Chapter Text
Honeydukes is a riot of color and scent as we push through the door, the bell jingling merrily above us. The shop is packed with students, their excited voices create a buzzing backdrop to the magical displays of sweets.
"It's always like walking into a dream," Katara murmurs, her eyes wide as she takes in the towering shelves of confections.
I watch her face light up, finding more fascination in her expressions than in any of the magical treats surrounding us. The way her eyes widen, the small soft smile—it's oddly captivating.
I gently guide her through the crowd with a hand at the small of her back. The contact sends a pleasant warmth up my arm. We navigate to a quieter corner where glass jars of colorful candies line the walls from floor to ceiling. I spot Draco and Hermione already there, heads bent close together as they examine a display of color-changing bonbons.
"These are new," I say, pointing to a display labeled 'Elemental Elixirs: Taste the Magic.' Small, jewel-like candies shimmer in various colors—ruby red, sapphire blue, emerald green, and amber gold.
"Fire, water, earth, and air," Katara reads from the small placard. "Each candy supposedly tastes like the essence of its element."
I raise an eyebrow. "How exactly does fire taste?"
"Only one way to find out," she challenges, a playful glint in her eyes.
Before I can stop myself, I'm plucking a ruby-red candy from the display and holding it between my fingers. "Care to try?"
She blinks, surprised by my boldness. "You want me to...?"
"Unless you're afraid," I tease, holding the candy closer to her lips.
A blush spreads across her cheeks, but she doesn't back down. Instead, she leans forward slightly, her eyes never leaving mine as she parts her lips. My breath catches as I gently place the candy on her tongue, my fingertips brushing against her lower lip.
"Oh!" Her eyes widen in delight. "It's... cinnamon and chili. It's wonderful."
The genuine pleasure on her face does something strange to my chest—a tightening that's almost painful but in the best possible way.
"My turn," I say, voice dropping lower.
She selects a sapphire-blue candy, “Water next?"
I lean down, maintaining eye contact as she places the candy on my tongue. The sweetness blooms immediately—cool mint with hints of blueberry.
"Try the earth one next," I suggest, selecting an emerald candy.
This time, I don't wait for her to lean forward. Instead, I step closer, eliminating the space between us.
"Open," I command softly.
Her lips part obediently, and I place the candy on her tongue, deliberately letting my finger linger against her bottom lip. The blush that spreads across her cheeks is intoxicating.
"Earthy," she breathes after a moment.
"My turn," I say again, watching as she selects the amber candy with slightly trembling fingers.
When she offers it to me, I capture not just the candy but the tip of her finger between my lips, maintaining eye contact as I do. Her sharp intake of breath is audible even in the crowded shop.
"Tastes like freedom," I murmur, releasing her finger.
Across the aisle, I catch Draco employing similar tactics with Hermione. He's holding a chocolate truffle to her lips, his silver eyes intense as she takes a delicate bite. The flush on her cheeks matches Katara's.
"These are fascinating," Draco drawls, his voice carrying that aristocratic tone that somehow sounds more charming than arrogant today.
"The spellwork is quite advanced," Hermione agrees, clearly trying to maintain her academic composure despite the flush spreading down her neck. "It involves memory extraction similar to Pensieve technology, but modified to—"
"To engage the taste receptors rather than visual cortex," Draco finishes for her, moving impossibly closer. "Brilliant, isn't it? Almost as brilliant as the witch explaining it."
I suppress a smirk as Hermione's academic explanation dissolves into flustered silence.
Draco's always been smooth, but he's pulling out all the stops today.
"We should get some to take back," I suggest to Katara, placing a hand at the small of her back to guide her toward the counter. The contact sends warmth spreading through my palm. "Which was your favorite?"
"The fire candy," she admits, glancing up at me through her lashes. "It reminds me of you."
I smile down at her, “I enjoyed the water one… for similar reasons.”
I make a quick detour, getting her a large bag of the crystalized pineapple and a variety pack of the elemental candies.
Draco gets Hermione two different boxes of chocolate truffles, his hand never leaving the small of her back.
As we exit Honeydukes, purchases tucked safely away in our bags, I’m reluctant to remove my hand from the small of Katara's back. The connection grounds me, provides a tether to being just Zuko the student. Not the other version of myself waiting in its cage.
"We should check out Gladrags next," I suggest, nodding toward the clothing shop across the street. "I hear they've got new winter cloaks with advanced warming charms."
"Perfect for someone who doesn't naturally run as hot as a furnace," Katara teases, pressing slightly closer to my side as a crisp breeze swirls fallen leaves around our feet.
I chuckle, "You'd be surprised how useful a good warming charm can be, even for fire types."
Draco raises an eyebrow at me, a silent question in his eyes. I give him an almost imperceptible nod. We have time. Our... appointment... isn't for hours yet. For now, we can just be students enjoying a day in the village.
