Chapter 2: Leaky Cauldron
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 and pushed open the door, the originally noisy bar seemed to have been pressed on the pause button and instantly became silent.
It’s as quiet as a self-study class in the evening of the senior year of high school, and you can hear the needle drop.
This weird atmosphere didn’t continue until Chris also walked in. But it still hasn't returned to the way it was before. It seems like everyone has deliberately lowered their voices.
There are exceptions, though.
Bar owner Tom walked over with a surprised look on his face: "Oh, Diana, long time no see. Do you want a drink? I'm treating you."
“Next time, Tom.”
Diana smiled, patted Kyle on the shoulder, pointed at 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 so fast. Little Kyle is already eleven years old, so he is going to buy things for admission to Hogwarts?"
“Yes.” Diana smiled and nodded.
“That’s really a bit nervous, go ahead, you know the location.”
Tom turned sideways and made way for the road 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 I'm going to write a complaint letter to Hogwarts.
Merlin's beard, do you know how anxious the new students were when they found out that they couldn't enter Diagon Alley? You can't always add unnecessary work to an old man with bad legs and feet. "
Kyle was somewhat embarrassed when the good things he had done were pointed out to his face.
Obviously, this is not his first time in Diagon Alley.
But honestly speaking, as a time-traveler, if you come to Diagon Alley without moving the trash can, is that you are still a time-traveler?
There's nothing wrong with that.
But in front of his parents, he definitely couldn't say that. Kyle could only sneer and say: "Definitely next time."
Hearing this, Tom was fine, but Diana on the side raised her eyebrows and looked down at her son thoughtfully.
Instinct told her that there was definitely something wrong with this sentence.
But because the Weasley family had already arrived, she didn't say anything.
“Oh, Kyle, darling.”
Mrs. Molly Weasley gave Kyle a big hug warmly, and then took Diana aside to talk.
As for Mr. Weasley, he naturally walked up to Chris and started talking.
The two families have a very good relationship. Diana and Molly are friends who talk about everything, and Chris and Arthur are also close friends. Especially after Kyle was born, they moved directly to the Weasley family at the warm invitation. Live here permanently.
These were all discussed by the adults during the dinner party, and Kyle listened to them a lot.
Because of the relationship between the two adults, he and the Weasley children naturally became friends.
No, as soon as the adults left, two arms were put on his shoulders, one on the left and the other on the right.
“Hey, Fred, look who’s here.”
“Isn’t this the new student at Hogwarts this year?”
George's tone was particularly clear when he said the word "new life".
"Hogwarts is very dangerous, especially for a new student like you..."
"Of course, if you are willing to say something nice, maybe we will give you some help."
Kyle ignored these two guys and greeted the other redheads beside him: "Long time no see, Percy, Ron, and Ginny."
The other party also nodded at him with a smile on their face.
“Long time no see, Kyle.”*3
Originally, there were seven children in the Weasley family, but Bill went to Egypt and Charlie went to who knows where a month ago and was not at home, so only five came today.
While talking, several people also arrived at the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron and the entrance to Diagon Alley. Mr. Weasley, who was walking at the front, found the correct brick at a glance, then stretched out his wand and tapped it.
At the same time, at the back of the team, the Weasley brothers, who had not received a response for a long time, looked at each other and raised their eyebrows in a tacit understanding, intending to teach an impolite junior a little lesson.
For example, they just invented the popping powder. As long as you sprinkle a little bit on your hair, you can experience an unprecedented sourness.
They have tried it on themselves and the effect is great. How can I say, has anyone tried it and what it feels like not washing their hair for ten days?
Simply.
If you are lucky, you might be able to trigger a hidden easter egg and experience the unique treatment of middle-aged gentlemen in advance.
Just do it, the brothers took out the jumping powder, and 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 as peaceful as it was before, but instead sounded a little wary, which immediately caught the attention of the twins.
There is no way. They have heard their vigilant tone too many times, and their conditioned reflex is yes.
“No, it’s nothing.”
