In any case, Kyle still had a wand to buy, so he carefully pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Diana and Chris hadn't followed him in; they probably assumed the process of choosing a wand would take a while. After hearing that Kyle needed to visit Ollivanders first, they had decided to head to Gringotts instead.
...
The inside of the shop, while still old and cluttered, was much cleaner than the exterior. Shelves stacked high with narrow, dusty boxes lined the walls, and though the items appeared haphazardly arranged, there was a certain order to the chaos.
With a soft chime from the door, an elderly man's graying head popped up behind the counter.
"Good afternoon, my boy," said Ollivander, his sharp eyes glinting with curiosity as he examined Kyle. Then, as if struck by an odd thought, he asked, "Are you here alone?"
"Yes," Kyle replied, feeling puzzled. "Is there a problem?"
Ollivander shook his head. "No, of course not." But as he spoke, Kyle caught a fleeting look of disappointment in his eyes. Strange... Why would a shopkeeper be disappointed to have a customer?
Maybe it's just my imagination, Kyle thought, shaking his head to clear the feeling.
"Alright then, young wizard," Ollivander continued, stepping out from behind the counter. "May I ask your name?"
"Kyle Chopper," Kyle answered promptly.
"Chopper..." Ollivander repeated, his brow furrowing slightly. "And Mr. Chris is...?"
"My father," Kyle clarified.
"Ah, of course..." Ollivander muttered, glancing briefly toward the door before quickly turning back. "The name Chopper isn't one I often hear in the British wizarding world, you see."
Now it was obvious—Ollivander was disappointed. Kyle couldn't deny it. The old wandmaker's face practically screamed it when he learned Chris was his father. Not only that, but Ollivander had started muttering something about "Willow wood" or "Hornbeam wood" under his breath, though Kyle couldn't quite make it out.
Still, Kyle was more interested in getting his wand than worrying about why Ollivander seemed so bothered. After all, he was here for business.
"Mr. Ollivander, I'm right-handed," Kyle said, extending his arms straight out to make the measuring process easier. He knew the drill. Measurements were taken, then came the long process of testing wands, which could take quite a while. With so many wands in the shop, it was unlikely Ollivander would find the perfect match in one go. The usual method involved trying wands one by one.
Kyle braced himself for what he expected to be a lengthy search.
But Ollivander's next words took him by surprise.
"Oh, my boy, if it's you, there's no need for that."
Before Kyle could even react, Ollivander bypassed the usual measuring entirely. He walked straight to the counter, pulled out a wand box from the most prominent spot, opened it, and placed it in front of Kyle with swift precision, as though he had known all along which wand would suit him.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Try it!" Ollivander urged when Kyle hesitated.
"Huh? Oh, right," Kyle replied, snapping out of his confusion. He picked up the wand from the box.
It was a simple wand, gray-black in color, with a smooth surface free of any elaborate decorations or engravings. Aside from the standard handle, there were no frills—just an ordinary, unassuming wand.
But the moment Kyle held it, before he had even attempted to cast a spell, a bright white light shot out from the wand's tip, flooding the entire shop with light. The previously dim and dusty room felt instantly transformed, as if a skylight had been opened, bathing the shop in warmth and brightness.
"Good, excellent," Ollivander exclaimed, clearly thrilled. Without waiting for Kyle to ask, he continued speaking to himself, "Thirteen and a half inches, cedar wood, phoenix feather core. I must say, this is a rather magical combination."
"A magical match?" Kyle echoed, a little confused.
"Yes, magical," Ollivander said with a patient smile, looking directly at Kyle. "A cedar wand usually chooses a wizard with great wisdom and keen insight. These wizards are calm by nature, and every choice they make is carefully considered. As my father used to say, you can never fool a wizard who carries a cedar wand. I wholeheartedly agree with that."
He went on, explaining, "Cedar wand owners tend to favor the stability and loyalty of unicorn tail hair cores. Phoenix tail feathers, by contrast, are known for their fiery and independent nature—sometimes too aggressive. In fact, I've crafted and sold 36 cedar wands in total. Of those, 30 contained unicorn tail hair, and five had dragon heartstrings. The last one..." Ollivander paused, smiling broadly as he pointed at Kyle, "... is the one you're holding now."
Kyle, still puzzled, asked, "But sir, didn't you say those materials don't typically go well together? Then why did you make it?"
"Not make it because the materials don't usually pair well? Oh, no, no, no, that would be quite wrong," Ollivander chuckled, shaking his head. "You see, the wand chooses the wizard, my boy. From the moment they are created, each wand knows exactly who its wizard will be. It's not that the materials don't work together; rather, they only find harmony in the hands of their destined owner."
