The usual trickery of adults certainly couldn't fool Kael, but it wasn't entirely fruitless either. At least it scared Ron and Ginny quite a bit.
Especially Ron, who was quite interested when the topic was brought up, eagerly listening to gain some experience for the start of the school year next year.
But the more he listened, the worse his expression became.
Trolls, ghosts, hippogriffs and such were somewhat acceptable. Although far-fetched, he figured that as long as he turned and ran, he might still have a chance of surviving since the professors at Hogwarts weren't just for show.
But what's the deal with a fire-breathing dragon?
An XXXXX-level Fantastic Beast; even an adult wizard might not survive an encounter, let alone an eleven-year-old young wizard. The professors might not even have finished chanting their charms before he's turned to ashes by a sneeze.
Is this seriously school?
Ron felt utterly hopeless and even entertained the idea of running away from home, not wanting to go to Hogwarts anymore. He just wanted to stay alive.
Ginny wasn't doing much better either.
Her little face was pale, and her once-beautiful red hair had lost much of its luster.
"What's wrong, Ginny?"
Seeing this, Kael, sitting opposite, asked with concern, "Why aren't you eating? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, no."
Ginny clearly didn't want to admit to her family that she was scared. Seeing Kael looking at her, she quickly shook her head and said, "I'm just full."
Being a nine-year-old girl, Ginny didn't have a big appetite to begin with. Coupled with having already eaten half a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, she was indeed quite full.
She was about eighty percent full, just at that threshold where she could take or leave more food. But the sudden topic of the Sorting made her appetite completely disappear.
"I see, that's a shame."
Kael didn't think much of it, just calmly stood up and moved the untouched piece of roast fish from Ginny's plate to his own.
Roast fish, unlike other foods, loses its flavor over time. That would be too much of a waste, better to eat it himself.
Moreover, it's worth mentioning that Mrs. Weasley's skills with roast fish were exceptional, a hidden talent.
But because she had to take care of the whole family and deboning fish was a hassle, usually, they only got to taste her skill on important occasions.
Partly because fish was quite pricey in the magic realm.
But in any case, Kael had been craving it for a long time and couldn't just watch this delicacy go to waste.
Ginny knew this too, but didn't stop him.
Originally, she wanted to save the roast fish for last to savor slowly, but after learning that she'd be facing a fire dragon in two years, how could she have the heart to eat? She could only watch Kael stuff what was supposed to be her roast fish into his mouth with a look of pain.
In the end, she simply turned her head away, out of sight, out of mind.
Meanwhile, Fred and George sitting beside her let out a simultaneous sigh.
They had had their eyes on that roast fish too, but Kael was too quick for them to even get a chance.
Not willing to give up, the twins turned their attention to Ron.
Unfortunately, Ron wasn't like Ginny; his roast fish was long gone, and the bones were so clean a flobberworm could slip on them.
"What's wrong, Ron? Are you afraid of the fire dragon?" Fred squinted, masking his true intent while showing rare concern for Ron's state, gently patting his shoulder in comfort, "Don't worry, the fire dragon will be gone in a year, by the time you start school, it'll probably be some other Fantastic Beast."
"I think it will be spiders," George promptly added, "I've seen them in the Forbidden Forest, each as big as goblins. Maybe Hagrid is preparing them for the sorting ceremony."
"No!"
Ron was beside himself, panic rapidly rising in his eyes. On instinct, he threw down his utensils and ran back to the Shabby Residence, screaming.
Clearly, Ron was truly frightened and didn't notice how Fred and George laughed so cheekily as he fled.
However, the twins didn't get away without a scratch themselves.
"George, what were you doing in the Forbidden Forest?"
Mrs. Weasley had keenly noticed the key issue and looked sternly at the twins, "I don't recall Hogwarts allowing first years into the Forbidden Forest."
"Mom, I can explain..."
Fred and George wanted to flee but as second-years they clearly weren't a match for Mrs. Weasley and were soon caught.
And so, that familiar motherly scene played out once again.
Even though it had happened countless times over the past eleven years, Kael was still thoroughly entertained and even found his appetite had improved significantly.
Kael had no doubt that the twins had been to the Forbidden Forest, but the spider story was likely made up to scare Ron, only to accidentally hit the mark.
After all, the Forbidden Forest's eight-eyed giant spiders were no harmless critters. If the twins had really encountered any, they'd probably have settled in the Forbidden Forest by now.
Moreover, he remembered that the eight-eyed giant spider colony was located deep within the Forbidden Forest, a place Fred and George couldn't have reached.
They were not Harry Potter; they preferred pranks to risking their lives.
About twenty minutes later, dinner was nearly over. Despite a minor hiccup, it was an overall joyous occasion for everyone.
At least, Kael was very happy.
After a quick clean-up of the dinner table, Percy headed upstairs to revise his studies.
Ron, caught in the act of attempting to leave home with a small bundle, had taken the place of the twins and was being chased around the yard by Mrs. Weasley.
Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley and Chris moved to a different spot to continue their conversation.
"Chris, you were too dramatic earlier."
In the Shabby Residence, Mr. Weasley spoke regretfully, "It's just sorting, how could there be fire dragons? Little Kael's so smart; surely he knows we were lying."
"No, Arthur, you are mistaken. This plan was never going to work from the start."
Chris shook his head, a bit helpless, "Since Kael was three, he spends at least two months every year with Mr. Scamander. Do you think he'd be afraid of trolls or hippogriffs?"
Moreover, Arthur, aren't you forgetting that Kael's last name is also Chopper?"
"Uh..." Mr. Weasley was momentarily stunned, scratching his head somewhat awkwardly, "You mean, he can also communicate with magical creatures like you?"
"Of course." Chris nodded, "So, he definitely wouldn't be afraid of hippogriffs. Probably only a fire dragon could make him a bit nervous."
Mr. Weasley glanced at Chris, somewhat envious, "That's such an amazing ability. If only I could communicate with those Muggle devices."
"???"
Chris was momentarily speechless, then chuckled awkwardly, "It's not as incredible as you think. This talent is limited to Fantastic Beasts. For normal animals like rats, toads, or owls, we have to rely on experience to guess their meaning."
Chris's point was clear: even if Mr. Weasley were to someday use some bizarre charm to change his last name to Chopper, he'd only manage to exchange a few words with Floo Powder or something like a Golden Snitch.
As for toasters or cars... forget about it, impossible, don't even think about it!