Extended Family

Chapter 90: Camping 3 Campily

Takes place before Chapter 144 of Family

"Oof!  Dally, what on earth do you have in here?"

Katie opened the top of Dahlia's backpack.  "Dally, what's this?"  She held up a small drum.

"Anti-bear drum.  You beat on it to keep the bears away."

Katie blinked a few times.  "Who gave you this?"

"Auntie Dora."

"Of course she did," Katie sighed.  "Did she say there'd be a lot of bears in the woods?"

"Well there won't be if we beat the drum," Dahlia said.

"What's this?!"  Katie pulled out a miniature gong.

"If the drum doesn't work."

"Did Auntie Dora give you this too?!"

"No, Granddog Sirius did."

"Of course he did," Katie sighed even more heavily.  "Do you think there's going to be a lot of bears where we're going camping?"

Dahlia shrugged eloquently.  "I dunno."

"Did you think Mummy and Daddy wouldn't protect you if we somehow happen to run into a bear?"

"No!  But you can't be too prepared, that's what Auntie Dora and Granddog say."

"I guess not.  Dahlia.  Really?"  She pulled out the large jar of honey out of her backpack.  "Why would you have honey if you have two anti-bear instruments?!"

"Bear detergent.  To distract the bears."

"Deterrent.  Detergent is what we wash things with sometimes.  Harry!"

Harry came walking into the sitting room.  "Yeah?  What's wrong?"

"Your godfather and your... god-whatever-Tonks-counts-as."

Harry grinned.  "Sister-from-an-unrelated-mister I think is what she decided on the last time.  That or lickling."

"Oh I don't know how I feel about lickling," Katie laughed.

Harry chuckled.  "What did they do?"

"They apparently told Dally that there'll be bears where we'll be camping and gave her anti-bear instruments!  And bear detergent!"

"Why would we be washing bears?"

"To distract them!" Dahlia insisted.

"I suppose washing a bear would distract it," Harry conceded.  He smiled when Katie poked him.  "But we're going back to Firefalls.  Dora knows that there aren't any bears there.  Unless they brought in bears for some kind of Auror training which sounds really bad."

"What else did they give you?" Katie asked Dahlia.

Dahlia dug into her pack.  "This is to keep wolves away."

"Cologne?" Katie asked, looking at the bottle.

"Granddog said Uncle Remus doesn't like it," Dahlia explained.  "So that'll keep wolves away somehow."