Chapter 74
"Ah, here we are," Florean said as he came up to the booth where Oliver and Hermione sat, two metal dishes in his hands that were towering with the ice cream that they had ordered. He paused, seeing the mess on the table and drew his wand from the pocket of his apron. "Scorgify," he said, pointing his wand at the table while he held the metal dishes in one hand, a towel in between. "Sorry about that," he apologized as he tucked his wand back in the pocket of his apron and set the ice cream before each of them.
"It's alright," Hermione said with a smile as she dug into her ice cream.
"Yeah," Oliver added. "We came in at a busy time."
"Well, I appreciate it," Florean said and knelt down. "Now," he asked Hermione. "Do you mind if I take a look at your foot?"
Hermione bit her lip looking uncertainly at Oliver but nodded and pulled her foot from the bench and carefully swung it around so Florean could look at it.
Florean grasped it gently. "First thing, let's get your shoe and sock off, do you mind?" he asked looking at her questioningly. At the shake of her head he continued to carefully remove her shoe and sock as he continued. "At one time, I could have been a healer, or even a teacher at Hogwarts."
"What happened?" Hermione asked, realizing that he was trying to destract her as well as provide some comfort in his experience.
"Well," Florean continued. "I saw how many students treated the teachers, and I didn't want to go through that, so I turned down teaching."
"And being a healer?" Hermione asked.
"Most of them seemed too up tight," Florean said with a smile. "I wanted to make people happy, and allow them to have fun. What better way to do that then to open up an ice cream shop?"
By this time, Hermione noticed that the man had successfully removed her shoe and sock without causing her additional pain, and she glanced down to see how bruised and swollen her ankle was and cringed.
"Now, my hands are cold, I know, but it will help ease some of the pain and swelling, alright?"
Hermione nodded and bit her lip, hissing slightly at the chill from his hands as he wrapped them around her ankle.
"Are you alright?" Florean asked after a moment when Hermione relaxed.
"Yes," she replied. "I - I think it was just how sudden it was. It's not bad now, thank you."
"You're welcome," Florean said.
He looked up as the door opened and the bell over it rang in a clear chime, and released Hermione's foot as he stood.
"Ah, hello there," he said. "It's good to see you again, Madam Pomfrey," he said as the witch came over to the booth. "Is there anything I can get you?"
Madam Pomfrey looked over at Oliver and Hermione and sighed, seeing that they already had ordered. "I'll have a vanilla, I suppose," she answered.
"Very good," Florean replied and headed off behind the counter.
"Small," Madam Pomfrey called out.
Florean raised his hand to acknowledge her request. "You got it."
He headed to the sink behind the counter and washed his hands, drying them before he began filling her order.
Madam Pomfrey moved closer to the booth on Hermione's side. "Let me see," she said and Hermione nodded, showing the mediwitch her foot. Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Just as I thought," she said curtly. "You didn't just twist it."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, confused.
"It was broken," Oliver murmured.
"Right you are, Mr. Wood," Madam Pomfrey said when Hermione looked at them both in surprise.
"That's why you couldn't really stand on it, and also why its so bruised and swollen," Oliver explained. "I've had a couple broken bones before myself."
"The bones are healed now," Madam Pomfrey said and sat down on the bench beside Oliver as he moved to make room for her. "But the muscles and tissues will take time to recover. You'll need to ice it to help the swelling to go down and the bruises to fade. It was good that Florean tended to it. He would have indeed made an excellent healer."
"Thank you," Florean said coming back with her ice cream, setting the small dish in front of her. "Here you are," he said with a smile to the mediwitch. "But as you know, I enjoy my work here."
"Yes, I am well aware," Madam Pomfrey said with a slight grimace as she took a bite of her ice cream.
"Here," Florean said as he knelt down by Hermione's side of the table once more. "I seem to recall something that might help if you don't have any ice on hand."
"Oh?" Hermione asked curiously as she watched him gently roll her pant leg up and set her still bared foot gently on the bench.
Florean smiled at her reassuringly as he withdrew his wand and pointed it at her ankle. He paused and glanced at Madam Pomfrey but she seemed intent on watching him as she ate the rest of her ice cream. Turning back to Hermione, he smiled again then focused on her foot and with flick of his wand, he murmured, "Gelidus tarso."
Hermione hissed, tensing slightly at the sudden chill that focused solely around her ankle, as though someone had surrounded it with an ice pack without warning.
"Are you okay?" Florean asked.
Hermione relaxed slowly and nodded as she became accustomed to the sensation.
"Yes, thank you," she said, and slowly rotated her ankle to find that the pain had subsided.
"Well, its nice to see that you remember some of my lessons from the infirmary," Madame Pomfrey said, pushing away what little remained in her small bowl.
"But of course," Florean said with a smile and collected her bowl. "I'll leave you to it then," he said, picking up on the pointed look Madam Pomfrey gave him.
