The Granger Family and Guoguo Tea

Vaughn glanced back and saw a thin, stern-looking witch leading a young couple and a little girl out through a narrow archway.

That way led to the Leaky Cauldron. Vaughn had been there before, but the hunchbacked owner, Tom, had refused to serve him Butterbeer.

When he had read the novels in his previous life, he had always been curious about what that stuff tasted like.

The young couple were obviously Muggles. They were wearing a suit and a dress—far too ordinary, making them seem distinctly out of place in Diagon Alley.

Molly spotted them as well. Her face immediately lit up with surprise as she called out from afar, "Professor McGonagall! Professor McGonagall! Merlin, it's wonderful to see you."

Professor McGonagall clearly knew Molly too. Five children from the Weasley family had already enrolled at Hogwarts, and every one of them was in Gryffindor. It would have been difficult not to know them.

Her stern expression softened slightly as she led the Muggle Family over. "Mrs. Weasley, are you here to buy school supplies for the Children?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall... Oh, is this young lady also a new Hogwarts student this year?"

"That's right. These are Mr. Granger and Mrs. Granger, along with their daughter, who is also starting Hogwarts this year—Hermione Granger."

Professor McGonagall introduced them, giving Vaughn and Ron a brief look, though her gaze lingered mainly on Vaughn. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, this is Mrs. Weasley and her two sons, Vaughn Weasley and..."

"Ron, Professor McGonagall!"

"...Ron Weasley." Professor McGonagall nodded at Ron, who was shyly hiding behind Molly. Her lips pressed into a thin line before she quickly looked back at Vaughn, the faintest trace of a smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

She bent down and gently shook Vaughn's hand. "Mr. Weasley, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Professor McGonagall."

Vaughn smiled politely, then looked past Professor McGonagall at the reserved Muggle couple greeting Molly and the little girl curiously watching him.

Snap!

Vaughn snapped his fingers, sending out a faint pulse of Magic Power.

The girl's messy bangs immediately floated up like seaweed.

It was merely a trivial little trick, one that did not even require a Wand.

But for a Muggle Family with little knowledge of such things, it was clearly magical enough. Mr. and Mrs. Granger covered their mouths in astonishment!

The girl widened her eyes. As she curiously tried to smooth down her floating hair, she kept glancing at Vaughn, practically itching to rush over and ask how he had done it.

Professor McGonagall coughed lightly. "Ahem, Mrs. Weasley, I still need to take the Granger family to Gringotts to exchange money, so I won't keep you any longer."

As she spoke, she hesitated before glancing at Vaughn. "Mr. Weasley, I hope you will not perform such little tricks in front of other Muggles. You should know that the Ministry of Magic strictly forbids it."

Vaughn nodded with a cheerful smile. "All right, Professor McGonagall!"

As the group left, Hermione Granger was still looking at Vaughn. He smiled at her, and the little girl froze for a moment before her face suddenly turned a little red.

What a cute girl!

Vaughn watched the girl walk away, repeatedly looking back over her shoulder, before Ron grumbled impatiently beside him.

"Aren't we going to buy Wands? Ollivander might be crowded today. What if we have to queue?"

His mind was now filled entirely with his new Wand. As for the Muggle Family they had just met...

Who were they? Did they have anything to do with him?

Vaughn looked at him strangely. Ron suddenly felt inexplicably uneasy and touched his face. "W-What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. As long as you're happy."

Of course Ron was happy. It was his first time in Diagon Alley, and the sights had nearly dazzled him blind. Though he had been urging them to buy Wands, when they passed Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, his legs suddenly seemed welded to the ground and refused to move another inch.

Perhaps worried that Ron would lose his balance once he saw Vaughn buying new books and new robes later, Molly indulgently bought him an ice cream.

With an ice cream in hand, he finally stopped rushing them. Molly then took Vaughn through Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Flourish and Blotts, and other shops to buy robes, books, and supplies.

Fortunately, all these shops offered Owl delivery services, sparing the family the awkwardness of carrying armfuls of parcels.

"Books, robes, a Cauldron, scales... Oh, right, you can also bring a pet. Over there are Eeylops Owl Emporium and the Magical Menagerie. Vaughn, what pet are you planning to buy?"

Looking at Ron, who was still hugging his ice cream and gnawing away at it, oblivious to the world around him, Vaughn said mischievously, "I want a cat."

Ron froze, his face turning pale.

He seemed to have already foreseen Scabbers's miserable life at home.

But... a new Wand...

The devil's whispers tempted and roared in his mind, joining forces with the ice cream to suppress his resistance. In the end, he said nothing.

The Magical Menagerie was the largest pet shop in Diagon Alley. Apart from Magical Creatures whose ownership was explicitly prohibited by the Ministry of Magic, nearly every pet suitable for Wizards could be found here.

Its owner was a witch wearing thick black-rimmed glasses. She warmly received the Weasley family, and upon hearing Vaughn's request, quickly waved her Wand and brought over a row of cages.

"You have excellent taste, Mr. Weasley. Many Young Wizards simply do not understand the importance of pets. Their first choice is always an Owl, putting practicality above affection. It's quite regrettable... Oh, please look. These are all the cats currently in our shop. We have every breed, and let me quietly tell you, many of them have Kneazle Bloodline. They're extremely clever!"

Meow, meow~

The cats truly were clever. They seemed to know someone was considering buying them. Many that had been lazily lying around rose to their feet and softly called out to Vaughn.

Among them was one particularly large fellow. The other cats were at most around two feet long, but it was a full four feet!

It had a sturdy build and beautiful fur. Its long coat draped over its body, making it look two or three times rounder than the other cats. It was also the most eager of them all, pressing its solemn face against the cage. When Vaughn reached out to it, it anxiously tried to squeeze through the bars.

"Oh, Mr. Weasley, it seems this young lady likes you very much. She is a Maine Coon with Kneazle Bloodline. They are currently bred only in America and are extremely rare in Europe."

Vaughn reached over to tease her. The cat retracted her claws and used her thick paw pads to hold his fingers.

Her gentle manner made Vaughn like her very much, especially her fur, streaked with orange-red and golden yellow. It reminded him of a tea beverage he had drunk in his previous life.

"I'll take her!"

After paying, Vaughn led the cat out of the shop—she was very heavy, at least fifteen jin, and with a body length of four feet, Vaughn's still undeveloped frame could barely lift her.

When she appeared before Ron, his face grew even paler.

"Th-That's a cat?"

Vaughn grinned happily. "Of course she's a cat. I'll call her Guoguo Tea. Guoguo Tea, hurry and sniff out the mouse smell on Ron!"

Meow~