I do not own Harry Potter.
A/N: This is for Season IV of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 13.
Team & Position: Caerphilly Catapults, Chaser 1.
Base Prompt: …We have assigned every single one of you a different prompt - each of which has been taken from a previous season and round of QL. — S3R6: Lesser Used Genres. You see that list of genres over there - yeah, how many of you don't venture further than the romance or friendship genre? Well, we're about to change that. Here are 10 genres which aren't used as much as some of the others, your task is to pick one and write a story for it. [Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Western, Supernatural, Spiritual, Horror, Fantasy, Suspense]
Chosen genre: Crime
Optional Prompt: #02. (quote) 'I have a cunning plan.' - Baldrick, Blackadder
Optional Prompt: #06. (word) collection
Optional Prompt: #07. (word) invidious
As the last of the carriages returned to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade, Albus Dumbledore had a soft smile on his face. Finally, the loud, rambunctious children had left the village to its peace and tranquility. He could now do the shopping he needed in the newfound quiet.
Dumbledore needed to go to Honeydukes to pick up his standing order of candies, including his famous lemon drops. Stepping inside the store, he saw Ambrosius' wife, Nektaria, returning the candy displays to a semblance of order. The owner was behind the counter helping a blond woman and her small child with their purchase.
A small grimace flashed across his face as he caught sight of the child. Hopefully, it would stay quiet.
To avoid the child, he wandered through the store to look at what candies were available. After all, if there was something new he would need to add it to his collection. As if drawn by the thought, his eyes settled on an empty container with 'MOON POPS' written on the side. He had never heard of Moon Pops before, and they were sold out? Maybe they had more in stock that they hadn't had time to put on the shelf, yet.
Dumbledore's musings were interrupted by the woman gathering her purchase and preparing to leave the store. Seeing her face, he attempted to recall her name. Ah yes, Pandora Lovegood, married to Xenophilius. With the pair leaving, Dumbledore made his way to the counter.
"Good evening, Ambrosius."
"Good evening, Albus. Here to pick up your order?"
"Indeed, I am," Dumbledore said. "Also, I saw a display for Moon Pops. Are those new?"
A smile lit up Ambrosius' face. "Yes, they are! Just got the first batch today, in time for the Hogsmeade rush. Superb idea, Moon Pops. They are a mixture of our own dark and white chocolates. The visible mixture of the two changes depending on the current phase of the moon! This gives a different flavor profile depending on when you decide to consume it." The passion for the confectionary creation on Ambrosius' face could only be matched by Dumbledore's look of longing to consume the creation.
"I didn't see any on the shelf. Are there any more that I could add to my order?" Dumbledore asked.
"Nektaria!" Ambrosius shouted to his wife, causing Dumbledore to wince. "Do we have any more Moon Pops?"
"No, whatever's out is all that's left!" came the shouted reply back.
"Sorry, Albus. Looks like we're out. You just missed getting one, we sold the last one to the woman that was just here," Ambrosius said as he gestured toward the door. Dumbledore spared a look out the front windows and saw Pandora grab something from a bag before handing it to the child. "We should have more available in a few days. Would you like us to set some aside for you?"
"That would be great," Dumbledore said. "Thank you, Ambrosius."
"Anything for our best customer. Let me go grab your order."
Ambrosius stepped out from behind the counter, leaving Dumbledore to his own thoughts. Out in Hogsmeade right now, there was a candy that he had never had. A candy that was undoubtedly now, or would soon be, in the possession of a young child, practically a baby in his eyes. A child that could never truly appreciate the fine flavors of the candy. This required a cunning plan.
Option one, attempt to buy the Moon Pop off of Pandora. However, if she refused to sell, any other actions would be suspect. Option two, get one from a student at Hogwarts. However, he didn't know which students had obtained them and asking every student would be problematic. Similarly, it would involve actual interactions with the students—something he tried to limit as much as possible. No, he knew exactly what he needed to do. While he would have access to the Moon Pops in a few days, that wasn't soon enough.
A thump from the counter focused Dumbledore's attention on Ambrosius. "That'll be one Galleon, twelve Sickles," the Honeydukes' owner said.
Dumbledore quickly paid the man and hurried out of the store. A quick spell shrunk the bag and its contents, which he stuffed into one of his robe's pockets. He then started walking, it wouldn't do to be seen rushing, in the direction that he had last seen Pandora and her child. If he was lucky, they would still have some shopping to accomplish in town or would be having dinner before heading back home.