Madam Pomfrey drew her and an intricate concealment spell over their booth. Hermione noticed that the wand movements were a combination of the imperturbable charm and the disillusionment charm.
"So then," Oliver asked when the mediwitch sat down after completing her spellwork. "I - I take it that you were able to -"
"Of course I was," Madam Pomfrey admonished.
"But...how?" Hermione asked.
Madam Pomfrey harrumphed and looked at the pare of them indignantly. "Well, they don't call me the dragon lady for nothing, now do they?" She looked around at the pair of them when they didn't reply and saw twin expressions of guilt and unease. "What?" she asked.
"It's just -" Hermione began but then broke off.
"Youknowabout that?" Oliver finished when Hermione didn't continue.
Madam Pomfrey laughed derisively. "Well, ofcourseI know," she said with a tone of condescension. "Who do you think started it?"
"Youstarted it?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
"Of course I did," Madam Pomfrey replied.
"But -" Oliver began and then hesitated a moment. "Why?"
"What better way to keep young ones safe than to run the infirmary as place that theyreallydon't want to visit?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "Then of course therehavebeen a few who've been up to the challenge," she said with a wry smile. "Come now, let's finish up our business now that you've both finished your ice cream. I'd like to get back to my shopping before long."
"Alright," Hermione said as she watched the mediwitch pull out her red and white leather pouch from the pocket of her robes.
"Now, you said you wanted to pay me," Madam Pomfrey said.
Hermione nodded. "Something at least," she said. "It would be only fair. After all, not only did you heal my ankle, you took time out of your day to help us with the transaction at Gringotts."
"Very well," Madam Pomfrey said. "I can see there's no talking you out of it."
"There's no talking her out of anything once she's got her mind set on it," Oliver murmured, and grinned when Hermione gave him a faux scowl.
"So I see," Madam Pomfrey said resignedly and sighed. "Alright then," she relented. She pursed her lips and looked at Hermione with a calculating gaze for a moment. "You gave me enough muggle money to obtain two hundred thirty-seven galleons, five sickles and seventeen knuts. My normal fee which isallI would charge you for my services, is seven galleons, fourteen sickles and three knuts." She paused and removed eight galleons and set it on the table. "Mr. Wood," she said, drawing his attention and handing one of the eight to him. Would you please go and get change from Mr. Fortescue?"
"Sure," Oliver said and moved out of the booth, passing through the charms when the mediwitch let him out of the booth.
"Now," Madame Pomfrey said turning back to her pouch. "Once Mr. Wood gets back with the change, we will complete the transaction, but subtracting my fee, I will owe you two hundred twenty-nine galleons, two sickles and twenty-seven knuts."
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said as Oliver returned and slid into the booth beside her, gently lifting her foot and laying it across his lap, able to move back through the charms, she guessed, because he'd been there when they were created.
"Here you are, Madam Pomfrey," Oliver said, sliding a stack of silver sickles and a handful of bonze knuts toward her.
"Thank you, Mr. Wood," Madam Pomfrey replied. Starting with the bronze, she counted out twenty-seven knuts, and slid them across the table to Hermione who had gotten her own pouch out of the pocket of her robes, and scooped them in as Madam Pomfrey also slid two silver sickles toward her. Finally, Madam Pomfrey ended the transaction by counting out the galleons in groups of ten until she had counted out two hundred twenty-nine galleons.
"Thank you so much for your help," Hermione said. "For this," she said with a nod toward the money she was scooping into her pouch. "And for healing my ankle."
"Healing your ankle was my job," Madam Pomfrey said. "And you paid me for that. Helping with anything else, was just a favor, and you're welcome. I couldn't let you head off to school without getting your supplies, now could I?" She paused taking in the confused expression on Hermione's face. "What is it, dear?"
"I - well, I thought I'd given you all of it," Hermione said as she studied the pouch as she scooped the wizard coins into it, and noticed that there was still some folded bills in the pouch that had lain folded and vertical so she hadn't noticed them before. "I guess I hadn't."
"Perhaps it's better that way," Oliver said.
"Mr. Wood is correct," Madam Pomfrey replied. "You might need Muggle money later on, so its best to keep some of both." Hermione nodded and Madam Pomfrey waited until she had scooped the last of the galleons into her pouch and pocketed it before cancelling the charms. "Now then," she said once the charms were ended. "You should ice your ankle or use the spell Mr. Fortescue showed you for twenty minutes, and then off for twenty minutes. You should also stay off of it as much as you can while the tissues heal."
"Okay," Hermione said with a nod. "Thank you."
"I must return to my shopping and allow you to do yours," the mediwitch said standing. "Good day to you," she said with a curt nod.
"Bye," Hermione and Oliver said nearly in sync.
Madam Pomfrey looked skyward and then back at them before shaking her head with a wry smile before heading out of the shop.