Chapter 79
Hermione sighed, stretching and opening her eyes when she felt a slight ache in her ankle. It really did feel better now since she'd had the opportunity to soak it last night before going to bed, and she'd been grateful to Cherry for the assistance the elf provided her getting in and out of the tub. She wished she'd had the chance to soak it when they had gotten back from their shopping trip but figured that since the next thing she remembered was waking up yesterday morning and spending the morning with Cherry that the stress of the injury and the day's events had exhausted her and she'd fallen asleep without realizing it.
She listened to the stillness, wondering what time it was, but wasn't too concerned since it appeared to be rather light. Sitting up, she swung her legs out of bed, wiggling and pointing her toes and flexing her feet for a few moments, testing her muscles and ankle again. She slid from her bed, gradually putting her weight on it and bit her lip at the slight twinge of pain in her muscles. Deciding on another soak, she ignored the discomfort and gathered a change of clothes and the salts for her bath and slowly limped her way to the shared bathroom, refusing to call on Cherry.
She locked the hall door and reached in the closest, grabbing a towel, setting it on the counter with her clothes her clothes and the salts, making her way to the door to Oliver's room. She knocked softly, but didn't hear a response, so she carefully slid it open, and peered inside. His room was still dim, but there was enough light that she was able to see, and smiled, finding that he was still asleep. She watched him for a moment, before turning her head as a blush crept up her cheeks as she realized what she was doing, and she quietly closed and locked the door.
Returning to the sink, she picked up the salt along with her towel and moved to the tub. Laying the towel on the wide ledge of the tub, she started the water and added in an appropriate measure of her salt before going to the sink. Picking up the toothbrush she'd left in the bathroom since she arrived, and pushing her clothes along the counter away from the sink to prevent them from getting wet, she started her day with brushing her teeth.
Once she was done, she headed to the tub, turning off the tap. A moment later, after all her preparations were complete, she slid into the water, sighing as the warm water enveloped her and the salts worked their magic on her injured ankle, relishing in the warmth and relief, she closed her eyes, allowing her head to rest on the edge of the tub.
She guessed that she had been soaking in the warm water for about ten minutes when she heard the doorknob click to.
"Lass?" Oliver called through the door.
"Yes?" Hermione called back.
"Oh, sorry," Oliver called. "I thought maybe I'd locked the door on accident last night."
"I'll be out in a minute," Hermione called.
"Okay," Oliver replied. "Call Cherry if you need help."
"All right," Hermione called and sighed in frustration.
She flicked the knob on the tub, allowing the water to drain and pulled herself from the tub, sitting on the wide ledge for a moment, her feet drying on the soft, furry mat before she dried off and made her way over to the sink. Her foot didn't bother her so much now, but she still dressed carefully, using the counter for balance when she needed to lift her feet. When she was dressed, she gathered her discarded clothes and unlocked the door to Oliver's room.
"I'm done," she called out and headed back to her room, walking a little easier now after her soak. She heard Oliver enter the other side of the bathroom as she put her clothes away for cleaning later, and grabbed her brush, combing out her hair. Once she was finished, she climbed back on the bed and grabbed her book, reading while she waited for Oliver to finish, knowing that he'd help her up to breakfast when he was done. She looked up a few moments later when she heard the door to the bathroom unlock and open.
"You didn't call on Cherry, did you, lass?" Oliver asked with a knowing look as he observed her, leaning against the doorway.
"No," Hermione replied unconcernedly and turned back to her book, turning the page. "I didn't."
"Ready for breakfast?" Oliver asked, smirking and moving into her room from the doorway.
Hermione put her bookmark into her book and snapped it shut. "Sure," she said, setting the book down and moving to the edge of her bed. Oliver came over and with a sigh of resignation, she wrapped her arms around his neck when he knelt with his back to her.
She was surprised when, after breakfast, he repeated the action and they followed Juniper and Hickory outside and down to the barn.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked in confusion.
"We thought of a way for you to go for a ride," Juniper said happily, turning back to smile at her.
"You - you have?" Hermione asked and swallowed nervously when Juniper smiled at her.
"Relax," Oliver murmured as his mother went ahead to catch up with his father. "There's still some work to do before then, and you won't be alone."
"I - I won't?" Hermione asked.
Oliver shook his head and reached up, tapping his hand on her arm that was wrapped around his collarbone like a vice and shook his head. "No," he confirmed. "You won't be alone on your horse. Mom and dad thought it best that, given your injury and not wanting to worsen it, it would be better if you rode double."
