Chapter Four: Profiteroles and Puffs.

'Three of those raspberry mousse chocoballs as well, please!' cried a ruddy-faced, chubby girl in a yellow and black scarf, using all her might to make herself audible over the din of the crowded shop. 

Like a clockwork machine, Kyungsoo set about his work and handed over a glittery packet to the Hufflepuff, but only after sealing it with a charm, much to the chagrin of certain on-looking Slytherins.

Hogsmeade week was here and the workload had reached maximum cumbersome levels. To top it all off, it had started snowing and they had to sell items hot, straight out of the oven. Junmyeon and Yixing were doing a great job at guiding the third year students who were busy ooh-ing and aah-ing at the wondrous creations thereby creating some traffic within the shop. Baekhyun, on the other hand, was doing so poorly at accounting work that he had to enlist the help of two Ravenclaw fifth years to regain some sort of stability. 

There were throngs of students bustling into Honeydukes and nobody seemed to want to leave. Kyungsoo wasn't one to complain about the work load though; this was expected from a Hogsmeade trip. Just as he was about to shovel some Acid Pops into a barrel, a small, excitable Oriental Scops owl flew in through the open door, dived gracelessly between the students and flew smack into Kyungsoo's chest. It plopped onto the desk, screeching shrilly and scattering snow everywhere. In an attempt to handle the cacophony, Kyungsoo swiftly removed the roll of parchment tied to its leg. Free from its constraints, the tiny avian whizzed out of the shop through a porthole window. 

The note read:

Pumpkin Pasties....5

Sugar Quills............a dozen

Chocolate Frogs....half a dozen

Sherbet Lemons.....a whole pack

I'll be there by four when the crowd disperses (I think so?) Hope Hogsmeade weekend isn't taking a toll on you and the others.

Thank you.

—Chanyeol

Kyungsoo looked at the old clock hanging over Jongin's head. It was only eleven in the morning. There were still five more hours to go until...

'Oi, mistah! 'ow about a dozen of 'em Cockroach Clusters?! Make it fast will ya?' cried a 4th year pipsqueak.

Five more very long hours.... thought Kyungsoo morosely, wiping the beads of sweat lining his forehead. 

Before he even knew it, five hours flew by as quickly as Honeydukes sold out all their limited edition treats. Thankfully, the students had all received their fair share of sweets and had headed down to The Three Broomsticks to lounge about and chit-chat with warm Butterbeers in hand. The shop was back to being empty, with the exception of a browsing old druid and a shady-looking apothecary. 

Kyungsoo tried to keep himself busy with work but he was getting impatient and it showed from the way he was rapping his fingers against the hard desk. 

After what seemed like an eternity of mental torment, the moment finally arrived. The familiar jingle of the bell, the clumsy shuffling of feet and the rustling of cloak fabric reached Kyungsoo's ears. For some strange reason, he couldn't lift his eyes up to meet his customer's. Even when the musk fragrance with a hint of bergamot hit his senses.

'Hey.'

That was all that was needed for the blood to rush to Kyungsoo's face as he tilted his face up to bask in Chanyeol's attention. 

Chanyeol looked tired but his smile was as soothing as always. His hair was only slightly mussed, which Kyungsoo found endearing. But then again, Kyungsoo was finding nearly everything about Chanyeol endearing lately. 

Wordlessly, he handed him his order.

Without breaking eye contact, he placed the cold Galleons into his soft, warm hands.

'I wish I could stay for a bit longer but, er, my schedule is tight right now,' spoke Chanyeol at last.

Kyungsoo replied, 'Just don't forget to come by this place every once in a while. '

The taller one chortled genially, made an act of mentally reminding himself and headed out, and Kyungsoo's heart gradually regained its usual rhythm. Just as he was about to turn around to go to the work area, his hand managed to knock down a packet of Sugar Quills. Bending over to pick them, he berated himself for catching Chanyeol's clumsiness when he suddenly realised that they were a part of Chanyeol's order. 

Knowing better than to leave the shop unattended, Kyungsoo bolted outside into the slowly drifting snow with the Sugar Quills in hand. He peered hard but there was no sign of the lanky bloke. All he could see were students laughing and being cheerful. So Kyungsoo headed to the right, to the way that lead to the Shrieking Shack. He passed by Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop where young couples got cozy inside but his eyes were trained to look out for Chanyeol. He scampered faster, nearly missing an enchanted snow ball that came whizzing out of nowhere. But there was absolutely no sign of his dearest customer and the cold was starting to bite into him, so he decided to call off the search. 

Not looking where he was going, he whirled around to head back to Honeydukes, when he rammed into someone sturdy. He fell onto the ground roughly along with, lo and behold, Park Chanyeol himself, whose leg got tangled in his cloak. The first thing Kyungsoo noticed was that Chanyeol's black satchel was splayed open and its contents were all spilled out. 

