Leaky Cauldron, established in the early sixteenth century, is one of the wizards' favorite gathering places, and it's also the only entrance to the Wizard Street, Diagon Alley, in the British Magical Realm.
When Diana led Kael and pushed open the door, the originally noisy and bustling pub suddenly seemed as if someone had pressed the pause button, falling silent instantly.
It was as quiet as a late-night self-study class in senior year, where even the sound of a pin drop could be heard.
It wasn't until Chris also walked in that this weird atmosphere didn't continue. Yet, it still hadn't returned to how it was before, as if everyone deliberately lowered their voices.
But there were exceptions.
Tom, the pub owner, came over with a face full of joy: "Oh, Diana, long time no see! Want a drink? It's on me."
"Maybe next time, Tom."
Diana flashed a smile, patted Kael on the shoulder, and pointed at the approaching Weasley family: "We still have to go to Diagon Alley to buy something, might be a bit short on time."
"Oh, of course."
Tom was reminded: "Time flies, little Kael is already eleven, so you're off to purchase items for Hogwarts?"
"Yes." Diana nodded with a smile.
"Then you really should hurry, you know the way."
Tom stepped aside to make way but immediately lowered his head to look at Kael and said, "I must remind you, little Kael, if you move that trash can again this time, I'll have to write a complaint letter to Hogwarts.
Merlin's beard, do you know how anxious those new students get when they find they can't enter Diagon Alley? You can't constantly add unnecessary work to an old man who's not nimble on his feet."
Being directly called out for his good deeds, Kael was a bit embarrassed.
Evidently, this wasn't his first time at Diagon Alley.
But if you're a traveler and don't move the trash can at Diagon Alley, are you even a traveler?
No fault in that.
Still, in front of his parents, Kael certainly couldn't say that, so he just awkwardly laughed, "Next time, for sure."
Upon hearing this, Tom didn't react much, but Diana beside him raised an eyebrow, thoughtfully glancing at her son.
Her instinct told her there was definitely something wrong with that statement.
But as the Weasley family had arrived, she didn't say anything further.
"Oh, Kael, dear."
Mrs. Molly Weasley enthusiastically gave Kael a big hug, then pulled Diana aside to chat.
As for Mr. Weasley, he naturally went over to Chris to converse.
The relationship between the two families was excellent; Diana and Molly were friends who shared everything, and Chris and Arthur were close friends. Especially after Kael was born, at the Weasleys' gracious invitation, they directly moved here permanently.
These were all things the adults talked about during gatherings, and Kael listened quite a bit from the side.
Due to the relationship between the adults of both families, he and the children of the Weasley family naturally became friends.
Just as the adults walked away, two arms were draped over his shoulders from both sides.
"Hey, Fred, look who's here."
"Isn't this the newest Hogwarts first-year?"
George's tone was particularly clear when he said "first-year."
"Hogwarts is quite dangerous, especially for someone like you entering the first year..."
"Of course, if you say something nice, maybe we'll lend a bit of help."
Kael ignored these two guys and greeted the other red-haired siblings nearby: "Long time no see, Percy, Ron, and Ginny."
The others also smiled broadly and nodded to him.
"Long time no see, Kael."*3
The Weasley family originally had seven children, but Bill went to Egypt, Charlie left to parts unknown a month ago, and wasn't home, so only five came today.
While talking, the group arrived at the entrance to Diagon Alley in the Leaky Cauldron's backyard, with Mr. Weasley leading and finding the correct brick before extending his wand to tap it.
Meanwhile, at the end of the group, the Weasley brothers, who hadn't received a response, exchanged a knowing look and subtly raised their eyebrows, planning to give a certain impolite junior a small lesson.
Like their newly invented Jumping Powder, just a little sprinkled on the hair and you'll experience unprecedented discomfort.
They had tested it on themselves, and the results were fantastic; I mean, who has ever tried going ten days without washing their hair? What an experience.
Absolutely.
If you're lucky enough, you might even trigger a hidden Easter egg, getting a taste of the unique treatment of middle-aged gentlemen prematurely.
Determined to act, the twins took out the Jumping Powder, ready to make their move when suddenly, Chris's voice came from ahead.
"Hagrid? What are you doing in Diagon Alley!"
The voice was no longer calm as before, but carried a hint of suspicion, which immediately caught the twins' attention.
They couldn't help it; this kind of wary tone was something they had heard far too many times, it had become a reflex.
"No, nothing."