He gestured to the stacks of dusty wand boxes behind him. "Those wands over there, still waiting for their owners... They're not here because they're bad wands, but because their time hasn't come. Their wizards are simply waiting for their letters from Hogwarts."
Ollivander paused for a moment, then continued with a gleam in his eye. "And you see, even the most seemingly opposite wands and cores can work perfectly together in the hands of the right wizard. That's the beauty of wandlore. Take the wand you're holding now. Your father, Chris, tried it. Your mother, Diana, tried it. But it wasn't a perfect match for either of them—they were close, but not quite right. And so, after I learned of your birth, I've been waiting for this day. It's truly perfect, isn't it?"
Kyle nodded slowly, still absorbing the moment. The feeling of control and connection with the wand in his hand was powerful, almost addictive. He couldn't imagine parting with it now.
Though the process had been different than expected, the result was better than he could have hoped for. Kyle was very satisfied with his new wand.
"Well then, my boy, seven galleons," Ollivander said, smiling even more brightly now.
"Okay," Kyle replied, pulling out the seven gold galleons he had prepared in advance and placing them on the counter. The price for a first-year student's wand was always seven galleons, a reasonable deal for such a crucial item. This discount only applied to young wizards enrolling at Hogwarts for the first time.
After Kyle paid, Ollivander bowed slightly in gratitude. He watched Kyle leave the shop before turning his attention to the next young wizard who had just stepped inside, accompanied by an adult.
"Oh, we meet again, Mr. Thomas. Eleven inches, hawthorn wood..."
-------
"It seems you've got the cedarwood wand," Chris remarked the moment they met up outside Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. He immediately recognized the wand Kyle was holding.
It was a rather unusual match, and Chris had always been impressed by it. In fact, it was this very type of wand that had led him to first meet Diana. Now, unexpectedly, it was in Kyle's hands.
Chris looked at Kyle with a hint of emotion, but his expression soon shifted as if a thought had just struck him. He patted Kyle's shoulder heavily and said, "My dear, I regret to inform you that with this wand, you're probably not going to end up in Gryffindor."
"Not in Gryffindor?" Kyle's mouth twitched slightly. He already had an idea of what his father meant. Ollivander had mentioned that cedar wands chose wizards with sharp insight and a natural calmness. Gryffindor, on the other hand... well, calmness wasn't exactly their defining trait.
Kyle hadn't even started school yet, and he was already being rejected by a house. It was kind of disheartening news.
"What are you two laughing about?" Diana asked curiously as she walked over, her arms full of supplies. She had gone to buy Kyle a cauldron and had also stopped by the stationery shop to pick up some quills and parchment, so she hadn't heard the conversation.
"Nothing much, just that Dad said I won't get into Gryffindor if I carry this wand," Kyle explained, holding up his new wand for Diana to see.
Diana, recognizing the cedar wand as well, laughed along with Chris. "I'm sorry, dear, but I think your father might be right."
Neither Chris nor Diana seemed to care much which Hogwarts house Kyle would be sorted into. To them, as long as it was Hogwarts, the house didn't really matter. Kyle felt the same way.
...
Like choosing a wand, getting fitted for school robes was a time-consuming task. Mrs. Malkin, a true professional, took her time measuring Kyle, but even so, it took over twenty minutes just to get the basic measurements. Since Kyle was a bit taller than most boys his age, the shop didn't have his size in stock, meaning the robes would need to be custom-made. That would take around two hours.
Kyle thought it over and decided it would be more convenient to leave his home address and have the robes delivered by owl. It was already 5:00 p.m., and two hours later it would be 7:00 p.m.—too late to wait around. Express delivery seemed like the best option.
Their next stop was Flourish and Blotts, the bookstore.
This time, the shopping was much quicker. It took Kyle less than five minutes to gather all his required textbooks for the upcoming school year. In addition to the standard set, he also picked up two extra books for leisure reading.
The first was Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Revised Edition) by Newt Scamander. Although his family already owned nineteen copies of the book, Kyle couldn't resist supporting Newt by buying the latest version. The new edition had thirty extra pages and introduced seven new magical creatures. It was a great deal and a worthy addition to his collection.
The second book was something Kyle stumbled upon by accident. While heading to the checkout, he kicked a dusty book out of a corner.
Ordinary Spells and Solutions.
As the title suggested, it contained an assortment of common spells like the Lighting Charm, the Levitation Charm, and the Scouring Charm. What made the book appealing was its thoroughness—there were a ton of spells packed into it. It was like the spell version of Fantastic Beasts, and at just one galleon, it was a bargain.
