Chapter 75
"Shall we go?" Oliver asked after a moment once their laughter at Madam Pomfrey's parting expression had subsided.
"Yeah," Hermione said and began digging in her pouch.
"I can get it," Oliver interrupted.
"Oh, its okay," Hermione assured him. "You have to get the medicine for Ash. I got this." Pulling out ten galleons, she laid them on the table as Oliver lifted her foot from his lap and slid from the booth. He laughed and then turned to her with a grin.
"You know you're over paying right?" he asked. "Our ice creams were only *three gallons each and Madam Pomfrey's was one galleon, 8 sickles and 5 knuts."
"I know," Hermione answered. "But he helped up get a table, taught us the spell, and helped with my ankle. The rest is a tip."
Oliver nodded, chuckling once more and moved to the opposite side of the table where he retrieved her discarded sock, tucking it inside her shoe. Holding it in one hand, he went back and turned his back to her. "Come on," he said waiting for her to get on his back again. Hermione sighed in resignation and moved closer, wrapping her arms loosely around Oliver's neck after she had tucked her pouch away in her pocket.
"Bye, thanks for coming!" Florean called out and waved to them from behind the counter, and Oliver turned to face him so that he and Hermione could wave back before they headed out the door of the shop into the crowded street.
"So, what do you have to get?" Oliver asked. "Where shall we go first?"
"Well, I onlyreallyneed two spell books this year," Hermione replied. "I have them already, but mine are so worn and dog eared from being read so much, they should probably be replaced, and then there's my dress robes."
"Oh, good, not too far then," Oliver said, nodding toward the shops in question across the street.
"I should probably pick up some supplies for Crookshanks while I'm here to," Hermione said. "I'm really sorry, I don't mean to be such a pain."
"Don't worry about it," Oliver said as he made a beeline across the street, moving this way and that to avoid other witches and wizards and trying not to bump Hermione's foot against anything. "Oh," he said as they were swept up the street a little ways and he had to fight the crowd to get back on track. "I've been meaning to ask you where he was."
"Well, given the problems he caused with Ron last year, I left him at home with my parents," Hermione explained. "I had arranged for them to meet me outside the platform entrance to pick him up before school started when I learned that Mr. Weasley was able to get a ticket for me to go to the Quidditch World Cup final."
"Oh, well, that was a good idea," Oliver said and peered over his shoulder at Hermione when she had fallen quiet. "Are you okay, lass?" he asked, finding her expression worrying. "You didn't get bumped, did you?"
"Oh, yes," she said, blinking and coming back to the present. "I mean, no, I'm alright. I still find it hard to believe that there was an attack. Security seemed so high with aurors and ministry officials everywhere."
"Yeah," Oliver agreed. "It was all rather surprising. It's hard to believe it was just three days ago..."
Hermione expelled a deep sigh and tightened her hold on Oliver, nestling her head on his shoulder, and couldn't help it when her eyes welled with tears. "At least..." she murmured. "As far as we know anyway - we haven't lost anyone important to us."
Oliver made a mad dash for the curb when there was a clear path and reached the store front of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. He knelt down so that she could stand once more and turned to her, taking in the tears that rolled down her cheeks and his heart clenched.
"Hey, hey, hey," he said gently and reached up, drying her eyes. "Don't cry," he murmured. "This is suppose to be a happy time. You're starting your fourth year. After this year, there's only three more years to go."
"But it will be without you," Hermione said glumly.
Oliver sighed. "I know it's going to be hard, and I'll miss you, too," he assured her. "But I'm only an owl away."
"You promise?" Hermione asked uncertainly.
"Of course," Oliver said with a smile. "We've got three more days, let's make the most of them."
Hermione gave him a watery smile. "Cookies with your mum?" she asked.
"Yeah," Oliver replied. "That's it. Cookies with my mum. Now come on, we need to finish getting your things."
"Mr.Wood!" Madam Malkin scolded a short time later as she nearly stumbled over him for the fourth time as she moved about, taking Hermione's measurements as Oliver tried to help Hermione maintain her balance and stand up straight for she was still wearing only one shoe. "If you don't stop this nonsense and get out of my way I will stab you with a pin! I swear it!"
Hermione couldn't help the giggle that tore from her lips at the woman's threat as she had teetered back and forth as the two had run circles around her for the last fifteen minutes.
"I'mtryingto help her keep her balance!" Oliver retorted.
"Well, she'dhaveher balance if you'd give her back her shoe!" Madam Malkin shot back as they circled once more, Oliver keeping his distance from the woman after her threat.
"I told you," Oliver answered. "It's better that she not wear it at the moment, her muscles -"
"Need to heal," Madam Malkin interjected. "Yes, yes, I know. I heard you the first time. If nothing else, I will get a staff for her to aid in her balance, butyouare in my way!"
"Maybe," Hermione said after a moment, looking down at Oliver from where she stood on the dais the woman had her standing on so that her measurements could be taken, "you'd better go..."
"You're sure?" Oliver asked looking up at her for confirmation.
Hermione nodded. "Perhaps, it would give you a chance to get Ash's medicine."
"Or the books you need, or maybe the supplies for Crookshanks," Oliver suggested and Hermione smiled. Oliver sighed acquiesced. "All right, fine," he said to Madam Malkin. "I'll go."
"Thank Merlin," Madam Malkin said.
"But you will get this staff for her before I go," Oliver demanded.
