Mr. Weasley's Ambition

The adults' habitual attempts to pull the wool over eyes certainly couldn't fool Kyle, but it wasn't without its gains; at the very least, they had scared Ron and Ginny, who were sitting nearby, quite out of their wits.

Ron, in particular, had been quite interested when the topic first came up, listening with great enthusiasm as he hoped to accumulate some experience for his upcoming enrollment next year.

But the more he listened, the uglier his expression became.

Trolls, ghosts, and Hippogriffs were one thing—absurd, yes, but if he just turned around and ran when the time came, there should still be a chance of survival; after all, the professors at Hogwarts weren't just there for decoration.

But what was the deal with dragons?

Those were XXXXX-class magical creatures; even an adult wizard might not survive an encounter, let alone an eleven-year-old student. He feared that before the professors could even finish chanting their spells, he would have already been blown into ash by a single sneeze.

Was this supposed to be schooling?

Ron felt his heart turn to ash, even reaching a point where he considered running away from home. He didn't want to go to Hogwarts anymore—he really didn't. He just wanted to stay alive.

Ginny, sitting nearby, wasn't doing much better.

Her small face was deathly pale, and her usually beautiful red hair seemed to have lost much of its luster.

"What's wrong, Ginny?"

Seeing this from across the table, Kyle asked with concern, "Why aren't you eating? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, nothing."

Ginny clearly didn't want to admit to her family that she was frightened. Seeing Kyle looking at her, she hurriedly shook her head and said, "I'm just full."

A nine-year-old girl didn't have much of an appetite to begin with, and having eaten half a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans earlier, Ginny was indeed quite full by now.

She was about eighty percent full, just at that point where it didn't matter whether she ate more or not, but the sudden topic of the Sorting Ceremony had caused even that tiny bit of appetite to vanish completely.

"I see, that's a pity."

Kyle thought nothing of it. He simply stood up and, with a calm expression, transferred the untouched grilled fish from Ginny's plate to his own.

Grilled fish wasn't like other food; if it sat out too long, the flavor would diminish significantly, which would be a waste. It was better for him to eat it.

It is worth mentioning that Mrs. Weasley's grilled fish was superb—a signature dish she kept in her repertoire.

However, because she had to look after a large family, and picking out fish bones was a tedious chore, one could usually only taste this specialty on important holidays.

Of course, part of the reason was also that fish was quite expensive in the wizarding world.

Regardless, Kyle had been craving it for a long time, so he naturally couldn't watch this delicacy go to waste.

Ginny knew this too, but she didn't stop him.

She had originally intended to save the grilled fish to savor at the end, but after learning she would have to face a dragon in two years, she had no appetite left. She could only watch with a pained expression as Kyle stuffed her fish into his mouth.

In the end, she simply turned her head away, choosing not to look at it.

Meanwhile, Fred and George sighed in unison.

They had also been eyeing that grilled fish for a long time, but Kyle's movements were too fast; they hadn't even had a chance to make a move.

The unwilling twins turned their attention to Ron.

Unfortunately, Ron didn't share Ginny's habits; his grilled fish had long since been reduced to bones, and he had gnawed them so clean that even a Flobberworm would slip if it tried to stand on them.

"What's wrong, Ron? Are you afraid of the dragon?" Fred squinted, masking his true intentions while offering a rare moment of concern for Ron's state. He patted him on the shoulder kindly and comforted him, "Don't worry, the dragon is only for one year. By the time you enroll, they'll probably have switched to a different magical creature."

"I think it'll be spiders," George added immediately. "I've seen them in the Forbidden Forest; they're all about the size of a gnome. Maybe that's what Hagrid is preparing for the Sorting Ceremony."

"No!"

Ron completely fell apart. The panic in his eyes spiked rapidly, and he instinctively dropped his cutlery, screaming as he ran back toward The Burrow.

It was clear that Ron had been truly terrified; he didn't even notice how wickedly the twins were laughing as he fled.

However, the twins didn't get off scot-free.

"George, why were you in the Forbidden Forest?"

Mrs. Weasley keenly spotted the crux of the issue and looked at the twins with a stern expression. "I don't recall Hogwarts allowing first-years into the Forbidden Forest."

"Mum, I can explain..."

Fred and George wanted to run, but as mere second-years, they were clearly no match for Mrs. Weasley and were caught in short order.

What followed was the familiar scene of maternal kindness and filial piety.

Although this had played out countless times over the past eleven years, Kyle still watched with great interest, his appetite even improving as a result.

He didn't doubt that the twins had been to the Forbidden Forest, but the bit about the spiders was likely made up to scare Ron—they just happened to hit the mark by accident.

After all, the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest were not harmless little cuties; if the two of them had actually run into them, they would probably have made their home in the forest by now.

Besides, Kyle remembered that the Acromantula nest was deep in the Forbidden Forest, and Fred and George couldn't have gone that far.

The twins weren't Harry Potter; they liked pranks, not courting death.

About twenty minutes later, dinner was mostly over. Despite the minor interlude, it could be considered a pleasant meal for both host and guest.

At least, Kyle was very happy.

After tidying up the table, Percy went upstairs to review his schoolwork.

Ron, who had been trying to run away from home with a small bundle on his back, had been caught red-handed and was currently replacing the twins, being chased all over the yard by Mrs. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley and Chris moved to a different spot to continue their conversation.

"Chris, you were being way too dramatic back there."

Inside The Burrow, Mr. Weasley said with a hint of regret, "It's just a Sorting Ceremony, how could there possibly be a dragon? Little Kyle is so clever, he definitely knew we were pulling his leg."

"No, Arthur, you're wrong. In fact, this plan was doomed to fail from the very beginning."

Chris shook his head and said with a helpless shrug, "Kyle has spent at least two months every year with Mr. Scamander since he was three. Do you really think he'd be afraid of trolls or Hippogriffs? Besides, Arthur, have you forgotten that Kyle's surname is also Chopper?"

"Er..." Mr. Weasley froze instantly, scratching his head in slight embarrassment. "You mean he's just like you—he can communicate with magical creatures?"

"Of course," Chris nodded. "That's why there's no way he'd be afraid of a Hippogriff. I reckon only a dragon would be enough to make him feel nervous."

Mr. Weasley glanced at Chris and said with a touch of envy, "What a marvelous ability. If only I could communicate with Muggle artifacts like that."

"???"

Chris was momentarily speechless, then gave a dry laugh. "Actually, it's not as exaggerated as you think. This talent is limited strictly to magical creatures. It doesn't work on ordinary animals like rats, toads, or owls; you still have to rely on experience to guess what they're thinking."

Chris's point was clear: even if Mr. Weasley were to use some bizarre magic one day to change his surname to Chopper, he would only ever be able to exchange a few words with Floo Powder or Golden Snitches.

As for toasters or cars... give it up, it's impossible, don't even think about it!