The Leaky Cauldron, established in the early sixteenth century, is one of wizards' favorite gathering places and serves as the entrance to Diagon Alley, the only wizard street in magical Britain — well, besides Knockturn Alley, of course.
When Diana led Kyle through the door, the previously noisy and bustling pub fell silent, as if someone had hit the pause button. The silence was so complete you could hear a pin drop, like in a senior year study hall.
When Chris followed them in, the eerie atmosphere dissipated somewhat, though conversations remained hushed, as if everyone was deliberately keeping their voices down.
There was one exception, though.
Tom, the pub owner, walked over with a delighted expression, "Oh, Diana, it's been a while! Would you like a drink? It's on me."
"Maybe next time, Tom." Diana smiled, patted Kyle's shoulder, and pointed to the approaching Weasley family, "We need to get some things from Diagon Alley, and we might be running short on time."
"Oh, of course." Tom's eyes widened in realization, "Time flies, doesn't it? Little Kyle is already eleven. So you're here to buy his Hogwarts school supplies?"
"Yes." Diana nodded with a smile.
"Then you'd better hurry. You know where to go." Tom stepped aside to clear the path, but then looked down at Kyle, "I must warn you, little Kyle, if you move that trash bin again, I'll have to write a complaint letter to Hogwarts. Merlin's beard, do you have any idea how panicked those first-years get when they can't get into Diagon Alley? You can't keep giving unnecessary work to an old man with bad legs."
Being called out for his mischief, Kyle felt somewhat embarrassed.
Clearly, this wasn't his first visit to Diagon Alley.
Though honestly speaking, what kind of reincarnated person would visit Diagon Alley without moving the trash bin? That wouldn't be proper at all. That's just how it is.
However, he couldn't say that in front of his parents, so Kyle could only grin sheepishly and say, "I'll definitely behave next time."
Tom didn't react much to this, but Diana raised an eyebrow and gave her son a thoughtful look. Her intuition told her there was definitely something off about that response.
But since the Weasley family had arrived, she didn't say anything.
"Oh, Kyle, dear!" Mrs. Molly Weasley wrapped Kyle in a warm hug, then pulled Diana aside to chat.
Meanwhile, Arthur Weasley naturally fell into conversation with Chris.
The two families shared a deep bond — Diana and Molly were inseparable friends, Chris and Arthur were dear companions, and after Kyle was born, they had even moved nearby at the Weasleys' earnest invitation. Kyle had learned all this from listening to the adults' dinner conversations.
Thanks to their parents' close friendship, Kyle and the Weasley children had naturally become friends as well.
Sure enough, as soon as the adults stepped away, two arms draped over his shoulders, one from each side.
"Hey Fred, look who's here. If it isn't this year's new Hogwarts student." George put special emphasis on the words "new student".
"Hogwarts can be quite dangerous, especially for new students like you... Of course, if you say something nice, we might offer you some help."
Kyle ignored the twins and greeted the other redheads instead, "Long time no see, Perce, Ron, and Ginny."
They all nodded at him with warm smiles.
"Long time no see, Kyle." x3
The Weasleys had seven children in total, but Bill (William) was in Egypt, and Charlie (Charles) had left a month ago, leaving just five here today.
As they chatted, the group made their way to the back courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley. Arthur Weasley, leading the way, quickly found the correct brick and tapped it with his wand.
At the back of the group, the Weasley twins exchanged meaningful glances after Kyle's snub, silently agreeing to teach their impolite junior a small lesson.
They had just the thing — their newly invented Jumping Powder. One sprinkle on someone's hair would give them quite the unforgettable experience. They'd tested it themselves with excellent results.
Ever wondered what it's like to not wash your hair for ten days? Simply amazing.
With luck, one might even trigger a hidden bonus effect: an early preview of what middle-aged gentlemen experience.
Just as they were about to act, Chris's voice suddenly came from the front.
"Hagrid? What are you doing in Diagon Alley!" His voice, usually calm, now carried a note of wariness — which immediately caught the twins' attention.
