Chapter 2: The Leaky Cauldron

The Leaky Cauldron, established in the early 16th century, is one of the wizards' favorite gathering places. It is also the entrance to Diagon Alley, the only wizarding street in the British magical world.

When Diana led Kyle and pushed open the door, the originally noisy and chaotic bar suddenly fell silent, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

It was as quiet as a senior high school evening self-study class, where even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

This eerie atmosphere only dissipated when Chris also walked in. However, it did not return to its previous state; it seemed that everyone was deliberately lowering their voices.

There were exceptions, though.

The bar owner, Tom, walked over with a look of surprise: "Oh, Diana, it's been a long time. Would you like a drink? It's on me."

"Next time, Tom."

Diana smiled, patted Kyle's shoulder, and pointed to the Weasleys who were walking over: "We need to go to Diagon Alley to buy some things. We might be a bit short on time."

"Oh, of course."

Tom suddenly realized: "Time flies. Kyle is eleven now, so you're here to buy the school supplies for Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Diana nodded with a smile.

"That is indeed a bit tight. Go quickly; you know where it is."

Tom stepped aside to let them through, but then he looked down at Kyle and said, "I have to warn you, Kyle. If you move that trash can again, I'll write a complaint letter to Hogwarts.

Merlin's beard, do you know how anxious the new students get when they can't find the entrance to Diagon Alley? You can't keep giving an old man with bad legs unnecessary work."

Kyle felt a bit embarrassed being caught red-handed.

Clearly, this wasn't his first time visiting Diagon Alley.

But in all honesty, as a穿越者 (time traveler), not moving the trash can in Diagon Alley would be a bit strange.

There's nothing wrong with that.

However, he couldn't say that in front of his parents, so Kyle could only smile awkwardly and say, "I'll be good next time."

Tom didn't react much to this, but Diana raised an eyebrow and looked at her son thoughtfully.

Her intuition told her that there was something wrong with that statement.

But since the Weasleys had already arrived, she didn't say anything.

"Oh, Kyle, dear."

Mrs. Weasley gave Kyle a big hug and then pulled Diana aside to talk.

Mr. Weasley, on the other hand, naturally walked over to Chris to chat.

The two families had a good relationship. Molly and Diana were close friends who talked about everything, and Chris and Arthur were close friends. It was hard to say whether they became neighbors because of their good relationship or if they became good friends because they were neighbors.

After all, in the original story, Ottery St. Catchpole did not have the Chris family, and Chris himself did not even exist.

Butterfly effect?

Kyle wasn't sure.

However, because of the relationship between the two families, Kyle and the Weasley children naturally became friends.

As soon as the adults walked away, two arms were draped over Kyle's shoulders from either side.

"Hey, Fred, look who's here."

"This is the new student at Hogwarts this year."

George emphasized the word "new student" particularly clearly.

"Hogwarts can be very dangerous, especially for new students like you..."

"Of course, if you say something nice, we might give you some help."

Kyle ignored the two of them and greeted the other redheads: "Long time no see, Percy, Ron, and Ginny."

They all smiled and nodded at him.

"Long time no see, Kyle." *3

The Weasleys originally had seven children, but Bill was in Egypt, and Charlie had gone somewhere a month ago, so only five of them were there today.

As they walked to the back of the Leaky Cauldron, where the entrance to Diagon Alley was, Mr. Weasley found the correct brick and tapped it with his wand.

Meanwhile, at the back of the group, the Weasley brothers, who had not received a response, exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows in unison, planning to give the impolite new student a small lesson.

For example, the jumping powder they had just invented. Just a little sprinkle on the hair would provide an unprecedentedly sour experience.

They had tested it on themselves, and the effect was excellent. How many people had ever experienced not washing their hair for ten days?

It was simply amazing.

If they were lucky, they might even trigger a hidden bonus, giving them a taste of the special treatment that middle-aged gentlemen enjoy.

They were about to act when Chris's voice came from the front.

"Hagrid? What are you doing in Diagon Alley!"

His tone was no longer calm but carried a hint of caution, which immediately caught the attention of the twins.

