https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-140-An-Unpleasant-First-Encounter-for-the-Trio/12538251/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-142-Galleons-Skipping-Across-the-Water/12538253/
Chapter 141: Cedric, You're a Swindler
Chapter 141: Cedric, You're a Swindler
Ron's slight moodiness went unnoticed by the other person, who continued, "I remember you, Ronald Weasley. Your mother helped me find the platform."
"Yes, but everyone usually calls me Ron," Ron mumbled.
"Okay, Ron. I'm Hermione Granger," she introduced herself casually, then turned to the other boy. "And you are?"
"Harry Potter," Harry interjected quickly.
Hearing this name, Hermione was visibly surprised and proceeded to list several reference books, indicating that she knew about Harry's fame.
This left Harry feeling dizzy as he himself was unaware of these matters, and he hadn't even read any of the books Hermione mentioned.
"Goodness, how can you not know? If it were me, I'd make sure to find every book that mentioned me," Hermione exclaimed.
Turning back to Ron, she asked, "By the way, did you say that boy Kyle is the top student in the year?"
"Oh... yes," Ron nodded.
"No wonder he received the Merlin Knight Badge," Hermione mused. "I hope I'm not too far behind. I've memorized all the textbooks, but I hope that's enough."
Ron's expression soured further. He felt like he had encountered a second Percy, and he didn't like the other boy's tone either.
However, Hermione paid him no mind and continued excitedly, "By the way, do you know which house Kyle is in? Is he in Gryffindor? I've asked around, and everyone says it's the best house. But with his intelligence, he could also be a Ravenclaw."
"Neither," Ron replied, clearly enjoying the other girl's impending disappointment. "Kyle is a Hufflepuff."
"Hufflepuff..." Hermione was indeed taken aback, muttering, "But I heard that Hufflepuffs are... well, not so bright academically."
"That's wrong," Ron contradicted her, sounding rather pleased. "In fact, besides Kyle, the top student in our third year, Cedric Diggory, is also a Hufflepuff."
Hermione looked annoyed, feeling as though she had been deceived. How could the house that produced two top students in the year be filled with "idiots" and "dunces," as some people claimed?
If they were idiots, what did that make everyone else... brainless worms?
Beside her, Harry hung his head dejectedly.
When he and Ron had previously discussed the houses, he had considered Hufflepuff as his backup option.
But now, it seemed that Hufflepuff might not be so easy to get into after all.
The top student in the year...
Harry would rather believe that Dudley could become as thin as him than believe that he could achieve that status.
It was impossible.
Hermione fell silent for once, and Ron asked impatiently, "So, is there anything else? If not, we're heading back to our compartment."
"I wanted to ask if either of you has seen a toad," Hermione asked, regaining her focus. "Neville lost one."
"A toad?" Ron said irritably. "We already told him we didn't see it."
The boy named Neville had come by their compartment earlier and cried his eyes out, so Ron remembered it clearly.
"Maybe you could ask that Kyle boy," Harry suggested from beside them. "Perhaps he'll be able to find the toad."
"You're right, I shouldn't linger here any longer.
"I really hope I don't end up in the same house as her," Ron muttered as he closed the compartment door. "Gryffindor already has one Percy, and that's more than enough."
Harry remained silent, merely nodding absentmindedly. He was still processing the overload of information he had just received.
Meanwhile, Hermione made her way down the corridor to the compartment where Kyle was.
Through the glass on the door, she saw him waving his wand and drawing something on a piece of parchment.
Hermione hesitated and lowered her hand, remembering that the boy named Malfoy had interrupted Kyle earlier, resulting in the earlier commotion. She didn't want to make the same mistake.
After all, she couldn't afford to compensate him for those maps.
She didn't even have twenty Galleons, let alone two hundred.
After some hesitation, Hermione decided to look for Neville in other carriages instead.
Unbeknownst to her, the moment she left, Kyle put down his wand.
"The Malfoy family crest is quite troublesome," Kyle rubbed his eyes and commented, "It's so intricate with snakes and dragons. Why can't they just use a simple 'M' instead?"
"Hey, Kyle, you should be more patient with our esteemed customer," Fred said with a laugh. "We're making an extra Galleon just by altering the design. It doesn't get any easier than this!"
"I suppose you're right," Kyle agreed, pushing the half-completed parchment towards Cedric. It would be Cedric's task to carefully copy the map and make it permanent.
Since it was a permanent alteration, they couldn't use the duplication charm anymore.
Kyle then picked up the wallet that Malfoy had given him.
"One hundred and fifty Galleons. Should we split it now or wait until he pays the remaining amount?" he asked.
The others shook their heads simultaneously.
"Listen, Kyle," George said seriously, "These Galleons are a result of your...extraordinary intelligence, and have nothing to do with us. There's no need to share them."
"What extraordinary intelligence? I'm not a Ravenclaw," Kyle replied nonchalantly. "Besides, this money was earned from selling the maps. Of course, we'll split it equally."
"This is an exceptional case," Cedric disagreed, shaking his head. "From the moment Malfoy banged on the door to everything that happened after, it was all you. We didn't help at all."
Cedric's words seemed to echo the thoughts of the others, and they all seemed to have come to the same conclusion without discussing it. None of them reached for the bag of Galleons.
Finally, after some insistence from Kyle, each of them took ten Galleons.
Only George took fifteen, with the extra five Galleons as compensation for his ruined robe.
George accepted this without any hesitation.
"By the way," Cedric said, pointing at the damaged maps on the table after Kyle put away the wallet, "Do you want to use a repair charm to restore them to their original state?"
"Hmm? Why would you go through the trouble?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
Cedric blinked innocently and replied as if it were obvious, "Well, we can't just throw them away, can we? They're one Galleon parchments."
"Wait...are you planning to restore them and sell them again?" Kyle frowned, giving Cedric a disapproving look. "You're such a swindler. One day, you'll end up in Azkaban for your scheming ways."
...
(End of Chapter)
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