Chapter 3: Diagon Alley

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After some careful consideration, Kyle ultimately decided to keep the existence of the three-headed dog, Fluffy, a secret from his father.

After all, he liked magical creatures too. But unlike Newt Scamander, he didn't have a natural talent for handling them. Magical creatures like a three-headed dog were extremely rare, even in Greece. If he missed this chance, he might never see one again.

Weighing his options, he decided it was worth the risk.

However, to ease his guilt and make himself feel better, Kyle quickly wriggled free from the twins' grip and made his way to Chris's side, giving him an apologetic look.

Chris, understandably, was baffled.

The twins were just as confused.

They had been moments away from pulling off their prank—sprinkling Jumping Powder on Kyle's head—when, at the last second, Kyle ducked and dashed away. Their powder had already been thrown!

If he'd moved a second earlier or later, it wouldn't have mattered. But why did it have to be right then?

The twins were dumbfounded, forced to watch as their carefully tossed Jumping Powder gracefully crisscrossed in mid-air… and landed directly on their own heads.

"Hiss… Hiss…"

"Scratch… Scratch…"

Two sharp inhalations and frantic scratching noises followed from behind them, instantly grabbing everyone's attention. Each person turned instinctively toward the sound.

What they saw was Fred and George, scratching their heads like a pair of adult baboons.

Their hair, already unruly, had now been turned into an even worse mess, more tangled than a bird's nest. Honestly, the Sorting Hat looked more stylish than they did at that moment.

"Oh, Fred! George! What are you two up to now?"

As more and more people stared curiously at the scene, Mrs. Weasley's face flushed crimson. She marched over to the twins, grabbed them both by the ears, and dragged them into a nearby alley.

At least there, fewer people would witness this spectacle, and she could save a bit of face.

Unlike now, where her two sons had decided to put on a public baboon act right in the middle of Diagon Alley.

Merlin's beard! If this went on any longer, the Weasley family's reputation—built over hundreds of years—would be gone. Completely gone!

Mrs. Weasley's swift actions didn't leave room for argument, much to the twins' dismay. Their gasps of pain grew louder, and—whether it was Kyle's imagination or not—he thought he saw tears in their eyes.

If that was true... well, it only proved how synchronized they were as twins. Even their tears matched perfectly.

On the other side, watching his wife drag the twins away, Mr. Weasley let out a sigh of relief. Forcing a smile, he awkwardly urged the rest of the group to go ahead with their shopping and not wait for them.

At the back of the group, Kyle hid next to Ron, struggling to suppress his laughter.

But the very next moment, he caught sight of Diana's gaze, and all humor fled from his face. Forcing a stiff, polite smile, he realized he was in trouble.

His mother was great in every way, except for her freakishly accurate sixth sense. Ever since he was a kid, there hadn't been much he could hide from her.

Kyle considered himself lucky that when he'd crossed over to this world, he hadn't been born until five or six months later. Otherwise, he was sure his true identity would've been discovered long ago.

"Seriously…"

Kyle scratched his head, thinking to himself, "With a mom like this, there's just no such thing as privacy."

Diana didn't say anything, but after giving Kyle a warning glance, she turned away.

It wasn't really a big deal, after all. Molly was just overly concerned.

The Weasley twins had a notorious reputation at Hogwarts as legendary pranksters. Their antics were so famous that even Diana had heard of them. Just from the stories she'd picked up, she knew about them blowing up toilet seats, night prowling with Mrs. Norris caught in a sack, throwing dungbombs under the Slytherin first years' table and falsely accusing them of soiling themselves in class—and that was only scratching the surface. There were probably countless other incidents she hadn't heard of.

Compared to those stories, mimicking baboons in the middle of Diagon Alley seemed pretty tame.

So most people who witnessed it just laughed it off and moved on. It didn't reflect poorly on the Weasley family at all. (Well, except for a certain platinum-haired pureblood who would prefer to remain anonymous.)

Molly's reaction, however, stemmed from her not yet being used to her sons' behavior.

Bill, Charlie, and Percy were all exceptionally well-behaved kids. Naturally, Molly had come to expect similar behavior from Fred and George. Even though their antics were nothing like their older brothers', it would take her a while to break that association.

After all, Bill and Charlie hadn't been exactly angelic at home or during their first few years at Hogwarts, yet they had still gone on to become some of the school's top students.

To understand Molly's frustration, just picture Percy seriously imitating a baboon in public—that about sums it up.

But this was only temporary. In another year or two, when more reports from Hogwarts came in, Molly would get used to it.

At the very least, the next time something like this happened, she'd handle it with a lot more composure.

…

After the brief commotion, the group soon split up.

Since Ron and Ginny weren't of school age yet, the Weasleys were only there to help Fred, George, and Percy buy their schoolbooks for the upcoming year.

Kyle, on the other hand, was a first-year and had a long list of supplies to purchase. The most important of which, of course, was his wand.

No one needed to guide him; Kyle knew his way around Diagon Alley quite well. It didn't take long for him to find his destination.

That old, dingy shop.

Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.

Kyle stood at the entrance, as he always did, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement.

This place was just too shabby. The dust on the windows was thick enough that you could probably scrape it off and build a sculpture outside. Did wizards really love the "aged" look that much?

Gringotts and the broomstick shop were both centuries old too, but they looked clean and well-maintained.

Maybe this was the confidence that came with being the only wandmaker in the market. No matter what the shop looked like, people had to come here.

But then again, Gringotts was also a monopoly, and it looked perfectly fine...

Kyle had wondered about this for a long time, even asking Chris and Mr. Weasley about it, but to this day, he hadn't received an answer. Now, standing here, he could only shrug it off and chalk it up to the eccentricities of craftsmen.

Asking Ollivander directly was out of the question, of course. He wasn't about to offend the most renowned wandmaker in the British wizarding world. Maintaining a good relationship was important.

Though, with Ron starting school next year, maybe he could talk to the twins about convincing—uh, I mean, kindly asking—their youngest brother to inquire on their behalf.

And don't accuse him of throwing a friend under the bus.

The one he'd be "throwing under" would be Ron Weasley, not his close friend, nor Fred and George's dear brother Ronald Weasley.

...

(End of Chapter)