Chapter 5: Shopping

"Looks like you got the cedar wand," Chris said as he and Kyle met up outside Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Chris immediately recognized the wand in Kyle's hand.

Because the combination was rather unusual, Chris had a strong impression of it. Moreover, it was because of this wand that he first met Diana.

He didn't expect it to end up in Kyle's hands now.

Chris glanced at Kyle with a touch of sentiment, but his expression soon changed, as if he had thought of something. He patted Kyle's shoulder heavily, looking grave.

"Dear, I have to regretfully tell you some bad news. With that wand, you probably won't be able to get into Gryffindor."

"Not into Gryffindor?" Kyle's lips twitched. He roughly understood what his father meant.

Ollivander had said that wizards with cedar wands have sharp insight and are naturally calm, while Gryffindor... well, they might, perhaps, not need calmness.

Kyle hadn't even started school yet, and he was already being rejected by a house. This was truly a disheartening piece of news.

"What are you two laughing about?" Diana asked curiously as she walked over. She had just gone to buy a cauldron for Kyle and had also stopped by Scrivenshaft's to buy some quills and parchment, so she hadn't heard the conversation between father and son.

"Nothing much, just that Dad said I won't be able to get into Gryffindor with this wand," Kyle explained, showing Diana his new wand.

Diana clearly recognized the cedar wand and, combining it with Kyle's words, couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I think your father is right."

Neither Chris nor Diana had any particular preference for which house Kyle should be in. As long as he was at Hogwarts, the house didn't matter to them.

Kyle felt the same way.

...

Like choosing a wand, making a school uniform was also a time-consuming process. Even though Madam Malkin was very professional, it still took about twenty minutes just to take the necessary measurements. Getting the finished product would take even longer, especially since Kyle was taller than most of his peers, and the shop didn't have any ready-made uniforms that fit him. Custom-made uniforms would take about two hours.

Kyle thought for a moment and decided to leave his address for owl delivery. It was already five o'clock, and two hours later would be seven, which was too late. Owl delivery was more convenient.

The next stop after Madam Malkin's was Flourish and Blotts.

This time, it was much quicker. Kyle found all the required books in less than five minutes. Additionally, he bought two extra books.

First, of course, was Newt's—*Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Latest Revised Edition)*.

Although he already had nineteen copies at home, this didn't stop him from supporting Newt. He considered it a way to help boost sales.

The new revised edition was also very good, adding thirty pages and seven new magical creatures, making it a great value for money.

The second book was one Kyle stumbled upon while checking out.

*Common Spells and Their Countermeasures*

As the title suggests, it contained common spells like the Lumos, Wingardium Leviosa, and Scourgify.

The book was comprehensive, covering various aspects, much like a spell version of *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*. It was also reasonably priced at one Galleon.

Kyle flipped through it a couple of times and decided to take it. Although it wasn't very useful, it was good for passing the time.

Actually, there were many more books Kyle wanted to read, including spell books, potion books, and transfiguration books. Together, they could fill a whole parchment, but Kyle didn't buy them.

It wasn't because he couldn't afford them—Chris and Diana had a good income, not as much as pure-blood families, but enough to buy a few books. The main reason was that he was about to go to Hogwarts.

Why buy books when he would have access to one of the largest and oldest libraries in the magical world? Unless it was a required textbook or something he really liked, he could just borrow what he needed later.

Kyle didn't want to be a fool. His Galleons didn't grow on trees.

...

After leaving Flourish and Blotts, they had almost finished buying everything on the school list, or rather, they had finished.

The only thing left was a pet, which Kyle didn't need.

Over the years, Chris had rescued many injured owls, so their family was well-known in the owl community. As a result, Kyle had benefited a lot from this.

Whenever he appeared at a window with a letter or package, a large group of owls would rush over, competing to help him deliver it, many of which were from Hogwarts.

When he needed one, he could just hire one with treats, which was very convenient.

See, another Galleon saved.

Kyle had originally planned to use the saved money to buy a broomstick. Not a top-of-the-line one, just a Nimbus 1500 or a Cleansweep Seven would do.

Compared to the new models in the display, these older models had a very high cost-performance ratio. The quality was almost the same, but the price was less than a third of the new models, making them very practical.

For example, the once-popular Nimbus 1500, which originally cost three hundred Galleons, could now be bought for eighty. The pocket money he had saved over the years was just enough.

The Cleansweep Seven was a bit more expensive, around one hundred Galleons, but it wasn't out of reach, especially with Chris's help.

However, as soon as he mentioned this idea, Diana vetoed it. The reason was simple: Hogwarts didn't allow first-year students to bring broomsticks, so buying one would be useless. They already had one at home.

Chris could only shrug helplessly at Kyle, indicating he couldn't do anything about it. However, he kindly took Kyle to the broom shop's display window, letting him indulge in his desire to look before they headed to the Leaky Cauldron.

...

The Weasleys, who had come with them, had already left while Kyle was buying his robes. Mrs. Weasley needed to prepare a lavish dinner for her six children, which was no small task, even with magic, taking over an hour.

Kyle was very disappointed that he didn't get to see the twins' embarrassing moment, second only to his disappointment at not buying a broomstick.