Diagon Alley

After careful consideration, Kyle ultimately decided to throw his father under the bus and keep the news about Fluffy the three-headed dog a secret.

Who could blame him? He loved magical creatures, but he wasn't Newt; he lacked that innate, extraordinary talent. Magical creatures like three-headed dogs were extremely rare, even in Greece. If he missed this opportunity, he might never see one again.

Comparing the two, throwing his father under the bus was the lesser evil.

However, as compensation—and to ease his own conscience—Kyle immediately broke free from the twins' arms and hurried over to Chris, giving him an apologetic look.

Chris was left completely bewildered.

Equally bewildered were the twins.

They had just been about to resume the action they'd paused earlier: dumping Jumping Powder on Kyle's head. But at the final moment, Kyle had ducked and run off. They had already released the powder!

If only he had been a second earlier or later, but why did it have to be at that exact moment?

The twins were stunned, forced to watch helplessly as the Jumping Powder they had tossed traced a beautiful, intersecting arc through the air before flying straight onto each other's heads.

"Hiss... hah..."

"Scratch... scratch... scratch..."

Two sharp, frantic gasps and the sound of hair being raked echoed from behind, instantly drawing everyone's attention. Everyone instinctively looked toward the source of the noise.

When they turned, they saw Fred and George scratching their heads frantically like two adult baboons.

Their hair, which hadn't been particularly neat to begin with, was now messier than a bird's nest under their claws. Honestly, even the Sorting Hat looked better than they did at that moment.

"Oh, Fred, George, what kind of prank are you pulling now!"

Seeing the increasingly strange looks from the surrounding crowd, Mrs. Weasley's face flushed red. She marched over to the twins, grabbed each by the ear, and dragged them toward a nearby alley.

At least there were fewer people there; she could save a little face.

Unlike now, right on the main street of Diagon Alley, where her two sons were actually imitating baboons in public.

Merlin's beard! If she let them continue, the Weasley family's centuries of reputation would be truly, utterly gone!

Mrs. Weasley's movements were decisive, which was tough on the twins. Their gasps grew noticeably louder, and—perhaps it was just Kyle's imagination—he thought he saw tears in their eyes.

If that were true... he could only say they were truly twins, even their tear ducts were synchronized.

On the other side, watching Mrs. Weasley haul the twins away, Mr. Weasley clearly breathed a sigh of relief. Fighting through the embarrassment, he hurriedly urged everyone to go shopping and not wait for them.

At the back of the group, Kyle hid beside Ron, struggling hard to suppress his laughter.

But the next second, when he looked up and caught Diana's gaze, his mood plummeted. He bared his teeth, forcing a smile that was awkward but polite.

His mother was great in every way, but her sixth sense was ridiculously sharp. He had never been able to hide anything from her since he was a child.

It was lucky he had been born five or six months after his transmigration; otherwise, Kyle was certain his identity would have been discovered long ago.

"Honestly..."

Kyle scratched his head, thinking to himself, "With a mother like this, there's simply no privacy."

Diana didn't say anything; she just gave Kyle a warning look before turning away.

The matter wasn't actually that serious; Molly was just overreacting out of concern.

As for the twins, they were famous troublemakers at Hogwarts. Their exploits had already spread throughout the wizarding world via the students, and even Diana had heard rumors.

Just the bizarre stories she'd heard included blowing up toilet seats, putting a sack over Mrs. Norris during a night patrol, and throwing Dungbombs under the seats of Slytherin first-years, then framing them for soiling themselves in class. She assumed there were many more she didn't know about.

Compared to those deeds, acting like a baboon in the street was hardly worth mentioning.

Therefore, those who saw it would at most have a laugh; it was impossible for it to escalate into a reflection on the entire Weasley family. (With the exception of a certain unnamed pure-blood family member with platinum-blonde hair.)

The reason Mrs. Weasley reacted so strongly was simply because she hadn't adapted yet.

Bill, Charlie, and Percy were all exceptionally outstanding children, and Mrs. Weasley subconsciously projected that impression onto the twins. Even though their usual behavior was vastly different from their three older brothers, that impression couldn't be erased overnight.

After all, Bill and Charlie hadn't been exactly well-behaved at home or when they first started school, but there was no denying they remained among the best students at Hogwarts.

Put it this way: just imagine the straight-laced Percy acting like a baboon in the street, and one could probably understand Mrs. Weasley.

However, this situation was only temporary. Once another year or two passed and more news came from Hogwarts, Mrs. Weasley would slowly get used to it.

At least the next time something like this happened, she would be much calmer.

Not long after the little interlude, the group split up.

Because Ron and Ginny weren't yet of age to attend school, the Weasleys only needed to buy new textbooks for the twins and Percy on this trip to Diagon Alley.

But since Kyle was a first-year, he had a lot to buy, and the first and most important thing was, without a doubt, a wand.

He didn't need a guide; Kyle navigated Diagon Alley with ease and soon found his destination.

That small, dilapidated shop.

Ollivander: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC.

Kyle stood at the entrance. Every time he came here, he felt speechless.

This place was just too run-down. The dust on the windows could probably be scraped off to build a statue at the entrance. Did wizards really love that sense of antiquity so much?

But Gringotts and the broomstick shop were perfectly fine, looking both clean and aesthetically pleasing.

Or is this the confidence that comes with a monopoly, where you have to come regardless of what the place is like?

But Gringotts is a monopoly too...

Kyle had been pondering this for a long time, even asking Chris and Mr. Weasley about it, but he had yet to receive an answer to this day. Standing here now, Kyle could only shrug, chalking it up to the eccentricity of a craftsman.

As for asking in person, that was out of the question; there was no sense in offending anyone. After all, the man was the most famous wandmaker in the British Wizarding World, and maintaining a good relationship was still quite important.

However, since Ron would be starting school next year, he could discuss it with the twins and trick... ahem, beg their youngest brother to ask for him.

Don't say he was throwing his friend under the bus.

He was throwing Ron Weasley under the bus; what did that have to do with his dearest friend, the twins' own brother, Ronald Weasley?