Minerva Katherine Black came into the family a little over a month and a half ago and Bella almost forgot what sleep actually felt like. Between having a 21 month old rambunctious miniature version of herself and an infant, sleep was a lost cause most days. Luckily the house elves were more than willing to help out and so was Andy when she wasn't being her usual annoying self. "Are you sure this is what you want?" She just couldn't wrap her head around what Hermione was requesting for her birthday. "Seriously, pet, money is not a problem. I can get you anything you want." Bella was now pacing the floor in the new nursery. The nursery looked different than Cass's. Hermione had insisted on a booked themed room so she could start Minnie on her path to knowledge at an early age. The room was a light gray color with purple accents. There were many bookshelves lined with children's books, a crib, changing table, two large rocking chairs and the floor was littered with Cass's toys. Currently, their eldest daughter was playing with a few toys on the carpet while Hermione was breast feeding the baby in one of the rocking chairs.
"I wouldn't have asked for it if I didn't really want it," Hermione spoke in a soothing voice as Minnie was starting to fall asleep. "It's only one trip to Tesco. You've been there a few times."
"Yes, with you or your parents. I've never gone alone before," Bella looked extremely uncomfortable. "You really want me to go there without a buffer?"
"You asked what I wanted for my birthday and I told you. I want a French Press coffee maker," Hermione noticed the uncomfortable expression on her wife's face. "It's fine. I don't need it. I can always get my dad to pick it up for me."
"Let's not be rash. I'm just trying to understand why you want it. It's just a fancy coffee maker. Yes?" Hermione nodded. "Twiggy and Winky can make you whatever kind of coffee you want. You don't have to make it for yourself."
"I want it for when I go back to work. I have a feeling we won't be sleeping for at least 6 months. I'm going to need caffeine."
"Okay," Bella seemed to consider what she was saying, "there are elves at the ministry, too. I'm sure they are jumping at the chance to get the Minister whatever she wishes."
"I want the press in my office so that I don't have to bother anyone when I just want to be left alone. I know the elves are willing to do whatever but the demand of the job on top of not sleeping, it just seems like a good idea. Oh," she remembered as an afterthought, "there are also a few muggle books I've been meaning to pick up but with this hungry little one, I haven't had a chance to get to Tesco. And those American chocolates."
Bella sighed, resigning herself to the fate at hand, "guess I'm going to Tesco. Never let it be said that I don't love you, Hermione."
"It was never a question. I'm sure if you ask, Andy would go with you." Bella gave her a look that implied she was out of her mind, "or you can take Cass. She's a great shopping buddy. Just make sure you push her in the trolley or her little hands will be grabbing everything."
"So not only am I going to Tesco but I'm also responsible for her," she pointed to her mini me who just looked at her and blew a raspberry. "Perfect."
"You do love me," she watched as Bella scooped Cass up into her arms.
"Semantics," Bella waved her off, "love has nothing to do with this. It's your birthday and junior and I are more than capable of conquering Tesco."
She tickled Cass's belly, "mummy. No," but it was followed by a belly laugh so she didn't actually want her to stop.
"Come on love," she kissed Cass before bending down and kissing Hermione's cheek and Minnie's forehead, "we have to go get something special for mum mum."
"Mum mum day."
"That's right," she started walking them to Cass's room. "It's mum mum's birthday in a few days. And we both know she's the most special person and deserves everything the world has to offer her." Bella had already been to Diagon Alley with Cass a few days ago to pick out a few things for the girls to give to Hermione so Cass knew something was happening but still at 21 months she wasn't entirely sure. "Let's get this over with, kitten."
"Oberr wiff," Cass repeated and nodded her head.
"Exactly," Bella carried Cass out of the Manor but had to go back in, "Winky?"
"Yes mistress?" She small elf asked, popping into the room.
"Inky," Cass started trying to get out of Bella's arms so she could play with the elf.
"Can you go grab me all of my muggle monies? Just bring everything you can find." Winky nodded and popped away and Cass let out a little distressed noise, "you can play with Winky when we get home. We need to go get mum a gift." She explained when the elf came back and handed Bella a muggle looking wallet that was full of bills and coins. "Thank you, Winky."
"Have fun, Misses and little misses," she reached up and squeezed Cass's thigh.
"Now," she started walking Cass back towards the apparition point, "let's go."
