Chapter 97 - Florean Fortescue Ice Cream Parlor

As usual, Rowan and Severus weakly exit the enchanted vehicle as they wait on unsteady feet to gain their bearings. "Severus!" The familiar voice of Lily called out!

Severus gulped down any feeling of vomit as Lily happily ran over and waved to her parents. Mr. Evans, a ginger man with brown eyes drags a school trunk behind him, while Mrs. Evans, a dark-haired woman with emerald eyes carries an empty owl cage in her arms. "Where's Nibby?" Severus croaked.

"I sent her over to your place, she should be there by now," Lily explained.

Straightening up, Rowan idly remarks, "And where's Petunia?"

Lily's face slightly falters as she says, "Tuney wasn't feeling very well and stayed home."

Seeing Lily's face, Rowan doesn't press for more as the Reginald extends his hand to greet the Evans couple. "Thank you for having Lily over," Mr. Evans said.

"We are sorry for the trouble," Mrs. Evans added.

"It is no trouble at all," Reginald graciously declared, before leading them over to the vehicle's trunk. With ease, the Evans slide the trunk and owl cage into the enchanted trunk, before Reginald locks the vehicle.

"A pleasure to see you again, Mr. and Mrs.'s Evans," Severus sincerely said as the Evans couple stopped before them.

"Likewise, Severus," the Evans couple replied, before glancing over at Rowan. "You as well, Rowan."

"Thank you," Rowan stiffly replied as the Evans couple hid a smile at seeing her slightly green-tinted visage.

"Then we will take our leave, Mr. Prince and leave Lily, in your care," Mr. Evans said as Mrs. Evans warmly embraced her daughter in a hug goodbye.

"Promise to write, Lily-bear," Mrs. Evans whispered into her daughter's ear as Lily hummed in reply.

"I will ensure that she is properly returned in the same state," Reginald promised to Mr. Evan's relief. Mr. Evans reaches over and lovingly pats Lily on the hand, before reaching over for his wife's hand and walking back to their own car.

"Well, then shall we go, children?" Reginald asked as they all nodded their heads in reply. The three children follow after Reginald's long strides as Lily only pauses to glance back and wave at her parents, before running back to catch up.

With practiced ease and confidence, Reginald leads the children through the Leaky Cauldron and back out towards the alley. Tapping his wand on the bricks, three up and two across the entrance of Diagon Alley appears. Having seen this the year before, the children don't stop to gape and closely follow behind Reginald into Diagon Alley. Lily and Severus slightly gape in awe, but in a much more restrained manner as this was their second visit after all.

With the sun shining brightly overhead, Reginald promptly leads the children to the grand snow-white building in the distance. "We'll first exchange, Miss Evan's money and then head off," Reginald explained.

As per usual, goblins stand in uniform before the burnished bronze doors. Lily and Severus study the grand marble hall as they head over to the place of currency exchange. Gringotts is busy as goblins bow and escort patrons, while hundreds of goblins sit on high stools behind counters, scribble in ledgers, weighing coins, examining precious stones, and much, much more.

The three children remain behind with Reginald until they are called up by a free gobbling. "Currency exchange for Miss Evans," Reginald firmly said as he held out a small pouch filled with cash.

"Of course, Mr. Prince," the goblin politely said, before taking the money and carefully calculating it out.

"Huh," Rowan thought to herself as she recalled how briskly the Evans couple were treated the year before. "It does seem as though there is some selective preference after all."

"Here you are, Mr. Prince," the goblin swiftly said as he carefully handed over a pouch full of coins.

"Thank you and may your gold always multiply," Reginald traditionally replied in goblin, Gobbledegook.

"As to you as well," the goblin gravely said.

Reginald leads the children away as Rowan's eyes are full of light. "Grandfather, I didn't know you could speak goblin," Rowan said with a touch of respect. "May I learn as well?"

"Very well then, I will arrange for a private tutor during the school year," Reginald said with some pleasure.

"I would like to learn too!" Severus chimed in not to be left behind.

"Very well then," Reginald said in approval, before turning to study Lily. "Would you like to learn as well, Miss Evans? It will be no trouble at all as the twins will be sharing a tutor. It will merely be the matter of adding one more pupil."

Beaming with delight, Lily eagerly says, "I would be most grateful, Mr. Prince."

"Good, then it shall be arranged," Reginald said with great satisfaction, before leading to their first destination for a set of new robes at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. A squat, witch in her late twenties dressed in mauve smiles at them in recognition. "Ah, Mr. Prince, I presume a new set of robes for yourself and the children?" She asked.

"Some other day, perhaps, but for today the three of them are in need of a new set of robes," Reginald replied. "I fear my grandchildren are growing much too fast much like beansprouts that soon they will go as naked and bare as the day they were born!"

"Grandfather!" Severus protested in embarrassment causing Lily to giggle.

Rowan raised an eyebrow in reply. "Severus, we've grown two inches alone this past year and I doubt that we are done growing yet," she matter-of-factly said. Severus sighs in defeat at his twin sisters' words as they were all true.

Allowing themselves to be poked and probed the three of them are measured into new robes, before finally being allowed to escape. The next stop is the Apothecary shopping for their supplies for the following year. As usual, the Apothecary smells of bad eggs and rotting cabbages but more than made up for it with its wonderous filled shelves. Having haggled for three sets of potions supplies, Reginald briskly leads them away to purchase quills and ink.

Reginald, as usual, was generous and allowed them some time to pick out new quills and inks. Lily choose several ink changing pots in a variety of lilac colors, while Severus choose two in green and blue. On the other hand, Rowan kept to the usual black ink and only picked out a few interesting feathered quills.

They temporarily stop for a short break at a small ice cream shop parlor run by Florean Fortescue. Florean Fortescue, a good-natured man by all accounts beamed at them as Reginald stiffly ordered, "One small scoop of coffee-flavored ice cream. And as for the children the same serving size, we have not yet had lunch and they must not ruin their appetite."

"Of course," Florean replied to his paying customer. Turning to the three children, he asks, "Well, what will you be having?"

"Strawberry, please," Lily answered as Severus said, "Chocolate for me."

"And you, my dear?" Florean asked as he turned to glance at the last child.

"Do you have salted-caramel?" Rowan asked.

"Naturally! A scoop of salted-caramel coming right up!" With a swift practiced wave of his wand, Florean Fortescue has four scoops of ice-cream in simple cones. Carefully floating them over to their intended recipients, the single adult plus three children sit down to enjoy their ice cream.