Chapter 2: The Leaky Cauldron
The Leaky Cauldron, established in the early 16th century, is one of the favorite gathering places for wizards. It is also the entrance to Diagon Alley, the only wizard street in the British Wizarding World.
When Diana led Kyle to open the door, the originally noisy bar seemed to have been paused and instantly became silent.
This weird atmosphere continued when Chris followed in. But it still did not return to its previous state, as if everyone deliberately lowered their voices.
But there are exceptions.
Tom, the bar owner, came over with a look of surprise: "Oh, Diana, long time no see, would you like a drink? I'll treat you."
"Next time, Tom."
Diana smiled, patted Kyle on the shoulder, and pointed to the Weasley family who were walking towards here and said, "We still have to go to Diagon Alley to buy some things, and we may not have enough time."
"Oh, of course."
Tom suddenly realized. "Time flies, little Kyle is eleven years old, so is he going to buy things for admission to Hogwarts?"
"Yes." Diana smiled and nodded.
"That's a bit nervous, go quickly, you know the location."
Tom turned sideways and made way behind him, but then he looked down at Kyle and said, "I have to remind you, little Kyle, if you move the trash can again this time, I will write a letter of complaint to Hogwarts.
Merlin's beard, do you know how anxious those freshmen were when they found that they couldn't get into Diagon Alley? You can't always add some completely unnecessary work to an old man with bad legs and feet."
Kyle was somewhat embarrassed to be pointed out in person for the good things he had done.
Obviously, this was not his first time at Diagon Alley.
But to be honest, as a time traveler, if he came to Diagon Alley and didn't move the trash can, is he still a time traveler?
There's nothing wrong with that.
But in front of his parents, he certainly couldn't say that. Kyle could only smile and say, "Next time for sure."
Hearing this, Tom didn't mind, but Diana, on the side, raised her eyebrows and looked down at her son thoughtfully.
Her intuition told her that there was definitely something wrong with this sentence.
But because the Weasleys had already arrived, she didn't say anything.
"Oh, Kyle, dear."
Mrs. Molly Weasley gave Kyle a big hug and then took Diana aside to talk.
As for Mr. Weasley, he naturally walked over to Chris and started chatting.
The two families had a good relationship. Molly and Diana were best friends who talked about everything, and Chris and Arthur were even better friends. It was hard to say whether they became friends because they were neighbors or because they were close.
After all, in the original book, there was no Chris family in Ottery St. Catchpole, and even Chris himself had never appeared.
Is it a butterfly effect?
Kyle didn't know.
However, because of the relationship between the two adults, Kyle and the children of the Weasley family naturally became friends.
Look, as soon as the adults left, two arms were placed on his shoulders, one on the left and one on the right.
"Hey, Fred, look who's here."
"Isn't this the new student of Hogwarts this year?"
"Hogwarts is very dangerous, especially for a new student like you..."
"Of course, if you are willing to say something nice, maybe we can give you some help."
Kyle ignored the two guys and greeted the other red-haired people next to him. "Long time no see, Percy, Ron, and Ginny."
The other party also nodded at him with a smile on their faces.
"Long time no see, Kyle."*3
Initially, the Weasley family had seven children, but Bill went to Egypt, and Charlie went somewhere a month ago and was not at home, so only five came today.
As they talked, several people also came to the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron, the entrance to Diagon Alley. Mr. Weasley, who was walking in front, found the right brick at a glance and then stretched out his wand and knocked it.
At the same time, at the end of the team, the Weasley Twins, who had not received a response for a long time, looked at each other and raised their eyebrows tacitly, intending to teach a little lesson to a little impolite junior.
For example, with the jumping powder they just invented, just sprinkle a little on the hair, and you can experience an unprecedented sour and refreshing feeling.
They have tried it on themselves, and the effect is perfect. After all, has anyone tried what it feels like not to wash your hair for ten days?
It's amazing.
If you are lucky, you may be able to trigger the hidden easter egg and experience the special treatment of middle-aged gentlemen in advance.
As soon as they think it, the two brothers take out the jumping powder. When they were about to start, Chris's voice suddenly came from the front.
"Hagrid? What are you doing in Diagon Alley!"
The voice was no longer the original calm but a little alert, which immediately attracted the attention of the twins.
