After coming out of Flourish and Blotts, Kael bought a few more things before heading to the Magical Menagerie to find Harry and the others.
Hermione had been saying she wanted to get an owl, but in the end she bought a fat ginger cat called Crookshanks.
To be honest, this cat looked absolutely hideous—its face looked like someone had stepped on it while it was sleeping, flat and squashed.
On top of that, its fur was so long that when you looked from the side, you could barely make out any facial features at all—it was basically just flat.
Maybe wizards have different standards for beauty. To others, it might look like a furry cardboard box, but Hermione loved it and thought it was the most beautiful cat ever.
Fine, everyone has their own tastes…
Out of respect for every kind of taste, Kael didn't say anything against it, just nodded along.
Harry, standing beside them, did the same.
As for Ron, he wasn't in the mood.
The shop staff didn't really have a good solution for his rat either, and seeing Ron didn't plan to trade up for a new pet, they lazily recommended him some rat tonic.
"Do you guys think this stuff actually works?"
On the way back, Ron was holding his rat in one hand and the potion bottle in the other, looking doubtful. "I feel like it's nowhere as good as the tonic Kael gave me before."
"Forget about what you feel," said Kael. "This stuff is basically just sugar water with a touch of amaranth juice. I could whip up a bucket of it in no time. By the way, how much did you pay for it?"
"It was expensive…" Ron replied miserably. "A whole two Sickles!"
"You're an easy target, aren't you." Kael shrugged. "This junk would make a profit even if it sold for two Knuts."
Ron's face looked even more sour.
Too bad he'd already tried feeding some to Scabbers in the shop—getting a return was definitely out of the question now.
He glanced at the droopy Scabbers and asked, "Can I just get tonic from you from now on?"
"Of course, anytime, and it won't cost you anything."
Kael noticed that when Ron was holding Scabbers, that cat Crookshanks only tossed a lazy glance at the rat, then turned away with its pancake face, swishing its tail as if totally uninterested.
When the group arrived back at the Leaky Cauldron, they found Mr. Weasley sitting at the bar, reading the Daily Prophet.
"Harry, Kael!" He looked up and smiled. "So you're all here! How have you been these past few days?"
"Great, thanks," said Harry.
"Really good." Kael sat down next to him.
"I heard from Charlie that you helped a lot," Mr. Weasley said, giving Kael the once-over. "Luckily, you didn't get hurt. Molly's been complaining that they never should have let a kid like you get mixed up in something so dangerous."
"It wasn't as dangerous as it sounds, actually."
Kael grinned, "Plus, Mr. Scamander and my dad were there. All I had to do when the Fire Dragons got close was stand behind them."
"That's true."
"Wait, dangerous? Fire Dragons?" Ron frowned. "What are you talking about? Kael ran into Fire Dragons in Romania?"
Hermione and Harry were both really curious too.
"More than one, even…" Mr. Weasley gave a run-down of what he knew.
That business over there was already finished anyway, no need to keep secrets.
Dozens of Fire Dragons brawling… Master of Fantastic Beasts from all over the world… and then last but not least, the poachers…
All of that left them totally stunned.
Hermione had thought her trip to France was exciting enough, but compared to Kael's, hers seemed pretty dull—maybe even boring by comparison.
"A dozen Master of Fantastic Beasts…" she sighed. "I wish I could have gone to Romania too."
"No can do," Mr. Weasley put down his Daily Prophet and shook his head. "At the time, the reserve was closed to visitors. Even if you'd gone, there wouldn't have been much to do but walk around the outskirts."
"Speaking of gathering places… I brought you all presents." Kael opened his bag and pulled out the gifts he'd prepared in advance.
For Mr. Weasley, it was a Dragon Wood Wand.
Last year at Flourish and Blotts, Mr. Weasley almost got into trouble for not having a weapon for close combat, so Kael picked this one out especially.
This wood is sturdy and heavy—you can just whack someone on the head with it in a fight, and it's not much weaker than a Stunning Spell.