Gladrags welcomes us with a burst of warm air scented with cinnamon and cloves. Enchanted mannequins pose dramatically, their outfits changing every few minutes to showcase the latest wizarding fashion. One particularly flamboyant display features color-shifting scarves that ripple through the spectrum as they twirl around an invisible neck.
"Those are lovely," Hermione murmurs, reaching out to touch one that's currently shimmering between deep purple and midnight blue.
Draco moves behind her, so close his chest nearly touches her back. "It matches your eyes," he says, his voice dropping to a velvet murmur. "The way they shift in different light."
I watch Hermione's cheeks flush pink, her hand stilling on the fabric as she turns to face him.
"My eyes are just brown," she protests weakly.
"Just brown?" Draco scoffs gently, reaching past her to lift the scarf. "They're amber in sunlight, honey by candlelight, and dark chocolate when you're concentrating on a particularly challenging text." He drapes the scarf around her neck. "Nothing 'just' about them."
Hermione stands frozen, her lips parted in surprise as Draco adjusts the scarf, his knuckles brushing against her collarbone. The scarf settles into a deep emerald that does indeed complement her eyes perfectly.
“Lets go check out those cloaks,” Katara says to me while smiling at Hermione, sliding away to give her friend a moment alone with Draco.
I follow Katara to the back of the shop where several racks of winter cloaks hang in neat rows, organized by color and enchantment level. She runs her fingers along the fabric of a deep blue one, admiring the silver fastenings shaped like crescent moons.
"This one's beautiful," she murmurs, pulling it from the rack.
I watch as she holds it against herself, the rich blue making her eyes seem even more vibrant. She's so small next to the full-length cloak, the hem pooling on the floor around her feet. Something protective stirs in me at the sight.
"Try it on," I suggest.
She slips it around her shoulders, and I step behind her, gently adjusting the fabric so it drapes properly. My hands linger at her shoulders, feeling how delicate her frame is beneath my palms. The cloak engulfs her completely, making her look even smaller than usual.
"It's a bit big," she says with a self-conscious laugh, disappearing further into the voluminous fabric.
"Just a bit?" I tease, unable to hold back a genuine smile. "You look like you're being swallowed by an indigo sea monster."
She playfully swats at my arm, but her eyes sparkle with amusement. "Not all of us can be walking mountains like you, Zuko."
I chuckle, circling her to examine the cloak more fully. "Here, let me help." I adjust the collar, my fingers brushing against the soft skin of her neck. "Though I have to say, there's something endearing about how tiny you are."
Her cheeks flush a lovely shade of pink. "I'm not tiny. I'm perfectly average-sized."
"Average for what? A house elf?" I continue teasing, enjoying the way her blush deepens. I reach for another cloak—this one a rich burgundy with gold thread woven through the fabric. "Try this one. It might not drown you quite as thoroughly."
She narrows her eyes at me but allows me to drape the new cloak around her shoulders, replacing the blue one.
"Better," I murmur, smoothing the fabric over her shoulders. "Though still enormous on you."
"They're meant to be oversized," she protests, but her smile betrays her amusement.
"Oversized, yes. Big enough to house a family of nifflers? Probably not the designer's intention." I reach for a third cloak, this one emerald green with silver serpent clasps—unmistakably Slytherin in its styling.
"I am not wearing Slytherin colors." she giggles.
"Afraid you might like it?" I challenge, holding the cloak open invitingly. "Green would look stunning with your complexion."
She rolls her eyes, that smile widening. “I’m not afraid of anything.” She hesitates, fingers running along the embroidered silver serpents.
Curiosity wins out as she allows me to drape the emerald fabric around her shoulders. The effect is immediate and striking—the deep green brings out flecks of teal in her blue eyes.
"I hate that this looks so good," she smiles, turning to examine her reflection. Her fingers trace the silver fastenings as she pulls the cloak tighter around herself, a small, reluctant smile playing at her lips.
"Slytherin green suits you, even though you're a Ravenclaw." I murmur, adjusting the hood so it frames her face perfectly. "Though I'd never admit that to anyone else."
She nestles deeper into the fabric, a contented sigh escaping her as the warming charms activate fully.
"It's so warm," she whispers, eyes closing briefly as she burrows into the soft material, her nose nuzzling against the high collar in a way that makes my chest tighten. "I didn't expect it to feel this... comfortable."
The sight of her wrapped in my house colors, looking so content and small, stirs something possessive in me that I shouldn't allow.
"Careful," I tease, my voice dropping to a low murmur as I step closer, "I might get jealous of a cloak."
Her eyes blink open, meeting mine with surprise. "Jealous? Of fabric?"
"Absolutely." I lean in, close enough that I can see the individual lashes framing those blue eyes. "I can't have you preferring enchanted wool to me when it comes to keeping warm." My fingers brush against the cloak's collar, deliberately grazing the skin of her neck. "I run much hotter than any charm."
