Chapter 7: Seeing Hermione Again
After escorting the family of three to the entrance of Eeylops Owl Emporium, Professor McGonagall glanced through the window at the clock on the wall and exclaimed, "Oh no, we're going to be late!"
All three of them turned their attention to her.
McGonagall said apologetically, "Excuse me, but I must leave you briefly to collect the student I'm meeting at one o'clock."
"You mean you'll be coming back here later, right? Then please, go ahead with your work. Just make sure you get us home safely," Ethan said, speaking for his parents.
"Thank you all for your understanding. I'll take my leave now. I should be back soon." McGonagall pursed her lips, nodded to them, and disappeared into the crowd in a flash.
"Wow! What a convenient way to travel!" Ethan exclaimed.
He shrugged and suggested, "Let's wander around first. After we buy the owl, we can grab something to eat. I saw an ice-cream parlor on the way, Florean Fortescue's. We could see what wizarding ice cream tastes like."
"Good idea." They were all feeling rather hungry after the marathon wand-shopping trip.
When the three of them entered the dark owl shop, they immediately ran into trouble.
Although Ethan had suppressed his presence as much as possible, escaping the notice of ordinary humans and animals, to these specially bred magical owls he stood out like a candle flame in the dark.
Every uncaged owl immediately tried to perch on his shoulder, and they began fighting fiercely over the privilege, feathers flying everywhere.
Even the caged ones went wild, banging against the bars and hooting madly, trying to break free.
The unusual racket quickly woke the shop manager, who had been dozing behind the counter.
The relatively young manager hurried out and tried to calm the birds, but it was hopeless. He quickly turned to the obvious culprit, Ethan.
"You need to step outside, lad. With you in here they simply won't stop!"
Ethan, though flustered, wasn't angry. He quickly pulled his parents along, removed the owls clinging to their shoulders, and retreated to the street.
Standing on the sidewalk, the three of them panted heavily. Owl feathers covered their clothes, their hair was a mess, and they were on the verge of tears.
His mother, Sofia, was particularly horrified; one owl had ripped off her elegant hat during the scuffle, completely ruining her carefully styled hair.
He felt a little guilty. "I'm sorry, Mum. I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
Sofia smoothed her hair, patted his head, and plucked a few feathers from his bangs. "It's okay, darling. It's not your fault that small animals love you."
A moment later the shop manager hurried out and apologized profusely. "I am terribly sorry! I'm Moise, manager of Eeylops Owl Emporium. Please accept my sincerest apologies for what just happened."
As compensation, he offered Ethan any owl in the shop for free.
Looking at Ethan, Moise's eyes gleamed. "What a promising future Magizoologist! A natural-born professional! You're welcome to come work for me the day you graduate!"
"Just tell me what kind of owl you want and I'll bring it out for you!"
Ethan bowed slightly. "Thank you very much, Manager Moise. I need a larger owl that can carry heavier parcels."
Moise nodded and soon returned with a massive brown owl over sixty centimeters long, sporting two distinctive ear tufts.
"Eagle Owl. The biggest bird we have."
"Wow, it's pretty heavy."
The enormous owl settled on Ethan's shoulder with a satisfied hoot, making his shoulder sink noticeably.
Ethan stroked its feathers. "This is the one."
"I'm glad you like him. Here are some of his favorite treats. You can let him fly free. He'll hunt for himself." That was extremely thoughtful of Moise.
After accepting a small bag of owl nuts from the manager, they placed the huge Eagle Owl in its new cage, thanked Moise again, and left.
They bought three ice creams at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, tidied their clothes as best they could, and headed toward Flourish and Blotts.
On the way, Sofia spotted a shop selling beauty potions. Her eyes lit up instantly. She dragged her husband and son inside for a full half-hour and spent two hundred Galleons of Ethan's money on potions guaranteed to keep her looking youthful forever.
Carrying a small, exquisitely wrapped parcel, Sofia was beaming with joy. Even when they finally reached Flourish and Blotts, she was still smiling from ear to ear.
"You got a bargain with those two hundred Galleons, son. In a regular Muggle cosmetics shop, your mother could spend two thousand pounds and not be this happy for half as long." Albert whispered to Ethan, dropping back a couple of steps.
"It's worth it, but it's tough on my wallet. I'll have to visit the vault again soon." Ethan replied with a wry smile, shuddering dramatically.
"You go get it yourself. These old bones want to live a few more years." Albert shuddered too and patted his shoulder sympathetically.
Sofia, oblivious to the father-son conspiracy behind her, called out, "What are you two whispering about? Hurry up!"
"Coming!" Albert slung an arm around Ethan's shoulders and quickly caught up.
Inside Flourish and Blotts, the three were awestruck: shelves towered to the ceiling, packed with books of every size and material. Massive stone-like tomes bound in leather sat alongside tiny silk-covered volumes no bigger than postage stamps, and many that appeared to be made of bark or strange shimmering metal.
When the assistant learned Ethan was a first-year, he immediately produced the complete set of required texts.
"All the books needed for first-years. Thirteen Galleons total."
Professor McGonagall still hadn't returned, and the parents were exhausted from shopping. The bookstore was quiet, so Ethan casually browsed while they rested.
Before long, he had gathered an armful of extra titles: an extra Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), Curses and Counter-Curses, Confronting the Faceless, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration (again), and many more.
If he had known the shop offered owl delivery, he would have bought half the store. The dozen extra books he was already holding were heavy enough.
Seeing a big spender, the clerk happily offered free owl delivery for any purchases.
Ethan no longer held back. He bought everything that caught his eye and quickly emptied his money pouch again.
"Mum, Dad, rest here a bit. I'm running to Gringotts for more cash!"
Sofia, now deeply engrossed in a romance novel whose illustrations moved enchantingly, simply waved him off.
Ethan pulled a mock-heartbroken face at his father, clutching his chest dramatically. Albert burst out laughing.
When Ethan reached Gringotts, he happened to run straight into Professor McGonagall escorting another new student and her parents to exchange money.
"Hello, Professor," he greeted politely.
McGonagall turned in surprise. "Mr. Jones? Whatever brings you back to Gringotts so soon?"
He patted his now-flat money pouch. "Ran out of money. Came to get more."
"Mr. Jones?" a familiar voice muttered.
The girl beside McGonagall whipped around curiously.
"Ethan?!"
"Hi, Hermione. Lovely to see you again." Ethan smiled brightly.
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