Chapter 35: Enthusiastic Galleons
Chapter 35: Enthusiastic Galleons
As soon as they stepped into Honeyduke's candy store, a fragrant aroma of creamy fudge enveloped them. The shop was filled with numerous shelves displaying a wide variety of candies and treats.
Albert instantly recognized several types; large jars up front contained creamy peanut brittle, toffee, and nougat.
Hanging neatly beside the shelves were some green lollipops. As Albert picked one up to read the description, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.
"If I were you, I wouldn't touch those," George advised, placing a hand on Albert's shoulder and pointing to the product description. "Those are Acid Pops, extremely sour. Fred bought one for Ron, our little brother, once, and it burned a hole right through his tongue. Mom gave Fred a good whacking with her broomstick for that."
Fred glared at his twin brother in displeasure and protested, "You're the one who bought that Acid Pop!"
"I never told you to give it to Ron," George retorted, feigning innocence.
Watching the unrepentant twins, Albert quietly put the Acid Pop back on the shelf. Something that could burn a hole through a tongue was probably made of sulfuric acid! "Now, what's this over here?"
In the left corner of the wall just inside the entrance hung colorful little mice, scurrying about on a plastic board as if they were alive.
"Those are Ice Mice," Lee Jordan introduced. "Eat one, and you'll feel a chill throughout your body, making your teeth chatter. After the candy is gone, your tummy will make gurgling sounds, similar to those made by the Fizzing Whizbees."
"Interesting candies," Albert remarked, turning away from the Ice Mice and moving towards the right shelf, where there was a large bucket of Every Flavour Beans, along with various flavors of jelly beans in plastic tubs, and neatly arranged chocolates on the next shelf.
Albert picked up two boxes of Chocolate Frogs and then eyed the large blocks of chocolate. He had bought some on the train before and found them tastier than the frogs.
Yes, and I'll take some Chocolate Drops as well.
Albert carried his assortment of chocolate treats to the counter.
A pleasant-looking woman behind the counter said, "That'll be four Sickles and ten Knuts."
"Oh, it's you again, miss!" Albert exclaimed, surprised to see the train's saleswoman. He hadn't expected her to be the owner of Honeyduke's.
"Well, if it isn't you, dear! Are you looking for more treats?" The woman recognized Albert as well. After all, it wasn't every day that someone bought everything from her trolley.
"Do you have any recommendations?" Albert wondered, now understanding why he saw so many train treats here.
"How about an Exploding Bonbon? They're quite popular among students. They give off a mild explosion when you bite into them, but don't worry, they won't hurt you." The woman poured out an Exploding Bonbon from a jar and offered it to Albert.
"Care to try one?"
She was always generous with her smiles and service when it came to potential customers, especially those with deep pockets full of Galleons.
Albert took the proffered bonbon and popped it into his mouth. Strawberry-flavored cream oozed out, followed by a mild explosion at the corner of his mouth, which might startle those who didn't know what they were eating.
This probably fell into the category of joke items, but the bonbon itself tasted pretty good.
After Albert purchased some Exploding Bonbons, the shop owner became even more enthusiastic. She helped him put the bonbons into a paper bag and then began introducing other candies and treats available in the store.
"Jelly Slugs, you've probably had these before. They're one of our best-selling items."
Albert glanced at the long slug-shaped gummy candies and furrowed his brows slightly. They resembled gummy snakes more than slugs, but as he didn't like gummy candies in general, he had no intention of buying them. The thought of slugs was rather disgusting.
The candy store offered a myriad of other candies and treats, including the famous Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Balls, Fizzing Whizbees, and Lollipop Quills... The variety was enough to make anyone's head spin.
"Are those... cockroaches?" Albert asked, eyeing the black insects scurrying inside a glass jar. He felt a bit uncomfortable looking at them. Next to the jar were some cockroach skewers, their legs still twitching slightly.
"We call them Cockroach Clusters," the woman explained. "They're one of the candies that Headmaster Dumbledore frequently buys from us. Of course, not everyone can appreciate this particular shape."
Probably only Dumbledore would like these! "Have you guys tried them?" Albert asked, turning to his companions. They all shook their heads.
The woman winked at Albert and said, "We also have Jelly Leeches that burst in your mouth with a bloody flavor, quite popular among vampires. Or how about Blood-Flavored Lollipops?"
"If you want to play a prank on someone, I recommend Pepper Imps. They'll have your mouth blazing with fire..."
They spent at least half an hour in Honeyduke's, and just before leaving, the enthusiastic shop owner pressed a shopping list into Albert's hands, winking at him. "If you wish to purchase more candies, you can always send an owl. It's best not to sneak out by yourself."
As they exited the candy store, Albert found himself holding yet another paper bag, this one filled with dried pineapple treats, for which he had paid ten Sickles.
"These are pretty good," Albert commented after taking a bite of the dried pineapple.
"That shop owner sure seemed extra friendly towards you," Lee Jordan remarked with a hint of jealousy. The Honeyduke's owner had been exceptionally hospitable to Albert from start to finish.
The twins nodded in agreement, their mouths also stuffed with dried pineapple.
"She's just enthusiastic about Galleons, not me," Albert said, amused by the expression on Lee Jordan's face.
In addition to the dried pineapple, Albert had bought quite a few other items, and the thoughtful shop owner offered to send all the purchases to Hogwarts via owl to spare him the trouble of carrying them all.
When the four of them returned to the castle, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. After wandering around Hogsmeade for several hours, they were all tired but agreed that it had been an enjoyable trip.
"Where have you lot been?" Percy Weasley asked, sitting down beside them and eyeing the paper bags in front of them with a slight frown.
"That's a secret!"
The twins exchanged a glance and shared a mysterious smile. Of course, they wouldn't tell Percy that they had gone to Hogsmeade; otherwise, he would surely write home about it.
The Honeyduke's owner was highly efficient. Not long after Albert returned to the hall, an owl delivered the packages.
"I think we should head back to the common room," Albert suggested, noticing the attention their parcels were attracting. He signaled for the others to help carry the packages back to the Gryffindor common room.
As they walked away, Percy's eyes followed them, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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