Walking down the street, he glanced into each store, looking for the young mother and her child. He finally spotted the pair in Tomes and Scrolls, looking at various books on magical creatures. The toddler would point at a drawing or picture in the book, and Pandora would then say the name of the creature and read a bit about it. Then she continued flipping through pages, waiting for the child to point to another creature.
During this exchange, Dumbledore's fear proved to be true: the child was holding the unwrapped Moon Pop but was not eating it. Instead, it was being used as the occasional pointing device. Worse still was that Pandora Lovegood was not only allowing this behavior but seemed to be encouraging it. Now he was convinced that his plan was the best for everyone involved. He would liberate that poor candy from the evil child and give it to someone more deserving. Someone like himself.
He ducked into the store across the street and pretended to look at the goods that were displayed in the store front. So focused was he on watching the pair, waiting for a moment he could duck over to succeed in his mission, that he failed to notice the store clerk behind him.
"Excuse me, Professor, can I help you find something?" a timid voice asked from directly behind him.
Dumbledore turned his gaze to the voice, finding a young man. "I'm just browsing."
The man fidgeted under Dumbledore's eyes. "I understand that, sir. It's just that…we were planning on closing, now that the students have gone, and you're the last one here…." The young man trailed off waiting for him to take the hint and either purchase something or leave the store.
Sometimes Dumbledore hated the need to maintain his grandfatherly persona. He forced a smile on his face and said, "So sorry, my boy. I'd lost track of the time." As he started making his way to the exit, he turned back to the young man and said, "Have a good evening."
"You too, Professor."
Walking out of the store, he caught sight of Pandora and her child at the bookshop's counter, paying for a couple of books. This was something that he could use to his advantage. The additional weight of the books would provide the cover he needed. A minute later, mother and child exited the bookshop.
As Pandora started walking down the street, Dumbledore sent a discreet Trip Jinx at her. He didn't need her to fully drop, just enough of a stumble to pull her attention away from her child so that he would have time to grab the sweet. The jinx did its work and Dumbledore made his move. He quickly walked past the pair, a hand reaching out and plucking the Moon Pop from the young child. The child was distracted by its mother catching her balance and didn't even notice.
Sweet successfully in hand, he continued walking on. However, it was only a couple of steps before he heard from behind, "Oh, Professor Dumbledore."
He had been placed into an invidious position. If she realized that he had taken the candy, she would undoubtedly be quite upset with him. He discreetly pushed the lollipop up his sleeve as he set his grandfatherly smile and put a twinkle in his eyes. Turning around, he pretended to be seeing the woman for the first time that evening.
"Ah, Pandora…Lovegood, wasn't it?" he asked.
"Yes, Professor. I had thought that was you in Honeydukes, but you looked busy," she said.
Dumbledore nodded his head in what people had told him was a sage-like manner. Thinking quickly he said, "Yes, I had some last minute shopping to do before ensuring that all of the students had made it back to Hogwarts."
He could see that his comment had struck sympathy from the young mother. After all, everyone knew that children were a handful.
"Yes, I know all about children getting off to where they shouldn't be," Pandora said. "Speaking of which, Professor, I don't think that you have been introduced to my daughter, Luna." She pulled the child in front of her to make her more visible.
Inwardly, he groaned. Why did parents always need to show off their kids? He dealt with children enough as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. However, he needed to keep up appearances to get out of this situation. "No, we haven't." He stepped forward and squatted down in front of the girl. "Hello, Luna, it's a pleasure to meet you."
The little girl looked up at him before moving her hand toward her mouth. This led the girl to realize that she no longer held the candy her mother had given her.
Seeing what was about to happen, Dumbledore stood back up. Thankfully, he just managed to be out of the direct blast as the child started bawling.
"I'll admit, not the typical reaction I get from future students," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"I'm so sorry about this, Professor," Pandora said as she attempted to determine why Luna was crying.
"Don't worry about it. I need to be getting back to the castle anyway. Have a good evening, Mrs. Lovegood."
"Have a good evening, Professor," came the distracted reply.
As he turned around and made his way back to Hogwarts, he heard Pandora ask her child, "What happened to your sucker? Did you drop it?"
Dumbledore smiled as he pulled the Moon Pop out from his sleeve and popped it into his mouth. There really was nothing like taking candy from a baby.