Chapter 69
After lunch, Hermione followed Hickory and went on a tour of the rest of the first floor, ending in his study. It was a large room with books along all the walls, a desk in the corner opposite two over stuffed chairs that sat before a fire place, and there was a double sided bookshelf dividing the room on one side, so that when you looked at the wall from the desk, you saw a squared W shape.
"See that there?" he asked, pointing to where there was a space in the doubled sided shelf between two books.
"The space?" Hermione asked.
"Aye girl," Hickory said. "That's the one. That be where Oliver got theAlchemical duodecimothat he gave you."
Hermione swallowed. "Please, sir," she said. "I - I have it with me... it's in my trunk. You can have it back if you want it."
"Naw, lass," Hickory said, shaking his head. "I just wanted you to see where it goes when it's time to return it."
Hermione looked at him strangely at that. "I - I have it now, I've already finished reading it. I don't mind returning to you now."
"Its all right," Hickory said. "You hang onto it for a while. You'll know when its time to return it."
"Dad," Oliver called, entering the study. "Would you leave her be,please?"
"Now why should I do that?" Hickory asked.
"Because she might not get your sense of humor," Oliver said in exasperation.
"And just who said I was kidding?" Hickory asked.
"Hickory!" Juniper called. "Are you done yet?"
Oliver arched a brow, a smirk forming on his lips. "You know, I think mum's wanting to take her out to the barn."
"Probably right," Hickory muttered. "Off with ya now then," he said and made a shooing motion with his hands and winked at Hermione as she grinned and followed Oliver off to find Juniper.
"Now this, is one of my true loves," Juniper said, leading Hermione to a separate corral that attached to the mare barn. Part of the corral was shaded with large English Oak trees, but Hermione could tell that there was something in the corral. Juniper whistled as they approached and the most beautiful horse Hermione had ever seen trotted into the sunlight. "This is Quicksilver," Juniper said as the striking horse came up to her and she held out her hand to pet it. "She's a Golden Akhal Teke." Hermione was awestruck by the beauty of the mare before her, and she wondered if its breed was related to the unicorn, recalling how its coat shone so, even in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest.
"She's beautiful," Hermione said.
"Aye," Hickory said coming up to the corral next to them. "That she is, like a shiny new Sickle."
Hermione had to agree with his assessment as the sun played on her coat, giving it a metallic sheen.
"We have twenty horses here," Juniper said. "Three stallions, the rest, except for this one here, are brood mares."
"Why not this one?" Hermione asked curiously.
"That's because she's still a filly," Juniper said.
"That means that she's still too young," Oliver said. "She's only a three year old this year."
"Horses don't breed until they are at least four years old," Hickory said.
"Is- is that why there are three barns?" Hermione said, having noticed two more she didn't see from the road when they walked down."
"Yes," Juniper said. "That's exactly why. The larger barn is for the stallions, they fight if they're kept too close. Then the next smallest is for the the foal barn, it has room in the stalls for the foals and the mares together, and the smaller barn is for the mares. Quicksilver is out here because her stall in the foal barn needs to be cleaned."
"And since Willow and Cherry are helping Ash," Hickory said.
"We get to clean it," Oliver said.
"But two of you are wizards," Hermione said in confusion. "And with me, that's three, plus the house-elves have magic, why don't we just use magic to clean it, it would go much faster, and we could get her back where she belongs sooner."
"Then you do away with half of the fun of owning horses," Juniper said. "I know its not the most glorious part of owning horses, but you create bonds with them as you care for them. It goes both ways. You love them more because there's an animal who needs your care - especially if they're tame or born on a farm like ours - and they learn to love and trust you because you care for them. I mean sure, the faster your done, the more time you can enjoy the better parts of owning a horse, the riding, the grooming, the feeding, but if you aren't willing to look after the more unpleasant side of owning a horse, you shouldn't have one - or any animal for that matter."
"Huh," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I never thought about it like that."
"The amount of care you are willing to put into a pet should always be a determining factor of whether or not you get one, no matter what it is, and you should always learn about the pet you want before you get it. Different pets have different needs, even dogs are not all exactly the same, as every person is different, so is every breed of dog, or cat, or even horse," Juniper said. "Its always good to study up on the kind of pet you want, because it may require care that you are unwilling or unable to give, be it financially, or physically."
