Chapter 3: Diagon Alley
Chapter 3: Diagon Alley
After much contemplation, Kyle ultimately decided to keep the information about Fluffy, the three-headed dog, from his father. After all, he loved magical creatures too, but he wasn't like Newt with his natural talent. A creature like Fluffy was exceedingly rare, even in Greece, and he might never get another chance to see one if he missed this opportunity.
Weighing his options, he chose to keep the secret.
However, to compensate and ease his conscience, Kyle immediately wriggled out of the twins' grasp and approached Chris, offering him an apologetic look.
Chris was thoroughly confused.
So were the twins.
They had just been about to carry out their plan of sprinkling Jumping Powder on Kyle, but at the last moment, he had ducked and run off. And they had already released the powder!
It would have been fine if he had moved a second earlier or later, but why did he have to do it at that precise moment?
The twins froze, watching helplessly as the Jumping Powder they had released drew a beautiful cross in the air before landing directly on each other's heads.
"Hss... Hss..."
"Ruff... Ruff... Ruff..."
Two sets of rapid gasps and the sound of fur rubbing together drew everyone's attention. Instinctively, all eyes turned towards the source of the noise.
When they turned around, they saw Fred and George, looking like grown orangutans, frantically scratching their heads.
Their already unruly hair became even more chaotic under their frantic claws. To be honest, they looked worse than the Sorting Hat.
"Oh, Fred, George, what mischief are you two up to now?"
As more and more strange looks were directed their way, Mrs. Weasley's face turned red. She marched up to the twins, grabbed one by each ear, and dragged them into an alley beside the main path.
At least there were fewer people there, and she could save a little face.
It was embarrassing enough that her sons were acting like orangutans in the middle of Diagon Alley.
By Merlin's beard! If she didn't stop them now, the Weasley family's reputation, built over hundreds of years, would be ruined!
Mrs. Weasley's actions were decisive, but the twins suffered for it. Their gasps became louder, and Kyle thought he might have even seen tears in their eyes. If that was true, he had to admit, they really were twins—even their tears appeared in the same spot.
On the other side, Mr. Weasley heaved a sigh of relief as Mrs. Weasley led the twins away. Trying to dispel the awkwardness, he urged everyone to go ahead with their shopping without waiting for them.
Bringing up the rear, Kyle stood beside Ron, struggling to hold back his laughter.
But the next moment, when he looked up and met Diana's gaze, his smile froze. He managed a strained, awkward, yet polite smile.
His mother was great in every way, except that her sixth sense was ridiculously sharp. He hadn't been able to keep any secrets from her since he was young.
He considered himself lucky that he had traveled back in time before his own birth by five or six months; otherwise, he was sure his identity would have been discovered by now.
"Gosh..."
Kyle scratched his head and thought, "Having a mom like this means having no privacy at all."
Diana didn't say anything either. She merely gave Kyle a warning look before turning away.
Just the pranks she had heard of included exploding toilet seats, bagging Professor Sprout during a night stroll, and throwing stink bombs at Slytherin first-years while blaming them for passing gas in class. There were likely many more that she didn't know about.
Compared to these legendary stunts, their orangutan impersonation on the street was hardly noteworthy.
Thus, the most attention they would get from passersby was a chuckle, and it certainly wouldn't reflect poorly on the Weasley family as a whole (excluding a certain unnamed pure-blood family member with platinum blond hair)
. Mrs. Weasley's reaction was simply due to her not being used to such behavior yet.
Whether it was Bill, Charlie, or Percy, they were all exceptionally well-behaved children, and Mrs. Weasley subconsciously expected the same of the twins, despite their usual antics differing greatly from their older brothers'. This impression wouldn't be easily erased.
After all, Bill and Charlie hadn't been angels at home or when they first started school, but there was no denying that they were still among the finest students Hogwarts had to offer.
To put it simply, just imagine the straight-laced Percy acting like a monkey in public, and you might understand Mrs. Weasley's perspective.
However, this situation was only temporary. As the years went by and more news from Hogwarts reached the Weasley family, Mrs. Weasley would gradually become accustomed to such eccentricities.
At the very least, the next time something like this happened, she would be able to remain much calmer.
...
Not long after this little interlude, the group split up.
Since Ron and Ginny were not yet of school age, the Weasleys only needed to purchase new textbooks for the twins and Percy during this trip to Diagon Alley.
However, as a first-year student, Kyle had a long list of things to buy, and the most important item on his agenda was, without a doubt, a wand.
He didn't need a guide and confidently made his way through the bustling Diagon Alley, soon arriving at his destination.
The small and dilapidated shop.
Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.
Standing at the entrance, Kyle felt a sense of bewilderment every time he visited.
This place was incredibly run-down; the amount of dust on the windows could probably be scraped off to sculpt a statue at the doorstep. Did wizards really appreciate antiquity this much?
But Gringotts and the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop looked so neat and aesthetically pleasing.
Was this the confidence of a monopoly, knowing that customers had no other choice but to come to you?
But Gringotts also had a monopoly...
Kyle had been pondering this for a long time, even asking Chris and Mr. Weasley, but he still hadn't received an answer. Standing there that day, he could only shrug it off as the eccentricity of artisans.
As for asking directly, that was out of the question. He didn't want to offend anyone, especially not the most renowned wandmaker in all of Britain. Maintaining a good relationship was crucial.
However, since Ron would be starting school next year, he could discuss it with the twins and, well, persuade... ahem, politely request their assistance in having the youngest Weasley sibling ask on his behalf.
He wasn't taking advantage of his friends.
He was taking advantage of Ron Weasley, his beloved friend and brother, and what did that have to do with the twins?
...
(End of Chapter)
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