Shopping

"It seems you've obtained that cedar wand."

After meeting up at the entrance of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Chris recognized the wand in Kyle's hand at a single glance.

Because of its rather peculiar pairing, it had left a deep impression on him; furthermore, it was because of this very wand that he had first met Diana.

He hadn't expected it to end up in Kyle's hands today.

Chris looked at Kyle with a touch of sentiment, but his expression shifted quickly. Seeming to recall something, he patted Kyle's shoulder with a heavy look on his face.

"My dear, I regret to inform you of some bad news: with this wand, I'm afraid you won't be getting into Gryffindor."

"Not getting into Gryffindor?" Kyle's mouth twitched; he roughly understood what his father meant.

Ollivander had said that wizards with cedar wands possessed keen insight and were naturally calm, and Gryffindor... well, how should one put it? They might, perhaps, not have much need for calmness.

Kyle hadn't expected to be barred from a house before even starting school; this was truly a piece of saddening news.

"What are you two laughing about?" At that moment, Diana walked over and asked curiously.

She had just gone to help Kyle buy a cauldron, and on the way back, she had stopped by Scribbulus Writing Implements to purchase some quills and parchment, so she hadn't heard the conversation between father and son.

"Nothing, it's just that Dad said if I carry this, I won't be able to get into Gryffindor," Kyle explained, taking the opportunity to show his new wand to Diana.

Diana clearly recognized the cedar wand as well, and when combined with Kyle's words, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I think your father is right."

Neither Chris nor Diana had any specific preference for which house Kyle should enter; in their view, as long as it was Hogwarts, the house didn't really matter.

Kyle felt exactly the same way.

Just like choosing a wand, getting school robes made was a time-consuming project; even with Madam Malkin's professional efficiency, it still took a full twenty minutes.

And that was only the time required to measure the necessary parameters. Getting the finished product would take even longer, as Kyle was taller than his peers and the shop didn't have suitable stock on hand, meaning it had to be custom-made, which would take about two hours.

After some thought, Kyle decided to leave their home address so it could be delivered by owl.

It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and two hours later would be seven—that was far too late, so using the delivery service was more convenient.

The next stop after Madam Malkin's was Flourish and Blotts.

This time it was quick; in less than five minutes, Kyle had gathered all the required books. In addition, he bought two extra extracurricular reads.

First, naturally, was Newt's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Latest Revised Edition).

Although they already had nineteen copies at home, that didn't stop him from supporting Newt; he considered it a contribution to the sales figures.

Moreover, this new revised edition was quite conscientious, with thirty extra pages and seven brand-new magical creatures, making it a great value—no loss there.

As for the second book, Kyle had accidentally kicked it out from a corner while heading to the checkout.

Standard Book of Spells.

Just as the name suggested, it contained common spells like the Wand-Lighting Charm, the Levitation Charm, and Scourgify.

But its strength lay in the sheer quantity; it covered every category, making it something like a spell-based version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and the price wasn't high—only one Galleon.

After flipping through it for a moment, Kyle decided to take it along. While it wasn't particularly useful, it was good for killing time.

In fact, besides these two, there were many other books Kyle wanted to read—Charms, Potions, Transfiguration—enough to fill a sheet of parchment, but he didn't buy them.

It wasn't for lack of money; Chris and Diana's income was quite respectable. While they couldn't compare to those pure-blood families, they weren't so poor they couldn't afford a few books. The main reason was that he was about to head to Hogwarts.

With access to one of the largest and oldest libraries in the entire magical world, why buy books? Unless they were necessary textbooks or something he truly loved, he could just borrow whatever he wanted when the time came.

He didn't know what others thought, but Kyle didn't want to be a sucker; his Galleons didn't just blow in on the wind.

After leaving Flourish and Blotts, the items on the entrance list were mostly bought, or rather, completely bought.

As for the only remaining item, a pet, Kyle didn't need one.

Chris had rescued many injured owls over the years, so their family had a very high reputation within the messenger circles, and Kyle had benefited quite a bit from that.

Every time he appeared at a window with an envelope or a package, a large flock of owls would swarm over, fighting for the chance to deliver it for him, many of which came from Hogwarts itself.

When the time came, if he needed one, he could just hire one with some treats; it was incredibly convenient.

See, he'd saved another pile of Galleons.

Originally, Kyle had wanted to use the money he saved to buy a broomstick. It didn't have to be anything too fancy; a Cleansweep 1500 or a Shooting Star would do.

Compared to the new models displayed in the windows, these older brooms offered excellent value. They weren't much different in terms of quality, but the price was less than a third of the new models, making them quite affordable.

For instance, the Cleansweep 1500, which had been all the rage a couple of years ago, originally priced at three hundred Galleons, could now be taken home for eighty; his pocket money saved over the years was just about enough.

The Shooting Star was more expensive, around one hundred Galleons, but it wasn't impossible to buy—it would just require some support from Chris.

However, the moment he proposed the idea, it was vetoed by Diana. Her reasoning was simple: Hogwarts regulations forbade first-years from bringing broomsticks, so buying one would be useless, and having one at home was enough.

To this, Chris could only shrug helplessly at Kyle, indicating that his hands were tied. However, he did kindly take Kyle to the window of the broomstick shop, letting him feast his eyes before they headed toward the Leaky Cauldron.

The Weasley family, who had come with them, had already left a step ahead, right around the time Kyle was buying his robes.

Mrs. Weasley needed to head back early to prepare a hearty dinner. For a family with six children, this was no small project, even with the help of magic, it would take over an hour.

It was a pity he didn't get to see the twins make fools of themselves, a regret Kyle felt almost as strongly as not getting his broomstick.