Her breath catches, cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink. "Is that so?"
"Undoubtedly." I allow a hint of fire bending to warm my fingertips as they trace the edge of the cloak, just enough for her to feel the difference. "Warming charms fade. I don't."
The blush spreads down her neck as she tries to maintain composure. "That's... quite a claim."
"One I'd be happy to prove." I step even closer, my chest nearly touching hers. "Perhaps during the next Hogsmeade weekend? When the snow starts falling?"
She looks up at me through her lashes, the hood of the cloak casting shadows that make her eyes seem even more luminous. "I might hold you to that."
"Please do." The words come out rough, laced with a hunger I shouldn't feel.
Not today, not when death waits in my pocket, scheduled for later this afternoon.
"Are you two done flirting over cloaks?" Draco's drawl breaks the moment, amusement evident as he approaches with Hermione beside him.
I roll my eyes at Draco's interruption, "We were discussing the thermal properties of enchanted fabric," I say, not taking my eyes off Katara. "Very academic."
"Clearly," Draco smirks, eyeing the emerald cloak still wrapped around Katara's shoulders. "I see you're converting her to Slytherin colors. Well done."
Katara giggles as she begins to unfasten the cloak, but I place my hand over hers, stopping her.
"Wait. It looks perfect on you." I reach for the price tag hanging from the sleeve, examining it briefly before making a decision. "Consider it yours."
"Zuko, no," she protests, eyes widening as I help her out of the heavy emerald fabric. "It's too expensive. I couldn't possibly—"
"You can and you will," I say firmly, already heading toward the counter with the cloak draped over my arm. "Consider it my contribution to inter-house unity."
I hear Draco chuckle behind me. "Seems we had the same idea." When I glance back, he's holding the color-shifting scarf that now glows a deep emerald green. "Nothing says Slytherin appreciation like proper accessorizing."
Hermione's cheeks flush crimson, "Draco, you really don't need to—"
"I insist," he says, his voice soft, "As I said, it brings out the gold in your eyes."
I suppress a smile as I place the cloak on the counter.
"This is ridiculous," Katara murmurs, standing beside me as the shopkeeper begins wrapping the cloak in silver paper. "You don't need to buy me things."
"Need? No. Want? Absolutely." I lean closer, lowering my voice. "Besides, I can't have you freezing during our next Hogsmeade visit. What kind of gentleman would I be?"
"The kind who doesn't spend a small fortune on a girl he barely knows," she replies with a warm smile.
"I'd say I know you better than most." I hand over the galleons, ignoring Katara's attempt to see the price. "And I'd like to know you better still."
The shopkeeper hands me the wrapped package, I tuck it into my bag before offering Katara my arm again.
"Shall we?"
Draco completes his purchase of the scarf, which the shopkeeper wraps in elegant purple paper that shifts colors like the scarf itself.
Hermione accepts it with a shy smile, her fingers brushing against his as she takes the package, tucking it into her own bag.
Katara slides her hand into the crook of my elbow, her touch light, "Where to next?" she asks, looking up at me with those impossibly blue eyes.
"Scrivenshaft's?" I suggest, nodding toward the quill shop across the street. "I could use some new ink."
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We make our way through a few more shops, the banter feeling warm and natural as we exchange small bits of information about ourselves.
Katara loves to swim, her brother taught her when they were young. I tell her about my Uncle, and his near unhealthy obsession with tea.
Hermione shares stories of growing up in muggle schools, detailing gym days when they’d play with colorful parachutes and do choreographed dances.
Draco shares a story of when he and I would race on our brooms when we were far too young, one particular race ending with us stuck in a bush of bramble.
The girls giggle and laugh, brightening what's going to be a dark day in the approaching hours.
"What do you say we grab some lunch?" I suggest, checking my watch. It's just past noon, plenty of time before our... other appointment. "I'm starving after all this shopping. Then we can hit Tomes and Scrolls."
"I could definitely eat," Katara agrees, "Any preferences?"
Draco exchanges a subtle glance with me. "Something warm. Perhaps the Three Broomsticks?"
"Actually," Hermione interjects, "there's a small café just down the lane that makes the most amazing hot chocolate. Perfect for a chilly day like this."
"Hot chocolate sounds heavenly," Katara says, her eyes brightening. "With cinnamon, if they have it."
"They do," Hermione assures her. "And they add just a hint of chili powder if you ask—gives it the perfect warming kick."
"Spicy hot chocolate?" I raise an eyebrow, unable to suppress my interest. "That sounds appealing."
"It's perfect for someone with a fire affinity," Katara teases, nudging me with her elbow. "You'll probably ask for extra chili."
"Know me so well already, do you?"
"You're not as mysterious as you think," she replies, a playful glint in her eyes as she tugs me toward the café.
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