Chapter 5: Shopping

"It seems that you got the cedar wand."

After meeting at the entrance of Madam Malkin's Robe Shop, Chris recognized the wand in Kyle's hand at a glance.

Because of the strange combination, Chris was deeply impressed by it, and it was also because of this wand that he met Diana for the first time.

Unexpectedly, it was now in Kyle's hands.

Chris glanced at Kyle with some emotion, but soon his expression changed. He seemed to have thought of something and patted Kyle's shoulder with a heavy face.

"My son, I regret to tell you some bad news. With this wand, I'm afraid you won't be able to get into Gryffindor." 

"Can't get into Gryffindor?" Kyle's mouth twitched. He probably understood what his father meant.

Ollivander said that wizards with cedar wands have keen insights and are naturally calm, while Gryffindors... well, they may, maybe, not need to be calm.

Kyle didn't expect that he would be rejected by a house before he even enrolled. This was really sad news.

"What are you two laughing at?" At this time, Diana just walked over and asked curiously.

She just went to help Kyle buy a cauldron, and when she came back, she stopped by the Literary Mansion and bought some quills and parchment, so she didn't hear the conversation between the father and son just now.

"It's nothing, it's just that Dad said that if I hold it, I can't get into Gryffindor," Kyle explained and showed his new wand to Diana.

Diana obviously recognized this cedar wand, and combined with Kyle's words, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"I'm sorry, dear, I think your father is right."

Neither Chris nor Diana had any idea of ​​which house Kyle would go to. In their opinion, as long as it was Hogwarts, all the houses were the same.

The same went for Kyle.

...

Like choosing a wand, making school uniforms was also a long-term project. Even though Mrs. Malkin was very professional, it took more than twenty minutes, and this was only the time to take the necessary measurements. 

It would take longer to get the finished product. Who asked Kyle to be taller than his peers? The store did not have suitable robes in stock, so they could only be customized, which took about two hours.

Kyle thought about it and finally decided to leave his home address and have it delivered by owl courier.

It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and it would be too late by seven o'clock, so it would be more convenient to send it by owl delivery.

The next stop after Madam Malkin's Robe Shop was Flourish and Blotts Bookstore.

This time it was very fast. It took less than five minutes for Kyle to find all the books he needed. In addition, he also purchased two additional extracurricular reading materials.

First of all, it had to be Grandpa Newt's book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Latest Revised Edition)".

Although there were already nineteen books at home, this did not prevent him from supporting Grandpa Newt, as he was helping increase the sales.

Moreover, this new revised edition was also very thorough. It had thirty more pages and seven new magical animals, so it was very cost-effective and not a loss.

As for the second copy, Kyle accidentally knocked it out of the corner when he went to check out.

"Common Charms and Solutions," as its name suggested, contained some common charms, such as lighting charms, floating charms, cleansing charms, etc.

But the advantage was that there were enough of them, covering all aspects, a bit like the revised version of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", and the price was not expensive, only one Galleon.

After looking at it twice, Kyle took it with him. Although it was of no great use, it was still good for passing time.

In fact, in addition to these two books, there were many more books that Kyle wanted to read, such as Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration. The total books could almost fill a piece of parchment, but Kyle did not buy them.

It was not that they didn't have money, Chris and Diana's income was still very considerable. Although it was not as good as those of pure-blood families, it was not that they couldn't afford a few books. The main reason was that he would go to Hogwarts immediately, so it was too late.

Why buy books when he would be next to one of the largest and oldest libraries in the wizarding world? Unless it was a necessary textbook for class or really liked it, he could just borrow it when the time came.

He didn't know what others thought, but Kyle didn't want to be scammed, and his Galleons didn't fall from the sky.

...

After coming out of Flourishes and Blotts Bookstore, Kyle had almost bought everything on the admission list, or in other words, he had already bought everything.

The only remaining aspect was a pet, which Kyle didn't need.

Chris had rescued many injured owls over the years, so his family had a very high reputation in the messenger circles, and Kyle had also benefited from it.

Every time he appeared at the window with an envelope or package, a large group of owls would rush over, vying to help him deliver it, and many of them were from Hogwarts.

If necessary at that time, he would just hire one with snacks, which was very convenient.

Voila, another Galleon saved.

Originally, Kyle wanted to use the money he saved to buy a broomstick. It didn't have to be too good, just a Nimbus 1500 or a Sweeping Seven Stars would do.

Compared with the new models displayed at the window, the old broom was very cost-effective. In terms of quality, there was actually not much difference, but the price was less than one-third of the new broom, so it was quite affordable.

For example, the Nimbus 1500, which was very popular in the past two years, originally cost three hundred Galleons, but now it only cost eighty and could be taken away on the spot. The pocket money he had saved over the years was almost enough.

Sweeping Seven Stars was a little more expensive, about a hundred Galleons, but it was impossible to buy without Chris' support.

However, as soon as he proposed this idea, it was rejected by Diana. The reason was very simple. Hogwarts stipulates that first-year students were not allowed to bring brooms, so it was useless to buy one. One at home was enough.

In response, Chris could only shrug helplessly at Kyle, saying that there was nothing he could do to help. However, he was very considerate and took Kyle to the window of the Broomstick Shop. After letting him enjoy his window shopping, he walked towards the Leaky Cauldron.

...

The Weasley family who came with them had already gone back first, just as Kyle was buying robes.

Mrs. Weasley needed to go back early to prepare a sumptuous dinner. For a family with six children, this was no small task, and it would take more than an hour even with the help of magic.

It was a pity that he didn't get to see the twins make a fool of themselves, which made Kyle feel very regretful, second only to the fact that he couldn't buy a broomstick.

(End of chapter)