Catching Her Heart Pt. 2

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 only really need 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.