Chapter 5: Shopping
Chapter 5: Shopping
"It seems you've gotten yourself a cedar wand."
As they reunited outside of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Chris immediately recognized the wand in Kyle's hand.
The unusual pairing had left a strong impression on him, and it was through this wand that he had first met Diana.
He never expected that wand to now be in Kyle's possession.
Chris looked at Kyle with a thoughtful gaze, but his expression soon changed as if he had just remembered something. He patted Kyle's shoulder heavily, his face grave.
"My dear, I regret to inform you of some bad news. With that wand, I'm afraid you won't be sorted into Gryffindor."
"Not Gryffindor?" Kyle's lips twitched as he began to understand what his father meant.
Ollivander had said that wizards with cedar wands possessed keen insight and a naturally calm demeanor, while Gryffindors... well, they might not always prioritize calmness.
Kyle hadn't expected to be rejected by a Hogwarts house even before his first year, and this was certainly saddening news.
"What are you two laughing about?" Diana asked curiously as she approached them. She had just gone to buy a crucible for Kyle and had also stopped by Scribbulus Writing Instruments to purchase some quills and parchment, so she hadn't heard the conversation between father and son.
"It's nothing," Kyle explained, "Dad just said that with this wand, I probably won't be sorted into Gryffindor." He then showed off his new wand to Diana.
Diana immediately recognized the cedar wand, and hearing Kyle's words, she couldn't help but laugh as well.
"I'm afraid your father is right, my dear," she said.
Neither Chris nor Diana particularly cared about which house Kyle would be sorted into, as long as it was Hogwarts. In their eyes, all the houses were equally good.
Kyle shared the same sentiment.
...
Like wand selection, getting measured for school robes was also a time-consuming process, even with Madam Malkin's expertise. It took over twenty minutes.
And this was just for taking the necessary measurements; it would take even longer to get the finished product since Kyle was taller than his peers, and they didn't have any suitable off-the-rack options. It would take around two hours, so Kyle decided to leave his address for owl delivery instead.
It was already 5 p.m., and two hours later would be 7 p.m., which was too late. Owl delivery would be more convenient.
After Madam Malkin's, their next stop was Flourish and Blotts.
This visit was much quicker, taking less than five minutes for Kyle to find all the required textbooks. In addition, he also bought two extra books.
First was, of course, Grandpa Newt's—Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Updated Edition)
.
Even though he already had nineteen copies at home, it wouldn't stop him from supporting Grandpa Newt by helping to boost sales.
And this new updated edition was quite worth it—thirty extra pages and seven brand-new fantastic beasts. It was a great deal.
As for the second book, Kyle stumbled upon it by accident when he was paying for his purchases.
Common Curses and Their Counteractions
Just as its title suggested, it contained common curses like the Lumos, Levitation, and Scouring charms.
In addition to these two books, there were many others that Kyle wanted to read, including spell books, potion books, and transfiguration books. Altogether, they would fill up a whole sheet of parchment, but Kyle didn't buy them all.
It wasn't because he didn't have the money. Chris and Diana earned a substantial income, and although they couldn't compare to the pure-blood families, they could certainly afford a few books. The main reason was that he would be going to Hogwarts soon.
With access to one of the largest and oldest libraries in the wizarding world, why buy books? Unless they were necessary textbooks or something he truly wanted to own, he could just borrow whatever he wanted to read when the time came.
Kyle didn't know about others, but he didn't want to waste his Galleons unnecessarily.
...
After leaving Flourish and Blotts, they had more or less completed their shopping for school. Or rather, they had bought everything on the list.
The only remaining item was a pet, but Kyle didn't need one.
Over the years, Chris had rescued quite a few injured owls, and as a result, they were well-known in the owl messenger community. Kyle had benefited from this reputation as well.
Whenever he appeared at the window with an envelope or package, a large group of owls would rush over, vying to deliver his mail, including owls from Hogwarts.
If he needed to send something in the future, he could easily hire one with a snack.
There, he saved himself another Galleon.
Originally, Kyle had wanted to use the saved money to buy a broomstick. It didn't have to be anything fancy, a Cleansweep One-Five-OO or a Shooting Star would do.
Compared to the newer models on display, these older brooms offered excellent value for money. They didn't differ much in quality, but their prices were less than a third of the newer models, making them very affordable.
For example, the Cleansweep One-Five-OO, which had been all the rage a couple of years ago, originally priced at three hundred Galleons, could now be taken home for just eighty. His savings from the past few years would be just enough.
The Shooting Star was a bit more expensive, at around one hundred Galleons, but it was still within reach, although it would require some support from Chris.
However, as soon as he brought up the idea, it was shot down by Diana. The reason was simple: first-year students at Hogwarts were not allowed to bring brooms, so buying one would be pointless. One broomstick at home was enough.
Chris could only shrug helplessly at Kyle, indicating that he couldn't help him in this matter. Nonetheless, he kindly took Kyle to the window display of the broomstick shop, letting him feast his eyes on the various models before they headed toward the Leaky Cauldron.
...
The Weasleys, who had accompanied them, had already left earlier, just as Kyle was being measured for his robes.
Mrs. Weasley needed to head back to prepare a sumptuous dinner for her large family. Even with magical assistance, it would take over an hour for a family with six children.
Kyle felt quite disappointed that he hadn't gotten to see the twins make a fool of themselves, and the extent of his disappointment was second only to not being able to buy a broomstick.
......
(End of Chapter)
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