Escape ↣ Harmione

Chapter Twenty-One

Helen was brought out of her mental wanderings by Hermione and Harry whooping with glee. In front of her stood a pirate and musketeer, grinning like fools. "Can you walk on that leg?" she asked Hermione, who was cutting a dashing figure as a female buccaneer. Hermione looked down at the peg leg and stepped forward cautiously, Harry hovering at her side in case her balance was off. The step she took wasn't smooth, it looked a bit jerky, but Hermione was still grinning.

"It's a bit like walking when your foot has gone to sleep. You know it's physically there, and it's still supporting you, but the sensation isn't right." Hermione took a few more steps getting more confident as she moved. The peg, which was from under the knee, looked weathered and old. Helen marvelled at the detail the two had put into the costumes. She wandered around Hermione touching the thick, stiff cloth of the jacket, the silk of the sash tied at her waist hanging down. Harry came forward, and Helen moved her inspection on to him, the feathers in his hat bobbed and weaved in the air of her passage. It was, she thought, the most outstanding thing she'd seen including the ridiculously comfy chair Hermione had conjured.

"They are amazing, well done the pair of you. Can you draw the swords? You didn't make them sharp, did you?" Helen asked, suddenly worried that her daughter was now carrying a weapon she could get arrested for.

"Umm, you know, I didn't think about it, hang on." Hermione drew her cutlass from her belt and felt the edge. "It doesn't feel very sharp, more like a butter knife than a kitchen knife."

Harry drew his blade and felt the edge. "Yeah," he agreed. "I think if you tried to cut anything firmer than jelly with these you'd struggle."

"So what happens if you take the hats off and put them somewhere else before you take the rings off?" Helen asked curiously.

In answer, Harry swept his hat from his head, made a clumsy bow, and dropped the hat on the floor. Stepping away he slipped the ring off. The costume including the hat on the floor vanished. He replaced the ring, and Harry was once again dressed in the full outfit, hat atop of his head.

"Huh," Hermione said. "I wasn't expecting that."

"You weren't?" her mother asked.

"Nooo," she said. "I thought that maybe it would create the same items again, but it seems that replacing the ring is in effect recasting the spell. Rather than powering up the existing one again. Fair enough, we'll make a note."

"Well at least it won't matter if you lose your coat half way through the night," Harry said.

"You think? If the coat is part of the transfiguration of your existing clothes won't it do exactly that?" Hermione said. They slipped the rings off and sat at the desks, working out the questions they wanted answers to. Then they went to retrieve jackets and extra layers, to see what would happen as layers were removed while under the effect of the rings.

While they were doing that, Helen picked up the pirate ring and slipped it on. Grinning to herself she set off to find a mirror, Hermione had described the feeling of the peg leg quite well. She made her way to her bedroom getting used to her new gate and stood admiring herself in the mirror. The detail was astounding. Now they just had to find a fancy dress party to go to. She'd always hated them, bad costumes, too much nylon, but with these, she could certainly get used to it.

"Mum!" she heard Hermione call. "Have you got the pirate ring?" The voice came closer as Hermione came to the door, she knocked gently before pushing it open. "Mum, we've not tested them properly yet!"

"Oh I know, but I wanted to see, and you get to have magic all the time. I wanted a go. They really are excellent, I'm very impressed," Helen said walking towards the door. She passed the top of the stairs on the way back to the study room and paused eyeing them.