Chapter 50: I Have a Way
Chapter 50: I Have a Way
Kyle wasn't one to dally. After making up his mind, he asked Connor to head back to the Gryffindor tower while he paid a visit to the Gryffindor common room.
Unfortunately, upon his arrival, he discovered that Percy was not in the dormitory, and no one he asked seemed to know where he had gone.
Helpless to do anything about it for the time being, Kyle could only resign himself to the fact that Percy wasn't meant to have such good fortune.
When Kyle returned to the Hufflepuff common room, he found Connor curled up on a sofa in the farthest corner, anxiously eyeing the windowsill opposite.
There, a large owl glared menacingly at her, its beak occasionally pecking at...a rat.
Ratton had never seen such a plump rat before—its fur sleek and its body plump. In the eyes of an owl, this was a delicacy, and Ratton's mouth was watering.
Of course, it knew that the rat was the little witch's pet and therefore off-limits, but it could still look.
However, Connor had no idea what Ratton was thinking. When Kyle approached, the little witch was pale, clutching the corner of her clothes, and there was a clear bead of sweat on her forehead.
To be honest, she hadn't even been this nervous when she'd discovered her missing Sickle.
It wasn't until Kyle distracted Ratton with a piece of dried Motlar mouse jerky that Connor's face regained some color.
Kyle walked over and spread his hands out. "I couldn't find Percy. He's not in the Gryffindor tower."
"Oh."
Connor wasn't too concerned about it. In her opinion, the other mice were ugly, and Poch probably wouldn't like them anyway, or he wouldn't have kept playing with the hamster.
The main issue was that Kyle had run off too quickly, not giving her a chance to refuse.
But now, the outcome couldn't be better.
After sending Poch back to the dormitory, Connor returned, looking much more relaxed. She even stuck her tongue out at Ratton in retaliation.
Ratton flapped its wings and flew out the window, glancing back at her as it left, as if looking at an idiot.
This left the little witch feeling rather annoyed.
"Why are you angry with it?" Kyle shook his head in amusement and placed ten Galleons on the table.
"I don't want them!"
Before Kyle could say anything, Connor shook her head firmly. "Thank you for your kindness, but I really don't need them."
"But Christmas is still a long way off," Kyle frowned. "Even if you don't have to worry about food, what about parchment and ink? These things cost money, and you'll need more than Knuts.
Unless you brought enough supplies to last you until the next school year?"
At Hogwarts, parchment and ink were consumed quickly. The amount required in the acceptance letter would barely last a month.
Usually, young witches and wizards would ask their prefects to bring some back when they visited Hogsmeade.
While it wasn't expensive, only costing a few Sickles, it still required money, and no one was going to give you Sickles and Knuts for free.
"I..." Connor fell silent, realizing that Kyle's words held truth. Even at Hogwarts, one couldn't get by without spending a single Knut.
However, she still shook her head. "I'll figure something out."
Kyle tried to persuade her several times, presenting facts and reasoning, but on this matter, Connor was unusually stubborn. Aside from the mouse medicine, she refused everything else.
She even turned down the parchment Kyle offered.
"You're really fond of that mouse, aren't you?"
Kyle rubbed his forehead and suddenly asked, "By the way, do you know any of the Slytherin first-years?"
"That's alright, as long as there's some impression," Kyle said after a moment's thought. "Connor, would you like to earn Galleons on your own?"
"Earn Galleons... on my own?" Connor seemed to be processing this idea.
"Yes, earn them yourself, just like an adult," Kyle said, tapping his fingers on the table. "I have a way to make money at Hogwarts. Although it might be a bit challenging for you, the profits are high. If it works out, you won't have to worry about parchment and such, and you'll even be able to buy plenty of snacks.
What do you say? Are you interested?"
Connor remained silent, but it was clear that she was intrigued.
She had been thinking about helping others with their homework in exchange for parchment and ink, but she always felt guilty about it and feared getting caught by the professors.
Now that Kyle had mentioned another option, she was curious to give it a try.
Kyle didn't keep her in suspense and continued, "Remember the map Cedric gave you yesterday?"
Connor nodded. "Yes, I remember."
The memory of the second-year student, Cedric, giving them each a Hogwarts map after their flying class yesterday was still fresh in her mind.
She had also heard that the Ravenclaws had similar maps, but they had to pay for theirs.
"That's the one," Kyle said, placing the golden-edged map that Cedric had given him on the table. "This is the Slytherin version, but we need a middleman to sell them.
Would you like to give it a shot? We'll split the profits fifty-fifty, and each map will sell for five Galleons."
"Five Galleons?!" Connor stared at Kyle in disbelief, her eyes mirroring the same look she had given Ratton earlier.
There was no way these maps were worth three Galleons each; that was just too expensive. Who would buy them?
"The Ravenclaws only paid a few Sickles for theirs," Connor whispered.
"This is a limited-edition golden-edged map, not your average map," Kyle said, raising an eyebrow. "We used the finest materials and craftsmanship, and it took us three whole days to make just ten of them. Not a single one more.
Think about it, out of the hundreds of students at Hogwarts, only ten people will own this limited-edition map. It's a symbol of status and prestige. Isn't it worth five Galleons?"
"......"
Connor felt her head spinning, but as she considered Kyle's words, the price of five Galleons began to sound more and more reasonable.
After a moment's thought, she asked, "But it's already been three days since the start of school, and we've had all our classes. Are these maps still going to sell?"
"Don't worry about that," Kyle said calmly. "Hogwarts has more places than just classrooms, such as the library, the hospital wing, and the professors' offices. New students don't know where these places are.
And don't forget about the moving staircases in the main building. Who knows where they'll end up tomorrow? If you're faced with an unfamiliar route, what will you do?
Waiting in one spot is a waste of time, but walking could lead to getting lost, and either way, you'll be late.
That's when the importance of a map, especially one that marks most of the staircase change patterns, becomes apparent.
So rest assured, there will be buyers."
(End of Chapter)
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