fear, but the twins were barely containing their mirth. Harry, empathizing with poor Ron, jabbed George in the ribs.
"Ow!" he yelped.
"Next I'll have Mr. Granger demonstrate on you!" whispered Harry, and both the twins lapsed into respectful silence.
"My goodness, Ron," Mr. Granger was saying, "Four cavities! No more sweets for you! How often do you brush your teeth?"
Ron squirmed, and gave a plaintiff mumble.
"I thought so," said Mr. Granger, shaking his head. He glanced at the clock, then at Mr. Weasley, and said, "Well, I could probably do the fillings sometime next week, it would take too long now, and you probably have to get back to work."
Mr. Weasley looked at the clock forlornly, it was nearly 2:30. He sighed, "Yes, I WOULD like to be there for that... well, all right... sometime next week."
Mr. Granger removed his gloves and they shook on it. Meanwhile, Ron was trembling like a leaf.
"You mean I have to come back?" he asked shakily. Mr. Granger and Mr. Weasley turned to him with identical grins, and he shuddered. Mrs. Weasley undid the apron and helped Ron out of the chair.
"It's barbaric," she said, hugging him close, "Don't worry, I won't let them."
They left the dentist's office, and Mr. Weasley returned directly to work instead of going back to the Granger's house. As they walked to the bus station, Mrs. Weasley attempted to convince Mr. Granger not to fill Ron's teeth.
"Honestly, I don't see how Muggle children survive it!" she said.
"Well, we usually give them novocaine, then they don't feel a thing."
"Novocaine?! What is that?"
"Umm... It makes your mouth go numb so you can't feel anything. We just inject a shot of it about five minutes before we start," he offered reassuringly. He had doubtless assured many other concerned mothers in this way, but Mrs. Weasley was not to be mollified.
"A SHOT!?"
Mr. Granger looked less certain about answering this time. Molly Weasley's temper was beginning to boil, and he did not look as though he wanted to feed the flames.
"A SHOT!!??" She repeated, now really angered.
"Well, yes," he replied meekly. Harry looked over at Ron, whose eyes were wide with new found fear as he listened to their argument.
"Is he joking?" he asked Harry in a hoarse whisper. Harry shook his head. Ron blanched further. Thankfully, by that time the bus arrived, and Mr. Granger and Mrs. Weasley broke off the debate. The bus was fairly full, so everyone sat in separate pairs. It seemed to Harry, watching the adults sit together, that they might have picked up where they left off, but from where he and Ron were sitting in the back of the bus, he could not hear anything. Ron too, was looking fearfully in their direction, swallowing thickly whenever he noticed Harry watching him.
"I'm not scared," he said defiantly, when Harry caught his eye for the third time, and looked out the window for the rest of the trip. Harry shrugged and said nothing.