The Leaky Cauldron

The Leaky Cauldron, established in the early sixteenth century, is one of the wizards' favorite gathering spots and also serves as the entrance to Diagon Alley, the only wizarding street in the British magical world.

When Diana held Kyle's hand and pushed open the door, the originally noisy and boisterous pub was instantly plunged into silence, as if someone had pressed a pause button.

It was as quiet as a self-study session on a high school senior year evening; you could hear a pin drop.

It wasn't until Chris followed them inside that this eerie atmosphere finally broke. However, things didn't return to their previous state; it seemed as if everyone was deliberately lowering their voices.

There were exceptions, though.

Tom, the pub landlord, walked over with a look of pleasant surprise: "Oh, Diana, long time no see. Would you like a drink? It's on the house."

"Next time, Tom."

Diana offered a smile, patted Kyle on the shoulder, and pointed toward the Weasley family, who were walking in their direction: "We still have to go to Diagon Alley to buy some things; we might be running short on time."

"Oh, of course."

Tom had a sudden realization: "Time flies, doesn't it? Little Kyle is already eleven. So, you're off to buy his Hogwarts school supplies?"

"Yes," Diana nodded with a smile.

"Then it is a bit of a rush. Off you go, you know the way."

Tom stepped aside to clear the path, but immediately afterward, he looked down at Kyle and said: "I have to warn you, little Kyle, if you move that trash can again this time, I'm going to write a complaint letter to Hogwarts.

Merlin's beard, do you have any idea how anxious those first-years get when they can't find the entrance to Diagon Alley? You really shouldn't keep adding unnecessary work for an old man with bad legs."

Being called out to his face for his past mischief, Kyle felt more than a little awkward.

Clearly, this wasn't his first time visiting Diagon Alley.

But in all honesty, as a transmigrator, if you don't move the trash can when visiting Diagon Alley, are you even a transmigrator?

That's just common sense.

However, with his parents right there, he certainly couldn't say that, so Kyle could only offer a sheepish laugh: "I'll definitely do it next time."

Hearing this, Tom didn't think much of it, but Diana, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow and looked down at her son with a thoughtful expression.

Her intuition told her that there was definitely something wrong with that sentence.

But since the Weasley family had already arrived, she didn't say anything more.

"Oh, Kyle, my dear."

Mrs. Molly Weasley gave Kyle a very warm, big hug before pulling Diana aside to chat.

As for Mr. Arthur Weasley, he naturally walked over to Chris to strike up a conversation.

The two families were very close; Diana and Molly were friends who talked about everything, and Chris and Arthur were best friends. Especially after Kyle was born, at the warm invitation of the Weasleys, they had even moved nearby to live permanently.

These were things the adults talked about during dinners, and Kyle had overheard quite a bit while sitting nearby.

Because of the relationship between the adults, he had naturally become friends with the Weasley children as well.

Sure enough, as soon as the adults walked away, two arms draped over his shoulders from the left and the right.

"Hey, Fred, look who it is."

"Isn't this Hogwarts' newest student for this year?"

George's tone was exceptionally clear when he said the word "student."

"Hogwarts is very dangerous, especially for a first-year like you..."

"Of course, if you're willing to say something nice, perhaps we might offer you some help."

Kyle ignored the two of them and greeted the other redheads nearby: "Long time no see, Percy, Ron, and Ginny."

They all nodded at him with smiles on their faces.

"Long time no see, Kyle." *3

The Weasley family originally had seven children, but Bill had gone to Egypt, and Charlie had gone somewhere a month ago and wasn't home, so only five were there today.

As they spoke, the group arrived at the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley. Mr. Weasley, who was walking in front, spotted the correct brick at a glance and reached out to tap it with his wand.

At the same time, at the back of the group, the Weasley brothers, who had yet to receive a response, exchanged a look and raised their eyebrows in silent agreement, intending to teach this impolite little junior a small lesson.

For instance, with the Jumping Powder they had just invented; if you sprinkled just a little bit on someone's hair, they would experience an unprecedented level of "refreshment."

They had tested it on themselves, and the effect was excellent. How should one put it—has anyone ever experienced what it feels like to not wash their hair for ten days?

It was simply something else.

If they were lucky, they might even trigger a hidden easter egg and get a head start on the unique treatment reserved for middle-aged gentlemen.

No sooner said than done, the brothers took out the Jumping Powder and were just about to make their move when Chris's voice suddenly rang out from the front.

"Hagrid? What are you doing in Diagon Alley!"

His voice was no longer its usual calm self, but carried a hint of vigilance, which immediately caught the twins' attention.

