House: Gryffindor
Category: Drabble
Prompt: Shopping
Word Count: 777
"Are you certain that this is what the muggles wear when they go out shopping?" Arthur Weasley asked his future daughter-in-law as he tugged on the hem of the plaid flannel shirt she'd provided.
"You'll blend right in, I promise." Hermione smiled.
She grasped his arm and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. Together, they exited the dingy tavern into the bustling streets of muggle London.
"I thought for our first shopping excursion, you'd enjoy visiting a pound shop. That way you'll be able to pick out a few things for a reasonable price."
"Will they have tellies? That's what you call them, right?"
"Very good, Arthur!" Hermione complimented. "But, no, the pound shop doesn't sell televisions. Those are a bit pricey. On our next trip, I'll take you to the electronics shop."
She pulled up short in front of a brightly lit shop. Hermione was amused to see Arthur's eyes widen in much the same way as Ron's did when he spotted a pile of presents under a Christmas tree.
"Before we go in, I need to remind you that you need to be careful with what you say. Feel free to ask me any questions you'd like, but keep your voice low enough so the muggles won't overhear."
Arthur quickly nodded his head in agreement and charged through the door. He pointed to a colorful display of greeting cards and wrapping paper along one wall. "Look at this, Hermione!" Arthur pulled a handful of cards off the rack and thumbed through them.
"These are greeting cards," Hermione explained. "Muggles give them to one another for birthdays, special events, or sometimes for no reason at all."
"Oh look, this one sings when you open it!" Arthur exclaimed and began to sing made up words along with the Happy 50th Anniversary card in his hands. His off-key tone attracted a few curious looks from fellow shoppers; Hermione couldn't help but giggle at his antics.
As he was reaching for a new card, he froze. Gasping, Arthur jogged across the store towards the toy section.
"What is this?" he asked in a tone of pure joy and wonder.
"This," Hermione pulled the blue plastic toy out of his hands to demonstrate, "is a Nerf gun. A child can load one of these soft yellow balls into the launcher and shoot it across a field using built up air pressure."
"Why would they do that?"
"Entertainment. There are lots of different ways to play with it. My old neighbor used to launch the yellow balls for his dog to chase down if he was feeling too lazy to throw them himself. Other times, he and his friends would have a sort of battle with their Nerfs. They'd fire at one another and try to dodge away from the shots. If they were hit, they were out of the game."
"Sort of like dueling?" Arthur asked in a soft voice.
"Precisely. The most agile player was usually the winner."
"Can we buy it? How much does it cost?" Arthur reached into his pocket to retrieve a handful of sickles.
"Put that away!" Hermione warned. Arthur looked sheepish as he did what she commanded. "You can't use that here. I exchanged some sickles for pounds in anticipation of this trip."
"I can't let you pay for my things, Hermione."
"Just consider this an early Christmas present," she said warmly. "Will you help me pick something out for Molly?" Hermione saw him look longingly at a matching Nerf gun and shook her head. "For some reason, I don't think she'll appreciate that as much as you will."
He sighed and shrugged. "No, I suppose you're right. I spotted a display of bath salts when we walked in. I'm sure she'd like that. She doesn't trust any that come for Diagon Alley anymore after George gave her some that dyed her skin fuschia."
Hermione remembered the irate, pink-tinted Weasley matriarch and readily agreed to purchase muggle bath salts. She picked out a tin of eucalyptus and peppermint scented salts and proceeded to the register.
After checking out, Hermione and Arthur walked back to the Leaky Cauldron. Arthur kept glancing at the shopping bag; Hermione had insisted that his new Nerf gun stay in the packaging until they returned home.
"Thanks for taking me shopping, Hermione."
"I was happy to do it. Remember, next time we'll go to the electronics shop. There's a new handheld game system that just came out that I know you'll love to see."
"Can we go tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.
Hermione simply laughed and pulled him back into the wizarding world.