Chapter 350: The Ministry of Magic
Overall, the Dragon Reserve's marketplace was quite nice, not nearly as chaotic as Chris had warned. At least, Kyle hadn't run into any peculiar folks. The only oddity was how persistent the shopkeepers were—constantly trying to push overpriced, impractical items on him. Luckily, Charlie was there. Having lived in the area for two years, he was well-acquainted with each shop and its tricks. Many shopkeepers sighed in frustration when they saw him tagging along with Kyle, abandoning their sales pitches for "popular" items and instead bringing out the real treasures from the back.
In the end, Kyle's shopping trip was incredibly productive—he spent nearly 300 Galleons. Charlie was a bit taken aback as he watched Kyle shop. He knew Kyle was well-off, but he hadn't realized quite how well-off. Kyle bought items by the boxful, and when it came to the accessories, he practically cleaned out entire shelves. Even with the discounts, he'd spent over 300 Galleons without hesitation. Charlie tried to convince him to take it easy and save some money, but Kyle only shook his head.
"You don't understand, Charlie—this might not even be enough," Kyle replied.
If Newt hadn't borrowed his suitcase to observe the Norwegian Ridgeback Norbert, or if his Mokeskin pouch had more room, Kyle would have bought 200 Galleons' worth more to take back with him.
"Not enough?" Charlie exclaimed. "Do you have more than a hundred friends?"
"If you're really counting... there are more than that," Kyle said, after a brief pause. "But these aren't for gifts. A lot of my classmates at Hogwarts have never had the chance to come here, let alone see such unique souvenirs. This is a rare opportunity, so I'm getting some for them."
Charlie looked at him, still a bit puzzled, but Kyle didn't elaborate; he knew Charlie wasn't too familiar with this sort of thing.
"Anyway..." Kyle said, packing up the large pile of parcels. "I might write to you later, and when I do, I'll need your help to pick up more things and send them to Hogwarts."
"No problem," Charlie agreed without hesitation. "But it might take time; you know, I only get two days off a month at most."
"That's fine," Kyle said, smiling. "And I'll pay you the regular price. Keep any discounts the shopkeepers give you..."
"Absolutely not!" Charlie interrupted, looking offended. "Whatever you need, I'll get you a good discount. I've got some influence around here, you know."