Chapter One: Sugary Sweet Beginnings

They say you find love in the strangest of ways. Having said that, Kyungsoo definitely didn't expect to chance upon romance in the midst of pregnant sisters, Pygmy Puffs and Patronuses. 

There were two more weeks till September which meant that Hogwarts was still closed for the holidays and until then, Honeydukes would have to bear with its lack of customers. Needless to say, business had slumped drastically over the past two months. Without the students bustling in and grabbing the sweets before it ran out, the ambience was, to simply put it, boring. With the exception of the occasional visits by a wizened druid or a sweet-toothed warlock, who weren't even half as fun as the kids, the famous sweet shop at Hogsmeade seemed almost deserted and the income that came their way was meagre to say the least. Yet in spite of everything, Kyungsoo knew he'd made the right decision.

Almost a year ago, a small column which appeared in the classifieds section of the Daily Prophet announced the extension of Honeydukes into a bakery, thereby calling all talented bakers and confectioners to join their workforce. And Kyungsoo happened to be one of the first people to sign up for the job. It wasn't all that tough to get through. Junmyeon, being the Assistant Manager— or as his colleagues Baekhyun and Jongdae like to put it: "the guy who's paid to nag everybody around"— readily accepted his application after Kyungsoo floored him with his special dish, the enchanted peach soufflé .

But nothing could compare to the nervousness and exhilaration he felt when he was assigned to cater to the Hogwarts students. Kids are often harsh critics and they don't mince their words when it comes to passing judgment. His initial trepidation, fortunately, was overcome by his subsequent elation when Baekhyun kept yelling more orders at him after his first batch of desserts sold out. Within an hour or so, the students had unequivocally deemed Do Kyungsoo "the ultimate baking wizard of Honeydukes". But for now, in the absence of his ardent admirers, Kyungsoo had to suffice with billing an old hag's purchases, which he fearfully believed would spike her sugar levels.

'Here you go. Three extra large boxes  of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and two Ice Mice. That'll be eighteen Sickles and fourteen Knuts,' stated Kyungsoo monotonously as he handed over the purchase to the hunched hag.

'One moment, dear. You don't happen to have some of your specials, do you?' crowed the hag, flashing him a toothless smile.

Trying not to cringe at the sight of her decaying gums, he tightly replied, 'Of course! We have sherbet lemon-infused curdled custards, pound cake lined with exploding bonbons, honey and sugar crystal balls—'

'Yes, I would like two of those crystal balls as well. The large ones, please.'

Summoning the heavy, golden sugary orbs from the depths of the cellar with a flick of his wand, Kyungsoo carefully placed the delicate confectionery onto the counter top.

'That'll be an extra seven Galleons.'

Fumbling with a bat skin purse, the hag pulled out the money and, quite contrary to her shabby looks, she seemed pretty well off judging from how carelessly she flung the money across the counter, gold, silver and bronze rattling off the desk. Greedily hoarding her loot into a shopping bag, the hag shot Kyungsoo one last gummy grin before hobbling out of Honeydukes, after which she Disapparated off with a loud crack that shook the window panes.

To think that a hag lives a better life than me, mused Kyungsoo wistfully, When will those kids even arrive?

'Wingardium leviosa!'

Yixing's incantation distracted Kyungsoo out of his woe. He was busy stacking cans of Acid Pops in the right order, as they magically levitated to the topmost shelves. To his right, Jongin and Sehun were vehemently placing anti-theft charms on crates containing pumpkin pasties, lest those Slytherins try to Accio them away within a night of their arrival. And by the "Unusual Tastes" department, in a shadowy corner, sat Baekhyun and Jongdae, helping themselves to a few Pepper Imps. Their guffaws filled the air along with a whole lot of fire pouring out of their noses as they miserably failed at impersonating dragons. Kyungsoo shook his head at them in reproach. Junmyeon had left for Luxembourg that morning to taste the new champagne-flavoured Bertie Bott's Beans. And sure enough, when the cat was away, the mice had begun to play.

'That's enough, you two. We don't want Junmyeon to return and find the Pepper Imps missing,' he scolded sternly, as he watched their expression turn sheepish.

'Aww, come on, Kyungsoo. It's not like he's going to miss two Pepper Imps, right?' whined Baekhyun petulantly.

