Cleverly

Owls and Lemon Nutty

Cleverly began work at Eeylop's the next day and she would've been lying if she said she wasn't nervous. She had never done anything like this in her life. This was her first real job.

"I don't know about this," she said to Ferg that morning at breakfast. At this point she had decided Ferg was her closest friend. It was a bit depressing to say her best friend was a seventy year old man, so she tried not to think about it. Sure, she had still only known him for under a week, but she saw him more than she saw Athalie these days.

"You'll be fine," Ferg said for the tenth time that morning.

Cleverly tried to believe him.

***

At nine o'clock on the dot, Cleverly began working. She fed the birds, cringing when she set mice in for the owls-it would take awhile for her to get used to that.

She mopped up owl dung and dusted the shelves. The place needed a good cleaning. Thankfully, she didn't have to work with costumers yet. Mr. Yolbank and Ferg agreed not to have her do that right away. There weren't many customers anyway and if there were, they came and left quickly. Unless you counted the witch who came in to buy and owl and ended up walking around the shop for over an hour, trying to find the perfect one.

Ferg told Cleverly that the shop gets busy near the end of the summer when everyone is coming in before they leave for Hogwarts. It was still strange to think September 1st would just be an ordinary day for her now.

As she went in the back room to put away a mop, she attempted to sneak past Mr. Yolbank who was mending a tiny owl.

She jumped when he spoke up. "Her wing is broken," he said softly, his low voice was only a rumble as he looked forlornly down at the bird.

Cleverly turned. Not really knowing what to say, she said, "Isn't there...uh, anything you can do for it?"

"Sure, sure," he said, "but it'll never be the same as it was. Besides, she's in a lot if pain."

Cleverly looked down at her feet, awkwardly. One of the laces were untied on her old shoes that were a few sizes too big.

She hated seeing hurt animals. It was the compassionate side in her that made her that way. Thinking back to her third year in Care of Magical Creatures class, she remembered when a few boys magicked off the heads of flobberworms when the professor wasn't looking. It always had made her upset. Even when it was just a creature as meaningless as a flobberworm. Mr. Yolbank was compassionate too, that was obvious.

"Is-is there anything you need me to do, Mr. Yolbank?" She adjusted her robe and stood behind him as he bent over the whimpering bird.

"Jerry," he said louder.

"What?"

"Jerry. Call me Jerry," he turned around to face her. She sucked in a breath as his eyes met hers. It was hard not to notice how was much taller than her he was.

"Mr. Yolbank sounds like a grumpy old man."

Cleverly was taken aback. "Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot." Shaking her head, she tried again. "Is there anything else you'd like me to do...Jerry?"

"Much better," he grinned. Cleverly noticed his teeth were a little crooked. "There's a package over there that needs to be opened and set out. It's probably bird seed or something."

Before he had finished explaining she was making her way over to the large box on the other side of the room. The bell on the door jingled and owls hooted in the other room. A customer.

"And I'll get that," he said, walking away. Cleverly heard a distant and cheerful, "good morning!" that only could have belonged to Mr. Yol-Jerry.