They had heard too much of that vigilant tone, and it was a conditioned reflex.
"No, nothing."
After seeing Chris, Hagrid, a three-meter-tall, two-meter-thick half-blood giant, shuddered subconsciously, and his eyes became a little vague.
But then, he seemed to have thought of something, and he relaxed a lot in an instant. He took out a small package from his pocket and said, "Harry Potter will come to Hogwarts next year. As a gift, I want to make him a birthday cake by myself, so I bought some berry seeds."
"Really?"
Chris's tone did not relax much, and he looked at the small package vigilantly. "If I remember correctly, the materials in the Hogwarts cafeteria should be enough to make ten cakes."
To be honest, Chris's tone was somewhat aggressive. If an uninformed person saw this, he would definitely regard him as a big villain.
However, Kyle, the twins, and even the Weasley couple, who had a good relationship with Hagrid, did not say anything after seeing this scene. Even their expressions did not change, as if everything should be like this.
This is indeed the case.
As the Deputy Director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Chris is very familiar with Hagrid.
Let's put it this way. If Chris had to choose the person he least wanted to see, it would definitely be the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, the famous half-giant Rubeus Hagrid.
Merlin's beard. The trouble he caused alone accounted for more than one-tenth of Chris's annual workload.
Especially the hybrid magical animals he made, which made Chris a little crazy.
God knows where Hagrid got so many magical animals from. They can't all be from the Forbidden Forest. Chris doesn't remember that there were Runespoor snakes in the Forbidden Forest when he was in school.
As a traditional Magizoologist, this kind of hybrid behavior with human intervention is simply heresy in his view, and it is an evil behavior that must be absolutely prohibited.
But unfortunately, this kind of thing is not illegal. Chris submitted several draft bills but has yet to receive a response. After Cornelius Fudge took office some time ago, he went to the Minister's office for this purpose but was repeatedly delayed by the other party with superb tactics, and finally, nothing was done.
Obviously, in the eyes of their new Minister, the value of this bill on Magical Creatures is too low. With this time, it is better to go to the Hogwarts Headmaster's Office a few more times. At least doing so can make him feel at ease and improve his image and personality in the hearts of the people.
So, Chris can't do anything to Hagrid.
What's more, those Magical Creatures he tinkered with are new lives anyway. You can't just ignore them and throw them away.
Chris can only bite the bullet and observe, record, and classify them.
Over time, Chris's resentment towards Hagrid has already exploded. He didn't take action directly when they met, purely because he had children around him.
Otherwise, he would beat Hagrid up no matter what, even if Dumbledore was next to him.
Don't be surprised. Although he is the deputy director, Chris still works on the front line, dealing with magical creatures all year round. He is still capable.
It's hard to say about pure-blood giants, but Chris is still very confident about a half-blood giant and a half-blood giant without a wand.
Hagrid also knew that he was in the wrong, and he consciously opened the package. There were indeed only a bunch of unknown seeds in it.
"In the name of Dumbledore, I really came to Diagon Alley this time just to buy some seeds."
Hearing Hagrid say this, Chris's frown relaxed a lot. He didn't continue to interrogate, and after a few simple instructions, he let Hagrid leave.
With Hagrid's respect for Dumbledore, he can't lie about such a thing.
Kyle, on the other hand, turned his head thoughtfully and looked at Hagrid's back when he left.
"Not this time." what about other times?
Kyle remembered that Fluffy, the three-headed dog that appeared in the first film, was bought by Hagrid from a Greek in the bar. I don't know whether this bar is the Hog's Head or the Leaky Cauldron.
Don't think that the Leaky Cauldron is very formal. There are too many gray transactions. Besides, it is the only place that provides accommodation, and it doesn't check ID cards. Therefore, many smugglers with little goods and no criminal records will choose to stay here.
Fewer goods mean convenience. Just find a box and put it in. Basically, no one can tell.
It is normal to trade with a customer while going out for dinner.
And Hogwarts has a gamekeeper who loves Magical Creatures very much. This is well-known in the broker circle.
It is easy to find out about his situation.
"Tsk, who said Hagrid is honest? He has a lot of tricks."
Kyle estimated that his father should not know about Fluffy at this time, but he didn't plan to tell snitches.
After all, who can refuse a three-headed dog?