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The Leaky Cauldron, established in the early 16th century, was one of the most popular gathering places for wizards. It was also the only entrance to Diagon Alley, the wizarding street in London.

As Diana led Kyle through the door, the previously noisy pub instantly went silent, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

It was as quiet as a night study session during senior year. You could hear a pin drop.

This eerie atmosphere only subsided after Chris followed them in. However, it still didn't return to its previous state. It was as if everyone had deliberately lowered their voices.

But there were exceptions.

The pub owner, Tom, walked over with a surprised expression, "Oh, Diana, long time no see. Would you like a drink? It's on me."

"Next time, Tom."

Diana smiled, patted Kyle on the shoulder, and pointed to the Weasleys who were walking towards them, "We still need to buy some things in Diagon Alley, and we might not have enough time."

"Oh, of course."

Tom realized, "Time flies, doesn't it? Young Kyle is already eleven. So, are you going to buy school supplies for Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Diana nodded with a smile.

"That's certainly exciting. Go ahead, you know the way."

Tom stepped aside, making way for them. But then, he looked down at Kyle and said, "I have to remind you, young Kyle. If you move that trash bin again this time, I'm going to write a complaint letter to Hogwarts.

Merlin's beard, do you know how frantic those freshmen became when they found out they couldn't get into Diagon Alley? You can't keep giving an old man with bad legs extra work that's completely unnecessary."

Being called out for his good deeds, Kyle was a little embarrassed.

This wasn't his first time in Diagon Alley.

But honestly, as a time traveler, how could he go to Diagon Alley without moving the trash bin? What kind of time traveler would that be?

No problem there.

But he couldn't say that in front of his parents, so Kyle could only laugh awkwardly, "I'll try my best next time."

Tom didn't mind that much, but Diana raised an eyebrow and looked down at her son thoughtfully.

Her intuition told her that something was off about that statement.

But because the Weasleys were already here, she didn't say anything.

"Oh, Kyle, darling."

Mrs. Weasley warmly gave Kyle a big hug, then pulled Diana aside to chat.

Mr. Weasley naturally walked over to Chris to chat.

The two families were very close. Molly and Diana were inseparable best friends, and Chris and Arthur were the best of friends. It's hard to say whether they became close because they were neighbors, or whether they became neighbors because they were close.

After all, in the original story, there was no Chris family in Ottery St. Catchpole village, and even Chris didn't appear.

The butterfly effect?

Kyle didn't know.

But because of the close relationship between the two adults, Kyle and the Weasley children naturally became friends.

Sure enough, as soon as the adults left, two arms were draped on his shoulders, one on each side.

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

"If it isn't this year's new kid at Hogwarts."

George emphasized the word "new kid" when he said it.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Hogwarts is very dangerous, especially for a newbie like you..."

"Of course, if you say something nice, maybe we'll give you some help."

Kyle ignored those two 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

Originally, the Weasley family had seven children, but Bill went to Egypt, and Charlie disappeared somewhere a month ago. He wasn't home, so only five of them came today.

As they spoke, they arrived at the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley. Mr. Weasley, who was walking at the front of the group, immediately found the correct brick and tapped it with his wand.

Meanwhile, at the back of the group, the Weasley brothers, who had been waiting for a response for a long time, exchanged a look and raised their eyebrows in unison, intending to give a little lesson to a certain disrespectful little freshman.

For example, they had just invented a skitter powder that, if you just sprinkle a little on your hair, would give you an unprecedented experience.

They had tested it on themselves, and the effect was excellent. How could anyone describe the feeling of not washing their hair for ten days?

It was unbelievable.

With a bit of luck, maybe they could trigger a hidden easter egg and experience the special treatment reserved for middle-aged gentlemen early.

With that, the brothers took out the Skitter-Powder, ready to strike. But then, Chris's voice suddenly came from ahead.

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

The voice wasn't his usual calm tone but instead had a hint of alertness. This immediately caught the twins' attention.

There was no way they could miss that alert tone. They had heard it too many times. It was a conditioned reflex.

"No, nothing."

