Stepping out of the gloom of Zonko's, the four boys were instantly engulfed by the warm, sweet air of Honeydukes. As soon as they crossed the threshold, they were greeted by an overwhelming, intoxicating aroma of butterscotch and burnt sugar. The store was a feast for the eyes, with shelves towering to the ceiling, all filled with every imaginable type of sweet and pastry .
Albert scanned the shelves, immediately recognizing several staples of the wizarding confectionery world. Huge jars in front contained creamy peanut brittle, sticky toffee, and soft, chewy nougat.
On a shelf neatly stacked with various green lollipops, Albert reached for one, intending to check its properties, when a familiar hand landed on his shoulder.
"If I were you, I wouldn't touch that," George advised, leaning in. He pointed to the small, barely legible product description. "That's a Sour Pop Candy. It's insanely sour. Fred once bought one for Ron, our younger brother, and it was so potent it supposedly burned a hole in his tongue. Mum walloped Fred with a broomstick when she found out."
Fred glared at his twin. "You bought that Sour Pop!" he protested.
"I didn't tell you to give it to Ron, though," George countered innocently, his eyes wide.
Looking at the unrepentant twins, Albert quietly placed the potentially corrosive candy back on the shelf. Burned a hole in a tongue? That thing must be made with concentrated sulfuric acid, he thought, adjusting his internal risk assessment for wizarding treats.
"What about this?" Lee Jordan pointed to the wall to the left of the entrance, where small mice of various bright colors were displayed, seemingly crawling on a plastic board. They looked remarkably lifelike.
"That's Ice Mouse," Lee introduced before Albert could ask. "If you eat it, you immediately feel intensely cold, so cold your teeth chatter. After the candy melts, it leaves a strange, crisp crunching sound in your stomach. It's a bit like a magical version of the Squeaky Gummy Candy from Zonko's, but colder."
"Interesting concoctions," Albert mused, withdrawing his gaze from the chilling mice. He moved to the shelf on the right. There was a large wooden barrel overflowing with Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans—a true game of confectionery Russian Roulette. Next to it was a massive plastic bucket of brightly colored jelly slugs, and beyond that, shelves neatly organized with different varieties of chocolate.
Albert picked up two boxes of Chocolate Frogs, then retrieved a large bar of rich, dark chocolate from the shelf. He had bought it on the train last time and remembered it tasted significantly better than the flimsy cards and milk chocolate of the frogs. He also added a few packs of dark chocolate chips for baking, just in case he got bored.
He approached the long, polished counter, his arms full of cocoa products.
A woman with a bright, welcoming smile stood behind the counter. "That'll be four Sickles and ten Knuts, dear," she said, before her eyes widened slightly in recognition.
"Oh, Madam, we meet again!" Albert exclaimed, surprised. He immediately realized the connection: the energetic witch who sold sweets on the Hogwarts Express! He hadn't expected her to be the owner of Honeydukes.
"It is you! Goodness, I remember you," the woman laughed warmly. "Honey, do you need any more candy? You practically cleared out my trolley the last time we met!"
"Any new recommendations?" Albert asked, realizing the vast majority of candies sold on the train were likely sourced directly from this store.
"Try these," she said, pouring a few colorful, translucent lozenges from a jar onto the counter. "The Exploding Gummy Candies. Very popular with students. They give a satisfying, harmless little pop when you bite them. They won't hurt anyone, of course."
She never hesitated to offer samples, her service dependent, Albert correctly surmised, on the perceived depth of the customer's pockets.
Albert took an Exploding Gummy Candy, put it in his mouth, and bit down. The rich, strawberry-flavored filling immediately burst forth, and the next moment, a tiny, harmless, pop sounded near his cheek. It was a novelty, certainly, and the candy itself tasted decent.
After Albert bought a generous handful of the Exploding Gummy Candies, the store owner became visibly more enthusiastic. She helped Albert neatly bag his purchases and began an extensive, energetic tour of the shop's less common items.
"We also have Jelly Slug Candy—you might have had one before, it's one of our best-sellers," she said, gesturing to the long, slug-shaped gummies. Albert glanced at them, finding the thought of eating a giant, slug-shaped jelly a bit disgusting, even if it was just candy.
