Chapter 35: A Deal
Chapter 35: A Deal
Professor McGonagall didn't stay long and soon returned to her office.
But as soon as she left the Great Hall, the Hufflepuffs let loose, transforming the once quiet dining tables into a bustling marketplace.
They gathered in small groups, mimicking the pitiful expressions the Weasley brothers had worn earlier, laughing so hard they slapped the tables.
Even the usually shy Connor had her head down, her small shoulders shaking as she tried to hold back her laughter.
Kyle was stunned.
These guys were all great actors. From now on, if anyone dared to tell him that Hufflepuffs were all honest and straightforward, he would surely knock some sense into them with a well-placed jinx.
Of course, himself excluded.
...
...
After lunch, the young witches and wizards began to leave the Great Hall, but once again, Kyle was stopped at the door.
This time, it wasn't a Weasley, but an Asian girl he vaguely recognized.
"Hello, I'm Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. May I have a moment of your time?"
Cho extended her hand generously.
"Kyle Jeb," Kyle introduced himself, shaking her hand briefly.
He then glanced at Cedric, but the latter showed no signs of recognition. He simply introduced himself and stood aside, waiting for Kyle to handle the matter, just as he had done with the Weasley brothers.
Well, it made sense. They probably didn't know each other yet, and Cho Chang was only eleven. Cedric wouldn't be targeting her just yet.
After all, there were no age restrictions when it came to Azkaban.
Kyle shook his head, amused. He turned to Cho and asked, "What can I do for you?"
"I want to make a copy of your map," Cho said. "I'm willing to pay for it."
"The map?" Kyle glanced at Cedric again, as if seeking his opinion.
Cedric understood, but as he hadn't mastered the skill of communicating through eye contact, he could only spread his hands, indicating that the map was now Kyle's business.
Tsk, good students were good students because they didn't waste time learning non-verbal communication.
Kyle mocked Cedric's 'lack of skill' in his mind, but his expression remained unchanged.
"No need for payment," Kyle said, handing the map to Cho. "After all, you helped Ryan and Mikkel, my roommates, earlier. Consider this a token of my appreciation."
"They're your roommates?" Cho asked, remembering the two new students she had met that morning. She took the map and smiled. "I must say, your roommates are quite unique. They managed to miss every correct staircase perfectly.
Honestly, I watched them for five minutes, and they didn't get it right once. They just kept going around in circles on the three wrong staircases."
As she spoke, Cho couldn't hold back her laughter and covered her mouth. "Sorry, I'm not trying to make fun of them. I just find it...well, fascinating."
Kyle's face turned red, and he didn't dare continue the topic. He awkwardly pointed to the map and said, "All the routes on here are related to the Hufflepuff common room. It might not be that useful for Ravenclaws."
"That's alright," Cho shook her head. "As long as I know the exact locations of the classrooms, it'll be much easier to find my way around.
—Duplicating into two copies.
Knowing that she might still make a fool of herself, she still insisted on trying? Are all Ravenclaws this ambitious?
If it were Ryan... well, no need to imagine, Ryan had been pestering Kyle since lunch, saying he didn't want to copy the map anymore and that he wanted a duplicate too.
Now that's the difference.
And most of the Hufflepuff first-years are like that too.
Before Kyle came along, Cedric, a second-year student, was undoubtedly the best Hufflepuff had to offer, the only one who could be considered a decent young wizard and a representative of the house.
Kyle had reason to suspect that during last year's sorting, Professor Sprout might have bribed the Sorting Hat.
Of course, it could have been herbs instead.
But speaking of Cedric...
Kyle looked at Cho, who was beaming with joy after receiving the map, and asked casually, "Do you Ravenclaws have a similar map?"
Cho thought for a moment. "Maybe, but I haven't seen one."
"Well, I hadn't seen one either until Cedric gave me this one." Kyle glanced to the side and continued, "Aside from you, are there any other Ravenclaw first-years who might need this map?"
Hmm?
Cho seemed to catch on to Kyle's idea and tested the waters. "Are you thinking of selling it to them?"
"That's right, I am considering it." Kyle was straightforward. "What do you think? Is it feasible?"
"It's feasible, but the price probably won't be too high." Cho held out her hands. "Ten Sickles is my highest offer. If it's a Knut more, I won't buy it, and I assume the other first-years would feel the same."
"No problem, ten Sickles it is." Kyle shrugged. "It's not like it takes much effort anyway. I can consider it pocket money."
"Then you'd better hurry." Cho reminded him. "For Ravenclaws, this map is only valuable for the week before school starts. The longer you wait, the lower the price will go. If you leave it until tomorrow, it'll probably be down to nine Sickles."
"That's enough." Kyle smiled and extended his hand to Cho. "Are you interested in joining me? I'll provide the maps, you handle the promotion and transactions, and we'll split the profits..."
Cho was a little surprised, but she quickly recovered and shook Kyle's hand. "Of course, I'm very interested."
Cho did a quick calculation. There were a total of sixteen Ravenclaw first-years, so excluding herself, there were fifteen potential customers. Even if only a third of them bought the map, she would still get twenty-five Sickles.
For a first-year student like her, that was a small fortune, and she wasn't about to pass it up.
Besides, it would only involve running a few errands and saying a few words—simple tasks for her.
Kyle nodded. "Then it's settled. Leave the Ravenclaws to you."
"No problem. I'll head back now. There should be quite a few first-years in the common room at this time."
Cho was naturally attentive when it came to her spending money, and after bidding farewell to the two, she hurried back to Ravenclaw Tower.
(End of Chapter)
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