"Looks like you've got that cedar wood wand."
After meeting at the entrance of Madam Malkin's, Chris immediately recognized the wand in Kael's hand.
Because the combination was rather peculiar, Chris had a deep impression of it, and also, because of this wand, he met Diana for the first time.
Who would have thought it would end up in Kael's hands now.
Chris glanced at Kael somewhat sentimentally, but soon his expression changed, as if he remembered something, and he patted Kael's shoulder heavily.
"Dear, I'm sorry to tell you the bad news; with that wand in hand, you might not get into Gryffindor."
"Not get into Gryffindor?" Kael's mouth twitched slightly, as he roughly understood what his father meant.
Olivander had said that wizards with a cedar wood wand possess sharp insight and are inherently calm, while Gryffindor... well, let's say, they might not exactly need calmness.
Kael didn't expect that even before enrolling, he had already been turned away by a house, which was really saddening news.
"What are you two laughing at?" At this moment, Diana approached out of curiosity.
She had just gone to help Kael buy a cauldron, and on her way back she stopped by Scrivenshaft's to buy some quills and parchment, so she hadn't heard the conversation between the father and son earlier.
"Nothing much, just that Dad said I wouldn't get into Gryffindor with it," Kael explained, while showing Diana his new wand.
Diana obviously recognized this cedar wood wand as well and couldn't help but laugh upon hearing Kael's words.
"I'm afraid your father is right, dear."
Neither Chris nor Diana had any particular desire to have Kael join a specific house; as far as they were concerned, as long as it was Hogwarts, it didn't matter which house.
Kael felt the same way.
...
Like choosing a wand, making school uniforms was another time-consuming project. Even though Madam Malkin was quite professional, it took over twenty minutes just to measure the necessary parameters.
And that was just the time needed for measurement—for the finished product, they'd need to wait even longer. Since Kael was taller than his peers, there wasn't anything suitable in stock, so it had to be custom-made, taking about two hours or so.
Kael thought about it and ultimately decided to leave their home address so it could be sent by owl post.
It was already 5 PM at this point, and two hours later would be 7 PM—much too late—so having it delivered was more convenient.
The next stop after Madam Malkin's was Flourish and Blotts.
This stop was very quick; it took under five minutes for Kael to find all the required books. Besides these, he also purchased two extracurricular books.
The first, naturally, was Uncle Newt's—"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Latest Edition)."
Even though they already had nineteen copies at home, it didn't stop him from supporting Uncle Newt—considering it as helping to boost sales.
Moreover, this newly revised edition was quite a deal, with thirty additional pages and seven new fantastic beasts, offering great value for money, not a bad purchase at all.
As for the second book, it was something Kael accidentally kicked out of a corner while checking out.
"Ordinary Spells and Countermeasures"
As the name suggests, it contained all sorts of common spells, like the Lighting Spell, Levitating Spells, Scourgify, etc.
But its advantage lay in its sheer number, covering various aspects, somewhat like a spell version of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," and it wasn't expensive, just one Galleon.
Kael picked it up after glancing through a few pages; although not particularly useful, it would be nice to pass the time with.
Besides these two, Kael wanted many other books: on charms, magic potions, transfiguration, enough to fill an entire parchment, but he didn't buy them.
It wasn't due to lack of money—Chris and Diana's income was quite substantial, and although not as much as those pure-blood families, they could certainly afford a few books. The main reason was that he would be heading to Hogwarts soon.
With one of the largest and oldest libraries in the entire Magic Realm there, why buy books? Unless they were necessary textbooks for classes or something he truly loved, he could just borrow whatever he wanted to read later on.
While others might think differently, Kael didn't want to waste money; his Galleons weren't plucked from a windstorm, after all.
...
After leaving Flourish and Blotts, they had almost all the items on the school list, or rather, everything was purchased.
The only thing left was the pet, which Kael didn't actually need.
Over the years, Chris had rescued many injured owls, and his family was well-known among the messenger circles, which meant Kael benefitted greatly from this as well.
Whenever he appeared by the window with an envelope or package, a large group of owls would rush over to compete to help him with delivery, many of which were from Hogwarts.
When needed, he could easily hire one with some treats—very convenient.
Look, saved some more Galleons again.
Originally, Kael planned to use this saved money to buy a broomstick. It didn't have to be too fancy—a Nimbus 1500 or a Cleansweep Seven would do.
Compared to the new models displayed in store windows, these older broomsticks offered great value. In terms of quality, they weren't significantly lacking but cost less than a third of the new ones—quite a bargain.
For instance, the hugely popular Nimbus 1500 from a couple of years ago, which originally cost three hundred Galleons, could now be taken home for just eighty—a perfect fit for his saved-up pocket money.
The Cleansweep Seven was pricier at about one hundred Galleons, but still doable, though he would need support from Chris.
However, as soon as he proposed the idea, Diana shot it down immediately—the reason was simple: Hogwarts prohibited first-years from bringing broomsticks, making it useless, and one at home was enough.
In response, Chris could only shrug at Kael, expressing his own helplessness. Yet he thoughtfully took Kael to the Broomstick Shop window, letting him feast his eyes before heading toward the Leaky Cauldron.
...
The Weasley family, who had come with them, had already returned earlier, just when Kael was buying his robe.
Mrs. Weasley needed to go back early to prepare a sumptuous dinner. For a family with six children, this wasn't a small task, even with the help of magic, it would still take over an hour.
It was a shame that Kael couldn't witness the mischievous antics of the twins, something he regretted nearly as much as not buying a broomstick.
......