Shopping

"Looks like you got that cedar wand."

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

Its unusual pairing had left a deep impression on Chris. It was also thanks to that wand that he had first met Diana.

He never expected it to end up in Kyle's hands.

Chris gave Kyle a somewhat wistful look, but soon his expression changed. As if he had thought of something, he patted Kyle on the shoulder with a grave look.

"Dear, I regret to tell you the bad news: with that wand, you probably won't get into Gryffindor."

"Won't get into Gryffindor?" Kyle's mouth twitched. He more or less understood what his father meant.

Ollivander had said that wizards with cedar wands had keen insight and were naturally calm. Gryffindors, on the other hand... well, they might, perhaps, not need to be calm.

Kyle hadn't even started school yet, and one of the houses had already shut its doors to him. It was truly sad news.

"What are you two laughing about?" Diana had just walked over and asked curiously.

She had gone to buy a cauldron for Kyle, and on her way back she had stopped at Scribbulus Writing Implements to pick up some quills and parchment. So she hadn't heard the conversation between father and son.

"Nothing. Dad just said I wouldn't get into Gryffindor if I had this." Kyle explained, showing Diana his new wand as well.

Diana had obviously recognized the cedar wand too. Putting that together with what Kyle had said, she couldn't help laughing.

"I'm afraid your father is right, dear."

Neither Chris nor Diana cared which house Kyle ended up in. As far as they were concerned, as long as he went to Hogwarts, it didn't matter which house he was in.

Kyle felt the same way.

Just like choosing a wand, getting fitted for school robes took a long time. Even with Madam Malkin's expertise, it took well over twenty minutes.

And that was only the time needed to take his measurements. He would have to wait even longer for the finished robes. Kyle was taller than most children his age, so the shop didn't have anything that fit him. They would have to make his robes to order, which would take about two hours.

Kyle thought it over and decided to leave his home address. They could send the robes by owl post.

It was already five in the afternoon. Two hours later, it would be seven. That was far too late, so having them delivered was more convenient.

Their next stop after Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions was Flourish and Blotts.

This time, it was quick. Kyle found all the books he needed in less than five minutes. He also bought two extra books to read for fun.

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

They already had nineteen copies at home, but that didn't stop him from supporting Uncle Newt. He could consider it his contribution to boosting sales.

Besides, the new revised edition was well worth the price. It had thirty extra pages and featured seven new Fantastic Beasts. Great value for money.

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

Standard Book of Spells

Just as its name suggested, it was full of common spells, such as the Wand-Lighting Charm, the Levitation Charm, and Scourgify.

But it had a lot of spells, covering all sorts of areas. It was a little like a spellbook version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and it was cheap too—just one Galleon.

Kyle flipped through it, then picked it up on a whim. It wasn't particularly useful, but it would be nice to have something to pass the time.

There were plenty of other books Kyle wanted to read, too: books on spells, Potions, Transfiguration, and more. The titles would have filled nearly a whole sheet of parchment, but he hadn't bought any of them.

It wasn't because he was short on money. Chris and Diana earned a decent living. They weren't as wealthy as the Pure-blood families, but they could certainly afford a few books. The main reason was that he was about to go to Hogwarts.

With one of the largest and oldest libraries in the entire Wizarding World right there, why buy books? Unless it was a required textbook or one he really liked, he could just borrow whatever he wanted to read once he got there.

Kyle didn't know what other people thought, but he wasn't about to be a sucker. His Galleons didn't grow on trees.

By the time they left Flourish and Blotts, they had more or less bought everything on the school list—or, to put it another way, they had bought everything.

The only thing left was a pet, which Kyle didn't need.

Over the years, Chris had rescued quite a few injured owls. As a result, their family was very well known among the messengers, and Kyle benefited from that too.

Whenever he showed up at the window with a letter or a package, a whole flock of owls would come rushing over, all eager to deliver it for him. Quite a few of them were from Hogwarts.

If he needed one, he could just hire an owl with some snacks. Easy.

See? He'd saved another Galleon.

Kyle had originally wanted to use that money to buy a Broomstick. Nothing fancy—just a Cleansweep 1500 or a Shooting Star.

Compared to the new models displayed in shop windows, these older brooms were excellent value. Their quality wasn't much worse, but they cost less than a third of what a new broom did. They were a real bargain.

Take the Cleansweep 1500, which had been all the rage a couple of years ago. It had originally cost three hundred Galleons, but now he could take one home for just eighty. The pocket money he had saved up over the years was just about enough.

The Shooting Star was more expensive, at about a hundred Galleons, but it wasn't out of reach. He would just need Chris to help him out.

But as soon as he brought up the idea, Diana vetoed it. Her reason was simple: Hogwarts didn't allow first-years to bring brooms, so there was no point buying one. They already had one at home.

Chris could only shrug helplessly at Kyle, showing that there was nothing he could do. Still, he thoughtfully brought Kyle to the display window of the Broomstick shop, letting him feast his eyes on the brooms before they headed for the Leaky Cauldron.

The Weasley family, who had come with them, had already gone home while Kyle was buying his robes.

Mrs. Weasley had to get back early to prepare a lavish dinner. For a family with six children, that was no small undertaking. Even with magic, it would take more than an hour.

It was a shame he hadn't gotten to see the twins make fools of themselves. Kyle was very disappointed—almost as disappointed as he was about not getting a Broomstick.