They couldn't help it; they had heard that tone of vigilance far too many times—it was a conditioned reflex.

"N-nothing."

Upon seeing Chris, Hagrid, the three-meter-tall, two-meter-wide half-giant, actually shivered subconsciously, his eyes darting around evasively.

But immediately after, he seemed to think of something, his entire demeanor relaxing significantly. He pulled a small parcel from his pocket and said, "Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts next year. As a welcoming gift, I want to bake him a birthday cake myself, so I came to buy some berry seeds."

"Really?"

Chris's tone didn't soften much as he scrutinized the small parcel with suspicion. "If I recall correctly, the ingredients in the Hogwarts kitchens should be more than enough to make ten cakes."

To be honest, Chris's tone was somewhat aggressive; if an outsider were to witness this, they would certainly mistake him for a major villain.

But Kyle, the twins, and even the Weasleys—who were on good terms with Hagrid—showed no reaction to this scene. Their expressions didn't even flicker, as if everything were exactly as it should be.

And in truth, that was the case.

As the Deputy Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the Director of the Beast Division, Chris was all too familiar with Hagrid.

Put it this way: if Chris were forced to choose the one person he least wanted to see, it would undoubtedly be the man before him—the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, the famous half-giant Rubeus Hagrid.

Merlin's beard, the trouble he caused single-handedly accounted for more than a tenth of Chris's annual workload.

In particular, the hybrid magical creatures he tinkered with drove Chris to the brink of madness.

Right, what was the last one? Ah, the Snake-bodied Swallow-tailed Beast, a two-tailed serpent crossbred from a Swallow-tailed Dog and a Runespoor.

Heaven knows where Hagrid got so many magical creatures; they couldn't all be from the Forbidden Forest. Chris didn't remember there being any Runespoors in the Forbidden Forest back when he was a student.

As a traditional magizoologist, such artificial crossbreeding was, in his eyes, heresy—an evil practice that should be strictly prohibited.

But unfortunately, it wasn't illegal. He had drafted bills several times, yet they never received any response. After Cornelius Fudge took office a while back, he had even made a special trip to the Minister's office, only to be stalled by the man's masterful ability to dodge the issue, eventually letting the matter fade into nothingness.

Clearly, in the eyes of their new Minister, this bill regarding magical creatures had too little value. With that time, he might as well make a few more trips to the Hogwarts Headmaster's office; at least that would give him peace of mind and help bolster his image and reputation in the eyes of the public.

Therefore, there was nothing Chris could do about Hagrid.

Furthermore, those magical creatures he tinkered into existence were, after all, new lives; he couldn't just ignore them or throw them away.

Chris could only grit his teeth, observe, record, and classify them.

Over time, Chris's resentment toward Hagrid had long since hit the ceiling. The only reason he hadn't thrown a punch when they met was purely because there were children present.

Otherwise, he would have beaten Hagrid up no matter what, even if Dumbledore were standing right there.

Don't be surprised; although he was a Deputy Head, Chris had spent years on the front lines dealing with magical creatures, and he certainly had the skills to back it up.

A pure-blooded giant might be a different story, but a half-giant—especially one without a wand—was someone Chris felt quite confident in handling.

Hagrid, knowing he was in the wrong, consciously opened the parcel, which indeed contained only a pile of unidentified seeds.

"By Dumbledore's name, I really only came to Diagon Alley to buy some seeds this time."

Hearing Hagrid say this, Chris's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. He didn't continue his interrogation, and after giving a few brief instructions, he let Hagrid leave.

Given Hagrid's respect for Dumbledore, it was impossible for him to lie about such a thing.

Kyle, however, turned his head thoughtfully to watch Hagrid's retreating back.

"Not this time," but what about other times?

Kyle remembered that Fluffy, the three-headed dog that appeared in the first book, was bought by Hagrid from a Greek man in a pub. Whether that pub was the Hog's Head or the Leaky Cauldron, he didn't know.

Don't assume the Leaky Cauldron is all that legitimate; there are plenty of gray-market dealings there. Besides, it's the only place that offers lodging without checking IDs, so many smugglers with small inventories and clean records choose to stay there.

A small inventory means convenience; you can just shove it in a trunk, and basically, no one would notice.

While heading out for a meal, striking a deal with a customer on the side is perfectly normal.

And the fact that Hogwarts has a gamekeeper who is fanatically obsessed with magical creatures is common knowledge in the broker circles.

Finding out about him isn't difficult at all.

"Tsk, who said Hagrid was simple-minded? He's got plenty of schemes up his sleeve."

Kyle figured his old man probably didn't know about Fluffy yet, but he had no intention of snitching.

After all, who could say no to a three-headed dog?