Upon seeing Chris, Hagrid, the three-meter-tall, two-meter-wide Half-Giant, actually shivered instinctively, his gaze somewhat evasive.
But then, as if he remembered something, he visibly relaxed, pulling out a small package from his pocket and said, "Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts next year. As a welcoming gift, I wanted to personally make him a birthday cake, so I came to buy some berry seeds."
"Really?"
Chris's tone didn't relax much, scrutinizing the small package suspiciously: "If I remember correctly, the ingredients in the Hogwarts dining hall should be enough to make ten cakes, right?"
Honestly, Chris's tone was somewhat aggressive; if someone unaware saw this, they would definitely mistake him for a major villain.
But Kael, the twins, even the Weasleys, who had a good relationship with Hagrid, showed no reaction upon witnessing this, their expressions unchanged, as if everything was as it should be.
In fact, it was indeed the case.
As the deputy minister of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and head of the Beast Office, Chris knew Hagrid all too well.
Let's put it this way: if Chris had to choose the one person he least wanted to see, it would definitely be this Hogwarts gamekeeper in front of him, the notorious Half-Giant Rubeus Hagrid without a doubt.
By Merlin's beard, the trouble he caused alone accounted for more than a tenth of Chris's annual workload.
Especially the hybrid Fantastic Beasts he tinkered with, which drove Chris somewhat mad.
Oh, what was it last time? Right, the Snake-Bodied Swallow-tailed Beast, a kind of Occamy resulting from a hybrid of Crup and Rune Pattern Snake.
God knows where Hagrid got so many Fantastic Beasts; surely they couldn't all be from the Forbidden Forest, as Chris didn't recall Rune Pattern Snakes being there when he was at school.
And being a traditional magizoologist, such artificially intervened hybrid behavior, in his view, was simply heretical and absolutely forbidden evil act.
But unfortunately, this kind of thing wasn't illegal; he had submitted several draft laws, but never received any response. Recently, after Cornelius Fudge took office, he even went specifically to the minister's office for this, but it was delayed time and again by the other party's skilled tactics, ultimately ending with no result.
Apparently, in the eyes of their new minister, this Magical Creatures bill was too low in value, and instead of spending time on it, he might as well run to the Hogwarts Headmaster's Office a few more times. At least doing so could give him peace of mind and enhance his image and reputation among the public.
So Chris couldn't really do anything about Hagrid.
Moreover, those Fantastic Beasts he tinkered with, whatever one might say, were new lives, and he couldn't just ignore them and dispose of them.
Chris could only brace himself to observe, record, and classify.
Over time, Chris's resentment towards Hagrid had reached a peak, and not directly taking action when they met was purely because there were kids around.
Otherwise, he'd definitely give Hagrid a beating, even if Dumbledore were nearby, it wouldn't matter.
Don't be surprised; although a deputy minister, Chris still often worked on the front lines dealing with Fantastic Beasts, and he was quite capable.
Pure-Blood Giant, maybe not, but a Half-Giant, and an unarmed one at that, Chris was pretty confident.
Hagrid, knowing he was at fault, very obediently opened the package, which indeed contained nothing but some unidentified seeds.
"In the name of Dumbledore, I really only came to Diagon Alley this time just to buy some seeds."
Upon hearing this, Chris's furrowed brows relaxed quite a bit, and he no longer continued questioning. After giving a few simple instructions, he let Hagrid leave.
With Hagrid's respect for Dumbledore, he wouldn't possibly lie about such matters.
It was Kael, however, who thoughtfully turned to look at Hagrid as he left.
"Not this time," but what about other times?
Kael remembered that Fluffy, the Three-Headed Dog that appeared in the first book, was bought by Hagrid from some Greek guy in a bar. Whether that bar was the Hog's Head Pub or the Leaky Cauldron was unknown.
Don't think the Leaky Cauldron is very proper; it's full of gray transactions. Besides, only it offers accommodation, and checking IDs isn't required, attracting many smugglers with low-profile merchandise and no criminal records.
Low-profile merchandise means convenience; just throw it in a box, and almost no one can tell.
Having a meal while casually conducting a transaction with a customer is not unusual at all.
And having a gamekeeper at Hogwarts who loves Fantastic Beasts is widely known in the broker circle.
Gathering information about him isn't difficult.
"Tsk, who said Hagrid was simple and honest; this guy seems pretty sharp."
Kael guessed that his dad probably didn't know about Fluffy at this point, but he didn't plan on tattling.
After all, who could resist a Three-Headed Dog?