Hermione sighed in relief and pressed her forehead between Oliver's shoulders for a moment as she relaxed, loosening her grip around his collarbone.
"There's still some work to do, we have to turn out the other horses first," Oliver said.
"But they haven't eaten yet, have they?" Hermione asked.
Oliver smiled. "You're learning," he said with praise. "But to answer your question, Dad took care of them this morning with Cherry. It was her day to help, that's why I asked about whether you called her this morning or not."
A short time later, Juniper led Sugar out of the mare barn and over to the nearby rail where she tied her with the reins of her bridle as Oliver brought up her saddle and laid it on the fence.
"But I thought you said we were riding together?" Hermione said, looking at the mare in confusions.
"Sure did," Hickory called from behind her.
Hermione turned to see him leading Diablo down from the stallion barn, the horse already saddled and ready to go. She swallowed at seeing the horse that stood at 15.1 hands tall as Oliver called it, walking up beside Hickory.
"You and Oliver will be riding on Diablo, here," Hickory said, tying him nearby like Juniper had done with Sugar.
"But how?" Hermione asked, looking in trepidation at the tall stallion.
"Well, we can do this one of two ways," Hickory said. "We can boost you up or -"
"Why don't you show her," Oliver said with a grin.
Maybe you're right," Hickory said, looking between Hermione and Diablo. He untied the reins again and led Diablo in a wide circle, before coming to a stop again a short distance from where Hermione sat. "Down," he said, looking at the horse and giving a signal with his hand. "Down, down," he repeated, and to Hermione's amazement, the large horse obeyed his command and lumbered to the ground. It was then that Hermione notice that instead of one of the shining, polished leather saddles, he wore a worn one.
Once Diablo was lying on the ground, Hickory called to Hermione, and Oliver helped her up and over to the horse as he turned his broad head to watch her, his breath coming in loud whooshes.
"What do you want me to do?" Hermione asked nervously.
"First off," Hickory said, he knows your injured. "We don't normally ask him to get down like this. He was trained to do this for an injured rider. He'll know to take it easy with you for sure. You want to let him smell you and to pet him first, let him know you trust him to take care of you."
Hermione reached out and let Diablo smell her hand, laughing softly as his breath tickled her skin, and rubbed his nose, forehead and neck as she moved closer.
"All right then," Hickory said. "Now you want to come over here behind him, right by me, that's it, girl," he continued as Hermione joined him and he put a gentle hand on her back to steady her as she moved in front of him to the saddle. "All right, now," Hickory continued once she was in line with the saddle. "You're going to lift your left leg, and put your foot in that stirrup on his other side."
"But," Hermione said fearfully. "I'll fall."
"Nay, lass," Hickory said. "I'll be here to help."
Hermione swallowed and moved closer to the saddle, and lifted her foot only to put it down again in the same spot when she felt herself sway.
"It's all right," Hickory said. "Try again."
"But what about Oliver," Hermione asked.
Hickory sighed and rolled his eyes looking to his son.
"It's okay," Oliver said. "I'll get on when he's up."
"Come on, lass," Hickory said. "He's starting to think you don't trust him."
"It's okay, Hermione," Juniper called and Hermione looked up to see Juniper already up in the saddled on Sugar, turning the mare to watch them. "You can do it."
Hermione nodded and took a deep breath, steeling herself. She felt reassured as Hickory's strong hand came up to support her as she lifted her foot once more, this time, she stood firm with Hickory offering balance and she was able to get her foot into the stirrup. It was rather awkward, and she was at a slight angle, but she was in the saddle.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Now I want you to grab hold of the saddle horn in one hand and some of his mane in the other around the root and we're going to get him up," Hickory told her.
"That won't hurt him, will it?" Hermione asked in concern.
"Naw, it won't hurt him none," Hickory said. "It just gives you more anchor when he moves, to keep yourself where you are. Their manes are pretty hardy."
Hermione nodded and did as she was instructed.
"All right, lass," Hickory said after a moment, watching her. "You got a good hold?"
Hermione nodded.
"Okay then, lean forward as he gets up, all right?" Hickory asked and saw her nod once more. "All right, up, up, Diablo," he called rocking the horse and it lurched to its feet, taking Hermione with him and Hickory smiled at the look of amazement on her face that she was now astride the tall horse. "See," Hickory said. Now that wasn't so hard, now was it?"
"No," Hermione said, still in awe.
"See, I knew you could do it!" Juniper cheered.