'Yeah, he hasn't kept a count of all the stuff in this shop, has he?' remarked Jongdae. 

'I wouldn't put that past Junmyeon,' warned Yixing with a hint of alarm in his voice,'He once jinxed a can of Pink Coconut Ice to turn into a bunch of Acromantula babies if even one happened to be stolen. They were the size of Pekingese dogs, I tell you.'

Kyungsoo shuddered at the thought of hairy, flesh-eating spiders scuttling across the floor, or worse, inside the tummy. Vaguely, he wondered how Yixing knew about this. The look of horror that lingered on Yixing's face was enough to answer his doubts. What with his perennial fear of creepy crawlies and undying love for coconut-based snacks, Yixing probably would've nicked a few of those for himself, unaware of the potential danger lurking within. Baekhyun and Jongdae, meanwhile, looked downright terrified at the thought, as they stared at the Pepper Imps and then at each other. Turning positively green in the face, Jongdae muttered an excuse and bolted out of the shop in desperation, most likely heading to St Mungo's for a medical check up. 

'Look at him, overreacting as always!' huffed Baekhyun pompously, though the flicker of anxiety in his eyes didn't go unnoticed by Kyungsoo. Just when he was about to point that out, the bell on the door jangled noisily. Surely Jongdae couldn't have returned that fast, could he?

Half-expecting to see a sour-faced wizard or a wart-nosed witch, Kyungsoo had to admit that he was slightly taken aback by the sight that greeted him. A lanky male, with gangly limbs he seemed to have no control over, had barged in while hauling a battered satchel over his shoulder. He was a bunch of nerves, tripping over his own feet as he walked in. His dark, windswept hair only accentuated his disorderly appearance. A good few inches of his sock-covered ankles were exposed by a set of black robes that was a bit short and a bit voluminous for his skinny, towering frame. But despite the exhaustion lining his features, he had a bright, mesmerising grin that stretched across his entire face— which, in Kyungsoo's opinion, was a pleasant change compared to his previous customer's dental hygiene or lack thereof— and his brown eyes radiated a kind of warmth that reminded him of hot chocolate.

'Could I—' heaved the poor fellow as he leant against the sleek wooden counter, and Kyungsoo patiently waited for him to catch his breath, 'Sorry, but could I have a list of the best things I can get my hands on? I-I'm sure everything you sell is amazing but it's kind of urgent. You see, my sister is pregnant and in her crazed craving for sugar, she accidentally Confunded her husband and now, with him rendered incapacitated, I have to get her some goodies before she decides to Avada Kedavra me as well— not that she's a Death Eater or anything...'

Trailing off on his words, he blushed for rambling on like that and Kyungsoo had to bite hard onto his lower lip to keep himself from smiling. Sehun and Jongin had stopped their charms session and were now watching their customer with conspicuous amusement. Baekhyun was soundlessly sniggering behind Kyungsoo, a few grey fumes escaping out of his nostrils. Feeling guilty for being this insensitive to his predicament, Kyungsoo stepped away from the counter and pulled up a chair for their customer.

'Here, why don't you take a seat?' he offered politely and the man promptly sat down.

Ensuring that no more smoke was flowing out of his nooks and crannies, Baekhyun piped up, 'Well you're in luck that you happened to come by Honeydukes. Kyungsoo here makes such rich, mouth-watering decadences that I'm sure your sister would spare you the Killing Curse, mister, er...'

'Oh, uh... Chanyeol,' answered the guest, 'Park Chanyeol.'

At that very instant, Baekhyun's jaw dropped. 

'Merlin's great fuzzy beard! You're from the Park family?!' he yelped, causing Chanyeol to appear more uncomfortable than he already was, 'Now don't be shy! Your family is show business royalty, am I right? There's no way I could've been mistaken... the resemblance is uncanny.'

'Hehe. Yeah, I guess you know my sister Yura then.'

From the corner of his eyes, Kyungsoo could make out Jongin, Sehun and Yixing curiously inching their way towards the new arrival. Now that he knew, this Chanyeol fellow did look very much like the talented theatre actress Park Yura.

Baekhyun simply chose to continue his heartfelt monologue. 