She showed them the Pot-Shaped Cakes, rich chocolate balls, Fizzing Whizbees (candies that lifted you a few inches off the ground), and the Lollipop Quills. The sheer variety of magical sweets and desserts was dazzling.
"Is this... a cockroach?" Albert suddenly asked, pointing to a glass jar where several black, brittle-looking bugs appeared to be crawling. Next to the jar, real, dried cockroaches were strung together on a piece of string, their legs still trembling slightly in the drafts.
"This is a Cockroach Cluster," the woman introduced with a smile that suggested she was used to the question. "Our Headmaster Dumbledore often buys a supply. Of course, not everyone can appreciate confectionery in this particular shape."
"I can only assume Dumbledore likes this sort of thing," Albert thought, shaking his head.
"Have you actually eaten one?" Albert asked the twins and Lee, who instantly shook their heads with wide-eyed revulsion.
The woman winked at Albert. "We also carry Fudge Flies that explode in your mouth and Blood-Flavoured Lollipops that are very popular with... certain nocturnal clientele."
"If you're looking to pull a quick prank, I highly recommend the Pepper Imps," she continued, her voice dropping conspiratorially. "They'll make the person's mouth smoke and spit fire for a good five minutes—wonderful for a quick shock."
They spent at least half an hour browsing the aisles, finally exhausting the proprietress's list of recommendations. Before Albert left, she handed him a printed shopping list and winked again. "If you want to buy candy in the future, just use owl mail. It's much safer than sneaking out of the castle, dear."
When Albert finally emerged, he had one more paper bag in hand containing a package of pineapple candied fruit, a snack he had purchased after sampling it. He paid a total of ten Sickles for the candied fruit.
"This stuff is genuinely good," Albert said, taking a satisfying bite of the tangy pineapple.
"I always feel that proprietress is particularly enthusiastic towards you," Lee Jordan remarked with a hint of genuine jealousy. Indeed, from the moment Albert walked in, the Honeydukes owner had reserved her warmest demeanor and best service exclusively for him.
The twins nodded in immediate agreement, their mouths already full of the candied pineapple Albert had shared.
"She's only enthusiastic about Galleons, not me," Albert corrected, looking at Lee Jordan's envious face with amusement.
In addition to the pineapple, Albert had purchased a large quantity of other items. The thoughtful proprietress offered to mail the bulky package to Hogwarts for him, saving him the inconvenience of carrying everything back through the narrow passage.
It was already two o'clock in the afternoon by the time the four returned to the castle. After hours of walking and exploring the wonders of Hogsmeade, all four were thoroughly tired, but they universally agreed it had been an incredibly interesting and successful trip.
The four shuffled back into the Great Hall, exhausted, only to find Percy Weasley, Fred and George's older brother, sitting down next to them. Percy immediately honed in on the collection of brightly colored paper bags they were carrying. He frowned slightly, adopting the air of an overly responsible prefect.
"Where exactly have you four been?" he demanded, staring at the Zonko's bag, the corner of a sticky rubber hand poking out ominously.
"It's a secret, Percy!"
The twins exchanged mysterious, knowing smiles. They had no intention of admitting they had violated school rules by taking an unauthorized trip to Hogsmeade; Percy would immediately write home a long, detailed letter to their mother.
Just then, the excellent service of the Honeydukes proprietress was demonstrated. Not long after Albert returned to the auditorium, an owl swooped down, carrying a sturdy, brown-paper-wrapped package—the bulk of Albert's candy order.
"I think we'd better get back to the Common Room now," Albert stated, recognizing the need for discretion. The arrival of a large, owl-delivered package had already attracted the attention of several older students. He quickly called on the three boys to help him carry the loot.
Watching the four figures—laden with the spoils of their illicit trip—hurry away, Percy's eyes narrowed. He looked from the disappearing backs of his brothers to the main entrance of the Great Hall, his expression flickering between suspicion and reluctant curiosity. No one knew what disciplinary action—or secret investigation—he was contemplating.