Chapter 5: Shopping

"It seems you've got the cedarwood wand," Chris remarked the moment they met up outside Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. He immediately recognized the wand Kyle was holding.

It was a rather unusual match, and Chris had always been impressed by it. In fact, it was this very type of wand that had led him to first meet Diana. Now, unexpectedly, it was in Kyle's hands.

Chris looked at Kyle with a hint of emotion, but his expression soon shifted as if a thought had just struck him. He patted Kyle's shoulder heavily and said, "My dear, I regret to inform you that with this wand, you're probably not going to end up in Gryffindor."

"Not in Gryffindor?" Kyle's mouth twitched slightly. He already had an idea of what his father meant. Ollivander had mentioned that cedar wands chose wizards with sharp insight and a natural calmness. Gryffindor, on the other hand... well, calmness wasn't exactly their defining trait.

Kyle hadn't even started school yet, and he was already being rejected by a house. It was kind of disheartening news.

"What are you two laughing about?" Diana asked curiously as she walked over, her arms full of supplies. She had gone to buy Kyle a cauldron and had also stopped by the stationery shop to pick up some quills and parchment, so she hadn't heard the conversation.

"Nothing much, just that Dad said I won't get into Gryffindor if I carry this wand," Kyle explained, holding up his new wand for Diana to see.

Diana, recognizing the cedar wand as well, laughed along with Chris. "I'm sorry, dear, but I think your father might be right."

Neither Chris nor Diana seemed to care much which Hogwarts house Kyle would be sorted into. To them, as long as it was Hogwarts, the house didn't really matter. Kyle felt the same way.

...

Like choosing a wand, getting fitted for school robes was a time-consuming task. Mrs. Malkin, a true professional, took her time measuring Kyle, but even so, it took over twenty minutes just to get the basic measurements. Since Kyle was a bit taller than most boys his age, the shop didn't have his size in stock, meaning the robes would need to be custom-made. That would take around two hours.

Kyle thought it over and decided it would be more convenient to leave his home address and have the robes delivered by owl. It was already 5:00 p.m., and two hours later it would be 7:00 p.m.—too late to wait around. Express delivery seemed like the best option.

Their next stop was Flourish and Blotts, the bookstore.

This time, the shopping was much quicker. It took Kyle less than five minutes to gather all his required textbooks for the upcoming school year. In addition to the standard set, he also picked up two extra books for leisure reading.

The first was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Revised Edition) by Newt Scamander. Although his family already owned nineteen copies of the book, Kyle couldn't resist supporting Newt by buying the latest version. The new edition had thirty extra pages and introduced seven new magical creatures. It was a great deal and a worthy addition to his collection.

The second book was something Kyle stumbled upon by accident. While heading to the checkout, he kicked a dusty book out of a corner.

Ordinary Spells and Solutions.

As the title suggested, it contained an assortment of common spells like the Lighting Charm, the Levitation Charm, and the Scouring Charm. What made the book appealing was its thoroughness—there were a ton of spells packed into it. It was like the spell version of Fantastic Beasts, and at just one galleon, it was a bargain.

Kyle flipped through it briefly before deciding to buy it. It might not be all that useful in the long run, but it seemed like good entertainment for when he had time to kill.

In truth, there were many more books Kyle wanted to read—books on charms, potions, transfiguration, and more. The list could probably fill an entire parchment. However, he refrained from purchasing them for a simple reason: he would soon be at Hogwarts, home to one of the oldest and largest libraries in the wizarding world.

Why spend money on books when you could borrow them from the school's vast collection? Unless it was a textbook required for class or a book he was particularly fond of, Kyle didn't see the need to buy them. After all, galleons didn't grow on trees, and he wasn't about to spend frivolously when better resources were available at school.

...

After leaving Flourish and Blotts, Kyle had nearly finished shopping for the school year. In fact, he had already bought everything he needed. The only thing left on the typical Hogwarts list was a pet, but Kyle didn't need one.

Chris had rescued many injured owls over the years, so the Chopper family had earned a strong reputation in the owl community. As a result, Kyle had more than enough owl assistance at his disposal. Whenever he stood by the window with a letter or package, a whole flock of owls—many from Hogwarts—would eagerly compete to deliver it for him. All he had to do was offer a few snacks as a reward. It was incredibly convenient and, more importantly, saved him the trouble of buying a pet.

Another galleon saved, Kyle thought with satisfaction.

Kyle had originally planned to use the money he'd saved to buy a broomstick. He didn't need one of the newest models—something simple like the Nimbus 1500 or a Cleansweep Seven would do just fine.

These older brooms were cost-effective, and while they didn't have the shine of newer models, their performance wasn't all that different. Plus, the price was less than a third of the latest brooms.

Take, for example, the Nimbus 1500, which had been all the rage two years ago. Back then, it had sold for 300 galleons, but now, it was available for just 80 galleons—practically a steal. Kyle had been saving his pocket money for years, and he was almost ready to afford it.

The Cleansweep Seven, another model he had his eye on, was a bit more expensive at around 100 galleons, but it was still within reach with a little help from Chris.

Excited about the prospect, Kyle had brought up the idea of buying a broomstick. However, Diana shot the suggestion down in an instant. Her reasoning was simple: Hogwarts rules strictly prohibited first-year students from bringing their own broomsticks. Buying one now would be pointless, and there was already a broom at home he could use during the holidays.

Chris, trying to remain neutral, could only give Kyle a helpless shrug, signaling that he had no choice but to side with Diana on this one. Still, wanting to lift Kyle's spirits, Chris made sure to take him to the window of the Flying Broomstick Shop, letting him admire the brooms on display for a few moments before they headed toward the Leaky Cauldron.

...

The Weasleys, who had accompanied them earlier, had already left while Kyle was getting his robes fitted. Mrs. Weasley needed to return home to prepare a large dinner, a task that took considerable time given the size of the Weasley family. Cooking for six children was no small task, even with the aid of magic, and it would take her more than an hour to get everything ready.

Kyle regretted two things that day. First, he hadn't been able to buy the flying broomstick he had wanted so badly. And second, he had missed out on the chance to see the twins embarrass themselves again, a sight he had been looking forward to almost as much as the broom.