'Come to think of it, I happened to catch your sister's play about four months ago. Never would've guessed she was pregnant until Witch Weekly released it in their gossip column. Speaking of your sister, could I have her autograph or something—'

'If you don't mind me interrupting,' began Kyungsoo, shooting his colleague a dark look, 'I would like to point out that there's an order waiting.'

Chanyeol turned to Kyungsoo with thankfulness in his eyes, and the latter nodded curtly in response. Dejected, Baekhyun pulled out a notepad and a Self-Writing quill while Yixing handed out the menu.

'Alright... my sister sent me this list,' spoke Chanyeol, pulling out what looked like a seven-foot long parchment scroll from within his robes. Yixing obediently took it from him and began reciting the million items for the quill to write down.

'Okay, then, what would you like to have?' inquired Baekhyun as the quill automatically scribbled in the items as fast as it could. 

'Nothing really.'

'That won't do. You have got to try some of Kyungsoo's desserts.'

 Chanyeol gulped fearfully since all five pairs of eyes were staring down at him. Hesitantly, he said,

'I guess I'll have the blueberry pancakes with No-Melt vanilla ice cream.'

'Brilliant!' exclaimed Baekhyun, and the notepad went flying across the room to hit Jongin right in the face. 

'Wait, before you leave—' started Chanyeol abruptly, 'How much money will all this come down to?'

Baekhyun shrieked with laughter. 'Money? Oh no, you don't have to pay. For you, it's free of charge.'

That single statement sent everyone reeling with shock. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was also adversely affected, Kyungsoo would've laughed out loud at Sehun's crestfallen expression.

Chanyeol immediately jumped up in a polite sort of defiance.

'I assure you I can pay for it!'

'You don't have to. It will be wrong of us to ask Park Yura's brother to pay up.'

Sometimes, Kyungsoo wondered if Baekhyun was a troll in disguise. 

'But it'll cost you guys heavily. My sister's list isn't all that small.'

'You're mistaken. Honeydukes is loaded with Galleons. A few free treats wouldn't hurt us now, would it?'

A violent urge to hex Baekhyun's into oblivion was currently building up in Kyungsoo's veins. Yixing was nearly in tears when Chanyeol slumped his shoulders in resignation. Muttering curses against Baekhyun under his breath, Jongin trudged down to the cellar with the long order. 

Taking the opportunity, Kyungsoo whisked his annoying friend to the side, out of everyone else's earshot.

'What in Merlin's name are you doing?' he hissed.

'Helping a poor guy out, that's all.'

'At the expense of Honeydukes?! He was even willing to pay! If Junmyeon hears about this—'

'—he won't say a thing. He's a bigger fan of Yura than I am and would probably sell the entire shop to the Park family for a Knut, if you ask me.'

'I don't get why a theatre star's brother should be exempted from paying, though...'

'Listen, Soo. They're one of the most ancient pure-blood wizarding families—'

'So blood is what it all comes down to then?' spat Kyungsoo derisively.

'What?! No!  Don't get all hostile against your fellow half-blood now. All I'm saying is that he needs our help. Look at him! He's all tensed and flustered!'

'Whatever. I think he's got to pay considering he's walking out with three-fourth of my desserts,' grumbled Kyungsoo, watching at least five dozen sugar quills flavoured with rose water essence floating its way to the counter, where Sehun was billing everything with a murderous glare in Baekhyun's direction.

'Cheer up, Soo. It's always better to give than take,' hummed Baekhyun, casually grabbing a plate of blueberry pancakes topped with ice cream from mid air. Begrudgingly taking the Preservation Charm off the dish, Kyungsoo placed the cutlery beside Chanyeol's arm, decidedly ignoring the word of thanks from his customer's side.

'Bon appétit,' he clipped gruffly.

Gently, Chanyeol cut through the pancake and brought a small piece to his lips. He slowly bit into it and chewed. For a moment, Kyungsoo thought Junmyeon had jinxed his desserts as well; Chanyeol's eyes widened by a fraction and he looked as though he'd been Petrified. Kyungsoo felt his insides knotting up. Surely, most pure-blood families had house-elves to cook up feasts for them. Perhaps the pancakes tasted like cardboard to Chanyeol's refined tastes. 

All of a sudden, the expression on Chanyeol's face changed into something that bordered on dreamy ecstasy. His eyes glazed over and his lips quirked into a silly grin. With a certain unconstrained passion, he continued to dig into the rest of the food until neither ice cream nor pancake was left behind. 