"This is really great."
Mr. Weasley swung the wand a couple times, clearly pleased.
For Harry, Ron, and Hermione, he had Fire Dragon Badges.
The badges were made from dragon scales and carved with the image of a Fire Dragon. They even move, making them some of the most iconic souvenirs.
After thanking him, everyone immediately pinned theirs to their robes.
Then Harry noticed that in the newspaper, Sirius Black's photo was glaring out at him.
"He still hasn't been caught?"
"No." Mr. Weasley put down the wand, face turning grave. "The Ministry pulled us off our normal jobs—all hands on deck hunting him down. But so far, there haven't been any leads."
"If we caught him, would we get a reward?" Ron asked.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," Mr. Weasley said, looking tense. "Black isn't someone a thirteen-year-old Young Wizard could catch. Don't do anything stupid."
At that moment, Mrs. Weasley walked into the bar, arms full of bags, with Fred and George behind her, followed by Percy, now Head Boy, and the youngest of the Weasley family, Ginny.
"Hey, Kael!"
"Long time no see!"
Fred and George made a beeline for Kael the minute they came in, grabbing his hand and shaking it. "Mate, it's fantastic to see you."
"Indescribably fantastic."
Percy frowned.
"That's enough, you two," said Mrs. Weasley. "Stop mimicking Percy."
She stepped forward and gave Kael a happy hug.
"Dear, it's so good to see you."
"Same here, Mrs. Weasley," said Kael.
"So, where are our gifts?"—two pairs of hands shot out simultaneously.
"What gifts?" Kael raised his eyebrows.
"Don't play dumb," Fred said smugly. "I spotted it the moment I walked in, Dad's wand."
"And Ron's badge," added George. "They definitely didn't have those just now."
Kael grinned and handed out the gifts he'd prepared for them, as well as for Mrs. Weasley, Percy, and Ginny.
When it came to Percy, he got a little overly formal, even doing an exaggerated handshake with Kael. "Much obliged! I'm truly honored."
His tone and expression were exactly like that Romanian Ministry of Magic official who'd handed out their Portkey before.
Fred and George aped him on the spot, making all kinds of ridiculous faces.
Mrs. Weasley scolded them.
...
That night, the Weasley family didn't return to the Shabby Residence but decided to spend the night at the Leaky Cauldron instead.
Mr. Weasley originally wanted Kael to stay too, but after thinking for a moment, Kael turned him down.
"I saw Chris before I came," Mr. Weasley said. "He agreed it's fine for you to stay the night here."
"But I haven't packed," said Kael. "A lot of things I'll need, including my books and homework, I left behind."
Kael definitely hadn't left his homework; ever since two years ago, he kept all his luggage in his trunk.
He just didn't want to be under surveillance.
From earlier, Kael had already noticed that someone in the corner kept sneaking glances their way.
There was a guy at the bar reading a newspaper for half an hour—never turned the page even once.
And that old witch drinking Honey Wine? Just a few minutes ago, sitting in the same spot, drinking the same Honey Wine—except then it was a middle-aged witch instead.
If he guessed right, all these people were probably Aurors sent to protect Harry.
Mr. Weasley included—he just had another task… namely, to escort Harry to King's Cross Station in a more "normal" way the next day.
Kael really didn't want to be stared at by a herd of Aurors. The thought alone made his skin crawl.
Since he mentioned books and homework, Mrs. Weasley didn't insist, but refused to let Kael go home alone, saying they should at least wait for Chris to arrive.
They wound up waiting the whole day.
It was only after dinner that Chris finally returned from the Ministry of Magic.
"What a pity, Arthur, I was hoping to have a drink with you," Chris said as he grabbed Kael. "Way too many reports to write, and the Ministry's in a hurry for them…"
"I understand." Mr. Weasley gave him a discreet wink. "And I can't drink right now anyway."
"Yeah, that's true…"
Chris sighed, "Well, see you at the Ministry tomorrow."
With that, he took Kael and left the Leaky Cauldron.