Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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"Wait, you can also brew pet tonics?"
Cedric's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Then can I ask you to make my owl tonic from now on?"
"Of course," Kyle said, glancing at the Tawny Owl on the shelf next to him. "But owls are different from mice. They need tonics that are more complicated. I'll have to charge nine Sickles. Don't think it's expensive, it's already the market price. Besides, I got the recipe from Newt. The tonic I make is much better than what's on the market. It's definitely worth the money."
"Hmm..."
Cedric nodded.
That was true. In Diagon Alley, the cheapest owl tonic cost nine Sickles, and the better ones even cost a Galleon.
If Kyle's owl tonic recipe really came from Scamander, then it was indeed excellent value for money.
But...
"Can it be cheaper?" Cedric said sheepishly. "We're friends, right? There should be a discount."
Honestly, Cedric really wanted to slam the table and splurge on seven or eight bottles.
But he was only in his second year, and his pocket money was so limited that he couldn't afford it.
While Hogwarts provided room and board, the cost of quills, ink, parchment, and the like was quite substantial. Add in all the other miscellaneous items, and it was barely enough for a full semester.
While he could save a lot if he was frugal and eliminated unnecessary expenses, who would complain about having too many Galleons?
A discount would definitely be nice.
Facing Cedric's hopeful gaze, Kyle stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "Well, you're right. We're friends. We definitely can't go with the market price."
"Right, right," Cedric's eyes brightened.
"Well..." Kyle gritted his teeth and held up a finger, saying, "Just pay this."
Cedric exclaimed in surprise, "One Sickle?"
Kyle shook his head. "No, one Galleon."
"..."
Cedric's smile remained, but his tone had changed.
"One, one Galleon!"
"Is that a discount?"
"Yeah, twenty percent off," Kyle said seriously. "Think about it. Besides those Slytherin boys and girls, who else at Hogwarts would spend Galleons on owl tonics? My business is tough.
Now that I finally have a clear customer who won't turn against me, I'm definitely going to make more money."
"..."
Cedric was stunned. When he looked at Kyle again, his eyes twitched.
How could he say such a thing to his face? And so confidently. Did he even have any basic sense of wizarding ethics?
Cedric was so angry that he was shaking all over. He took a deep breath and said, "Kyle, you will definitely be assigned to Azkaban."
"Good luck,"
Kyle raised an eyebrow, completely unconcerned. He even asked, "Do you still want that owl tonic?"
"Yes..."
Cedric squeezed out a word through his teeth.
But just as he was about to pay, the carriage door was pushed open again.
A small figure walked in nervously.
It was a very beautiful girl, brown hair tied in two ponytails, and a round face with a little baby fat. She must be a first year.
Huh?
Kyle and Cedric looked at each other at the same time.
Looking for you?
I don't know her!
Although neither of them spoke, they miraculously understood each other's meaning, for it was exactly what they were trying to say.
After understanding Cedric's meaning, Kyle glanced over again, wondering, "Did we get into the wrong car?"
The girl seemed a bit socially anxious, and when Kyle asked her, she instinctively wanted to run out, but then she restrained herself and shook her head. "No, I'm not in the wrong car. I want to see you."
"Looking for me?"
Kyle was even more confused, certain he didn't know the girl.
Ignoring Cedric's teasing look, Kyle continued, "What do you want from me?"
As he spoke, he looked the girl over again.
He knew he didn't know her. Besides, she didn't bear any resemblance to Chris, which pretty much ruled out any clichéd plot points.
For example, suddenly having a younger sister before school.
"Um... I just overheard your conversation in the corridor."
The girl's voice was soft and feeble, and perhaps worried about being misunderstood, she hurriedly explained, "Please don't misunderstand me. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. That red-haired senior forgot to close the door. It was really an accident..."
But Kyle clearly didn't care about such a trivial matter. He waved his hand and said, "It's okay, keep talking."
The Hogwarts Express was like that, with poor soundproofing. Even with the door closed tightly, he could still hear the shouting in the corridor, and it was probably the same outside.
Besides, they hadn't been trying to keep their voices down when Percy arrived, so it was normal for someone to hear them. Nothing strange.
Hearing Kyle's words, the girl breathed a sigh of relief, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a large, gray rat.
???
Kyle looked at the scene before him, feeling a sense of déjà vu, as if he had just experienced the same scene.
Oh, right, that's how Percy had just pulled Scabbers out. Their movements were identical, even the rat they pulled out was the same species.
Is this a classic re-enactment?
Kyle's heart suddenly tightened at the thought, and he instinctively glanced at the rat.
Its claws were still there, so it must be a proper rat.
Kyle shook his head self-deprecatingly, feeling a bit overly nervous.
After all, there weren't so many illegal Animaguses in the wizarding world. Even if there were, they wouldn't all be transformed into rats, lurking around young wizards.
Even one oddball like Peter Pettigrew would be enough.
After calming down, Kyle roughly guessed what the other person was up to and tentatively asked, "So, you want to buy some rat tonic from me?"
The fact that he had a rat with him, and that he'd mentioned Percy, plus the fact that their previous conversation had mostly been about pet tonics... taking all that into account, Kyle couldn't imagine any other reason besides rat tonic.
"Is it okay?"
Sure enough, after hearing Kyle's words, the girl nodded, her big, watery eyes looking at Kyle hopefully, and whispered, "I've bought a lot of tonics from Diagon Alley, but they weren't very effective."
"Of course, it's my honor."
After realizing that the girl in front of him was a customer, Kyle immediately showed a sincere smile: "Wait a moment, I'll get it. By the way, my name is Kyle Chopper, and you can call me Kyle for this year's first year."
"K...Kanna."
The girl's chubby face flushed slightly, and she whispered, "Kanna Prince."
[End of the chapter]