Cass and Bella landed around the back of Tesco in a spot that the dark witch knew they wouldn't be spotted and would be able to slip inside without muggles trying to talk to them. She walked around the front of the building still holding Cass, "now kitten, don't let any of the muggles touch you. You are awfully cute so I'm sure they will try. I give you permission to bite them if needed." She settled Cass into the trolley before saying a quick prayer to Salazar for strength and took off into the store. "You have to pray for mummy because I could snap and kill people at a moment's notice. These muggles are like the living dead here." She pushed the cart far enough into the store where she could stop and take a moment to read the signs. She looked at her daughter, "housewares? What do you reckon that means?" Cass mumbled incoherently and pointed towards the shoppers, "yes, I agree. This way." She pushed the trolley down the main aisle of the store until they got to the sign that read Housewares. "If you figure out what that means, let me know." She looked at her daughter's confused face, "exactly." She walked past a variety of small appliances from microwaves to waffle makers until she finally got to
the coffee machines. "There are more options than any muggle would ever need." She parked the trolley in the middle of the coffee makers. "Okay Cass, you pick." Bella showed her the four French press machines that Tesco had on offer and waited.
Cass looked at the items Bella had pointed too and she looked at her mummy, "this," she said pointing to the all black one.
"As good a choice as any," she grabbed one off of the shelf and loaded it in the back. "Perfect," she reached into one of her extendable pockets and pulled out a sugar quill. "Don't tell your mother," she unwrapped the sweetie and handed it to her daughter. "You are such a good girl for mummy. We just need chocolates and books and we can get the hell out of here," she pushed Cass further into the store. They passed the toy section and the small girl started motioning towards the brightly colored items. "Let me guess, you want mummy to buy you a present, too. Tell you what," Bella put her finger under Cass's chin and raised her head up so she was looking at her, "we will take care of Hermione first then I'll get you and your sister something." When Bella started pushing the trolley passed the toys, Cass removed the sugar quill and stuck her little lip out. "None of that, kitten. We will go back. Though I will never understand why any child would want to play with a muggle toy but whatever you want." She continued to push the trolley until they made it to the section with the books. Bella was thankful that no muggles had stopped to talk to Cass during their outing so far. She felt overly confident that she could avoid them all until she had to check out. "Okay," she stopped right in front of the books. "Which ones do you think Hermionr would like?" Bella was studying the books when she felt a little hand tugging on her skirt.
"Books mummy, books," Cass started squirming in the trolley, wanting to get down and look at the kids books.
"I don't know if letting you out is the best idea," Bella gave her daughter a knowing glance.
"Book mummy?" She fixed her mother with her biggest eyes.
Bella was dead in the water, rolling her eyes and lifting Cass out of the seat, "fine. You can be free. But stay here next to mummy and help me look through the books."
"Books!" Cass immediately toddled over towards the kids books which were located only a few steps beside her mother. "Books for mummy?" She held up a very happy looking pink book.
"You think mum mum would like that?" Cass nodded aggressively. Bella reached down and grabbed the book Cass was holding out for her. She quickly flipped through it, "yes i think she would like to read this to you and your sister. Let's put it in the trolley." She handed it back to her daughter and watched as Cass walked the book over to the back of the shopping cart and threw it inside, seemingly proud of herself. "Good job, kitten. Go pick out some more," she left her daughter to the task at hand and went back to sorting through the muggle fiction for her wife. She had put a few books into the cart for Hermione and it seemed Cass had snuck quite a few into the cart as well, "I think that's enough books for mummy. Maybe we should head over to the sweets." Bella arranged the books into the back of the trolley before she looked up. Her heart dropped, "Cass?" She turned once, twice and a third time. "Cassiopeia?!" The little girl wasn't in front of the books she had been looking at. "Fuck me. Cassiopeia Bellatrix Black if you can hear me and you are hiding you better listen to your mummy and come out right now." She waited and listened for Cass's telltale giggle but didn't hear anything. "I can't just picture it now… Listen Hermione. I got everything you wanted and more but I misplaced our daughter. No worries," she groaned but told herself to keep calm. Worry and panic wouldn't do anything to help the situation.
Bella walked down a few aisles near where they had just been and still did not see her daughter anywhere, "perfect. This is just perfect. Mother of the year award goes to me," she let a few more choice cuss words fly before resolving her inner stubbornness and pulled out her hello phone. "Andy, it's your favorite sister. Listen…"
"Hermione said you went to Tesco. Are you in muggle prison? I told you I wouldn't bail you out."
"I haven't been arrested yet." Bella cut her sister off. "Hypothetically…"
Andy cackled, "why do I get the feeling that the scenario coming isn't hypothetical at all?"
"Can you just shut the hell up for a minute so I can explain this entirely hypothetical situation to you?" She heard the line go silent and figured Andy had conceded, "if you were out shopping in this muggle hellscape."
"Tesco."
"The muggle hellscape… I was right the first time. So you are shopping and Teddy is next to you also looking at items. You look down and Teddy isn't there anymore. Would you panic? Where would Teddy have gone? Is it inappropriate to accio the boy back to you at Tesco in front of the muggles?" Andy let a slight gasp escape which caused an involuntary eye roll from the dark witch, "don't be dramatic Andromeda. If I wanted the gasping I'd have called Cissy. Now, tell me what you would do."
