Chapter 52: They Gave Too Much
Chapter 52: They Gave Too Much
The following day, at the same time and in the same Hufflepuff Common Room, Kyle, Cedric, and Conna sat together once again.
However, this time, there was a stack of gleaming Galleons on the table in front of them.
"One, two, three..."
"No need to count..." Kyle glanced at Cedric and raised his eyebrows, "Exactly sixty Galleons, no more, no less."
"So much..." Cedric's mouth hung open, feeling dazed as if he were in a dream.
...
Indeed, it felt like a dream, and today's plan went surprisingly well.
Although Conna, due to her nervousness, completely forgot the specific process and acted like a salesperson, immediately taking out the map upon meeting them.
No, a salesperson would at least greet and be polite, rather than directly getting to the point like Conna did.
Kyle and Cedric stood there, stunned, wondering if they should continue with the act.
But they soon had their answer.
Rowle and Axley's reactions were equally surprising.
They didn't even wait for Conna to speak; upon seeing the golden edges of the map, they eagerly inquired about its origins.
When they learned that it was one of only ten limited-edition maps, they completely changed their previous arrogant attitude and eagerly engaged Conna in conversation.
They linked arms with Conna, chatting and laughing as they reminisced about the fun times they had at a banquet years ago, looking like long-time friends.
Conna, feeling a bit dazed, accompanied them along the way. By the time they returned to the Hufflepuff table, she had ten Galleons in her hand.
Conna's memory of how these Galleons ended up in her hand was a bit hazy.
Perhaps it happened in the corridor or at the Great Hall entrance.
Rowle and Axley were excellent conversationalists, and during their walk, they naturally shifted the topic from the banquet to the complex castle structure of Hogwarts. Then, without any hesitation, they asked Conna to help them purchase the map. After she agreed, the conversation seamlessly returned to its original topic.
The entire process was smooth and seamless, without any awkwardness.
Although Conna's intentions were the same as theirs, the progress of the plan was so smooth because they were working together.
However, even so, Kyle had to admit that Slytherins indeed had a natural talent for social interactions.
Therefore, at the table, the first thing he said to Conna was, "Remember to stay away from Slytherins in the future; otherwise, they might sell you off without you even realizing it."
Cedric, sitting beside him, nodded in strong agreement.
To avoid any further complications, after lunch, the two golden-edged maps were delivered to Rowle and Axley.
With their "promotion," it took less than two hours to sell all nine maps, except for Conna's sample.
Some young Slytherins even wanted to have their house crest printed on them.
Kyle initially disagreed, but they offered too much.
The price doubled... Who could resist that?
In the end, it became sixty Galleons.
"Dividing the loot... Ahem, dividing the Galleons."
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Kyle pushed half of the Galleons towards Conna, "As agreed, we'll split it evenly."
"No, you've miscounted," Conna shook her head, took out ten Galleons, and put them back, then looked at Kyle with confusion.
"It should be twenty Galleons each, right? Your math is that bad?"
Kyle opened his mouth but felt a sudden tightness in his chest.
"It's fine, as long as you're happy," Cedric said, almost laughing himself to death.
Kyle, bad at math? He could laugh about it for an entire school year.
Kyle, annoyed, pushed the twenty Galleons towards him. He didn't understand how Cedric, who was usually such a good person, had turned into this.
Wow, he's not even trying to hide his schadenfreude anymore?
Cedric paid no attention to Kyle's sour attitude. He picked up a Galleon and caressed it gently in his hand.
"With this many Galleons, I can buy ten Phoenix Feather Quills."
"Phoenix Feather Quills?" Kyle frowned. "What's so good about those? And they're so expensive."
"They're beautiful," Cedric said matter-of-factly. "I've had my eye on that yellow one for a long time. The color would go perfectly with Hufflepuff."
Kyle thought of something and smirked, then quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "In that case, you should buy more so you can switch them out."
"No need, one is enough for now." Cedric thought for a moment. "I plan to give the rest to my father."
Hearing this, Kyle couldn't help but glance at him. Just as he was about to say something, Cedric continued, "Maybe he'll be so happy that he'll upgrade my broom from a Swift Seven to a Firebolt 1700."
Kyle swallowed the words that had just reached his lips.
The Firebolt 1700 was two hundred Galleons more expensive than the Swift Seven. Twenty Galleons to two hundred, Cedric's mind was spinning.
But, to be fair, given Mr. Diggory's personality, upon learning that Cedric had made it into the House team and earned a full twenty Galleons, he might just buy him a Firebolt.
Kyle's eyes glinted, and a sudden idea came to mind. But it was too late now, and he'd have to wait until tomorrow to bring it up.
...
After dividing the Galleons, Cedric went to the kitchen and brought back some cookies, sweets, and other snacks, along with a large pitcher of pumpkin juice.
The three of them held a small celebration in the Common Room.
Kyle picked up a cup of pumpkin juice and took a sip. Just then, he saw Conna across from him take out seven or eight small bags and put two Galleons into each one.
"???"
Under Kyle's puzzled gaze, Conna explained, "I'm afraid of losing them again, so it's better to keep them separate."
Cedric was surprised. "Conna, did you lose Galleons?"
"Yes," Conna nodded and briefly recounted what had happened.
After listening, Cedric's smile faded, and he thought seriously. "There shouldn't be any in the Quidditch pitch. After every Flying lesson, Professor Hooch checks the pitch, and if anyone drops something, it'll be found quickly.
And yesterday during practice, I didn't hear anyone mention finding twenty Galleons.
Let's do this: tomorrow, I'll help you ask the others if anyone saw the Galleons."
"It's okay, I don't mind anymore." Conna pointed to the pile of small bags in front of her and smiled. "These are enough for me to use for a long time."
"Er..."
"You're not bothered by losing twenty Galleons?"
Cedric didn't speak. Somehow, the pumpkin juice in his hand seemed to have turned into lemonade.
(End of Chapter)
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