Previously:
"… Ah, what the hell. That guy is crazy enough that the hospital missing him would already have reported him already. Hmph. I bet other people who see him will report him, too. Not like the police are going to believe this crazy story without any proof anyway."
He finished closing up the shop and went upstairs to his apartment, not knowing that the next day would be the beginning of a series of strange occurrences that would turn his world upside down.
The Wizard-Geezer
(Posted 2014-06-11, Updated 2014-08-27)
Dumbledore hmmed.
Dumbledore had stopped in front of the shop, looking at the sign. Wacky Sweets & Kooky Confectioneries, CO.
Strange name, but it looked quite promising in his endeavors to satisfy his sweet tooth. A cheerful bell rang when he stepped in.
A man who had been staring quite distractedly into space, jerked at his entrance.
"Wel-Welcome!"
Dumbledore greeted the man - his nametag said Charlie Pailson - giving him a small smile.
"Good morning."
"Uh... feel free to look around?"
Dumbledore saw the samples left out for tasting and smiled brightly.
"Splendid, splendid, my dear fellow!" He immediately started tasting some samples that caught his eye.
Charlie, on the other hand, was freaking out.
He had been pondering why in the world he had blown his top and gotten so angry yesterday. Yes, there was an insane guy in the shop, but all he did was sprout nonsense and eat the samples already laid out for consumption.
Perhaps it was the stress of having no profits that was getting to him? It was strange how one night's sleep could change someone's attitude so quickly. Charlie had been feeling a bit... hopeful today, unlike the total depression from the day before.
That is, until that man stepped in.
Wearing a freakin' dress.
And a pointed wizard hat.
...Alright, not a dress, a wizard-y robe.
He totally looked like a stereotypical wizard... but who in the world would go around dressing like that?
He had heard of people dressing similarly to their favorite fictional characters, but... this man was at least as old as his father, grey hair starting to turn white.
He remembered the strange man from yesterday and fought off a shiver.
I hope this guy is mature enough to actually make a purchase after eating the samples.
He became thoughtful.
Maybe this is my second chance to redeem myself from yesterday? A chance to be professional with customers, no matter what?
"How delightful! These are quite good!"
Charlie jerked back to the present, and saw that the… wizard… had found the assorted tub of fruit-flavored hard candy.
"Oh yes, older customers prefer the hard candy to the chewy ones next to you. Most say it's too sweet."
"I see. Well, I have no doubt that these will soon become my new favorite." The wizard's eyes were twinkling madly.
Charlie grinned back.
Ahh, it's great when you get to play candy matchmaker with customers.
...Not that I have many.
Charlie sighed, but shook his dark thoughts away when he found the... wizard geezer... watching him avidly.
"Why don't you pick out some favorites? I'll wrap a packet of samples, if you wish to look around more." He gestured to a shelf behind the wizard-geezer.
"I also recommend the Fruity Loots Tin; it's a tin of fruit-filled jelly that grandchildren generally present their grandparents on their birthdays."
There was a pause, and the... wizard-geezer... sharply turned towards him.
"My dear fellow, could you be insinuating that I am old enough to be a grandparent?"
Charlie blanched, and started to stutter.
Great, now I've done it. I've insulted my first customer of the day! Even if the wizard-geezer looked totally weird, he totally looked like he would buy something...
"O-Oh. Um. I'm sorry, that is not quite what I..." Then Charlie saw the twinkle in the man's eyes.
"...Wait... You... Oh. I fell for that quite spectacularly, didn't I?"
Dumbledore chuckled then gave a small bow.
"Albus Dumbledore, delighted to make your acquaintance. I hope you are not offended. I couldn't resist. Your expression was very amusing to observe." The wizard chuckled again.
"Well, please package a very large packet of the fruity hard candy and one of those tins."
Charlie inwardly gave a sigh of relief. Whew, thank goodness he was a nice customer!
"You got me good, sir. I totally fell for your tone for a moment."
As the wizard was making his purchase, Charlie gave voice to a thought.
"Mr. Dumbledore, what is your favorite taste for candy? I'm suspecting either sweet or sour or even both..."
"Yes, that's quite correct. I prefer a sour candy to sweet ones, though I find it difficult to find many that do not blend too much sugar."
With a thoughtful look, Charlie made an offer.
"Here's what I'll do, Mr. Dumbledore. As a personal favor for being my first customer for the day, I'll try mixing some new flavors specifically for the sour department, which is quite... lacking. I've noticed before and was planning to expand on it, but never really had a reason to. That is, until now." Charlie hesitated. Alright, I hope I don't look too much like I'm advertising...
"Would you be willing to be a sample tester for any of my new creations?"
When Charlie looked into the wizard's eyes, he knew he made the correct choice in asking this man.
It seemed like real stars were about to come out of the wizard's eyes and start orbiting around - especially with all the twinkling his eyes were doing.
"I would be enchanted. I'm a professor, you see. It's only so much teaching I can do before needing to indulge my sweet tooth."
"That's great! Hmm... I think the first batch of samples will be ready in the next month or so, if not earlier. I'll look over some public truffle recipes for inspiration. Drop by anytime!"
"Ah, my dear fellow... Charles, is it?" Dumbledore reached out a hand to shake. "I believe today is the beginning of a very fulfilling relationship."
Charlie shook Dumbledore's had firmly, smiling back. At least my first customer really likes me...
(((WS&KC, C.O.)))
Later that afternoon, Charlie was in the kitchens to make an inventory of the materials he currently had, to find a strange sight.
All the materials he had planned on using to try out some flavors were already laid out.
But what caught his eye was the thick book on a bookstand placed on the work table.
"What the - ?"
The book title read "Charlie's Recipes", which seemed alright enough... until one looked at the eye-watering-rainbow-colored cover.
There was a neon mint green post-it-note on the book, which said in loopy cursive writing,
You're Welcome~
- from your Patron Deity :)
Charlie face-palmed.
"...Why do I get the feeling that I've agreed to something extremely stupid?"
References:
- Harry Potter (Book by J.K. Rowling): Albus P. Dumbledore
*2014-08-09 Edit: Minor grammar changes.
*2014-08-27 Edit: Changed "Wizard-guy" to "Wizard-geezer". Added references.
A/N - Hehehehe. I am seriously enjoying writing this fic. Not so much crazy yet, but not all characters are in place yet~
Anyhooo~ Please Read 'n Review!