"First I'm going to pray to Salazar that Hermione doesn't slit your throat when you come home."
"Hypothetical, Andromeda. Now, what would you do?"
"Cass couldn't have gone far. How long ago do you think she took off?"
Bella sighed no longer keeping up with her false pretense, "last time I saw her was about seven to ten minutes ago. We were picking out books for Hermione and when I looked back, she was gone."
"Did you check the toy aisle?"
"The toy aisles," Bella rolled her eyes, "of course she wanted to go there and I told her no." She heard Andy scoff, "okay I didn't say no. I said we would go there after the books." Bella nestled her hello phone between her ear and her shoulder and grabbed the trolley. "To the toy section we go."
"Do you want me to apparate there?"
"No," Bella sounded more annoyed than she intended. "I can handle this on my own."
"You just need me for over the phone emotional support while you search for your lost 21 month old daughter?"
"Exactly," Bella rounded the first toy aisle and didn't see any sign of Cass. The second aisle was just as pristine as the first one she walked down except there was a muggle woman stocking the shelves. This woman made the mistake of looking at Bella, "what's the matter? Never see a grown woman shopping for dolls before? Piss off, muggle."
"Bella!" She heard her sister admonish her.
"What?" She pushed the trolley into the next aisle. "She didn't know what I was talking about." Toys were pulled off of the bottom shelf and scattered across the floor, "seems Cassiopeia was here." Bella chuckled to herself. The toys made a straight line down the aisle, "well she was here. There's at least a small trail of toys now to follow."
"That girl is going to be the death of all of us."
"I'm sure that's what our parents said about me," Bella followed the toy trail until it just suddenly seemed to stop in the clothing section. "The toys have grown cold. I'm in the really awful clothing section."
"You're going to have to look in the racks of clothing. Teddy likes to hide in there and try to scare me all the time."
"For fuck's sake," Bella let out a groan as she abandoned the trolley and started sifting through the clothes racks. "There's muggles staring at me."
"Maybe you could ask security to make an announcement."
"I would rather chew my own arm off then ask for help from anyone let alone the muggles." She stood up when she felt someone approaching her space, "what do you want?" She sneered when a young muggle woman approached her.
"Can I help you locate something, maam?"
"Oh no," Bella heard her sister on the other side of her phone. "Be nice, Bella. I'm not bailing you out of prison."
"I'm always nice, Andy," she said to the receiver. "No, little girl I do not need any help locating items. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to your life long aspirations of working at Tesco. Leave."
"Very nice, Bella. Is she crying?"
Bella stifled her laugh, "there may have been a tear or two." Bella continued her search through the clothing racks until she came across a few toys under one. "Well, she was here." She stood up and saw the top of her daughter's curly head being carried by an older looking woman. "Found her. Some filthy grandmother looking woman has her hands all over my baby."
"Bella," Andy warned her. "Just be glad you found her. Now be nice and go get my niece."
"I'm going to follow this woman. I probably won't kill her. See you later. Oh," a smirk took over her features. "If you tell any of this to Hermione I will kill you."
"Love you, too."
Bella hung up her phone and shoved it back into her skirts pocket. She retrieved her trolley, not letting her eyes fall away from her daughter again. Her daughter must have sensed she was near because she looked back over the woman's shoulder and started pointing saying, "mummy! Mummy!" Then she heard the woman say to her daughter, "yes sweetheart. We are looking for your mother."
"Mummy is right here," Bella spoke up when she stopped her cart just behind the woman. "Cassiopeia where did you run off too?" Her voice was sickeningly sweet to ward off any unwanted confrontation from the older woman who currently had hold on her daughter.
The little girl's whole face lit up, "is this your mummy? You do seem rather excited to see her. Still can't be too careful."
"Are you blind woman? She looks just like me. Of course she is mine. Almost killed me during labor."
The woman looked her up and down, "how old are you?"
"Excuse me?"
"You seem a little old to have such a young daughter."
"I'm younger than you, you old bag now I hand my daughter immediately," Bella was starting to get pissed off. Cass had been reaching for her mother the entire time the women were conversing.
"I was on my way to take this sweetheart to the security officer at the front of the store and that's exactly what I'm going to do. You can convince the officer that you are this sweet little thing's mother," the older woman turned and started to walk away.
When her back was turned, Bella pulled her wand out just slightly and cast a silent, "obliviate," causing the woman to stop in her steps. "Thank you so much for watching my daughter while I was in the dressing room. I really appreciate your assistance," she reached out and grabbed her daughter.
The woman looked thoroughly confused, "it was my pleasure."