"Okay," Hermione said. "Let's do it."
"Good girl," Juniper said. "Come on, you two," she said to Oliver and Hickory and after giving Quicksilver one final pat, led the way to the foal barn. "Now, we'll set up a wheelbarrow at the door of the stall, if you two use the rakes to rake up the old straw and manure and the pitchfork to scoop it up into the wheelbarrow, then when its full, Oliver can take it and dump it, and Hick and I can bring fresh bedding to lay down. Are you okay with that, dear?"
"Yeah, that sounds easy enough," Hermione said.
"Okay," Juniper said. "Hick, you get the wheelbarrow and Oliver, you get the tools, and once we're done with this stall, we can turn the others out, and clean those. Once they're cleaned we can check on the elves."
"Where are they?" Hermione asked curiously.
"They have a small cottage, as it were," Juniper said. "Here off the storage room. They're here in case something happens with a mare foaling, or one of the foals after its born. With having them here, one can always find Hick or myself to come down and help them while the other stays with the horses in need, keeping them calm so they don't hurt themselves more. Theydohave to use their magic out of the horse's sight though, or they can scare them even more."
"And that can be dangerous," Oliver said, coming back with the pitchfork and a rake over his shoulder, setting them down outside the stall. "If anyone was here in the stall at the time, and an elf apparated in or out and scared them, the horse could kick someone, or hurt themselves. These ones might be babies, but they still kick pretty hard, and that's nothing compared to what a grown horse could do. That's why we take them out to the pasture to graze while we clean the stalls."
"We're working on Quicksilver's stall first because she's been out since before you arrived, while the others haven't," Juniper said. "Once we have her bedded down again and fed, we can turn the others out and clean their stalls, get them bedded again and check on the elves, then head on to the mare and stallion barns."
"Sounds good," Hermione said, excited to learn something new.
"Well, I'll let you two get to it then," Juniper said as Hickory came up to the empty stall with the wheelbarrow. "We'll be outside prepping the new bedding to bring in if you need us."
"Okay, mum," Oliver said, making a shooing motion before stepping into the stall and handing Hermione the rake and then getting the pitchfork and beginning to toss the dirty bedding into the wheelbarrow. "Make sure and get the corners," Oliver directed. "All of it has to be cleaned out, so that there's no damp bedding, because it can cause mold and mildew to grow."
"Okay," Hermione said, and got to work raking the straw and manure into a pile toward the center of the stall, making a way to walk around it while Oliver continued to scoop it into the wheelbarrow. Oliver had to leave to dump the wheelbarrow a couple times, but he moved it easily, and Hermione wondered how long they had kept this routine.
Twenty minutes later, they were laying down the new bedding, and Juniper came up and leaned on the rail to the stall. "Looks good, you two," she said, taking in their progress.
"Thanks," Hermione said, taking a break from spreading out the bedding, and blowing some hair out of her face.
"Grab the water bucket and come on," Juniper said with a grin.
Hermione did so, struggling a little with the weight of the water, but followed Juniper outside the barn to a faucet.
"Go ahead and dump the water, then rinse out the bucket and fill it as full as you can and still carry it," Juniper said. "Then Oliver can help lift it back to where it goes."
Hermione did as Juniper asked and hefted the nearly full water bucket, waddling back to the stall, the bucket swaying between her legs in a dead lift, and she followed each sway of the bucket to prevent the water from sloshing out on the ground.
"Whoa, whoa," Oliver said, coming over and grabbing the handle between her hands when she began losing her grip. "I got it," he said, allowing her to let go.
"Sorry," she apologized, shaking out the ache in her reddened hands, and rubbing them on her pants.
"No, no," Oliver said. "Its okay. I just don't think my mum expected you to fill it that full."
"I'm glad I can help," Hermione said. "How long have you been raising horses?"
"Oh, they come and go," Oliver said. "Its another form of income for my family and a joy for my mum, so father has allowed her to take the reins as it were, and decide how to maintain it as a business. Quicksilver is our newest acquisition. We've been doing it for as long as I can remember."
