Before the Start of Term

Over the next few days, Kyle kept himself very busy, cooped up in his room trying out all kinds of spells.

Although he came from a wizarding family, he hadn't had many chances to do magic before starting school. In fact, he'd had very few.

For one thing, whether it was Chris or Diana, their wands were incredibly important to them. You could even call them a second life, so they certainly couldn't just hand them over for Kyle to play with.

He only got to hold one and get his fill of it at Christmas and on his birthday each year.

Of course, Kyle knew to be careful. He only cast spells like the Wand-Lighting Charm or the Unlocking Charm, which wouldn't harm a wand at all even if he failed.

There was also the matter of wand compatibility.

Even though he was Chris and Diana's son, their wands showed Kyle no consideration whatsoever. Their resistance was unmistakable.

Diana's wand was especially bad. In Kyle's hands, it was no different from an ordinary stick. No matter how many spells he recited, it wouldn't react in the slightest.

So before, Kyle had spent most of his time with Quidditch, plants, and Fantastic Beasts, and had rarely practiced spells.

After waiting eleven long years, he finally had a wand of his own. Of course he wanted to give it a proper workout.

Chris had no objections. Now and then, he'd even eagerly offer Kyle some pointers, enjoying the chance to play teacher.

As a result, Kyle's room was practically sparkling with different spells at every moment.

The first few days had been fine. Kyle had been practicing basic spells that didn't affect anyone else.

But as time went on and he mastered more and more spells, problems began to crop up.

At the dining table in the living room, Chris was drinking tea when he watched the cup across from him suddenly lift off the table and begin drifting slowly upstairs.

Chris seemed to have grown used to this. Without batting an eye, he pressed the cup back onto the table and tapped it lightly with his wand.

Only then did he look up and call, "Kyle, when you cast the Summoning Charm, make sure you settle on your target in your mind. Also, I suggest you start by summoning a quill. Parchment would work too. At least they won't break when they fall."

"Okay, Dad."

Kyle called back, but Chris couldn't tell whether he'd taken the advice to heart. He suspected he probably hadn't.

After all, this had happened several times already today. He'd cast the Mending Charm more times in the past day than he had in the previous ten years combined. He'd even had to put anti-Summoning Charms on every breakable object in the house.

"Whoosh..."

Just then, a piece of bread flew over his head at high speed and went splat against the ceiling.

"..."

He had to admit that Kyle had made a lot of progress, at least in terms of results. This time, the Summoning Charm had been much faster than last time.

"Sigh!"

Chris sighed and calmly flicked his wand, sending the bread back to the kitchen. As he did, he couldn't help thinking how wise and far-sighted Diana had been.

Thank goodness she'd confiscated Kyle's cauldron on the very first day. Otherwise, who knew what the house would have turned into?

Eleven-year-old wizards really were notorious for being a nuisance. The Weasleys next door were no exception, and neither was his family.

Luckily, this was almost over. Hogwarts started tomorrow.

What wonderful news!

Chris picked up his tea and took a leisurely sip.

Evening soon arrived.

Diana had a task to attend to and didn't come home.

Chris, who knew next to nothing about cooking, gladly accepted Mrs. Weasley's warm invitation. He brought Kyle and some prepared ingredients to the nearby Burrow to mooch a meal.

As expected, his behavior displeased Mrs. Weasley. She felt it was wrong to bring ingredients when visiting, and that doing so showed a lack of trust in their friendship. She gave him quite an earful.

Chris didn't argue. He tossed what he was carrying into the kitchen and cheerfully agreed with her.

As for Kyle, he'd already naturally fallen in with the Weasley children.

This was nothing new to him.

They didn't have a House-elf, so whenever Diana couldn't come home because of a task, he and his dad would go to the Weasleys' for a meal.

And this kind of scene played out every time they visited. It was practically a regular feature.

In a clearing not far away, Kyle was helping a few of the Weasleys clear out Gnomes.

They called it clearing them out, but really they were just playing.

One person grabbed a Gnome by the legs and hurled it into the air. Another, holding a wooden bat, swung at it like a Bludger and sent it flying. Whoever hit one the farthest won the game and got the first-place prize: a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

At first, Chris hadn't approved of the game. He thought they should just toss the Gnomes out and that there was no need for a bat.

Then one day, he discovered that the Gnomes had dug up and ruined all the Cloak Grass he'd spent a year painstakingly growing, just when it was about to mature. After that, he never tried to stop Kyle again.

In fact, that Christmas, he even gave Kyle a finely made bat signed by a Beater from the Wimbourne Wasps.

The bat felt great in his hands and had a satisfying impact. So far, it had helped Kyle win the championship five times in a row.

Today was no different.

"That's not fair."

Ron looked at Kyle's signed bat, then at the stick he'd picked up at random, and grimaced. "The difference in our equipment is huge."

"It's not that bad. Equipment is secondary. What matters is believing you can win. I win not because my equipment is better, but because I want to win more than you do."

Kyle replied calmly, then picked out a red bean and tossed it over. "Besides, Ron, before you complain about equipment, you should at least beat Ginny. Her bat's much smaller than yours."

There were five players in the game. Ron had come in last, and even Ginny had hit her Gnome several feet farther than he had.

Kyle's words made Ron's face turn bright red. Losing to his little sister certainly wasn't something to be proud of.

But his attention was soon drawn to the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean Kyle had tossed him.

It was bright red and looked lovely. As for the flavor... raspberry!

As expected, the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans Kyle gave him were never anything but delicious.

The sweet taste in his mouth made Ron squint contentedly. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling a little envious. He had no idea how Kyle did it—he always managed to pick out the best-tasting beans.

Ron, on the other hand, never had such luck. He always got liver or spinach, and once he'd even gotten one that tasted like dragon dung.

That awful mix of a fishy stench and fermented, rotten berries was unbeatable. Just thinking about it made Ron's stomach churn.