Muggles, Bella thought, scoffing to herself. "Say goodbye to the nice lady, Cass. We need to get home to your sister." She put her daughter back in their trolley and exited the area. "Look," Bella pointed to the back of the cart, "while mummy was looking all over for you she put some toys in the car for you and your sister. Cassiopeia you need to not run away from mummy in the store. I know you are still young but I would have never recovered if something happened to you. So you promise you'll never run away again and I promise to never trust you out of the trolley." Cass was looking up at her mother nodding when Bella nodded. "Perfect. We have an understanding. Last thing on our list is chocolates for mum mum. Then we will go home and never speak of this again. Hermione finds out nothing. You didn't get lost and I didn't obliviate a concerned older muggle woman. Deal?"
Cass looked at her and smiled, "mummy," she threw her arms around Bella's waist and hugged her tightly. "Love you."
"I love you too, kitten."
25 minutes later*
Bella walked through the gates of Black Manor with Cass in her arms and their purchases securely shrunk and tucked away in one of her many pockets. "You survived," the dark witch rolled her eyes when she saw Andy leaning up against the fireplace waiting for her to come inside the house.
"I should've expected to see you as soon as we came in. Salazar forbid I have a moment's peace. Aren't you supposed to be moving out?"
"I'm here for good. Just consider me a part of the house now, sis," her smirk always has a way of pissing Bella off more. "I just came to make sure my niece made it home safely."
"Quiet," Bella hissed through her teeth. "She's fine and we aren't going to talk about it."
"And that muggle grandmother?"
"She's of no concern."
Realization dawned on Andromeda, "oh Bella you didn't."
Bella shrugged, "I did what I had to do. She'll be fine." She put Cass down and the girl immediately took off to hug her aunt's legs. Pulling out the bags from Tesco, she enlarged them and started looking through until she found what she was looking for, "here. Some chocolates and a few candles. Now, keep your mouth shut or I'm afraid your fate will be much like the old woman."
"I wasn't planning on saying anything. It's never smart to get on Hermione's bad side," she took the bag and looked in it, "but the bribe helped tremendously."
Bella held out her hand for her daughter, "come on, Cass. Let's go take mum mum her presents."
Andy shook her head and started to retreat back into the manor when she heard her niece giggling and looked back to see the usual sight of Bella using her wand to hover Cass and carry her up the stairs. "Like mother, like daughter."
When they got to the top of the grand staircase, Bella lowered Cass to the ground and she took off towards her bedroom. "Wait, we need to go give these to mummy."
"Oh mum mum," she ran straight for Minnie's
nursery and opened the door. "Mum," she ran over to Hermione who looked like she had been taking a nap in the rocking chair.
"There's my big girl," she said, opening her arms for Cass to climb up into. She looked up and saw her wife leaning against the door frame. "Minnie finally went down for a nap. She should be good for a few hours." Bella smiled and nodded her head before leaving the room expecting Hermione to follow with Cass. She led them to Cass's room. "You guys were gone for a while. I was starting to get worried."
Bella closed the door, "we just wanted to be thorough with everything we got you so I wouldn't have to go back there. Hopefully ever," she chuckled as Hermione put Cass down who automatically ran to her missed toys. Bella sat down on the ground near her daughter, "sit? Or would you rather wait until your actual birthday."
"I'm too curious to wait. You know that," she sat facing her wife, leaning in for a kiss hello.
"The girls can give you their presents on your birthday. You can have these now," she pushed the many bags over to Hermione.
"You found it," she pulled out the French press first.
"Cass picked it out."
Hermione gave her a knowing look before she pulled her daughter over to kiss her, "did you get this for mum? It's perfect." She kissed her daughter before she wiggled out of her arms and picked up the one book she put in the cart. "Is this for mum too?"
"Book for mum mum," Cass gave her a big smile and handed her the pink book. "Read?"
"As soon as we are finished," she snuck another kiss before Cass walked back to her toys. "Seems there are quite a few books and toys here for the girls."
Bella snatched the bags with the kids presents in them away from her wife, "Cass was a good girl. She convinced me to get her and Minnie some things."
Hermione smirked, "I'm sure it didn't take too much convincing. What else is in here?" Hermione sorted through all of the books, candies and candles that Bella got her plus all of the varieties of coffees that she picked for her, "you didn't have to get all of this."
"Everyone deserves to be spoiled on their birthday, dove."
"You always make me very happy, Bella. The gifts are just an extra perk," she leaned in to kiss her once more when Cass plopped down in her lap with a book. "Guess that kiss will have to wait."
"Read, mum mum."
"I'll add it to my payment list. I'll be collecting it later tonight after the girls are in bed. Believe that, Mrs. Black," the look she gave Hermione still ignited her insides after all of their years together.
Hermione opened the book and began reading the story to her daughter when she looked up confused, "Bella, why does our daughter smell like an old grandma?"