'Oh no! I'm so sorry! Let me help— ' but the sight before him made him cut his apology short.

The black leather-bound books lined in scarlet and emerald lying in stark contrast to the pure white snow below was unmistakably horrific. For a moment, Kyungsoo was only faintly aware of the lights and noise coming from The Three Broomsticks.

The Art of Necromancy. How to Master the Unforgivables. Magick Moste Vile. All titles of books related to the Dark Arts.

One book was open in the middle and Chanyeol shot out an arm to prevent Kyungsoo from witnessing its insides but it was too late. The highly graphic illustration of the after effects of a prolonged Cruciatus Curse was etched into Kyungsoo's mind's eye.

Bile rose in Kyungsoo's throat.

'Kyungsoo—'

Kyungsoo glared at Chanyeol with disgust and disappointment. Without further ado, he sprinted away as far as he could from Chanyeol who sat motionless on the snow. 

'KYUNGSOO!' yelled Chanyeol, finally getting his long legs to work, as he raced after his friend. 

Kyungsoo heard his name being called out but he just ran faster, only to Disapparate with a bang, right in the middle of a group of students duelling with useless spells. 

Chanyeol watched on as the kids scrambled away from there in fear, the pain in his chest filling the space where his heart was before it sunk into an abyss of despair.      

For the next few days, Kyungsoo detained himself in the work area, refusing to come out and see daylight. He worked hard but there was an edge of harshness in the way he kneaded his dough and whisked the eggs. Junmyeon was understanding enough to let Kyungsoo do his thing. Chanyeol had arrived every day to negotiate peace talks for matters that only Merlin knew but everyone knew better than to ask Kyungsoo and get thrown into the oven by him. Everyone except Baekhyun and Jongdae.

'Well you have to tell us someday! Might as well say it now and get it over with!' snapped Baekhyun with mild impatience, ambling around the kitchen. 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. 'Why do you even care?'

'Who else is supposed to care?' 

'We're your friends for Merlin's sake!' cried Jongdae. 

With a drawn out sigh, Kyungsoo surrendered to their pleas. Better to get it off his chest.

As he retold his unpleasant experience of the horrid revelation regarding Park Chanyeol, his friends listened in silence, not as much as uttering an exclamation once he got to the truth. They were left stunned in disbelief, their eyes wide and jaws slack. 

'I can't even—' began Jongdae, unable to find the appropriate words to describe his unease.

'You can't find a decent Pure-blood anywhere these days,' remarked Baekhyun with distaste, 'They're all the same in char— Merlin! What if—'

Kyungsoo shot his eyes at his bumbling friend. 

'What is it?'

'No, it's just that...there's a rumor— that they're bringing him back!'

'Bringing whom back?'

Baekhyun hunched into himself and lowered his voice to a mere whisper. 'You-Know-Who.'

Jongdae couldn't help but burst into guffaws and if Kyungsoo wasn't in such a terrible mood, he would've joined in too.

'Oh yeah! Park Chanyeol is going to resurrect Voldy from limbo, isn't he?' teased the former.

'Shut your trap, Jongdae! My sources say—'

'Sources?' spat Kyungsoo, 'Pray tell me it isn't the Ministry of Magic!'

'Of course not! I'm talking about something reliable.'

'Have you been following up this crap from The Quibbler?'

That one statement from Kyungsoo had Baekhyun turning into an embarrassed, flustered mess. 

'The Quibbler gives you unadulterated information on the stuff the Ministry is trying to hide from us!' he counter-argued.

'Is that why The Quibbler tells us that it's safe to consume Deadly Dapperlings and that Ministry doesn't want us to enjoy its health benefits?' mocked Kyungsoo. 

'Purely sensational magazine, that is. Caters to the imagination of young, impressionable fools such as yourself, Baek,' added Jongdae. 

'Think about it!' he yelled, 'You don't know what the dude does for a living. And now he's got these creepy books in his satchel. What else could it mean?'

For once, Kyungsoo was having a hard time trying not to believe what he'd just heard. Or witnessed, to be specific. 

Baekhyun was right in a way. What does Chanyeol actually do? He clearly isn't in the show business. And during his trip to Diagon Alley, Kyungsoo noticed that he was behaving strangely. Like he didn't want to be seen then. A trip to the adjacent Knockturn Alley could have triggered such a response... 

And there was ink on his forearm. Left or right? It didn't matter anyway. The inkling that Chanyeol had a Dark Mark on himself was enough to cloud Kyungsoo's judgment. 

'Guys, listen. My head is aching so I'd like it if you left me alone to work in peace now.'

Thankfully, Baekhyun and Jongdae were so busy arguing about the legitimacy of The Quibbler that they didn't pester Kyungsoo further.

