A Magical School Auditing Life Starting from Zero

Half an hour later, the two emerged from Flourish and Blotts. Dumbledore glanced at the Eeylops Owl Emporium not far away, then turned to Kyle.

"Now that we've bought your wand and books, let's get you a pet."

Kyle's eyes lit up. "A pet? Can I get a Phoenix like Fawkes?"

"I'm afraid not. Phoenixes are exceptionally rare magical creatures... But we can get an owl."

The sparkle in Kyle's eyes immediately faded.

What was the point of keeping an owl if he couldn't get a pet as cool as a Phoenix?

He didn't want an owl. He wanted to get a crow and cosplay Itachi.

With that, Kyle strode into the owl shop.

When they came back out, Kyle had a birdcage in his hand, containing a pitch-black crow.

Kyle stroked his chin. "I'll call you Idataqi."

Dumbledore watched the delighted Kyle with his bright blue eyes and a genial smile. "Let's go to Madam Malkin's to collect your clothes. They're the only thing left."

However, instead of following Dumbledore, Kyle fixed a longing gaze on the cauldron shop in the distance. "Professor, I want to buy a cauldron."

After receiving permission, he shoved the birdcage into Dumbledore's hands and rushed to the shop in a few quick strides. He picked up the copper pot he had had his eye on for ages, then happily dashed inside to pay for it.

By the time the two had finished buying everything in Diagon Alley, the sun was already high overhead.

"We've missed lunch at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, checking the time.

Kyle, now dressed in wizarding robes, examined the copper pot in his hands. "Professor, does Hogwarts have a kitchen?"

"Of course. Our three daily meals don't appear out of thin air. Why do you ask?"

Kyle swallowed and looked at Dumbledore expectantly. "Let's go back to Hogwarts! To the kitchen! Let me treat you to a wondrous Eastern meal!"

Dumbledore readily agreed. He wanted to see what new tricks Kyle could come up with.

"Come on. This time, we'll use Apparition to return to Hogwarts."

Kyle grabbed Dumbledore's arm. The next instant, he felt as if he had been kneaded into a ball and stuffed into a toilet, then flushed through the sewers.

By the time Kyle came to his senses, he was standing on Hogwarts grounds.

"Is this spatial teleportation magic?" What he really wanted to say was the Flying Thunder God Technique.

"Mm, you could put it that way."

"Professor! I want to learn it!" Kyle's eyes turned into four-pointed stars.

"That magic is still too advanced for you. Let's deal with lunch first."

Twenty minutes later, in the kitchen beneath Hogwarts Castle.

The Hogwarts kitchen was a large room with a very high ceiling, as spacious as the Great Hall above it.

Many gleaming copper pots and basins were stacked against the stone walls, while a large brick fireplace stood at the other end of the room.

There were four tables in the kitchen, arranged in exactly the same positions as the tables of the four Houses in the Great Hall above.

Kyle and Dumbledore sat facing each other, with a copper pot floating with red chili oil placed before them.

Heated by blue flames, the bright-red broth bubbled away, sending up steaming blisters.

Kyle picked up a slice of beef, swished it in the pot, and placed it on Dumbledore's plate.

"Professor, please enjoy."

The distinctive spicy fragrance of the mala hotpot rushed straight into Dumbledore's nostrils, and the aroma mixed within it made his mouth water.

But the massive pile of chilies and Sichuan peppercorns Kyle had just tossed into the pot right in front of him also made him hesitate to take a bite.

He felt that even if Albus starved to death, died outside, or jumped from the Astronomy Tower, he would not eat a single thing from that pot.

But seeing the expectant look in Kyle's eyes, Dumbledore couldn't bear to refuse. He picked up his knife and fork and ate the beef Kyle had placed on his plate as though facing death.

The next second, Dumbledore's tightly shut eyes flew open.

It was delicious!

"I'm curious where you found such cuisine."

"Brooklyn isn't far from New York Chinatown," Kyle replied as he picked up another slice of beef and put it into his mouth. At the same time, he regretted that the Hogwarts kitchen did not have tripe.

After eating several slices of beef, Dumbledore set down his knife and fork, picked up a goblet of chilled wine, and took a small sip.

"This level of spiciness is still far too unfriendly for a man over a hundred years old."

Kyle: "..."

Fine, then he could have the clear broth side.

Staring at the copper pot before him, Kyle slowly formed a hand seal.

A puff of white smoke rose, and the copper pot instantly transformed into a divided hotpot, with all the original red broth contained on one side.

Wandless Transfiguration?

Dumbledore was somewhat surprised by Kyle's talent, but he soon calmed down.

Grindelwald's son. Basic stuff. No need to make a fuss.

Once that thought crossed his mind, Dumbledore no longer found it remarkable. Calmly, he summoned one of the House-elves working in the kitchen and had it add clear broth to the other half of the divided pot.

House-elves were small creatures with bat-like ears, bulging eyes the size of tennis balls, and rather long, flat noses.

They were a race conquered by wizards in ancient wars. Every elf had to undergo training in servility from the moment it was born, serving wizards generation after generation.

The hotpot Kyle and Dumbledore were enjoying had been prepared by these House-elves under Kyle's guidance.

"Professor, now that I've bought my wand and textbooks, does that mean I'm officially enrolled and can attend classes with the other students?"

Dumbledore was busy eating hotpot and had food in his mouth, making it inconvenient to speak. He merely shook his head.

After swallowing the beef in his mouth, Dumbledore explained to Kyle.

"More than half of this school year has already passed. If you enrolled now, you wouldn't be able to keep up with their progress. You'll have to wait until September this year to enroll with the next batch of young wizards."

"Then can I audit the professors' classes during this time?"

Dumbledore finally swallowed the food in his mouth. "If it's only auditing, I don't think there'll be any problem."

He then took a piece of parchment from his robes and handed it to Kyle.

"This is the timetable for first-year students. I personally recommend that you audit Professor Flitwick's Charms class first, followed by Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration."

"Their current progress is somewhat ahead of you, but even so, both subjects will be greatly beneficial to you."

"If you have any questions about magic, you can find me in the Headmaster's Office on the eighth floor of the castle. The password is Fizzing Whizbees."

Kyle took the timetable from Dumbledore and examined it carefully.

Different timetables were printed on each side of the parchment. One side was for Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, while the other was for Slytherin and Ravenclaw.

Kyle remembered that in the films he had watched in his previous life, the protagonist Harry Potter and that arrogant brat he had taught a lesson to in Diagon Alley today seemed to belong to Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively.

But he clearly remembered that Gryffindor and Slytherin often had classes together in the films, didn't they?

Kyle lowered his head and looked at the timetable again. These two rival Houses only shared Potions and Flying classes?

Don't ask. The films had changed the setting.

All four Houses had Charms and Transfiguration classes in the afternoon, only in different orders.

Compared to Transfiguration, Kyle was a little more interested in Charms. He thought he would audit a Ravenclaw Charms class first.