Chapter 6: Before the Start of School
Chapter 6: Before the Start of School
The following days were fulfilling for Kyle as he holed up in his room, experimenting with various spells.
Despite growing up in a wizarding family, Kyle had few opportunities to cast magic before starting school, and those instances were very rare.
Firstly, both Chris and Diana considered their wands extremely important, even going so far as to call them their second lives. They certainly weren't something they would casually hand over to Kyle to play with.
Only on Christmas and Kyle's birthdays was he allowed to hold them and give them a try.
Of course, Kyle also knew better than to overstep his bounds, and he only practiced simple spells like the Lumos charm or Alohomora charm—spells that, even if cast incorrectly, would have no adverse effects on the wand.
Another issue was wand compatibility.
Even though he was Chris and Diana's son, their wands showed him no favor. The resistance was palpable.
Especially Diana's wand—in Kyle's hands, it might as well have been an ordinary stick. No matter how hard he tried to cast spells with it, there was no response whatsoever.
As a result, most of Kyle's time before getting his own wand had been spent with Quidditch, potion ingredients, and magical creatures, with little exposure to actual spellcasting.
After waiting for eleven long years, he finally had his own wand, and it was only natural that he wanted to put it to good use.
Chris didn't oppose this, and he would occasionally guide Kyle enthusiastically, relishing the role of a teacher.
Thus, Kyle's room was almost constantly aglow with the light of different spells.
The first few days were fine, as Kyle practiced only basic spells that wouldn't affect anyone else.
However, as time went on and Kyle's repertoire of spells grew, problems started to arise.
...
In the living room, Chris watched with detached amusement as the teacup in front of him on the table suddenly lifted off the surface and began to float slowly upstairs.
But Chris seemed to be accustomed to this, calmly pressing the teacup back down onto the table and giving it a light tap with his wand.
Only then did he look up and call out, "Kyle, when casting the Accio spell, you must first clearly visualize your target in your mind. Also, I suggest you start with something lighter, like a quill or a piece of parchment. At least they won't break if you accidentally drop them."
"Okay, Dad," Kyle replied, but Chris wasn't sure if he had really taken his words to heart. He thought it unlikely.
After all, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. In a single day, he had cast more Reparo spells than he had in the last decade combined. As a result, he had to cast an Anti-Accio spell on every fragile item in the house.
"Swoosh..."
As if on cue, a loaf of bread flew over Chris's head and stuck to the ceiling with a soft thud.
"..."
It had to be admitted that, in terms of results, Kyle had made significant progress. At the very least, the speed of his Accio spell this time was much faster than the last.
"Oh dear!"
Chris sighed, waving his wand nonchalantly to return the bread to the kitchen. In his heart, he couldn't help but admire Diana's wisdom and foresight.
It was a good thing she had confiscated Kyle's cauldron on the first day; otherwise, who knew what state the house would be in by now.
Eleven-year-old wizards were notoriously mischievous, and the Weasley family next door was a testament to that. His family was no exception.
Fortunately, this trying period was almost over, as Hogwarts was opening tomorrow.
Now that was good news!
Chris took a sip of his tea, relishing the moment.
As Diana was away on a mission, Chris, who was utterly inept in the kitchen, gladly accepted Mrs. Weasley's invitation and brought Kyle and some prepared ingredients to the nearby shabby home for dinner.
Unsurprisingly, his action elicited Mrs. Weasley's displeasure, who believed that it was improper for him to bring ingredients when visiting, implying a lack of trust in their friendship. She berated him for it.
Chris didn't argue and simply tossed the ingredients into the kitchen, chuckling along good-naturedly.
As for Kyle, he had naturally blended in with the Weasley children.
He had long become accustomed to this scene and found it unremarkable.
Their home lacked house-elves, so whenever Diana was away on a mission, the father-son duo would come to the Weasleys for meals.
The current situation had become a regular occurrence each time they visited.
On the open ground not far away, Kyle was helping the Weasley children clear out the garden gnomes.
It was more of a game than actual work.
One person would grab the garden gnome by its legs and toss it into the air, while another would use a stick to hit it like a ball, sending it flying. Whoever hit it the farthest would win a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.
Initially, Chris didn't support this game, thinking that they only needed to throw the gnomes away and that there was no need for a stick.
Until one day, he discovered that his painstakingly cultivated cloak plant, which was about to bear fruit, had been completely dug up by these gnomes. After that, he never stopped Kyle from playing this game again.
On Christmas a few days later, he even gave Kyle a finely crafted bat with the signature of a Wimbourn Wasps batter.
The bat felt great to use, and the hitting sensation was fantastic. To date, it had helped Kyle win the championship five times in a row.
Today was no exception.
"This isn't fair," Ron grumbled, eyeing Kyle's autographed bat and then his own hastily picked stick. "The equipment gap is too big."
"It's not that exaggerated," Kyle replied calmly. "Equipment is secondary; what's important is having the winning mindset. I win not because my equipment is better, but because I want to win more than you."
As he spoke, he casually picked out a red bean and tossed it to Ron. "Also, Ron, before you complain about equipment, you should at least beat Ginny. Her stick is much smaller than yours."
There were a total of five participants, and Ron was in last place, with Ginny's throw far surpassing his.
Upon hearing Kyle's words, Ron's face turned red. Losing to his sister in this regard was not something he could boast about.
However, his attention was soon drawn to the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean that Kyle had tossed over.
It was a bright red, looking rather attractive. And the flavor... raspberry!
As expected, the beans Kyle gave were always the best-tasting ones.
The sweet sensation in his mouth made Ron narrow his eyes in delight, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. He wondered how Kyle managed to always pick out the best-tasting beans.
He, on the other hand, always seemed to get the worst flavors. It was either pig liver, spinach, or even dragon dung-flavored beans—a putrid mix of rancid fermented fruit and feces. Just the memory of it made Ron's stomach churn.
(End of Chapter)
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