Chapter 73
"Well," Oliver said with a sigh. "Guess our plans with mum and dad got a wee bit agley." He laughed when Hermione looked at him in confusion. "A wee bit awry."
"Oh, yes," Hermione said in agreement, feeling bad. "Sorry about that."
"Now don't be blamin' yourself," Oliver said with a knowing look. "Can't be helped, lass," he continued. "You got hurt. We were just lucky that we happened upon Madam Pomfrey when we did."
"That's true," Hermione admitted. "But if I'd been paying attention, I wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"You don't know that," Oliver said seriously, his voice soft though he looked at her in concern. "Many people who are paying attention still get injured from time to time."
Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but then sighed. "You're right," she admitted after a moment.
"Now come on," he said kneeling down turning slightly away from her.
"What?" she asked, looking at him in disbelief.
"You need to get off that foot," Oliver said, looking at her over his shoulder. "And since you don't seem to like me carrying you in my arms, I thought I'd give you a colliebackie up to Florean Fortescue's, now come on, get on."
Hermione shook her head slowly, biting her lip a little self conscious of the people around her.
Oliver sighed. "Its quite a walk in this crowd," he reasoned. "Madam Pomfrey may have healed the bones injured in your fall," he continued, remembering the crack he'd heard and the way Hermione had cried out, "but your muscles are still likely to take a while to recover. You should stay off your foot as much as possible, now come on."
Hermione couldn't really argue with his logic, recalling Madam Pomfrey's warning. After a moment, she moved over, and cringing slightly at the mental image of what she looked like to the people around her, she grimaced as she positioned herself to straddle Oliver's back. Wrapping her arms loosely around his neck, she swallowed as he hooked his arms under her knees before he stood. She blushed pink and buried her head in his neck when she heard him laughing as he headed off through the crowded street toward the ice cream parlor.
"Would you like something while we wait?" Oliver asked as they entered the shop. He looked around with every intention of finding a booth or chair to let Hermione down in, but seeing none in the packed shop, he lifted her higher on his back, adjusting his arms and heading for the counter instead.
"Well, hello there," said a goateed wizard with a thin mustache and stringy brown hair that fell to his jaw, his eyes twinkling with mirth as he chuckled at seeing Hermione peering over Oliver's shoulder. "This is rather unusual," he said with a smile. "Usually its the young ones you see colliebacking."
Hermione flushed pink with embarrassment and buried her face in Oliver's neck.
"She was hurt," Oliver explained and Hermione peered up to see a look of concern cross the wizard's face. "We found Madam Pomfrey and she helped, I just thought it was better for Hermione to stay off her foot as much as possible."
"Ah, I see," the wizard said. "Very smart. Florean Fortescue," he said holding out his hands indicating the shop. "What can I get you?"
"I'll have Nuts about Sundaes," Oliver said, and glanced over his shoulder to Hermione.
"A Triple Strawberry Burst Sundae, please," Hermione said.
Florean nodded. "Singles?" he asked.
"Yes," Oliver said. "Thank you."
"Um," Hermione said uncertainly and Florean looked at her. "Yes, please," she said. "But could you add a drizzle of chocolate to mine as well?"
"Of course," Florean said with a smile. He turned, noticing Oliver struggling to reach in his pocket and held up his hand, shaking his head. "Why don't you take a seat and I'll have it out soon?" He paused, looking around at the packed shop. "Hey!" he called out, drawing his patrons' attention. "Can some of you budge up and make room for two? A booth would be preferable." He looked around, waiting a moment and noticed a party of four at a booth who had nearly finished nod to him and push out of the booth, with a wave and head out the door. "Thank you!" Florean called, waving back to them as they headed out. "Now," he said turning back to Oliver. "Give me a moment and I'll have these out."
"Thank you," Oliver answered and headed over to the booth with Hermione, bending down with his back to it when he got there, allowing her to get down and slide into the booth.
"Thank you," Hermione murmured, sliding into the corner of the booth allowing her feet to dangle and looking around self consciously. She grimaced at a slight ache in her ankle, and wondered if Oliver had been right about there still being a lingering injury. She wondered if she shouldn't have insisted on the walk from the bench to the back of the apothecary after all, recalling Madam Pomfrey's warning. She sighed as she sat back and scowled noticing that the previous patrons had left the table dirty. She was about to pull out her wand to clean it when Oliver leaned forward from his side of the table. "What?" she asked.