Seeing Chris, Hagrid, a three-meter tall and two-meter wide half-giant, actually flinched subconsciously. His eyes wandered a little.

But then, he seemed to think of something, and his whole body relaxed instantly. He took out a small package from his pocket, "Next year, Harry Potter will be coming to Hogwarts. As a welcome gift, I want to make him a birthday cake myself. So, I came to buy some berry seeds."

"Really?"

Chris's voice didn't relax much. He looked at the small package suspiciously, "If I remember correctly, Hogwarts' kitchen should have enough materials to make ten cakes."

Honestly, Chris's tone was a bit aggressive. If an outsider saw this, they would think of him as a villain.

But Kyle, the twins, and even the Weasleys, who were close to Hagrid, didn't react at all. Their expressions didn't even change, as if everything was as it should be.

And that was the truth.

As the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Creatures and Control, and the Director of the Beast Office, Chris was familiar with Hagrid.

Let's just say, if Chris had to pick someone he didn't want to see the most, it would be the Hogwarts key keeper, the famous half-giant, Rubeus Hagrid, right in front of him.

Merlin's beard and the trouble he caused alone accounted for more than 10% of Chris's annual workload.

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

Right, what was it last time? Oh right, the Snake-tailed Swift, a two-tailed snake bred from a Swift and a Runespoor.

Goodness knows where Hagrid got so many magical creatures. They couldn't all be from the Forbidden Forest, could they? Chris didn't remember seeing any Runespoors in the Forbidden Forest when he was a student.

As a traditional magical zoologist, this kind of man-made intervention, hybridization, was heresy in his eyes, an evil act that should be forbidden.

But unfortunately, it wasn't illegal. He submitted drafts for a law several times but got no response. Recently, when Cornelius Fudge took office, he even went to the Minister's office specifically for this but was stalled by the Minister's skillful muddling tactics, and it eventually came to nothing.

Apparently, in the eyes of their new Minister, this law about magical creatures was too unimportant. He would rather spend his time running to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. At least, doing so would make him feel more at ease, and it would improve his public image and persona.

So, Chris couldn't do anything about Hagrid.

Besides, those creatures he created were new lives, after all. He couldn't just ignore them and throw them away.

Chris could only grit his teeth and observe, record, and classify them.

Over time, Chris's resentment towards Hagrid had already gone off the charts. He didn't directly attack him when they met, purely because there were kids around.

Otherwise, he would have beaten Hagrid up, even if Dumbledore was standing next to him.

Don't be surprised. Although he was the Deputy Head, Chris was still running around on the front lines, dealing with magical creatures. He had skills.

It was hard to say about pure-blood giants, but Chris was confident about beating a half-giant, especially one without a wand.

Hagrid knew he was in the wrong, and consciously opened the package. It was indeed just a bunch of unknown seeds.

"On Dumbledore's honor, I just came to Diagon Alley to buy some seeds this time."

Hearing Hagrid say this, Chris's furrowed brows finally relaxed a little. He didn't ask any more questions, gave him a few instructions, and then let Hagrid leave.

Hagrid wouldn't lie about this kind of thing, given his respect for Dumbledore.

However, Kyle thoughtfully turned and looked at Hagrid's departing back.

"This time wasn't," but what about other times?

Kyle remembered that Fluffy, the three-headed dog that appeared in the first book, was bought by Hagrid from a Greek man in a pub. Whether it was the Hog's Head or the Leaky Cauldron, he didn't know.

Don't think the Leaky Cauldron is that reputable. There were tons of shady deals. After all, it was the only place that offered accommodation without requiring identification. So, many smugglers, with small amounts of goods and no criminal record, chose to stay there.

Small quantities meant convenience. Just put them in a suitcase, and basically, nobody could tell.

It's perfectly normal to have a deal with a customer while you're out for dinner.

And Hogwarts had a gamekeeper who loved magical creatures, which was already common knowledge in the smuggling circles.

It wasn't hard to find out about him.

"Tsk, who said Hagrid was simple? He's got a sharp mind too."

Kyle guessed that his dad probably didn't know about Fluffy yet, but he didn't plan to tattle.

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

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