Chapter 359: Professor Lupin's First Fortune
Chapter 359: Professor Lupin's First Fortune
A young witch, appearing to be around twelve or thirteen years old, entered the compartment. She was one of the onlookers gathered outside the door.
"Do you still have any badges left?" she asked, seeing that Kyle didn't respond. "I'd like to buy one too."
"Of course!" Kyle quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out another handful of badges. "Take as many as you need."
"Just one will do," the young witch said, stepping forward and choosing a silver-white badge. She then handed Kyle two Galleons.
Not everyone was as forgetful as Neville, constantly losing things, so they didn't need to buy as many.
"Oh, you have good taste. The Australian Dragon's scales are very powerful. It can swallow an entire sheep in one bite."
Kyle smiled and said, "That's right. It's a formidable dragon, and its beauty is highly sought after."
The young witch's eyes lit up with excitement.
"They're really that strong?" she asked.
"Absolutely," Kyle affirmed, nodding. "They are the most beautiful among dragons and are highly admired."
The young witch's eyes sparkled as she held the badge and left the compartment joyfully.
With her as an example, the other onlookers outside couldn't resist and entered the compartment as well.
Although two Galleons was a steep price, it was the beginning of the school year, when students had the most pocket money. They could afford to spend two Galleons.
Moreover, the higher the price, the better. If it were too cheap, they might not dare to buy it.
Not to mention that these were dragon scales, which were highly durable. Even if they didn't need it anymore, they could sell it in Diagon Alley for at least one Galleon.
The first few customers took the white badges, and the young wizard who came later hesitated before choosing a blue one.
"Oh, the Swedish Snout Dragon," Kyle smiled. "They possess unique blue flames and are incredibly fast, a nightmare for other magical creatures."
"Are they powerful?"
"Undoubtedly," Kyle assured him. "A wise choice. I'd guess you're a Ravenclaw."
"That's right!"
Another customer picked a green badge.
"The Welsh Green Dragon," Kyle explained. "Their flames can reach twenty feet..."
Someone else chose a brass-colored badge...
"The Peruvian Vipertooth," Kyle said. "Compared to other dragons, they possess even deadlier weapons."
...
The crowd outside grew larger, but not everyone was there to buy the badges. Many were curious onlookers, drawn by the commotion.
After all, most students had less than ten Galleons in pocket money for the entire year, and two Galleons was a significant amount.
In their eyes, Dementors were unlikely to enter the school, so spending two Galleons on a badge seemed a bit extravagant, even though it was indeed beautiful.
Fortunately, watching the commotion didn't cost anything.
As the crowd gathered outside, the door frame of the compartment creaked under the pressure, gradually becoming distorted.
"Ron, could you help maintain some order, please?" Kyle turned and asked.
At first, Ron was about to refuse, as he needed to look after Harry.
But when Kyle finished his sentence...
"No problem, leave it to me!" Ron exclaimed.
He quickly pushed Harry into the corner and stood up, chest puffed out, and headed towards the door. "Those who want to buy, line up! Everyone else, back to your compartments..."
"Stay quiet... You asked who I am? My brother is..."
...
Not only Ron, but even Professor Lupin stood up to help maintain order.
It wasn't for the two Galleons, of course... but because of his duties as a professor.
As an adult wizard, his words carried more weight than Ron's, and the onlookers quickly dispersed. Those who wanted to buy the badges formed an orderly line and entered the compartment one by one.
...
Half an hour later, Kyle bid farewell to the last group of customers, and at the same time, the train gradually came to a stop.
The train finally arrived at its destination.
Students began to disembark, and Kyle reached into his pile of Galleons, taking out two and handing them to Ron, "Here, as we agreed."
Ron, excited, rubbed his hands on his clothes before carefully accepting them.
He squinted, carefully feeling the Golden Galleons in his hands, as if in a dream. It was the first time he had ever owned so much money.
Then, Kyle took out two more Galleons and gave them to Lupin.
Lupin was staring at the pile of Galleons in a daze, but upon seeing Kyle's action, he shook his head firmly, refusing to accept them.
"I'm a professor..." he said seriously, "It's my duty to help."
"No, the Headmaster hasn't announced the news yet, so technically, you're not officially a professor yet."
Kyle threw the two Galleons at him without further ado, "Take it, sir. As a professor, you should have a decent robe."
With that, Kyle left the compartment.
Lupin hurriedly caught the two Galleons, wanting to return them, but seeing the patches on his clothes, he hesitated.
Kyle was right; he did need a decent set of clothes.
Oh well, he'll return the money after receiving his salary.
The latest chapter is available for reading on Book 69!
Lupin shook his head with a hint of amusement, never expecting that the first money he earned at Hogwarts would be from students as a reward for his efforts, rather than a salary from Dumbledore.
Thirty minutes, two Galleons... Before this, he wouldn't have earned this much in two months.
"Students these days are so rich," Lupin marveled inwardly.
Meanwhile, after Kyle got off the train, two hands suddenly reached out, one on each side.
"Where's our payment?" Fred asked.
"What payment?" Kyle looked at him, puzzled.
"Don't play dumb, you can't fool us." George said, "We helped too, and so did Cedric and Ginny."
"Hurry up and give us the money, two Galleons. We can't have less than Ron."
"Payment? There's none!" Kyle said matter-of-factly, "Shouldn't you help without expecting payment?"
"So..." Fred raised an eyebrow, his expression turning sour.
Kyle continued walking forward without looking back, saying, "No money, stay aside..."
"Then what about two Sickles for me and George..." Fred lowered his demand, "Or just one Sickle, no Galleons."
"None."
"What about a Knut then?"
"No Knuts either. How about Neville?"
Fred and George's faces turned green.
Ginny held a handful of candies, giggling on the side.
Cedric was also laughing. He naturally understood why Kyle was finding reasons to give Ron and Professor Lupin Galleons. After all, without them, those badges wouldn't have sold so quickly.
The group continued their playful banter as they made their way to the carriages, where Connor, Autumn, and Luna were already waiting.
Since they weren't familiar with Harry and the others, they had stayed in the compartment instead of going with Kyle.
They initially thought the group would return in a few minutes, but to their surprise, they had to wait until now.
"Why did it take you so long?"
"Is Potter's injury serious?" Connor asked, "We wanted to go and see, but there were so many people around, blocking the way, that we couldn't get through."
"It's not serious." Kyle said, "Just a young man feeling sleepy, a good rest will fix him."
"Then why did it take you so long?"
"A little something happened on the way... I'll explain when we're on the carriage."
Kyle took the lead and boarded a carriage, casting the Seamless Expansion Charm to ensure there was enough space for eight people.
He had become quite proficient in using this spell.
After that, the others also boarded the carriage one by one.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