Night had fallen and seeing there was no point in staying back, Kyungsoo stepped out of the shop. The others had left a long time ago and Kyungsoo didn't feel like joining them. As he fumbled with the keys to Honeydukes, he heard the sound of crunching of snow. Without missing a beat, he whipped around and drew his wand out, its end emitting a dangerous red glow. 

'Whoa there!' shouted Chanyeol, throwing his hands up in surrender in an attempt to not get himself killed. 

Kyungsoo barked, 'What do you want? Whatever it is, I'm not interested.'

'Then why did you ask in the first place?'

Kyungsoo noticed how snow was piled over his head and shoulders, which meant he must have been waiting for a very long time. 

'I need to explain— '

'No thanks.'

'Kyungsoo please. You're jumping to conclusions once again.'

Kyungsoo paused at that. Chanyeol was obviously being genuine. 

'I know how everything looks at the moment. And it must be pretty damning in the eyes of anyone who knows a thing or two about Pure-bloods. But I'm not like that.'

'You had books related to the Dark Arts!' he yelled back.

'I'm not a Death Eater— '

'Then what else could it be?'

'It's for something else!'

'Like what?'

'It's— Merlin! I'm the new professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts!'

Baekhyun's fanaticism for The Quibbler suddenly seemed less incredulous to Kyungsoo at the moment.

'What in Merlin's name—'

'Listen... When I came by this place for the very first  time, it was after I had applied for the vacancy at Hogwarts. After I got the job, I was elated, not just because of the post but also because I could be closer to you.'

Kyungsoo's face heated up. Memories of Minseok gossiping about the new DADA professor rushed to his mind. 

'Only later did I realise that I couldn't have the kids spotting me around with you... because then you'd know that I'm just a mere professor.'

'And what's wrong with that?'

'Well, I thought you'd be disappointed... since I'm not in show-biz like the rest of my family.'

Kyungsoo shook his head. 'Then what will you say about a small town confectioner whose only source of income depends on a bunch of brats?'

'Your job is way cooler than mine.'

'Well, just so you know, I'm attracted to nerds and not celebrities.'

Now it was Chanyeol's turn to blush and scratch the back of his head. He then asked,

'Was this explanation good enough?'

'Let's see. Why don't you answer some of my questions and then we'll check if it's fitting for me?'

Chanyeol nodded.

'What do you have drawn onto your hands? You acted pretty suspicious about it back in Diagon Alley so I figured it was the Dark Mark!' 

'Err, actually no. It's a simple tattoo— look!'

Chanyeol rolled up the sleeve of his right arm. In small but neat lettering, the jet black ink stood out against the pale skin of his wrist. 

'Felicitas Delectare?'

'Latin for "Happiness Delight"'

Kyungsoo stood motionless for a second before announcing, 'Your explanation has been accepted.'

Chanyeol beamed in relief and so did Kyungsoo. The snowflakes fell against their frames. Shivering slightly, the petite one offered, slowly reopening the shut door of Honeydukes,

'You wanna go inside? It's warmer and I've just prepared some profiteroles frosted with glacial snowflakes. We could dip them in hot fudge as well.'

'I'm in for sure but-'

'It's my way of apologising. No need to pay, you nerd!'

'You know me so well.'

Once inside, they sat beside each other after Kyungsoo brought out the light, fluffy snack. As they dipped it into fudge and ate it, Chanyeol jumped in exclamation.

'Oh no! I completely forgot to give you this gift!'

From the recesses of his robes, Chanyeol brought out a wet, orange-coloured lumpy mass and placed it in front. Two beady eyes watched Kyungsoo unblinkingly behind a curtain of fur. 

'Oh sweet Merlin!' cried Kyungsoo as soon as he recognised the lump, 'It's a limited edition Pygmy Puff!'

'Got him from the Wizardly Wheezes. They were having a sale. He's pretty expensive, though, you know, because he doesn't shed.'

'Why is he soaked?' asked Kyungsoo as he picked up the drenched mass of adorableness,  which delved into the comfort of his palm.

'Oh, that, err... well, I tripped over a stone back in Diagon Alley and sent him flying through the air and into a puddle of rainwater...' mumbled Chanyeol sheepishly.

Kyungsoo's lips quirked into a smile.

'Why am I not surprised?'

And so they talked till late in the night, playing with the Pygmy Puff while enjoying their profiteroles in bliss, sitting in the lonely shop, which was a beacon of warmth in the cold weather.

When the time came for them to part ways, Kyungsoo felt as though all this was meant to be. And he was already hoping for a future together where there'd be no more goodbyes. Just them together forever.

Author's Note:

It's been a while and I'm sorry! 

Been busy with studies.

And also, the writing contest got cancelled. 

Not gonna stop me though. 

Please comment and don't lose hope.

I won't abandon my writing. 

Harry Potter Key: 

Knocturn Alley is the evil version of Diagon Alley.

A Pygmy Puff is a small cute creature.

A Dark Mark symbolises your loyalty to Voldemort.