After seeing Chris, Hagrid, a three-meter-tall and two-meter-thick hybrid giant, trembled subconsciously, and his eyes were a little wandering.
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 meeting gift, I want to hand it in person." I made him a birthday cake and bought some berry seeds.”
"real?"
Chris' tone did not relax much, and he looked at the small package warily: "If I remember correctly, the materials in the Hogwarts cafeteria should be enough to make ten cakes."
To be honest, Chris's tone is somewhat aggressive. If someone who doesn't know this sees this, they will definitely think of him as a villain.
But Kyle, the twins, and even the Weasleys who had a good relationship with Hagrid and others saw this scene, but they didn't express anything, and even their expressions didn't change, as if everything should be like this.
This is indeed the case.
As the deputy director of the Department for the Management and Control of Magical Creatures and the director of the Office of Beasts, 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 Hogwarts key keeper in front of him, the famous half-blood giant Rubeus Hagrid.
Merlin's beard, the trouble he caused alone, accounted for more than one-tenth of Chris's workload throughout the year.
Especially the hybrid magical animals he created made Chris a little crazy.
By the way, what was it about last time? By the way, the snake-bodied swallow-tailed beast is a two-tailed snake that is a cross between a swallow-tailed dog and a rune snake.
God knows where Hagrid got so many magical animals. They can't all be from the Forbidden Forest. Chris doesn't remember that there were runes in the Forbidden Forest when he was in school.
As a traditional magizoologist, in his view, this kind of human-intervention hybridization is simply heresy and an evil behavior that must be absolutely prohibited.
But unfortunately, this kind of thing is not illegal. He submitted several draft bills but never received any response. After Cornelius Fudge took office some time ago, he made a special trip to the minister's office for this purpose, but was delayed again and again by the other party's superb conciliatory tactics, and finally nothing happened.
Obviously, in the eyes of their new minister, the value of this bill on magical beasts is too low. If you have this time, you might as well go to the Hogwarts principal's office a few more times. At least doing so will give him a lot of peace of mind. , and can also improve one's image and personality in the hearts of the masses.
So, Chris can’t do anything to Hagrid.
What's more, the magical animals he created are also new lives, so they can't just throw them away.
Chris can only bite the bullet, observe, record, and classify.
Over time, Chris’s resentment towards Hagrid has already exploded. When they met, Chris didn’t take action directly, purely because he still had children with him.
Otherwise, he would give Hagrid a beating even if Dumbledore was around.
Don't be surprised. Although he is the deputy director, Chris is still on the front line of dealing with magical animals all year round, and he still has strength.
It's hard to say what a pure-blood giant is, but as a hybrid giant, and a hybrid giant without a wand, Chris is still very confident.
Hagrid also knew that he was in the wrong and opened the package consciously. There was indeed only a bunch of unknown seeds inside.
"In Dumbledore's name, I really just came to Diagon Alley to buy some seeds."
Hearing what Hagrid said, Chris' frown relaxed a lot. He did not continue to question him, and after a few brief instructions, he let Hagrid leave.
With Hagrid's respect for Dumbledore, it would be impossible for him to lie about this kind of thing.
Kyle, on the other hand, turned his head thoughtfully and glanced at Hagrid’s back as he left.
“Not this time”, but what about other times?
Kyle remembered that the three-headed dog Luwei who appeared in the first part 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. Moreover, it is the only place to provide accommodation, and it is the kind where ID cards are not checked. Therefore, many smugglers with a small amount of goods and no criminal records choose to come here. Settlement.
The small amount of goods means convenience. You can just find a box and stuff it into it, and basically no one will see it.
While going out to eat, it is normal to have a transaction with a customer or something.
And Hogwarts has a gamekeeper who is extremely passionate about magical animals. This fact is already well known in the brokerage circle.
It is not difficult to find out about him.
“Tsk, who said Hagrid is honest and honest? He must have a lot of tricks up his sleeve.”
Kyle estimated that his father probably didn't know about Lu Wei at this time, but he had no intention of snitching.
After all, who can say no to a three-headed dog?
(End of this chapter)