"I see you got the cedar wand."
At Madam Malkin's Robes shop, Chris immediately recognized the wand in his son's hand.
The wand's unusual combination had left a lasting impression on him — after all, it was through this very wand that he'd first met Diana. He never expected it would now find its way to Kyle's hands.
Chris gazed at him with emotion, but his expression quickly shifted as a thought crossed his mind. He patted Kyle's shoulder with mock solemnity.
"Dear, I hate to break some bad news to you, but with this wand, I'm afraid you won't be getting into Gryffindor."
"Won't get into Gryffindor?" Kyle's mouth twitched as he grasped his father's meaning.
Ollivander had said that wizards with cedar wands possessed keen insight and natural calmness, while Gryffindors... well, let's just say calmness wasn't their defining trait.
Being excluded from a house before even starting school came as quite a disappointment.
"What are you two laughing about?" Diana asked as she walked over.
She'd been helping Kyle buy his cauldron and had stopped by Scribbulus Writing Implements for quills and parchment, missing the conversation between father and son.
"Nothing much, just that Dad says with this wand, I won't be able to get into Gryffindor." Kyle explained, showing his mother the wand.
Diana immediately recognized the cedar wand, and upon hearing Kyle's words, she couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm sorry dear, but I think your father is right."
Neither Chris nor Diana had any particular house in mind for Kyle — in their view, as long as it was Hogwarts, any house would do.
Kyle felt the same way.
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Like choosing a wand, getting fitted for school robes was also time-consuming. Despite Madam Malkin's professionalism, the measurements alone took twenty minutes.
Being taller than his peers meant the shop had no suitable ready-made robes for Kyle. They would need to be custom-made, which would take about two hours.
After considering the timing, Kyle opted for owl delivery to his home address.
Since it was already five in the afternoon, waiting until seven o'clock would be too late — delivery made more sense.
Next, they visited Flourish and Blotts Bookseller.
This stop proved much quicker — Kyle found all his required books in under five minutes. He also picked up two additional books for extra reading.
The first was Uncle Newt's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Latest Revised Edition)". Despite having nineteen copies at home already, Kyle wanted to support the publication — even if it meant making the wealthy Newt a bit wealthier.
The new edition offered good value, featuring thirty additional pages and seven new fantastic beasts.
The second book, "Common Spells and Their Counter-Spells", Kyle discovered by accident when he kicked it out from a corner while heading to pay.
It contained fundamental spells like Lumos (Wand-Lighting Charm), Wingardium Leviosa (Levitation Charm), Scourgify (Scouring Charm), and more.
At just 1 Galleon, the book's comprehensive collection of spells made it worthwhile. Though not essential, Kyle decided it would make good leisure reading.
In fact, there were many other books that caught his eye — volumes on charms, potions, and transfiguration — enough to fill a piece of parchment. But he resisted buying them.
Money wasn't the issue — Chris and Diana earned quite well, and while they weren't as wealthy as pure-blood families, they could easily afford extra books. The real reason was simpler: he was heading to Hogwarts.
Why purchase books when he'd soon have access to one of the largest and oldest libraries in the wizarding world? Unless it was a required textbook or something truly special, he could simply borrow what he wanted to read.
Kyle prided himself on being practical — after all, Galleons didn't grow on trees.
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After leaving Flourish and Blotts, they had completed everything on the school list.
As for pets — the only remaining item — Kyle didn't need one.
Chris had helped many injured owls over the years, giving their family quite a reputation among these messengers. As his son, Kyle benefited from this connection.
Whenever he appeared at the window with a letter or package, a whole flock of owls would rush over, competing to help him deliver it — many of them from Hogwarts.
If he needed an owl, he could simply hire one with treats. Very convenient.
Look at that, another Galleon saved.
Originally, Kyle had wanted to use the saved money to buy a broomstick — nothing too fancy, just a Comet 260 or Cleansweep Seven would do.
Compared to the new models in the window, these older brooms offered excellent value. The quality wasn't much different, but the price was less than a third — quite economical.
Take the Comet 260 that was all the rage two years ago: originally priced at 300 Galleons, now you could take one home for just 80, which matched his years of saved pocket money.
The Cleansweep Seven was pricier at 100 Galleons, but not impossible — he'd just need his father's help.
However, as soon as he suggested this idea, Diana vetoed it immediately. The reason was simple: Hogwarts rules stated that first-years weren't allowed to bring broomsticks, so buying one would be pointless. The one they had at home was enough.
Chris could only shrug helplessly at his son, indicating he couldn't help either. Still, he thoughtfully took Kyle to the broomstick shop window to let him feast his eyes before they headed to the Leaky Cauldron.
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The Weasley family, who had accompanied them, had already departed while Kyle was getting his robes fitted.
Molly Weasley needed to return early to prepare dinner — with six children to feed, this was no small task. Even with magic, it would take over an hour.
Kyle felt doubly disappointed: not only had he missed seeing the twins' usual antics, but he also couldn't get a broomstick.
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