HP: Hogwart's Model Wizard

"It seems you've got your hands on that cedar wand."

After meeting at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Chris immediately recognized the wand in Kyle's hand.

It was an odd match, so Chris remembered it clearly. Moreover, it was because of this wand that he first met Diana.

He never imagined it would end up in Kyle's hands.

Chris looked at Kyle with some emotion, but soon his expression changed as if he had thought of something. He gave Kyle's shoulder a heavy pat.

"My dear, I regret to inform you that with this wand, you probably won't be able to get into Gryffindor."

"Can't get into Gryffindor?" Kyle twitched his mouth. He had an inkling of what his father meant.

Ollivander had mentioned that wizards with cedar wands possessed sharp insight and were naturally calm, whereas Gryffindor... well, let's just say they might not particularly need calmness.

Kyle hadn't even started school yet, and already he was being rejected by one of the houses. It was truly a discouraging piece of news.

"What are you two laughing about?" At that moment, Diana walked over, curious.

She had just gone to help Kyle buy a cauldron and, on the way back, stopped by Flourish and Blotts to buy some quills and parchment. She hadn't overheard the father-son conversation.

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

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

"I'm afraid your father is right, my dear."

Neither Chris nor Diana had any particular attachment to which house Kyle would be in. To them, as long as it was Hogwarts, the house didn't matter.

Kyle felt the same way.

...

Just like choosing a wand, making school robes was a lengthy process. Even though Madam Malkin was quite professional, it still took over twenty minutes.

And that was just the time for taking the necessary measurements; it would take even longer for the finished product. Since Kyle was taller than his peers, there were no ready-made robes in stock, so they had to be custom-made, which would take about two hours.

Kyle thought for a moment and decided to leave his address for owl delivery. It was already 5 PM, and the robes wouldn't be ready until 7 PM, which was too late. It would be much more convenient to have them delivered.

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

This time, it was quick. In under five minutes, Kyle had gathered all the books he needed. In addition, he also bought two extra books.

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

Although they already had nineteen copies at home, that didn't stop him from supporting Newt Scamander. He considered it a way to help with sales.

Besides, the new revised edition was very thoughtful—it added thirty pages and seven brand new magical creatures. It was good value for money, and definitely worth it.

The second book was one that Kyle had unknowingly kicked out from a corner while going to the checkout.

Common Spells and Their Counter-Curses.

As the name suggested, it contained some common spells, such as the Lumos charm, the Levitation charm, and Scourgify, among others.

But the best part was the sheer number of spells. It covered a wide variety, kind of like a magical version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and it was also inexpensive, costing only one Galleon.

Kyle flipped through it briefly before casually picking it up. Although it wasn't of much practical use, it would be good for passing time.

In fact, besides these two books, Kyle wanted to buy many others—books on charms, potions, Transfiguration—about as many as could fill a piece of parchment. However, he refrained from buying them.

It wasn't that he didn't have the money; Chris and Diana earned a decent income. Although it wasn't on par with the pure-blood families, they weren't so poor that they couldn't afford a few books. The real reason was that he was about to go to Hogwarts.

Why buy books when one would be at the largest and oldest library in the entire wizarding world? Unless it was a required textbook or something he truly liked, there was no need to buy it. If he wanted to read something, he could borrow it at Hogwarts.

Kyle didn't want to waste his Galleons. After all, they didn't grow on trees.

...

After leaving Flourish and Blotts, Kyle had nearly finished buying everything on his school supply list.

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

Chris had rescued many injured owls over the years, so their family had a very good reputation among the messenger owl community. As a result, Kyle often found himself surrounded by owls whenever he had an envelope or package. Many of them were from Hogwarts.

If he needed one, he could always hire one with some snacks—it was that simple.

Yet another Galleon saved.

Originally, Kyle had planned to use the money he saved to buy a broomstick. Not anything too fancy—something like a Nimbus 1500 or a Cleansweep Seven would do.

Compared to the new models displayed in the shop windows, these older models offered excellent value for money. The quality wasn't much different, but the price was only a third of the new models. It was a pretty good deal.

For instance, the Nimbus 1500, which had been all the rage a couple of years ago, originally cost 300 Galleons, but now it only cost 80—just about what Kyle had saved over the years.

The Cleansweep Seven was a bit more expensive, around 100 Galleons, but it wasn't out of reach, though he would need Chris's help.

However, just as Kyle was about to suggest it, Diana shot down the idea with a simple reason: first-year students weren't allowed to bring broomsticks to Hogwarts. Even if he bought one, it wouldn't be allowed, and one broom at home was enough.

Chris just shrugged helplessly at Kyle, signaling he couldn't help. However, he thoughtfully led Kyle to the broomstick shop window, letting him enjoy a visual feast before they walked to the Leaky Cauldron.

...

The Weasley family, who had come with them, had already left earlier, just when Kyle was purchasing his robes.

Mrs. Weasley needed to get home early to prepare a hearty dinner. With six children, that was no small task, even with magic. It would take at least an hour.

It was a pity Kyle didn't get to see the twins make fools of themselves—it was one of the regrets of the day, second only to not getting the broomstick.

(End of Chapter)