"So what are you going to do with her?" Hermione asked.
"Mother wants to train her in Dressage," Oliver said.
"What is that?" Hermione asked, looking at him in confusion.
"Its like ballet," Oliver said, thinking of the simplest way to describe it. "But on horseback. You move with your horse through a series of predetermined movement from memory. Mother's going to start training her in the spring. I'm sure that as she gets older and closer to being bred, mum will keep her eye out for another Golden Akhal Teke to breed her with."
"And the others?" Hermione asked.
"The others are raised to race," Oliver answered. "There are two brood mares with foal now, and we're going to move them up here to the foal barn with Quicksilver. The other mares will go to the mare barn, and then the stallions to the stallion barn. Normally, we start work early so we can have the day to do things." He sighed and shook his head. "That's not entirely true," he said after a moment. "While we do work with the horses every day, if it becomes too much, the elves help. These next few days might be tough because Ash was hurt. I just hope Ash is well or at least better by the time you head hack to Hogwarts. I'm supposed to leave for training on the eighth, and I hate to think of mum doing this all by herself when dad's time off is over."
"Itdoesseem like a big job taking care of so many horses by yourself," Hermione said.
"Itis," Oliver confirmed. "But the eighth is when training starts with Puddlemere, I can't miss it; not and hope to keep my spot on the team. Come on, I'm done here," Oliver said and grabbed the feed bucket off the post in the stall."
They walked up to the supply room and Oliver showed her how to measure the feed, mixing in the right ratio of hay or forage, to supplement feed for Quicksilver's age, and how they made sure she got all her vitamins and minerals to keep her healthy. Hermione had never imagined that when she had told her parents she wanted a pony when she was younger, that so much work went into owning and caring for one, and that was just with feeding and keeping the stall clean. They hadn't even got to grooming or anything else yet! In a way, she was relieved that her parents had just laughed off her request with the promise that she could go to a riding school, but before she was able to sign up, her Hogwarts letter had come and her life was completely changed.
After taking the feed bucket back to the stall and hanging it on the post where it had been, Oliver grabbed the nearby halter and lead rope and they headed out to Quicksilver's corral.
"Hey, mum," Oliver called as they passed her and Hickory who were preparing the bedding for the other stalls. "We're about to take Quicksilver in, do you want to do that?"
"If her stall's ready, you might as well do it, you know how jittery she is though, so you might want to get Hermione to give her some sugar to get her to make friends and get her moving."
"Right," Oliver said. "Be right back," he told Hermione and flung the halter and lead rope over his shoulder as he hurried back to the supply room. He returned in a few minutes and handed Hermione a couple small sugar cubes, keeping a couple for himself and they headed on toward Quicksilver's corral. Reaching the rail, Oliver whistled and Quicksilver trotted out but was uneasy when she saw Hermione there without Juniper and shied away. "Come on, girl," Oliver called. "Its okay."
Quicksilver edged closer, turning her body away from Hermione and moved closer to Oliver. "That's no way to be," Oliver scolded her, but held out his hand with the sugar in it just the same. "Quicksilver," he said, this is Hermione, Hermione, this is Quicksilver."
"Hi Quicksilver," Hermione said, feeling a little foolish, but talking to the horse just the same.
"Now, hold your hand out flat and give her the sugar," Oliver said, taking the halter from his shoulder and holding it low in between Hermione and Quicksilver as the filly approached. He shifted, and held open the top of the halter, putting it over Hermione's hand and the sugar she held. "Don't move," Oliver said to Hermione.
Quicksilver moved closer, sticking her nose close to Hermione's hand and Hermione giggled but tried to hold still as Quicksilver's breath tickled her hand. The horse moved closer, and Oliver slipped the halter over her head, startling her. She whinnied and reared a little, but Oliver was quick with the buckles and clipping the lead to the halter before she worked herself up too much, and turned to see Hermione staring at him wide-eyed in surprise from where she had scrambled to a few feet away.
"Sorry about that," Oliver said. "But that's usually been the best way to get her when she doesn't have the halter on already. "You can give her the sugar now, it's okay, she'll settle down."
