Chapter 2: The Leaky Cauldron
Chapter 2: The Leaky Cauldron
The Leaky Cauldron, established in the early 16th century, was one of the favorite gathering places for witches and wizards and served as the gateway to Diagon Alley, the only wizarding street in Britain.
As Diana led Kyle through the door, the once bustling pub fell into an abrupt silence, as if someone had pressed pause on the lively atmosphere.
It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, reminiscent of a tense study session during the high school senior year.
This eerie calm was briefly interrupted when Chris followed them in, but the previous boisterous chatter didn't resume. Instead, everyone seemed to be consciously keeping their voices low.
However, there was one exception.
The pub's owner, Tom, approached them with a delighted expression on his face. "Oh, Diana, it's been a while! Care for a drink? It's on the house."
"Maybe next time, Tom," Diana replied with a smile. She patted Kyle on the shoulder and gestured towards the Weasley family who were making their way towards them. "We still have some shopping to do in Diagon Alley, and we're a bit pressed for time."
"Of course," Tom said, suddenly realizing. "Time sure flies. Little Kyle is already eleven and off to Hogwarts. You must be here to get his school things."
Diana nodded with a smile.
"Well, you'd better hurry then. You know where it is," Tom said, stepping aside to clear the path behind him. But then he leaned down and looked directly at Kyle. "I have to warn you, young Kyle. If you move that trash can again, I'm going to write a complaint letter to Hogwarts. By Merlin's beard, do you have any idea how frantic those first-years get when they can't find their way into Diagon Alley? You shouldn't be causing an old man with bad legs any more trouble than he needs."
Kyle felt a bit embarrassed being called out like that in front of his parents.
Obviously, this wasn't his first visit to Diagon Alley.
However, speaking honestly, would it even be right for a time-traveler like him to come to Diagon Alley and not move that trash can?
That was just common sense.
But he certainly couldn't say that in front of his parents, so he just smiled awkwardly and said, "I promise, next time."
Tom didn't seem to mind the response, but Diana, standing beside him, raised an eyebrow and gave her son a thoughtful look.
Her instincts told her that there was something fishy about that promise.
But before she could say anything, Mrs. Weasley interrupted with her warm and friendly demeanor.
"Oh, Kyle, dear," she said, giving him a big hug. Then, she pulled Diana aside to chat.
Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley struck up a conversation with Chris.
The two families were quite close. Diana and Molly were confidantes, and Chris and Arthur were the best of friends. After Kyle's birth, the Weasley family had insisted that they move in next door, and they had been neighbors ever since.
Kyle had heard much of this during the adults' conversations at their dinners together.
Due to the close relationship between the adults, it was only natural that he became friends with the Weasley children as well.
And now, as the adults moved aside, two arms draped over his shoulders, one from each side.
"Hey, Fred, look who it is," said one.
"It's this year's Hogwarts newbie," said the other, emphasizing the word 'newbie'.
"Hogwarts can be a dangerous place, especially for newbies like you..."
"Of course, if you say something nice, we might just be inclined to offer some help."
Kyle ignored the twins and greeted the other redheads. "It's been a while, Percy, Ron, and Ginny."
The three of them smiled and nodded in response.
"It's been a while, Kyle," they said in unison.
Originally, there were seven children in the Weasley family, but Bill was in Egypt, and Charlie had left for an unknown destination a month ago, so only five of them were present today.
As they spoke, they made their way to the backyard of The Leaky Cauldron, which was the entrance to Diagon Alley. Mr. Weasley, leading the way, easily located the correct brick and tapped it with his wand.
Meanwhile, at the back of the group, the Weasley twins, who had been waiting for a response, exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows. They had planned to teach a certain impolite first-year a little lesson, perhaps using the Jumping Powder they had just invented.
A tiny sprinkle of it on someone's hair would give them a thrilling experience.
They had tested it on themselves, and the results were fantastic. Who knew what it felt like to go ten days without washing your hair?
It was incredible.
And if they were lucky, they might even unlock a hidden achievement—experiencing the special treatment that middle-aged gentlemen often received.
Without further ado, the twins took out the Jumping Powder, ready to put their plan into action. But just then, they heard Chris's voice from the front of the group.
"Hagrid? What are you doing here in Diagon Alley!"
There was a note of alertness in his voice, which was usually calm and peaceful. This immediately caught the attention of the twins, as they had heard that tone of voice far too often to ignore it.