Kyle flipped through it briefly before deciding to buy it. It might not be all that useful in the long run, but it seemed like good entertainment for when he had time to kill.
In truth, there were many more books Kyle wanted to read—books on charms, potions, transfiguration, and more. The list could probably fill an entire parchment. However, he refrained from purchasing them for a simple reason: he would soon be at Hogwarts, home to one of the oldest and largest libraries in the wizarding world.
Why spend money on books when you could borrow them from the school's vast collection? Unless it was a textbook required for class or a book he was particularly fond of, Kyle didn't see the need to buy them. After all, galleons didn't grow on trees, and he wasn't about to spend frivolously when better resources were available at school.
...
After leaving Flourish and Blotts, Kyle had nearly finished shopping for the school year. In fact, he had already bought everything he needed. The only thing left on the typical Hogwarts list was a pet, but Kyle didn't need one.
Chris had rescued many injured owls over the years, so the Chopper family had earned a strong reputation in the owl community. As a result, Kyle had more than enough owl assistance at his disposal. Whenever he stood by the window with a letter or package, a whole flock of owls—many from Hogwarts—would eagerly compete to deliver it for him. All he had to do was offer a few snacks as a reward. It was incredibly convenient and, more importantly, saved him the trouble of buying a pet.
Another galleon saved, Kyle thought with satisfaction.
Kyle had originally planned to use the money he'd saved to buy a broomstick. He didn't need one of the newest models—something simple like the Nimbus 1500 or a Cleansweep Seven would do just fine.
These older brooms were cost-effective, and while they didn't have the shine of newer models, their performance wasn't all that different. Plus, the price was less than a third of the latest brooms.
Take, for example, the Nimbus 1500, which had been all the rage two years ago. Back then, it had sold for 300 galleons, but now, it was available for just 80 galleons—practically a steal. Kyle had been saving his pocket money for years, and he was almost ready to afford it.
The Cleansweep Seven, another model he had his eye on, was a bit more expensive at around 100 galleons, but it was still within reach with a little help from Chris.
Excited about the prospect, Kyle had brought up the idea of buying a broomstick. However, Diana shot the suggestion down in an instant. Her reasoning was simple: Hogwarts rules strictly prohibited first-year students from bringing their own broomsticks. Buying one now would be pointless, and there was already a broom at home he could use during the holidays.
Chris, trying to remain neutral, could only give Kyle a helpless shrug, signaling that he had no choice but to side with Diana on this one. Still, wanting to lift Kyle's spirits, Chris made sure to take him to the window of the Flying Broomstick Shop, letting him admire the brooms on display for a few moments before they headed toward the Leaky Cauldron.
...
The Weasleys, who had accompanied them earlier, had already left while Kyle was getting his robes fitted. Mrs. Weasley needed to return home to prepare a large dinner, a task that took considerable time given the size of the Weasley family. Cooking for six children was no small task, even with the aid of magic, and it would take her more than an hour to get everything ready.
Kyle regretted two things that day. First, he hadn't been able to buy the flying broomstick he had wanted so badly. And second, he had missed out on the chance to see the twins embarrass themselves again, a sight he had been looking forward to almost as much as the broom.
-------
The days leading up to the start of the school year were busy and exciting for Kyle. He spent every waking moment in his room, experimenting with a variety of charms and spells. Although he came from a magical family, his opportunities to practice magic before now had been limited.
For starters, neither Chris nor Diana treated their wands like ordinary tools—they considered them almost like an extension of themselves. Their wands were precious, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they viewed them as their second lives. As a result, Kyle was only allowed to hold their wands twice a year, on Christmas and his birthday.
Kyle understood the significance of these moments. He made sure to keep things simple, using basic spells like the Wand-Lighting Charm or the Unlocking Charm, both of which had minimal risks even if they failed. But there was another challenge: wand compatibility.
Even though Kyle was their son, both of his parents' wands showed no affinity for him. The rejection was clear. Diana's wand, in particular, felt completely inert in Kyle's hands, no different than holding a regular stick. No matter how many times he recited the incantations, the wand refused to respond.
Due to these limitations, Kyle had spent most of his pre-Hogwarts years focusing on non-magical subjects like Quidditch, Herbology, and Magical Creatures. He had very little actual practice with Spells. But now, at eleven years old, with his very own wand in hand, he could finally cut loose and explore his magical potential.
Chris didn't mind this at all. In fact, he enjoyed it, often offering Kyle enthusiastic advice and relishing his brief moments of playing the teacher. As a result, Kyle's room became a small haven of flickering light as he practiced spell after spell.
At first, things went smoothly. Kyle was practicing basic charms that didn't cause much trouble for anyone else. But as he mastered more and more advanced spells, complications inevitably arose.
