https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-358-Two-Galleons-Barely-Breaking-Even/12538618/
Chapter 359: Professor Lupin's First Earnings
Chapter 359: Professor Lupin's First Earnings
The person who entered was a young witch, looking about twelve years old, and she had been among the crowd gathered at the door.
"Do you still have any badges left?" Seeing that Kyle didn't respond, she asked again, "I want to buy one, too."
"Of course!" Kyle quickly reacted and reached into his pocket, pulling out another handful of badges. "How many would you like?"
"Just one will do." The young witch stepped forward and chose a silver-white badge, handing over two Galleons to Kyle.
Not everyone was as forgetful as Neville, so they wouldn't need to buy as many.
"Oh, a fine choice indeed—the scale of an Australian Opaleye." Kyle smiled. "They're incredibly powerful fire dragons that can swallow a whole sheep in one bite."
"Are they very strong, then?" The young witch looked delighted.
"Absolutely." Kyle nodded confidently. "And they're the most beautiful of all fire dragons, sought after by many."
The young witch's eyes sparkled with excitement as she held the badge and left happily.
With this precedent, the onlookers outside could no longer resist their curiosity and began to trickle in.
Two Galleons was a steep price, but it was the start of the school year, and most students had their pockets filled with spending money. Two Galleons was still within reach.
Moreover, the higher price point added to the exclusivity, and if it were too cheap, they might not dare to buy it.
Not to mention, these were scales from fire dragons, a high-quality material. Even if they didn't want the badge anymore, they could sell it in Diagon Alley for at least one Galleon, no question.
The first few customers chose the white badges, and then a young wizard, after much deliberation, selected a blue one.
"Ah, the Swedish Short-Snout," Kyle smiled. "They possess a unique blue flame and are incredibly agile, a true nightmare for other magical creatures."
"Are they very strong?" the wizard asked.
"Undoubtedly." Kyle's smile widened. "A wise choice, I must say. I'd venture to guess you're a Ravenclaw."
"That's right!"
Another person chose a green badge.
"The Welsh Green," Kyle explained. "Their fiery breath can reach up to twenty feet..."
Someone else chose a brass-colored badge...
"The Peruvian Vipertooth," Kyle continued. "Unlike other fire dragons, they possess a more lethal weapon."
...
The crowd swelled, but not everyone was there to buy; many were simply drawn by curiosity.
After all, most students had less than ten Galleons for the entire year, and two Galleons was no small sum.
In their eyes, Dementors wouldn't be able to enter the school, so spending two Galleons on a badge seemed a bit extravagant...even if it was rather pretty.
Thankfully, watching the commotion didn't cost anything.
The crowd gathered outside, and soon, the door frame creaked and groaned under the pressure, threatening to warp out of shape.
"Ron, could you help with crowd control, please?" Kyle turned and said, "I'll pay you two Galleons for your trouble."
Upon hearing the first half of Kyle's sentence, Ron had been about to refuse, as he was also looking after Harry.
But then Kyle finished his sentence...
"No problem, leave it to me!"
He quickly shuffled Harry into a corner and stood up, puffing out his chest proudly as he strode to the door. "Everyone, form a queue if you're buying, and the rest of you, back to your compartments..."
"Keep the noise down... What? Who am I? My brother's the Head Boy!"
...
It wasn't just Ron who stepped up; even Lupin took it upon himself to help maintain order.
Of course, it wasn't for the two Galleons...but out of a sense of duty as a professor.
Being an adult wizard, his words carried more weight than Ron's, and soon, the onlookers dispersed, leaving only those who wanted to buy badges, now standing in an orderly queue and entering the compartment one by one.
...
Half an hour later, Kyle bid farewell to the last customer, and the train began to slow to a stop.
Ron eagerly rubbed his hands together before carefully taking the money. He squinted as he felt the gold Galleons in his hands, hardly believing that he now possessed such a substantial sum.
Kyle then took out another two Galleons and offered them to Lupin.
Lupin, who had been staring blankly at the pile of Galleons, quickly shook his head and refused. "I'm a professor... it was my duty to help," he said earnestly.
"Not yet, technically," Kyle interjected before Dumbledore's announcement. "Take it, Professor. You'll need a proper robe." And with that, he tossed the coins to Lupin and exited the compartment.
Lupin caught the Galleons and intended to return them, but his eyes fell on the patches on his robe, and he hesitated.
Kyle was right; he did need a more presentable outfit.
"Oh well," Lupin thought, deciding to accept the money for now. "I'll pay him back once I receive my first salary." He shook his head with a hint of amusement, finding it ironic that his first earnings at Hogwarts came from a student rather than Dumbledore's salary.
Thirty minutes for two Galleons... he hadn't earned this much in the past two months.
"Students these days are so wealthy," Lupin mused to himself.
Meanwhile, as Kyle stepped off the train, two hands reached out from either side.
"Our payment?" Fred asked.
"What payment?" Kyle looked at him, feigning confusion.
"Don't play dumb. You can't pull a fast one on us," George said. "We helped out too, and so did Cedric and Ginny."
"Come on, pay up! Two Galleons, no less than Ron got!"
"Payment? There isn't any!" Kyle replied matter-of-factly. "You helped out because it was the right thing to do, right?"
"So..." Fred raised an eyebrow, his expression turning sour.
Kyle kept walking, not bothering to look back. "No money, now scram..."
"What about two Galleons for George and me combined... Or forget the Galleons, just give us Sickles!" Fred lowered his demand.
"No."
"Not even a Knut then?"
"Not a Knut. How about a Neville instead?"
Fred and George's faces turned green.
Ginny, holding a handful of candies, giggled uncontrollably beside them.
Cedric joined in the laughter, understanding why Kyle had given Ron and Professor Lupin Galleons. Without their help, the badges wouldn't have sold so quickly.
The group continued chatting and laughing as they made their way towards the carriages. Connor, Autumn, and Luna had already arrived and were waiting for them.
As they weren't familiar with Harry and the others, the three girls had stayed in the compartment instead of joining Kyle earlier.
They had expected the boys to return in ten minutes or so but were surprised to find that they had taken much longer.
"Where have you guys been? It's been ages!"
"Is Potter badly hurt?" Connor asked. "We wanted to check on him, but there were so many people crowded around that we couldn't even get close."
"He's fine," Kyle assured her. "Just a young man needing his beauty sleep."
"Then why were you gone for so long?"
"We encountered a little something on the way... We'll explain on the way," Kyle replied.
Kyle climbed into one of the carriages and cast the Imperturbable Expansion Charm to ensure there was enough space for eight people. He had become quite adept at this spell.
The others followed suit and boarded the carriage.
...
(End of Chapter)
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