Harry had always loved fairgrounds. Even as a child when the only experience he had of them was being told he wasn't allowed to go, he would risk punishment by sneaking out of the house and go and stand on the corner of Privet Drive so that he could see the lights.
They would twinkle on the horizon, inviting him to come and join in the fun, but he always crept back again before Aunt Petunia could notice he was missing. He longed to see the lights up close, to hear the music of the rides around him, to meet a real clown, and to try candyfloss! Dudley had come back with a huge bag of it once and young Harry had thought that it was quite possibly the most delicious thing he had ever smelled in his life. Of course, Dudley had not allowed him one tiny morsel, instead stuffing himself with it until his fingers were sticky, the bag was empty, and he felt thoroughly sick. Harry had gotten little satisfaction when he heard him retching later that evening.
It wasn't until Harry was liberated to Hogwarts that he finally got to go to a fairground, and it wasn't an ordinary one either. If he'd thought Muggle fairgrounds looked good, Wizarding ones were heaven. Lights in a million hues burst and sparked and danced around him; clowns were twelve foot monsters; the rides hurtled you around for miles, spinning you in a hundred different directions and plummeting through pits of stars and candy and giant dragonflies.
Today Harry was a grown man, and he still loved the atmosphere, the sounds, and above all: the smell. He smiled down at his young son as they passed under the archway and into the hubbub of the crowd. Albus was staring all around in gobsmacked amazement, his jaw slack as he took it all in.
"Well, Albus, what do you want to do first?" Harry asked.
"Oh, Dad, it's amazing! Look at all the lights and the people! I want to go on that one, and that one, and I want to do that and – oh where's the really big one that James was talking about? Please can we go there – pleeeease!" he blabbered, and Harry chuckled.
"Okay, we can go on them all, but first we have to get one thing." Taking Albus by the hand he led him through the crowds until he found what he was looking for.
He bought and paid for two sticks of bright pink glittery popping-candyfloss, and passed one to Albus.
Albus' eyes lit up as he held the huge stick of it in his little chubby hands.
"All for me, Dad?"
"All for you," Harry smiled, and taking the first bite of his own, he groaned with pleasure at the crackling explosion of flavour.
Written for: the 'Build-a-Bear Challenge'. Prompt: Cotton Candy Scent.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
CC cover image (entitled 'Fairground lights') courtesy of Gilly Walker on Flickr.
A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed, but if not please don't hesitate to let me know why in a review :) GG x