undeniable | scorbus

sixteen - albus

chocolate is always the answer.

—

Albus burst into Honeydukes, pink faced and slightly out of breath. He took a second to lean against the wall, feeling a rush of gratitude for the sweet shop being almost empty.

It normally would have been so packed with hungry, sugar craving students that he'd hardly have enough space to take more than a few steps. He'd practically sprinted to Hogsmeade as soon as class ended, not even bothering to spare a glance at the people who were giving him odd looks in the hallways.

He was used to looks of all kinds, but the ones he'd gotten recently were quite new. They held a hint of apprehension, and not the kind he'd see in the eyes of classmates who would regularly make obvious attempts to inquire about his dating life.

Speaking of which, at this point, had been virtually nonexistent for far too long. He'd been so busy with Quidditch season (and the piles of classwork on his nightstand that was just begging to be completed) that he didn't even have time to flirt, yet alone date. He found that he didn't mind as much as he would have expected to.

Albus decided it would take ten minutes at the very least before the store started to slowly fill up with hungry teenagers desperate for their daily dose of chocolate, so he supposed he could spare a few minutes to browse.

It wasn't until he'd circled around the entire vicinity twice that he realized he had absolutely no clue what Scorpius liked.

He didn't know much about Scorpius at all, but he took comfort in the fact that Scorpius carried sweets with him wherever he went, which meant he'd probably appreciate anything from Honeydukes that wouldn't bite his nose off. He wondered what Scorpius's dentist thought about his sweet tooth, before remembering that Scorpius probably didn't even know what a dentist was.

"Looking for something, dear?"

Albus jumped at the voice, and turned to face an elderly looking witch. Her hat was long, crooked, and oddly feathery. Her wispy white hair was short and curled around her face. She gave him a pleasant smile, and he immediately thought of Grandma Molly.

He must have looked as lost as he felt.

"I need a gift," he said awkwardly, shuffling to the side in case he was blocking the acid pops the woman was eyeing.

"I would assume so," the woman said softly, grabbing an acid pop. "It looks like someone needs some cheering up."

Albus bit his lip, wondering why she'd bothered to engage in conversation with him. She was giving him an almost knowing look, as her frail hands reached for candy after candy. Albus wondered if it was healthy for the elderly to consume so much sugar.

"Something like that, I guess," he mused, eventually deciding there was no harm in confiding in an old woman. "They're upset, but not at me. At least, I hope it's not at me." He trailed off at the end, hoping he didn't look too pathetic.

The woman gave him a sympathetic look through her horn rimmed spectacles.

"Good luck with that, dear," she said, starting to head over to the young wizard at the front desk. "Might I suggest one of Honeydukes' Engorious sweets? Bigger is always better when it comes to candy."

She piled her enormous bag of sweets on the counter, and Albus marvelled at how someone who looked like she was at least eighty could carry all of that.

Scorpius is going to be exactly like her when he's old, Albus thought to himself, suppressing a grin.

She smiled at him as she exited, and Albus pondered over the giant display case that showcased quaffle sized cockroach clusters. He was positive that eating candied bugs wouldn't cheer anyone up, so he didn't spare them a second look. He'd only tried cockroach clusters once, when he was seven years old and James had tricked him into thinking it was a limited edition chocolate sugar quill.

He shuddered at the horrific memory. His boggart had been a giant cockroach for at least a year after the incident.

Trying to shake the thought of insects out of his mind, he eventually decided on a giant chocolate frog that was relatively the size of his head. The purple container it was sealed in was enormous, and he hadn't known just how heavy chocolate could be.

The cashier glanced at him curiously, and it was obvious that the wizard was wondering what in Merlin's name the Chosen One's son was doing with an enormous chocolate frog.

He dropped a handful of coins on the desk, and quickly left the shop, as the cashier looked like he was about to ask questions.

As he walked back to the castle, he hoped Scorpius was doing better than he was before. Albus didn't know what was going on, but seeing him like that had hurt more than it should have.

It was because they'd become friends. Of course he cared about his friends, all of them. Equally. He tried to ignore the fact that he'd never bought giant chocolate for anyone else before.

He had just reached Hogwarts' giant oak doors when he heard the voice of the one person he'd been trying desperately to avoid for the past few days.

Rose was walking out the doors with Polly Chapman, a wide grin on her face as she listened intently to something Polly was saying.

Albus wasn't usually one to hide, but now he desperately wished the bush beside him would branch out and swallow him up. He actually debated scurrying away, but Rose had already looked in his direction.

If they hadn't made eye contact, he'd have pretended he'd never seen her.

—

al avoiding his problems is pretty much me lmao

- gxldensnitched <3