Draco had never seen anything like the building that stood before him. The doors seemed to open and close of their own volition, and from inside, he could hear the high-pitched screams of young children. This was not a place he wished to venture alone, but he had made a promise, and he was a man of his word.
He approached the building cautiously, the odd doors springing to the side to let him pass. As soon as he was inside, they slammed shut behind him, causing him to turn around with a yelp. He had seen people coming and going…this was not a trap…this was not a trap, he kept telling himself as his heart thudded loudly in his chest.
The room he stepped into was cavernous and very oddly lit, with bright glowing spheres hanging near the ceiling. Many of them were covered in cob webs, so he knew they could not be lit with fire, yet they flickered like firelight all the same. From somewhere in the vast room, he could hear what sounded like a piano, but the notes were distorted and chaotic, as if someone were randomly pounding on the keys. And he could still hear the screaming…yet none of the other people in the strange place showed any sign of concern.
Warily, he made his way to the rows upon rows of shelves that filled the room. Some of the items on the shelves appeared rather innocuous, and others seemed to stare at him with empty, vacuous eyes. But one thing was certain…all of it was foreign to him.
He began to make his way up and down the aisles, searching for the item he needed, when suddenly a swarm of young children turned the corner and started racing towards him…each and every one of them brandishing a sword made out of a dull, grayish material that he could not identify. It was like no metal he had ever seen.
After observing them for a moment, he decided that they could not really be children. They must be some sort of imps or pixies in disguise. Because no respectable parents would let their children run around chasing each other with deadly weapons like that. Before the creatures could potentially turn their attentions on him, Draco ran to the opposite end of the aisle and ducked around a corner. He had no desire to be hacked to pieces by creatures half his size.
When it became apparent that the band of screaming hooligans was not following him, Draco sagged against one of the shelves in relief, accidentally bumping one of the odd devices that was sitting there in the process. Immediately, the item began to emit a loud, screeching noise…obviously some sort of warning to alert the proprietors of the establishment that he was touching something he shouldn't be. He quickly backed away from the noisy item and ran around another corner. Much to his relief, the loud noise ceased once he managed to distance himself from the angry device.
The aisle he now found himself in was filled with shelf after shelf of oddly-coloured animals, each one tied down in its own box. They must have been heavily sedated, because they all seemed strangely lifeless. Draco was finally experiencing some luck though, because he was fairly certain this was the aisle he needed to be in. He pulled a tattered piece of paper out of his pocket and looked at the picture on it, comparing it to the animals lining the wall. Finally, he came across a small, humanoid creature with bright reddish-orange fur.
'It looks like a cross between a Weasely and a garden gnome,' Draco thought to himself. But there was no doubt about it. This was the item he had been sent in to procure.
He picked up the box with a deep sense of trepidation. Even though the thing seemed to be docile, he was never certain when something in this place would suddenly come to life and attack him. When it didn't make the slightest move, even after Draco gave the box a small shake, a worried frown creased his face. It wouldn't do to buy one that was already dead. Steeling his nerve, he gave the thing a timid poke. Immediately, it flared to life, letting out a maniacal laugh and shaking.
Draco dropped the box with a startled shriek, backing away from it with his wand drawn…which caused him to run right into the warm body hovering behind him. He whirled around and pointed his wand at the person's throat, forgetting for the moment that it was forbidden for him to attack anyone here in this place.
"Good Heavens, Draco!" Hermione hissed, quickly grabbing his wand and pointing it towards the floor. "What were you thinking? This is a Muggle store…you can't use your wand here! Or were you trying to bring down a swarm of Ministry officials?"
"As much as I hate that pack of self-righteous bureaucrats, I'd actually welcome their presence right about now! I've gone to school with ghosts floating over my head…I've had a werewolf as a teacher…I've helped defeat a Dark Lord…I've had Snape as a Head of House…but I have never seen the likes of this place before! I swear to you…this place is possessed, and the worst part is, none of the Muggles seem to notice or care. It's just not right. I can't believe you sent me in here alone!"
"I was only outside for a few minutes," Hermione said with an amused smile. "I had to make a call, and I wouldn't have been able to hear a thing over the racket of all the children screaming. They do get excited over their toys."
"Toys!" Draco exclaimed. "These…these…monstrosities…they're all…toys?"
"I suppose I should have warned you," Hermione said with a sigh, "but before I even knew that a supernatural world truly did exist, I always found the toy store to be a magical place. You can always find so many new and wonderful things here. I wanted to let you experience that for yourself. I didn't think you'd be so…frightened," she teased.
Looking beyond her husband to see what had startled him so, she saw the offending toy sitting on the ground. "Oh, excellent…you found it!" she exclaimed. "I was afraid they'd be all out, it being so close to Christmas and all."
"Who on Earth would want such a monstrous thing as a pet?" Draco asked with a shudder.
"Oh…Harry's boy Sirius has been practically begging for one," Hermione responded with a grin. "Ever since he found out that his best friend from preschool never leaves home without one, he hasn't stopped asking for one of his own. And they're not pets…they're just stuffed animals."
"I've never seen an animal that looks like that. And this one's not stuffed…it's still quite alive."
"It's not a real animal silly…it's made out of cloth and fake fur and stuffed with cotton. It's a toy for a young child. The only reason it moves is because of the electronics inside. You honestly couldn't tell that these were toys?"
"What did you expect?" Draco growled, his patience running thin. "I've never been inside a Muggle store of any sort! The only reason I go into the Muggle world at all is because I'm married to you! The toys I grew up with were wizard's toys, and while some of them might have been a tad dangerous…they were a good deal less startling. We never had anything that closely resembled this. Everything's so bright and garish and…foreign. It's a bit much to take in all at once. You can't blame me for being a bit…overwhelmed."
"Of course, you're right. I wasn't thinking," Hermione said quietly, pulling Draco in for a tender kiss. "Why don't we go check out, hmmm? I promise once we get home, I'll make it up to you," Hermione said with a devilish grin, causing Draco to perk up considerably.
Hermione picked up the toy from off the ground and led Draco towards the check out counter. Perhaps it had been a bit foolish for her to send him into the toy store alone…some of the things on the shelves could seem a bit bizarre to the uninitiated…but to her, these were just the sort of things she grew up with. She didn't think Muggle technology would be that disturbing to her Pureblood husband. It did quite resemble magic after all. And who would have dreamt that Draco would be so frightened by a Tickle Me Elmo doll?
Harry was going to have a fit when he heard about this.
A/N: This fic was partially inspired by the quote "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" by Arthur C. Clarke. I figured I'd mention this at the end so as not to ruin the twist at the end. I couldn't help but feel that if you threw a Pureblood into the middle of Muggle surroundings all by himself (and told him he couldn't use magic to defend himself), he might be a bit frightened by everything, especially given how supernatural technology can seem if you don't know how it works. I hope I was able to make this seem believable!