They had heard this cautious tone too many times, and it was a conditioned reflex.

"Nothing, nothing."

Upon seeing Chris, the half-giant Hagrid, who was three meters tall and two meters wide, shivered involuntarily and his eyes darted around.

But then he seemed to remember something, relaxed a bit, and pulled out a small package from his pocket: "Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts next year. As a welcome gift, I want to make him a birthday cake, so I came to buy some berry seeds."

"Really?"

Chris's tone didn't relax much as he cautiously examined the small package: "If I remember correctly, the ingredients in the Hogwarts kitchen should be enough to make ten cakes."

To be honest, Chris's tone was quite aggressive. If someone unfamiliar with the situation saw this, they would definitely think he was the villain.

But Kyle, the twins, and even the Weasleys, who were good friends with Hagrid, didn't react at all, not even a change in expression, as if everything was as it should be.

Indeed, that was the case.

As the Deputy Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the Head of the Beast Division, Chris knew Hagrid all too well.

To put it simply, if Chris had to choose the person he least wanted to see, it would definitely be Hagrid, the key-keeper of Hogwarts and the famous half-giant.

Merlin's beard, the trouble Hagrid caused alone accounted for more than a tenth of Chris's annual workload.

Especially the hybrid magical creatures he created, which drove Chris crazy.

For example, the last time, it was the snake-tailed dog, a two-tailed snake created by crossing a tail dog and a rune snake.

Who knew where Hagrid got so many magical creatures from? They couldn't all be from the Forbidden Forest. Chris didn't remember there being rune snakes in the Forbidden Forest when he was a student.

As a traditional magical creature expert, Chris viewed such artificial hybridization as heresy, an evil act that must be absolutely prohibited.

Unfortunately, such actions were not illegal. He had submitted several draft bills, but none had received any response. After Cornelius Fudge took office, Chris even went to the Minister's office specifically for this, but was repeatedly delayed by Fudge's skillful tactics and eventually gave up.

Clearly, in the eyes of their new Minister, this bill about magical creatures was of low value. It would be better to visit the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts a few more times, which would make him feel more at ease and improve his image and reputation among the public.

So, Chris couldn't do much about Hagrid.

Moreover, the hybrid magical creatures Hagrid created were still living beings and couldn't just be discarded.

Chris had to 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 attack Hagrid on the spot was because of the children around him.

Otherwise, he would have beaten Hagrid, even if Dumbledore was there.

Don't be surprised. Although he was a Deputy Head, Chris still worked on the front lines dealing with magical creatures and had the strength to do so.

A full-blooded giant might be a different story, but a half-giant, especially one without a wand, was no match for Chris.

Hagrid, knowing he was in the wrong, opened the package voluntarily, which contained only a bunch of unknown seeds.

"In the name of Dumbledore, I'm really just here to buy some seeds."

Hearing this, Chris's furrowed brows relaxed a bit, and he didn't continue questioning. After a few more words of caution, he let Hagrid leave.

Given Hagrid's respect for Dumbledore, he wouldn't lie about this.

Kyle, however, looked thoughtfully at Hagrid's retreating back.

"Not this time," but what about other times?

Kyle remembered that in the first book, the three-headed dog Fluffy was bought by Hagrid from a Greek man in a bar. He wasn't sure if it was the Leaky Cauldron or the Hog's Head.

Don't think the Leaky Cauldron is very正规 (legitimate). There are plenty of gray market transactions, and it's the only place that provides accommodation without checking IDs, so many smugglers with no criminal records choose to stay here.

Few goods mean convenience; just put them in a box, and no one will notice.

Having a meal while making a deal with a customer is quite common.

And the fact that Hogwarts has a gamekeeper who is extremely fond of magical creatures is well-known in the black market.

It's not difficult to find out about him.

"Tsk, who said Hagrid is simple and honest? He's got quite a few tricks up his sleeve."

Kyle guessed that his father probably didn't know about Fluffy yet, but he didn't plan to tell him.

After all, who could resist a three-headed dog?