Chapter Five: Shopping
Disclaimer: JKR owns most of this, I own a wee bit.
A/N: So I forgot I ever started this fic, call it being a mommy or being insanely busy, but now that I have discovered this, I will be working on it, though only on the weekends when I have time to breathe let alone write fanfic.
Laila and Hermione trudged after Mrs. Lockwood, pushing carts, because she had insisted they would need them. Hermione had never been to a Wal-Mart before let alone a Wal-Mart Super Center. Laila had to explain to her that these stores carried everything from camping gear to groceries and cameras.
"Lets start with camping gear, we'll make sure we get the best they have here and then we'll make our own improvements." Mrs. Lockwood said over her shoulder as she strode purposely down an aisle.
"I thought you said your mum and dad were pure bloods Laila." Hermione said softly out of the corner of her mouth.
"They are, they just think why not take advantage of all that the muggle world could offer them, besides the stuff they buy here usually ends up completed soaked in spells and charms, so it's hardly muggle when they're done with it." Laila said, giving Hermione a smile. " We better keep up, my mom can shop with the best with them." Laila and Hermione walked faster to catch up with Mrs. Lockwood. When they did reach her she was in the camping section perusing tents.
"How about this one dear, fits 10 people, has a padded floor, and has two sleeping sections off the main tent, that way you and Hermione can share and Bobby and Harry can share." Mrs. Lockwood gave both of the girls a meaningful stare.
"Your mum does know that where we're going Harry and I are adults, and we have no romantic feelings for each other what so ever right?" Hermione asked Laila when Mrs. Lockwood's attention had been drawn to air mattresses.
"Yeah she's not worried about you and Harry, she likes Bobby and all, and knows that one day he'll be her son-in-law, but if she even thought for a second that he and I … you know… she'd chop his bits off and decorate our Christmas tree with it." Laila said. Hermione couldn't keep a straight face and almost was sick for need to laugh out loud.
"What in the world is so funny dear?" Mrs. Lockwood asked, concerned for Hermione.
"I told her what you'd do to Bobby if he and I… well you know." Laila said blandly looking at sleeping bags.
"What? You mean slice off his bits and decorate our Christmas tree with them?" Mrs. Lockwood said with a straight and serious face. Hermione couldn't take it anymore, she let loose a torrent of laughter that scared a woman passing by the aisle. Laila and her mom shared a smile. They waited for Hermione to calm down then they picked out the 10 person tent a few air mattresses, 5 sleeping bags, a camp grill, and a few tanks of propane. They also picked out cooking utensils and various odds and ends that a person would need for extended camping, such as a cooler "you can charm it to keep cold no matter what and have fresh meat".
After getting the camping materials the girls and Mrs. Lockwood picked out plenty of warm blankets and pillows. Hermione was hesitant of buying pillows, but Mrs. Lockwood said there was no sense in living uncomfortable even under the circumstances. After the bed clothes were put into the cart the trio moved off to the clothing section.
"We'll buy practical clothing and then we can charm it to fit whomever is wearing it." Mrs. Lockwood said picking up 4 packs of thermal underwear. After that they picked up many t shirts and jeans, also underwear, socks, and sensible hiking shoes, enough for several more people than were actually going on the trip with them. When Laila pointed this out, her mother just said it wouldn't hurt to have extra in case people joined their party.
From clothing they moved on to food, which is what Hermione had been most interested in, and terrified of.
"I'm not really a good cook." She said hesitantly.
"You're luck you ran into us then" Laila said amicably "I'm a great camp chef, I can turn crap into crème de cassis."
"What's crème de cassis?" Hermione asked.
"No freakin clue." Laila said, laughing.
"Don't say freakin dear, it's unbecoming." Mrs. Lockwood said as she added corn beef hash to the cart.
"You know if we put an expanding charm on the cooler we'll be able to put a lot of meat in there." Hermione mused.
"Wonderful idea dear, I worry you won't have enough to eat."
"Well either we can get the meat here or we can go to a the butcher." Laila said, eyeing the meat in the cooler across the way.
"We'll get cheap meat here, and get some good meat at the butcher, steaks and roasts and such." Mrs. Lockwood said, adding ketchup and mustard to the almost overflowing cart that Hermione was pushing.
In total the three women bought corn beef hash, various canned goods such as vegetables, ravioli, and pork and beans. They also got hamburger patties, and ground beef. Hot dogs, bread, pasta, pasta sauce, ramen, frozen tv dinners, frozen pizzas, frozen entrees, apples, bananas, oranges, kiwis, they bought a great deal of soda in every flavor, and about a million other food items that Laila and Hermione lost track of as they were dumped into the carts.
When they got in line, the check out girl looked like she wanted to cry, and it took them nearly 45 minutes to check out, and Mrs. Lockwood paid the 7393.39 bill without batting an eye. It took the trio another 30 minutes to load all of the purchased items into Mrs. Lockwood's expandable trunk. After a stop at the butcher's which added another few thousand dollars to the running cost of the day.
When they arrived back at Belle Manor, Mrs. Lockwood sent the food to the house with a flick of her wand, and called maybelle to her.
"Yes missus?" The tiny elf squeaked.
"Maybelle, please have Mr. Lockwood meet us in the day room, and tell him I'll need his help charming all of the food." The elf gave a low bow and with a crack disappeared.
The members of the house hold, the elves, and their guests spent the rest of the day charming their purchases. The cooler received an expanding and ever cooling charm, the meat was packed inside, after it received charms to keep it indefinitely fresh. The fruits and vegetables were packed into another cooler that Mr. Lockwood had produced, and similarly charmed. Both coolers were sealed and put aside.
Then the group went to work removing the packaging and sorting items out. Hermione produced her purse and everything was packed inside. Mr. Lockwood and the boys brought several bottles in from the back room, after they were properly labeled they were also placed in the purse.
Finally everyone sat down to a delicious meal, but no enjoyable conversation flourished. Mr. Lockwood was explaining to Hermione and Laila what the potions were and what they did.
After dinner, everyone congregated in the foyer, tears and hugs ensued as Laila Potter said good-bye to the man and woman who were her parents.
Before they apparated at the gate Mr. Lockwood took Bobby and Harry aside to give them a final talking to.
"Bobby you and Harry are now responsible for my little girl, you bring her home to me, or you better never let me find you. Harry you don't know me that well so I'll tell you something Bobby already knows, when it comes to my little girl being hurt, the dark lord has nothing on me." With those final words he shook both of their hands, hugged Laila and Hermione one last time, then wrapped his arms around his wife. The foursome disapparated, and Belle Lockwood burst into tears.
"Our baby is gone Bill, she's gone, and she may never come back." She sobbed into his shoulder.
"Belle, she is strong and a fighter, and if her brother survived the dark lord once, he'll do it again. No matter what I have faith we will see her again.