Sweet Tooth | Albus Dumbledore

Chapter Four

"Ariana, I am going to embarrass myself."

"No you're not," Ariana said briskly. "All you have to do is go up to the door and ask about my missing cat. Then he invites you in and you fall in love over possibly deadly confectionary. Simple as. Just knock."

Albus really felt pathetic that his sister, despite being thirteen years old and a Hufflepuff, was far braver than him. "Can you come with me?"

"No," she said savagely, and pushed him out from behind the hedge. "Go."

Albus nodded and made his way forward. Perhaps he could pretend like he was a character in a book. Perhaps he could pretend to be Arthur, on a quest. Though he was sure that the real Arthur would never be as pathetic as he was, it still seemed a massive task.

Albus Dumbledore And The Fear Of Social Interaction, he thought, stopping at the glass door. He risked a peek back at the hedge, where he heard a sigh, and then a hiss.

"Knock!"

Albus turned around and knocked. Twice, quickly and concisely. Oh Merlin, he hoped nobody else would answer. He hoped –

When the door opened, it revealed the man from the window. He no longer looked angry, but just like somebody's balding, middle aged father. He looked a little puzzled, but not unwelcoming.

"Can I help you?"

"Um," said Albus. "Er. Eh."

His tongue seemed stuck.

Say something, you idiot.

"Uh."

Not that. Anything. Say-

"I'm a friend of William's," he heard himself blurt out.

Oh Merlin why.

The man gave a small smile. Now he saw that he was definitely William's father – something of his smile reminded Albus of his son, and though his eyes were a faded blue, what hair he had left was the same colour as William's, albeit a bit grey. He had little wrinkles about his eyes, and dark bags.

"Right then. Do you want to see him?"

"Erm. Yes, that would be nice, thank you Mr Honeyduke."

Albus stepped gingerly into the hall, Mr Honeyduke closing the door behind him.

"William!" He called up the stairs. "There's a friend of yours here!"

"A friend?" William said in puzzlement, appearing at the top of the steps. He looked down at Albus, then smiled. "Albus!"

He was wearing a waistcoat today, an odd ensemble of red and purple diagonal stripes that made Albus stare. He didn't think he had ever seen an article of clothing so strange. It was almost hypnotic in its ugliness.

He swung down the steps, several at a time, landing at the bottom. His father rolled his eyes and disappeared up the stairs, while William's grandmother shuffled out of the kitchen.

"Albus?" She said, squinting a little, but then smiling. "Do you want some tea, love?"

"No thank you, Mrs Cliffdon. I just came to ask William about something."

"If you're sure," she said, and went into the living room.

William's forehead wrinkled. "You wanted to ask me about something?"

"Um, yes. My sister's cat is missing."

He looked a little disappointed, but his expression smoothed. "I suppose we can look, then. C'mon, Nan's garden has plenty of little nooks and crannies."