"Y-you're sure?" Hermione asked, looking at Quicksilver prancing around next to Oliver uncertainly.
"Yeah," Oliver said and reached out to her with his free hand. "She'll be okay."
Hermione hesitated, looking uncertain though she inched closer.
"Hey," Oliver said, grasping her wrist and drawing her attention. "Its okay, relax. Breathe. See, she's already calming down. Come on, you might want to give her that sugar before she begins to think you were teasing her."
Hermione swallowed and nodded, moving closer, but Quicksilver shied away again. "Okay," Oliver said. "No, no," he said again when he saw Hermione's expression. "You're not doing anything wrong, just... hold your hand out flat, and then let her come to you."
"Kind of like with a hippogriff, huh?" Hermione asked, recalling how Hagrid had told them in the beginning of her third year last year how to approach the creatures.
"Yeah," Oliver said. "Yeah, I guess so."
Hermione waited with her hand extended with baited breath and it wasn't long before Quicksilver settled and became curious and approached Hermione to find the sugar in her hand and licked it up, her breath once more tickling Hermione's hand.
"See?" Oliver said and smiled as the filly nuzzled Hermione's hand looking for more. "I think you made a friend. You can pet her now."
Hermione laughed as Quicksilver continued to nudge her, and reached up to pet her. She couldn't believe that her coat was as silky as it looked, and she grinned up at Oliver.
Oliver led Quicksilver to the gate and Hermione opened it, stepping back as Oliver led her out. Hermione caught up with them and walked on the other side as they led the filly into the barn. The filly got anxious and pulled playfully on her lead as they neared her stall and she smelled the oats waiting for her. Oliver led her in and turned her before unfastening the lead and stepping out while Hermione closed the stall door and Quicksilver found her food.
"That was great," Oliver said, looping Quicksilver's lead around the stall post. "So now," he continued, walking down the row where there were two more horses. "I'd like you to meet Starduster, she's one of the brood mares with foal." Hermione was greeted by a wicker from a dark mare with a white blaze down her forehead. Oliver picked up the lead that was hanging nearby and clipped it to the red halter she was wearing.
"Now that Starduster's ready, let's get her out and stop and get Angelfire," Oliver said leading Starduster out of her stall and up toward another stall with a white mare inside. "Hello Angel," Oliver said as he tied Starduster to the post and reached for the lead nearby and clipped it to the blue halter that the white mare wore. "Let's go outside, huh?"
Hermione smiled as the white mare nickered and pushed her face into Oliver's chest.
"Why don't you lead Starduster, and I'll take Angel," Oliver said. "Just be sure to hold the lead below the halter to draw her to your side. She can't really see what's right in front of her, except from a distance, so you don't want her stepping on you."
"Oh, um, sure," Hermione said nervously.
"Here, let me show you," Oliver said and led Angelfire out of her stall and up the row where he turned her and headed back so Hermione could watch how he did it. "Easy, right?"
Hermione nodded, but slowly unwrapped the lead Oliver had wrapped around the post on Starduster's halter and led her a bit behind Oliver and Angelfire when he started the white mare back up the row. It wasn't long before they had the two horses out of the barn and to the corral where Quicksilver had been. They turned them out and closed the gate behind them.
"Ready for this?" Oliver asked.
"Not really," Hermione said, recalling how long it had taken to clean Quicksilver's stall.
Oliver laughed at her expression. "Don't worry, these will go faster because you know what to expect,plusyou have me to help, and I'll empty the wheelbarrow and get the water taken care of, how about that?"
"Okay," Hermione said with a laugh.
It turned out that Oliver was right, now that she knew what to do, the cleaning of the stalls didn't take as much time as it had with Quicksilver's stall.
"Where are your parents?" Hermione asked, looking around when they had finished Starduster and Angelfire's stalls and were headed back toward the supply room.
"Oh, they were going to take care of the other barns," Oliver explained. "They were headed there after they sorted out the bedding for the stalls for us in the foal barn. Oh! I almost forgot, come on."
"Almost forgot?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, we need to check on the elves," Oliver said.