She made her excuses to step outside for a calming breath of fresh air. Hermione was sympathetic to the woman's plight and decided to take it upon herself to make certain her orders were followed even if she wasn't there to supervise them. Mothers had to stick together to help each other out at times. If Hermione hadn't had the benefit of Mafalda Yaxley living next door in Hogsmeade, she might have resorted to physical violence to keep her sometimes unruly son under control. Mafalda had a quiet way about her that Oliver responded to. Sometimes she had even been jealous of the witch. Maybe her son would've preferred to have her as a mother. Not that she could really blame him.