The woman sighed and threw down her pin cushion at Oliver's insistence and headed off, returning with a tall, thin wooden pole that was rounded and smooth to the touch. She held it out and then pulled it back when Oliver reached for it, glaring at him until he dropped his hand. Hermione giggled, and reached out, taking hold of the pole when the woman held out out again.
"Fine, I'm going," Oliver said.
"Well, hip hip hooray," Madam Malkin replied. "And don't stumble on the way out, deary."
Hermione couldn't stifle her laugh at their interaction.
"Oh, I'll be sure not to," Oliver said. "Or on the way back in, when I come back."
"Oh joy," Madam Malkin said flatly and sighed. "Very well. We'll be done in about twenty minutes."
"I'll be back," Oliver murmured and squeezed Hermione's hand.
"Okay," she replied and moved to watch him head out the door before she winced as Madam Malkin poked her with a pin. "Ouch!"
"I need you stand up straight and be still," Madam Malkin said.
"Yes, ma'am," Hermione said. She was surprised to find that there was no real purpose for the pins today, other than keeping her and Oliver on their toes. She stood up straight though, using the pole for balance as the seamstress moved about, a magical measuring tape taking her measurements and the seamstress transcribing them in the file she kept since her first year visit. Hermione smiled as she recalled the woman reminding her of Mary Poppins.
"Now then," Madam Malkin said once she was done taking Hermione's measurements and helped her down from the dais and over to a nearby chaise lounge couch where she could sit down and get off her foot. "Is there any special design or color that you'd like?"
"Well, um," Hermione said nervously and dug into her pocket for the small box. She held it out to Madam Malkin. "I was hoping for something that these would go well with."
Madam Malkin took the box and opened it. "My, theyarelovely," she said. "Are they your mother's?"
Hermione shook her head. "They were a gift from Oliver," she answered. "I just... haven't really had the opportunity to wear them, or anything they went with. I know he won't be there to see them, but I thought - perhaps there would be the opportunity if we were required to get dress robes."
Madam Malkin nodded and looked thoughtfully at the earrings she held in her hand before she closed the box again. "Well, that's unexpected," she said. "Do you mind if I hang onto them for a while? I'll see what I can do."
Hermione bit her lip.
"He's got good taste," Madam Malkin said. "I have to give him that."
Hermione smiled and nodded.
Oliver returned a short time later, carrying a medium sized package. Madam Malkin got up, tucking the box in her pocket and gathering Hermione's file and the new notes, heading behind the counter as he made his way over to the chaise he set them down, Hermione saw that it was from the Magical Menagerie, and knew that it would hold everything that she needed for Crookshanks, at least until the Christmas holidays anyway.
"Ready?" Oliver asked.
"Are we?" Hermione asked, turning to look at Madam Malkin behind the counter.
"Yes, dear," the seamstress replied.
"How much do I owe you?" Hermione asked, getting to her feet with Oliver's help though she noticed the alarm and warning look in his eyes.
"Oh, nothing now, dear," Madam Malkin replied. "I'll include an invoice with your order when I send it. Since it's likely to be a custom order, I won't know until its completed, but I do keep meticulous notes, so it will be a fair price, not to worry."
"Thank you," Oliver said, and Madam Malkin nodded. "What do you think?" Oliver asked, turning to Hermione. "Do you want to try putting your shoe back on?"
Hermione bit her lip a moment and then nodded. "Yes," she said after a moment. "It's been long enough that the spell can be removed too. Maybe having had it on so long will help in getting my shoe on again."
Oliver withdrew his wand and waved it over the package shrinking it, then tucked it into his shirt pocket, and turned his back allowing Hermione to reach his back again.
"Thank you," Hermione said and waved to the seamstress.
"You're welcome, dear," the woman called after them.
"Thank you for getting the pet supplies for Crookshanks," Hermione said as Oliver headed next door to Flourish and Blotts.
"You're welcome, lass" Oliver said. "I would have come here first, but there was a longer line then. And it also made sense to go to the Menagerie first because it was the opposite direction than we needed to go to finish our shopping trip."
There was quite a line into the shop when they got there, and Oliver waited patiently with Hermione on his back until they got to stoop under the large window a little away from the door and he let her down.
"Think you're ready to try wearing your shoe again?" he asked.
"Yes, please," Hermione answered. "I think the spell can be removed for a while, too. Having it active so long might help with getting my shoe back on."
Oliver nodded and dug into his pants pocket, he drew out a shrunken sock and shoe and returned them to their normal size. He knelt down, allowing Hermione to hang onto his shoulder for balance and held the toe of the sock open so that Hermione could ease her foot into it. Once her sock was on with easy, Oliver unlaced her shoe, holding it open so that she could slip her foot in without hurting her bruised foot. He laced the shoe up carefully, so it was secure, but not too snug. "Is that good?" he asked when he was done.
Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yes, thank you. How did you know?"
"Oh, I've had a few injuries, myself," Oliver said. "Or maybe you forgot about the times I was in the hospital wing after a quidditch match?"
Hermione blushed and shook her head.
They waited in line a few more minutes before they found their way into the crowded shop and while Oliver was loath to do so, he let Hermione walk on her own power through the crowded isles to find the books she needed. She then paid two galleons for them at the counter, Oliver stayed close in case she needed him. He grabbed the package for her, and held her hand aloft as they made their way out of the shop again where they were able to breathe easier and Hermione was once more riding collieback Oliver made his way back to the Apothecary.