'So can we assume that you liked the food?' put in Baekhyun just as Chanyeol wiped his mouth with a napkin.

'Liked it?! Gosh, I loved it!' he gushed, face glowing, as he fully faced an embarrassed Kyungsoo, 'How do you make it taste so fantastic? I've eaten many pancakes in my life but this one was... I don't even have words good enough to describe it!'

All the anger Kyungsoo previously bore against Chanyeol vanished into thin air. His face was heating up under Chanyeol's admiring gaze. A painful nudge in the ribs from Baekhyun urged him to speak up.

'Uh...yes, thank you.'

'See? I told you Honeydukes was the right place for you,' beamed Baekhyun, cutting across Chanyeol before he could begin another myriad of praises for Kyungsoo.

'I'm sure my sister will love all the goodies. Though I can't believe you still won't let me pay.'

Just then, Jongdae happened to return from his trip to St Mungo's, seemingly relaxed. 

'There's nothing to worry about, people. That boarhound Junmyeon hasn't jinxed the foo— oh hello! Didn't see you there, sir. Please pretend you didn't hear what I just said...'

Baekhyun immediately snapped at him. 'Jongdae, you troll brain! Do you realise who this is? This, my dear fellow, is Park Chanyeol, brother of Park—'

'—Yura?! Galloping gargoyles! I knew you looked familiar!' he yelled excitedly, 'I'm a huge fan of your sister's... My mother adores your mother's plays as well. Is it too much to ask for their autographs?'

'For what he's stolen, you might as well ask for their hands in marriage,' commented Sehun snidely, which Jongdae chose to ignore.

'I could lend you some Everlasting ink. It's guaranteed to never smudge!'

'I'm sure Yura would love to send you her autographs. If you don't mind, I'll be taking your leave now. Or else she might start worrying about me,' said Chanyeol apologetically, pulling the satchel over his shoulder once again, 'Thank you once again for your hospitality.'

But the moment he reached for the door, he seemed to have forgotten something because he swiftly turned around to look at Kyungsoo, who instantly tensed up at the direct eye contact. 

'I'm sorry but I didn't quite catch your name.'

Struggling to get the words out, Kyungsoo softly replied, 'It's Do Kyungsoo.'

'Right, Kyungsoo,'— a shy smile bloomed over his handsome face— 'Till we meet again.'

Stepping out into the streets of Hogsmeade, Chanyeol shut the door behind him, automatically filling the shop with an unusual silence. With a final wave sent most evidently to the cute little chef in white, he Disapparated back home.

As soon as the impact of the Disapparation ceased to have an effect on their surroundings, an aura of smugness seemed to emanate from all of Kyungsoo's work mates, especially from Baekhyun and Jongdae. 

'What is it, you two?' groaned Kyungsoo miserably.

Putting on a look of feigned innocence, Jongdae questioned him,

'When were you going to tell us?'

Baekhyun giggled,  annoying Kyungsoo even more.

'Tell you what exactly?'

'You know,' resumed Jongdae, his tone now shifting to teasing, 'about the fact that you're secretly slipping love potions into the orders of unsuspecting, good-looking blokes who happen to come by Honeydukes.'

Baekhyun roared with raucous laughter but Kyungsoo merely rolled his eyes at them.

'Just because the two of you can't even boil water properly doesn't mean you can go around slandering other talented bakers, unlike yourselves, over the misuse of Amortentia.'

Glad to hear them shut up for once, Kyungsoo gloated inwardly but Yixing, who'd been silent for the entire episode, suddenly spoke up.

'He seemed pretty smitten though. With the chef or the dessert, we can only guess.'

Sehun snorted. 'I can almost predict where this is headed. Particularly after watching Kyungsoo here go all weak-kneed for Chanyeol's flattery. Despicable!'

'I'd probably give it a month,' added Jongin slyly. 

'Nah! I say a fortnight,' teased Baekhyun, much to Kyungsoo's chagrin.

'Good luck, you conniving fools. I'm sure he won't return and all of you would have to kiss your Park Yura autographs goodbye!'

Mischief dancing in his eyes, Baekhyun mock-advised him, 'Oh he'll be back! You just wait and see.'