They couldn't help but react — they'd heard that wary tone far too many times; it was practically a reflex.
"Nothing, nothing."
Upon seeing Chris, Hagrid — the three-meter-tall, two-meter-wide half-giant — involuntarily shuddered, his eyes darting around.
But then, as if remembering something, he suddenly relaxed and pulled out a small package from his pocket, "Harry Potter will be coming to Hogwarts next year, and I wanted to make him a birthday cake as a welcome gift, so I just came to buy some berry seeds."
"Really?" Chris's tone remained tense as he eyed the small package suspiciously, "If I remember correctly, the Hogwarts kitchen should have enough ingredients to make ten cakes."
His tone was rather aggressive — anyone who didn't know better would probably think he was the villain here.
But Kyle, the twins, and even the Weasley couple who were close to Hagrid showed no reaction to this scene, not even a change in expression, as if everything was perfectly normal.
And indeed it was.
As Deputy Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and Head of the Beast Division, Chris knew Hagrid all too well.
Put simply: if Chris had to choose the person he least wanted to see, it would definitely be this Hogwarts gamekeeper (Keeper of the Grounds), the famous half-giant Rubeus Hagrid.
Merlin's beard, the trouble this one man caused accounted for more than a tenth of Chris's annual workload — especially those crossbred magical creatures he kept cooking up, which drove Chris mad.
What was it last time?
Oh right, the snake-tailed creature — a twin-tailed snake crossbred from a Crupe and a Runespoor.
Heaven knows where Hagrid got all these magical creatures from — they couldn't all be from the Forbidden Forest, could they? Chris didn't remember seeing any Runespoors there during his school days.
As a traditional Magizoologist, this kind of artificial crossbreeding was absolute heresy in Chris's eyes, something that should be completely forbidden.
Unfortunately, it wasn't illegal, and despite submitting several draft laws, he never received any response. When Cornelius Fudge took office recently, Chris made a special trip to the Minister's office about this but was skillfully stonewalled until the matter was dropped.
Clearly, in their new Minister's eyes, this magical creatures law held little value — he'd rather spend time making multiple trips to the Hogwarts Headmaster's office, as that would at least give him peace of mind and improve his public image.
So Chris couldn't do anything about Hagrid. Moreover, those crossbred magical creatures were still living beings — he couldn't just ignore them. He could only grit his teeth and observe, record, and classify them.
Over time, Chris's resentment towards Hagrid had reached its peak — the only reason he didn't confront him during their meetings was the presence of children.
Otherwise, he would have given Hagrid a beating, even with Albus Dumbledore watching.
This wasn't mere bravado — though Chris was Deputy Head, he still worked on the frontlines handling magical creatures and had the skills to prove it. While a pure-blooded giant might pose a challenge, he felt confident about handling a wandless half-giant.
Hagrid, aware of his position, meekly opened the package to reveal only some unidentifiable seeds.
"In Dumbledore's name, I really am just here to buy seeds this time."
At this, Chris's furrowed brow softened, and after offering a few brief warnings, he allowed Hagrid to leave.
Given the half-giant's reverence for Dumbledore, he wouldn't dare invoke his name falsely.
Kyle, however, watched Hagrid's retreating figure with curiosity.
"Just this time" — but what about other times?
Kyle recalled that Fluffy, the three-headed dog from the first book, had been purchased by Hagrid from a Greek merchant in a pub, though whether at the Hog's Head or the Leaky Cauldron remained unclear.
The Leaky Cauldron wasn't as reputable as it seemed — it harbored plenty of grey market dealings, and as the only establishment offering lodging without identification checks, it attracted many small-time smugglers with clean records.
Small quantities made for convenient transactions — everything fit in a simple box, drawing little attention. Making deals over meals was commonplace.
In smuggling circles, everyone knew about Hogwarts' creature-loving gamekeeper. His reputation preceded him.
'Tch', whoever called Hagrid simple-minded had it wrong — he was quite crafty. Kyle knew his father probably hadn't discovered Fluffy yet, but he had no intention of revealing this secret.
After all, who could resist a three-headed dog?
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