But then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, his entire body relaxed considerably, and he reached into his pocket to pull out a small package. "Harry Potter will be enrolling at Hogwarts next year, so as a welcoming gift, I wanted to bake him a birthday cake myself. I came to buy some berry seeds."
"Really?"
Chris's tone didn't ease up much, and he eyed the small package warily. "If I recall correctly, with the ingredients available in the Hogwarts kitchen, you could easily make ten cakes."
To be honest, Chris's tone was rather confrontational. If an outsider were to witness this exchange, they would undoubtedly peg him as the villain of the story.
However, neither Kyle nor the Weasley twins, nor even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who were quite close to Hagrid, showed any reaction to this scene. Their expressions didn't change, as if everything was as it should be.
And indeed, it was.
As the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Creatures and the Head of the Beast Office, Chris was all too familiar with Hagrid.
To put it bluntly, if Chris had to pick one person he least wanted to meet, it would undoubtedly be Hagrid—the famous half-giant and Key Master of Hogwarts.
By Merlin's beard, the troubles this man caused single-handedly accounted for more than a tenth of Chris's annual workload.
Especially those hybrid magical creatures he concocted, they drove Chris up the wall.
Take, for instance, the last one—a SerpenTail, a two-tailed snake created by crossing a Crup with a Runespoor.
Where in the world did Hagrid get all these magical creatures? Surely not all of them were from the Forbidden Forest. Chris didn't recall seeing any Runespoors in the forest during his school days.
As a traditional magical creature scholar, Chris viewed these hybrid creations as heresy, an absolute abomination that must be prohibited.
Unfortunately, these actions, while questionable, were not illegal. Chris had submitted several draft bills to that effect, but they had all fallen on deaf ears. After Cornelius Fudge took office, Chris had even gone to the Minister's office to discuss the matter, only to be stonewalled with masterful equivocation until the issue was eventually swept under the rug.
Evidently, in the eyes of the new Minister, a bill concerning magical creatures was of little importance. He would rather spend his time making frequent visits to the Hogwarts Headmaster's office, as it gave him peace of mind and bolstered his image among the people.
So, Chris had no choice but to let Hagrid be.
Moreover, those hybrid creatures he created were, after all, new forms of life. Chris couldn't just ignore them or dispose of them without a second thought.
Chris had to grit his teeth and bear it, observing, recording, and categorizing these creatures.
As a result, Chris's resentment towards Hagrid had long since reached its peak. The only reason he hadn't laid a hand on him yet was the presence of the children.
Otherwise, he would have loved nothing more than to give Hagrid a good thrashing, even if Dumbledore himself stood in his way.
Don't be surprised, for despite being a deputy director, Chris was often on the front lines dealing with magical creatures, and he was no slouch in terms of magical power.
While a pure-blood giant would be a different story, Chris was quite confident in his ability to take on a half-giant, especially one without a wand like Hagrid.
Hagrid, aware of his own transgressions, willingly opened the package to reveal that it only contained a bunch of unknown seeds.
"By Dumbledore's name, I swear that this trip to Diagon Alley is truly just for buying seeds."
Hearing Hagrid's words, Chris's furrowed brows finally relaxed a bit. He didn't press the issue further but gave Hagrid a few simple reminders before letting him leave.
Given Hagrid's respect for Dumbledore, there was no way he would lie about something like this.
Kyle, however, turned thoughtfully to glance at Hagrid's retreating figure.
"Not this time," he muttered to himself, "but what about the other times?"
Kyle recalled that in the first book, the three-headed dog Fluffy, whom Hagrid had bought from a Greek man in a pub, played a crucial role. Whether that pub was the Leaky Cauldron or the Hog's Head remained unclear.
Don't be fooled into thinking that the Hog's Head was any more legitimate. It was rife with gray market dealings, and since it was the only place that offered lodging without asking for identification, it was often frequented by smugglers with small quantities of goods and no criminal record.
Having fewer goods meant convenience, as they could easily be hidden in a box, making it nearly impossible for others to discover them.
It wasn't unusual for a deal to take place while one was out eating, casually transacted with a fellow patron.
And it was common knowledge in smuggler circles that there was a gamekeeper at Hogwarts who had a deep love for magical creatures.
Finding out information about him was a breeze.
"Tsk, who said Hagrid was simple-minded? He's quite crafty, isn't he?"
Kyle guessed that his dad probably didn't know about Fluffy yet, but he had no intention of snitching.
After all, who could resist a three-headed dog?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
