The moment they stepped into Honeydukes, a rich wave of sugary fudge scent washed over them. The shop was lined wall-to-wall with shelves stacked high with candies and pastries of every imaginable color.
Albert instantly recognized several varieties: the large jars by the entrance were filled with creamy peanut brittle, toffee, and nougat.
Beside the shelves, rows of green lollipops hung neatly. Albert picked one up, just about to read the description, when a familiar voice sounded behind him.
"If I were you, I wouldn't touch that. It's a Fizzing Whizbee—extremely sour." George casually placed a hand on Albert's shoulder and pointed at the label. "Fred once gave one to Ron, our little brother, and it burned a hole in his tongue. Mum whacked him with a flying broom for it."
Fred shot George a glare. "You bought that Fizzing Whizbee!"
"I didn't tell you to feed it to Ron," George replied innocently.
Albert quietly put the Fizzing Whizbee back on the shelf.
Burning a hole through someone's tongue? That had to be pure sulfuric acid.
"What's this?"
He pointed to a corner by the entrance where colorful little mice were arranged on a plastic display board, crawling as if they were alive.
"Those are Ice Mice," Lee Jordan explained. "Eat one, and you'll feel freezing cold—your teeth actually chatter. After you finish it, your stomach keeps squeaking. Kind of like Zonko's Squeaking Sugar."
"Interesting," Albert murmured, moving on.
He headed to the right-hand shelves where a large barrel of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans sat beside a bin of assorted soft candies. Beyond that were rows of neatly arranged chocolates.
Albert grabbed two boxes of Chocolate Frogs, then glanced at the oversized chocolate bars. He'd bought one on the train and found it even better than the frogs.
He also needed chocolate drops.
He approached the counter with his selection.
Behind it stood a cheerful-looking woman. "Four sickles and ten knuts," she said.
Albert blinked in surprise. "Oh! Madam, it's you?"
It was the trolley witch from the train.
She recognized him instantly. "Why, hello dear! Looking for anything else?" Students who bought out the entire snack trolley were hard to forget.
"Any recommendations?" Albert asked. No wonder the train had so many Honeydukes items.
"Exploding Bonbons are very popular. They make a tiny pop in your mouth—perfectly harmless." She scooped one from a jar and offered it to him. "Want a taste?"
Albert popped it in his mouth. Sweet strawberry filling burst out, followed immediately by a small explosion against his teeth. It wasn't painful, but it would definitely startle someone unprepared.
A prank disguised as candy. But the texture was surprisingly good.
Albert bought a small bag of them, which made the owner even more enthusiastic. She neatly packaged his sweets, then eagerly guided him through the store's specialties.
"Jelly Slugs—you've probably had them before. One of our bestsellers."
Albert eyed the slug-shaped gummies. More like Jelly Snakes, he thought. He didn't like gummy candies anyway—and the idea of chewing on slugs was mildly nauseating.
The shelves were filled with every candy imaginable: Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Balls, more Fizzing Whizbees, Sugar Quills… enough variety to overwhelm even the Weasley twins.
"Is that… a cockroach?" Albert stared at the jar of black insects crawling over each other. Next to it were Crunchy Cockroach Clusters—their legs still twitching.
"Those are Cockroach Clusters," the owner explained. "Headmaster Dumbledore buys them often. Of course, not everyone appreciates candies shaped like bugs."
Only Dumbledore would enjoy something like that.
"Have you three tried them?" Albert asked.
All three shook their heads vigorously.
The woman continued, winking playfully, "We also have Fudge Flies—they burst in your mouth—and blood-flavored lollipops, very popular with Vampires."
"If you want prank sweets, Pepper Imps are excellent. One bite and you breathe fire!"
They spent at least half an hour in Honeydukes. Before they left, the owner pressed a shopping list into Albert's hand with a wink.
"If you ever need sweets, send us an owl. No need to sneak out again."
Outside, Albert carried yet another paper bag—the pineapple candied fruit he had bought for ten sickles. He bit into a piece with satisfaction.
"This is good," he said.
"I swear she was extra nice to you," Lee Jordan complained, clearly jealous. The twins nodded, their mouths stuffed with pineapple sweets.
"She's nice to Galleons, not me," Albert said dryly.
Besides the candied fruit, Albert had ordered a good number of other treats. The owner promised to mail them directly to Hogwarts so he wouldn't have to carry everything himself.
By the time the four returned to the castle, it was already two in the afternoon. Hours of wandering through Hogsmeade had left them tired, but all of them agreed it had been a fantastic outing.
"Where have you been?" Percy Weasley suddenly appeared and sat down beside them, frowning at the paper bags.
"It's a secret," the twins said together, exchanging mischievous grins. They certainly weren't going to mention Hogsmeade—Percy would run straight to their mother.
Honeydukes' owner lived up to her reputation. Not long after Albert reentered the Great Hall, an owl swooped down with his package.
"We should head back to the common room," Albert said, noticing the curious looks from nearby students. He motioned to the others to help carry the parcel upstairs.
As the four of them walked off, Percy watched them leave, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.