Half an hour later, the two emerged from Flourish and Blotts. Dumbledore glanced at Eeylops Owl Emporium not far off, then looked at Kyle.
"You've got your wand and books. Let's get you a pet."
Kyle's eyes brightened. "A pet? Can I get a phoenix like Fawkes?"
"I'm afraid not. Phoenixes are incredibly rare magical creatures… but we can get you an owl."
Kyle's sparkling eyes immediately dimmed.
No cool phoenix for a pet? What was the point of an owl?
He didn't want an owl. He wanted a raven to cosplay Itachi.
So, Kyle strode into the owl shop.
When he came out, Kyle had a birdcage in his hand, containing a black, lackluster raven.
Kyle stroked his chin. "You can be called One Dozen Seven."
Dumbledore, smiling, watched the elated Kyle with his sapphire blue eyes. "Let's go to Madam Malkin's to get your robes. They're the only thing we're missing."
However, Kyle didn't follow Dumbledore. Instead, he stared at the nearby Copper Pot shop with a look of longing. "Professor, I want to buy a cauldron."
After receiving permission, Kyle stuffed the birdcage into Dumbledore's hands. He then took three steps in one stride to the shop entrance, picked up the Copper Pot he'd been eyeing, and happily paid for it inside.
By the time the two of them had finished shopping in Diagon Alley, the sun was high above them.
"We've missed lunch at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, glancing at the time.
Kyle, already wearing his wizarding robes, examined the Copper Pot in his hands. "Professor, does Hogwarts have a kitchen?"
"Of course we do. Our three meals a day don't just magically appear. Why do you ask?"
Swallowing hard, Kyle looked at Dumbledore expectantly, "Let's go back to Hogwarts! To the kitchens! Let me treat you to some magical Eastern cuisine!"
Dumbledore happily agreed, curious to see what new tricks Kyle had up his sleeve.
"Let's go then, we'll use Apparition this time."
Grabbing Dumbledore's arm, in the next instant Kyle felt as if he were being squeezed into a ball and stuffed into a toilet, then flushed down the drain.
When Kyle came to, he was standing on the grounds of Hogwarts.
"This is a spatial teleportation spell?" Actually, Kyle wanted to say Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Well, you could say that."
"Professor! I want to learn this!" Kyle's eyes turned into four-pointed stars.
"That magic is still too advanced for you right now. Let's solve the problem of lunch first."
Twenty minutes later, the Hogwarts castle kitchens.
The Hogwarts kitchen was a large room with a high ceiling, as large as the Great Hall above.
Many gleaming Copper Pots and copper basins were piled along the stone walls. There was a large brick fireplace at the other end of the room.
There were four tables in the kitchen, and these tables were arranged in the exact same positions as the tables for the four houses in the Great Hall above.
Kyle and Dumbledore sat opposite each other, and in front of them was a Copper Pot floating with red oil.
Under the heat of the blue flames, the bright red broth bubbled and steamed.
Kyle picked up a slice of beef and swished it in the pot before placing it on Dumbledore's plate.
"Professor, please enjoy."
The unique spicy aroma of the Yin Yang Hot Pot hit Dumbledore's nostrils, the fragrance making him salivate.
But the large amount of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns that Kyle had just put into the pot in front of him made him a little hesitant to eat it.
He felt that he, Albus, would rather starve to death, die outside, or jump from the castle's Astronomy Tower, than eat anything from this pot.
But seeing Kyle's expectant gaze, Dumbledore couldn't bear to refuse. So, he picked up his knife and fork and, with the air of a man facing his execution, ate the beef Kyle had put on his plate.
The next second, Dumbledore's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.
Delicious!
"I'm curious where you found this delicious food," Dumbledore said.
"Brooklyn isn't far from Chinatown in New York," Kyle replied, picking up a slice of beef and putting it in his mouth. He was slightly disappointed that the Hogwarts kitchens didn't have tripe.
After eating a few slices of beef, Dumbledore put down his knife and fork, picked up his goblet of iced wine, and took a small sip.
"This level of spiciness is still too unfriendly for a man over a hundred years old."
Kyle: "..."
Alright, then, you can eat the clear soup side.
Staring at the Copper Pot in front of him, Kyle slowly formed a hand seal.
A puff of white smoke rose, and the Copper Pot instantly transformed into a Yin Yang Hot Pot. All the red soup was now contained on one side of the pot.
Wandless Transfiguration?
Dumbledore was somewhat surprised by Kyle's talent, but he quickly calmed down.
Grindelwald's son, basic operation, don't be surprised.
Thinking of this, Dumbledore instantly ceased to be surprised, and calmly summoned a House-elf working in the kitchen, adding clear broth to the other half of the Yin Yang Hot Pot.
House-elves were small creatures, with large, bat-like ears, protruding eyes the size of tennis balls, and a rather long, flat nose.
They were a race conquered by wizards in ancient wars. Every single elf, from birth, had to undergo training in servitude, serving wizards for generations.
The hot pot that Kyle and Dumbledore were enjoying was prepared by these House-elves under Kyle's guidance.
"Professor, after buying a wand and textbooks, I'll be officially enrolled and attending classes with the other students?"
Dumbledore, busy with the hot pot, was chewing food and couldn't speak, only shook his head.
After swallowing the beef, Dumbledore explained to Kyle, "This school year is already more than half over. If you were to enroll now, you wouldn't be able to keep up with their lessons. You'll have to wait until September of this year to enroll with the next generation of young wizards."
"Then can I audit the professors' classes during this time?"
Dumbledore finally swallowed the food in his mouth. "If it's just auditing, I don't think there's a problem."
Then he took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Kyle.
"This is the timetable for the first-year students. I personally recommend that you start by auditing Professor Flitwick's Charms class. Then, Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration."
"Their current lesson progress is a bit advanced for you, but even so, these two courses will be of great help to you."
"If you have any questions about magic, you can come to my office on the eighth floor of the castle. The password to enter the office is Fizzing Whizbees."
Kyle took the timetable from Dumbledore and examined it carefully.
The parchment had two different timetables printed on each side, one for Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and the other for Slytherin and Ravenclaw.
Kyle remembered that in the movies he'd watched in his previous life, the protagonist, Harry Potter, and the arrogant brat he'd just taught a lesson to in Diagon Alley, seemed to have belonged to Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively.
He clearly remembered that in the movies, Gryffindor and Slytherin often had classes together, didn't they?
Kyle lowered his head to glance at the timetable again. These two rival houses only had Potions and Flying together?
Don't ask, the answer is the movie changed the setting.
All four houses had Charms and Transfiguration in the afternoon, just in a different order.
Compared to Transfiguration, he was more interested in Charms. Kyle decided to go and sit in on a Ravenclaw Charms class first.
(End of Chapter)