"Now you aren't going to want to go for a long ride like this," Hickory said sternly.
"Why not?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Well, we don't know what you actually weigh, dear," Juniper explained. "But Oliver's got some meat on him. You never want go give a horse more than twenty percent of their body weight for long, and even though he's big and heavy at four hundred and fifty kilograms, he can only carry about ninety kilograms for long."
"You look pretty healthy, so I'm guessing you're about average for your age," Hickory said.
"Just over forty-seven," Hermione said with a blush.
"Yeah, well, with Oliver's being just over sixty-four, you don't want to ride too long," Hickory said. "Sure we got Storm Dancer and Icarus who are bigger, but with that their bred for, I'd rather not risk injury and the stallions can carry more than the mares anyway. Diablo here's our best bet. Where do you plan on riding anyway?"
"Well," Oliver said coming around to Diablo's side. "I was thinking we'd go down to the Pitch for a while, and then come back up."
Hickory nodded. "That'd do all right. Plan on showing off, do you?"
Oliver just laughed and nodded, flushing slightly.
"Well, no harm in it I guess," Hickory said. "Just make sure he gets a long rest in between and then cool him out when you get back."
Oliver nodded again.
"And remember -"
"I know," Oliver said with a smile. "No magic around the horses. Don't worry, Dad," he continued. "We'll ride through into the pitch and let Hermione off, then we'll tied the horses outside the pitch so they don't see me."
Hickory nodded and turned, waving to them and headed off to the stallion barn again.
"Okay, Hermone," Oliver said moving closer to Diablo's side and guiding the reins over Diablo's head. "I need you to take your feet from the stirrups a moment and put them in front of them."
Hermione did so, and watched as Oliver put his foot into the stirrup and swung up behind her before moving back so he sat on Diablo's hind quarters, his feet now free of the stirrups and she tightened her grip on the saddle horn when she felt the stallion shift under them with his added weight.
"It's all right now, you can sit back and use the stirrups again," he said, reaching around her to the reins in one hand and held onto the back of the saddle, the cantle as he'd told her when they had worked in the tack room the day she'd met the horses and Cherry, with the other. "Ready?" he asked.
"Whenever you two are," Juniper said, backing Sugar up and turning her toward the path that led to the pitch through the edge of the trees.
"Ready," Hermione said once she was situated in the saddle again, her feet back in the stirrups.
Oliver nodded and clucked his tongue and they were off.
Later that evening, after her bath, Hermione was lounging on her bed with a book when Oliver knocked on the door of their shared bathroom and she looked up to see him leaning against the door frame.
He entered when she saw him and came over to sit on the edge of the bed next to her. "What are you reading?" Oliver asked, noticing that it wasn't one of the school books they had picked up nor was it one of her older school books.
"Oh, its one of a series I saw in your father's office," she replied, closing the book so he could see the title.
"House-Elves and Self-Hatredvolume seven?" Oliver asked curiously. "How many volumes are there?" he asked when Hermione nodded.
"Eight," she answered, turning back to the book.
"And you've read those other six already?" Oliver asked in surprise.
Again, Hermione nodded. "He let me borrow them my first night after learning I was interested in helping the house elves. I've been reading when I wake up at night if I can't get back to sleep and when I have a spare moment."
"I see," Oliver said. "Find anything useful?"
"Not really," Hermione said. "Its a bit sad, actually. I was hoping to find something I could use to help their cause, maybe something that said where they came from, how it all started with their servitude to wizards, but I haven't found anything like that," she said with a sigh.
"Looks like you're halfway through this one already," Oliver noted. "Maybe you'll find what you're looking for. Any plans on what you'll do?"
"I was thinking about starting a club at school," Hermione said. "You know, to bring awareness to their situation? What do you think?"
Oliver thought about it for a moment. "That could be a good idea," he admitted. "Particularly when it comes to those from Muggle families. Do you have a name for this club yet?"
"No," Hermione said with a sigh. "Right now its just an idea I was kicking around."
"Well, let me know when you decide, won't you?" Oliver asked. "If there's anything I can do to help..." Oliver trailed off as he pushed himself to his feet and headed for the door.
"Oh," Hermione said giving him pause. "Did you want something?"
"Oh, yeah," Oliver said turning back. "Mum said tomorrow she can help you with your laundry before school so you can have everything clean before you go back."
"Okay, thanks," Hermione said with a smile. "Good night."
"Goodnight," Oliver returned and headed off to his room.