"You might want to elevate your foot," Oliver said. "It will help keep down any swelling."
"Oh, um," Hermione said biting her lip.
"Here, you can stretch it across," he said moving a little and caught her foot gently as she lifted it to stretch across, guiding it to rest on the bench between his knees. "Do you mind if I have a look?" he asked, arching his brow at her in question.
Hermione shook her head and bit her lip shyly as he carefully eased up the leg of her pants, and rolled her sock down so he could see her ankle without removing her shoe. "What's it look like?" she asked nervously.
"Well," Oliver said with a sigh. "You've got a pretty bad bruise, and its swelling a bit. I think it was broken and Madam Pomfrey mended it, but the muscles are going to be sore for a while, and it might take some time for the bruising and swelling to go down. You're probably going to want to stay off it as much as you can."
Madam Pomfrey wasted no time marching into Gringotts, walking up to the goblin at the large desk at the back, past the long tables on either side and plunking down her red and white pouch with a loudthunkand a slight jingle of coins.
"May I help you?" the goblin at the desk sneered at her rudeness as he looked up from his large ledger.
"You certainly may," Madam Pomfrey said and dug into the pouch for the wad of Muggle paper money and coins Hermione had thrust upon her. "You can exchange this."
"Andwheredid you get this?" the goblin asked.
"What does that matter?" Madam Pomfrey retorted.
"It is our practice to inquire about the source of Muggle money," the goblin said with a hideous grin. "To make sure it wasn't acquired through illegal means."
Madam Pomfrey glared daggers at the goblin. "Are you accusingmeof doing something illegal?" she asked indignantly.
"It is our policy," the goblin replied. "If you don't like it, you can leave."
"FirstIever heard of it," Madam Pomfrey groused in annoyance.
"It's new," the goblin replied with a hideous smile.
"Apparently," Madam Pomfrey replied curtly and shook her head. "But if youmustknow," she continued. "I received it as payment for helping an injured girl. I am well aware that she paid me too much, and I would like to return her change to her if you please."
The goblin studied her for a moment, but Madam Pomfrey's countenance didn't change or reveal any deception regardless of her rather cold annoyance.
"Very well," the goblin said. He reached out and took the money that Madam Pomfrey had pulled from her pouch and counted it. "One thousand, one hundred, eighty-six and sixty-five British pounds sterling," he paused and looked up at her. "Where did thisgirlget this amount of money?"
"How would I know," Madam Pomfrey replied. "I know this girl, she's a student at Hogwarts entering her fourth year. When we've spoken, she's told me that she receives an allowance from her parents while at school and keeping up her grades, I assume that its the accumulation. As I said, she gave itallto me for my services in healing her injury. I would not feel right keeping it all and wish to give her back the difference."
"As -admirable- as that is," the goblin said slowly. "Of what concern is that to me?"
Madam Pomfrey's temper flared. "Thisgirl," she said curtly, her voice sharp like the edge of a knife. "Is the top of her class. She's the brightest witch of her age. She has worked hard to become so. You wouldtarnishher achievements by not allowing me to refund her changecorrectlyso that she can get her school supplieson time? Perhaps I should relay this information to Professor Dumbledore. I'm sure he and the Wizengamot might have something to say about that."
The goblin sneered. "Are you threatening me?" he asked peering at her over his desk.
"Do I have need to?" Madam Pomfrey returned just as coldly.
They stared at each other for some time, each waiting for the other to crack. Finally, the goblin harrumphed.
"Very well," he said huffily when the witch before him didn't so much as wince under his glare. Opening the drawer in his desk, he began counting out the money in Galleons, Sickles and Knuts until he had tall piles of each in gold, silver and bronze. "That will be two hundred, thirty-seven Galleons, five Sickles and seventeen Knuts," he said as he pushed the stacks toward her.
Madam Pomfrey did the math in her head and then nodded as she scooped the money into her pouch. "Thank you," she said coolly. "I will be sure to tell Professor Dumbledore what a help you have been."
"Yes," the goblin replied still sneering.
"Good day," Madam Pomfrey said taking her leave.
"Good day," the goblin replied, still annoyed that the woman hadn't been cowed.