...
One afternoon, as Chris sat at the dining table enjoying a cup of black tea, the teacup across from him suddenly lifted off the table and began to float slowly upstairs.
Chris, unfazed, tapped his wand and gently guided the cup back down to the table. "Kyle," he called out, "you must always know exactly where you want the object to go when using Accio. And I suggest starting with a quill or parchment—at least they won't break."
"Okay, Dad," Kyle's voice echoed from upstairs, though Chris wasn't entirely convinced he was listening. After all, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. In fact, Chris had used more Mending Charms in the last few days than he had in the past ten years. He had even been forced to apply Anti-Summoning Charms to every fragile object in the house.
Just as Chris was lost in thought, a loaf of bread whizzed past his head and smashed into the ceiling with a loud crunch.
"..."
To be fair, Kyle was improving—the bread had flown much faster this time.
With a sigh, Chris waved his wand to send the loaf back to the kitchen, all while silently praising Diana's foresight. She had confiscated Kyle's cauldron on the very first day. If not for her quick thinking, Chris shuddered to imagine what state the house might have been in by now.
After all, eleven-year-old wizards, especially new ones, were notorious for causing a bit of chaos. The Weasleys next door had proven that much. And their own family was no exception.
But fortunately, those chaotic days were almost over. Hogwarts was starting tomorrow, and that thought filled Chris with relief.
Finally, a break.
With a contented sigh, Chris lifted his cup of black tea and took a long, satisfying sip.
...
As evening approached, time passed quickly. Diana hadn't returned home yet due to a task she had to finish, so Chris, who was utterly useless in the kitchen, eagerly accepted Mrs. Weasley's invitation to bring Kyle over for dinner at The Burrow, which was just a short walk away. He brought along some ingredients, but his gesture wasn't met with the warmest reception.
Mrs. Weasley, unsurprisingly, was not pleased. She scolded Chris for bringing food when he was supposed to be a guest, telling him it was a sign of distrust in their friendship. Chris didn't argue, though. He simply tossed the ingredients into the kitchen with a laugh and allowed her to vent, knowing this routine all too well.
Meanwhile, Kyle had naturally blended in with the Weasley children. This was nothing new for him—whenever Diana was off on an errand and couldn't make it back, he and Chris often had dinner with the Weasleys. This familiar scene played out every time, making it a regular part of their lives.
Not far from the house, Kyle and the Weasley kids were "cleaning up" the gnomes from the garden. The term "cleaning" was used loosely—they were really just playing a game. The rules were simple: one person grabbed a gnome by the legs and flung it into the air, while the other used a wooden bat to hit it like a hacky sack. Whoever sent the gnome the farthest won the game and earned the grand prize—a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.
Initially, Chris didn't approve of the game. He thought tossing the gnomes out of the garden should be enough, without the added element of batting practice. But his perspective shifted when, one day, he discovered that the gnomes had dug up the Scurvy-grass he'd been carefully cultivating for a year.
After that, he stopped objecting. In fact, he even gifted Kyle a top-quality bat for Christmas, signed by the batsmen of the Wimbourne Wasps. It was well-crafted, perfectly balanced, and ideal for smacking gnomes. Since then, Kyle had won five consecutive gnome-batting championships.
Today was no exception.
"It's not fair," Ron complained, glancing at Kyle's signed bat and then at the stick he'd picked up from the ground. "The equipment gap is too big."
"It's not that big," Kyle said, smiling. "Equipment is secondary. What's important is having the belief in your heart that you can win. I don't win because my bat is better—I win because I want it more than you do."
Kyle tossed Ron a bright red Bertie Bott's bean. "By the way, Ron, before you start grumbling about equipment, you might want to focus on beating Ginny first. Her stick is way smaller than yours, and she's still ahead of you."
There were five players in today's game, and Ron had landed in last place, even several meters behind his younger sister, Ginny.
Kyle's words made Ron's face flush with embarrassment. Losing to Ginny wasn't exactly something he could brag about.
But his attention was quickly drawn to the bean Kyle had tossed him. It was bright red and looked tempting. He cautiously popped it into his mouth, hoping for a decent flavor. As soon as the taste hit, Ron's face lit up—it was raspberry! He chewed happily, savoring the sweet flavor. Somehow, Kyle always managed to pick out the best Bertie Bott's beans.
Ron couldn't help feeling envious. He had never figured out how Kyle did it. Every time Ron picked a bean, it was something awful like liver or spinach. Once, he even had the misfortune of eating one that tasted like dragon dung. The mix of fishy, rotten berry with fermented undertones had been enough to make him gag. The mere thought of it made his stomach churn all over again.