Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Professor McGonagall didn't stay long, quickly returning to her office.
But as soon as she stepped out of the Great Hall, the Hufflepuff badgers began to let loose, transforming the once quiet dining table into a bustling market.
They gathered in groups, imitating the pitiful expressions of the Weasley brothers, then slamming their hands on the table with laughter.
Even the usually shy Kanna lowered her head, her shoulders hunched, clearly unable to hold back.
Kyle was stunned.
Good boy, they were all great actors! From now on, if anyone told him that Hufflepuffs were all well-behaved, Kyle would give them a big slap to wake them up.
Except, of course, himself.
...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After lunch, all the young wizards began to leave the Great Hall, but Kyle was once again stopped at the door.
This time, however, it wasn't a Weasley, but a familiar Asian girl.
"Hello, I'm Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. Can I have a moment of your time?"
Cho extended his hand.
"Kyle Chopper."
Kyle extended his hand as well, and the two of them touched and separated.
He then subconsciously glanced at Cedric, but Cedric didn't react in any way. He simply introduced himself and stood aside, waiting for Kyle.
It was just like when he met the Weasley twins before.
But then again, they probably didn't know each other yet, and Cho Chang was only eleven. Cedric wouldn't attack her just yet.
Azkaban had no age limit.
Kyle shook his head with a hint of amusement, then turned to Cho and asked, "What do you want from me?"
"I'd like to make a copy of your map, is that okay?" Cho said. "I can pay for it."
"The map?"
Kyle looked at Cedric, as if asking for his opinion.
Cedric understood, but since he hadn't learned the skill of eye contact, he could only throw his hands up, indicating that the map had nothing to do with him right now and that Kyle could handle it himself.
Tsk, a good student is a good student, they can't even make eye contact.
Weak.
Kyle mocked the "unlearned" Cedric in his heart, but his appearance did not change at all.
"No need to pay." Kyle took out the map and handed it to Cho, saying: "After all, you have helped Ryan and Mikel before. They are my roommates. Consider this a thank you gift."
"So they are your roommates."
After being told this by Kyle, Cho also remembered the two first-years he met in the morning. After taking the map, he smiled and said:
"I have to say, your roommates are really special. They can perfectly miss every correct staircase. Really, I watched from the side for five minutes, and they didn't go right once, and they kept going around in circles on three wrong stairs."
As she spoke, Cho couldn't help but burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. "Sorry, I don't mean to mock. I just think this is... well, amazing."
Kyle blushed, not wanting to continue the conversation. He pointed at the map stiffly and said, "The routes here all relate to the Hufflepuff common room. They might not be as useful for Ravenclaw."
"That doesn't matter," Cho shook her head. "As long as you know the exact location of the classrooms, finding the routes will be much easier.
"Gemino."
Although her wand movements were a bit clumsy, she successfully copied the map.
"Phew, thank God! I thought I was going to make a fool of myself." Cho handed the original map back to Kyle, saying with a hint of pride, "I kept failing when I practiced before, but I didn't expect it to work so easily this time."
Even knowing the potential for embarrassment, they still tried it themselves? Are all Ravenclaws so stubborn?
If it were Ryan... well, there was no need to change that. Ryan had been pestering Kyle since dinner, saying he didn't want to copy the map anymore and wanted a copy too.
Look, that's the difference.
And that's pretty much the same for all Hufflepuff first-years.
Before he arrived, Cedric, the undisputed top-ranked second-year wizard, was probably Hufflepuff's only real asset, a wizard who could serve as a front.
Kyle had reason to suspect Professor Sprout had slipped money into the Sorting Hat during last year's sorting.
Of course, it could have been herbs.
But speaking of Cedric...
Kyle looked at Cho, who looked delighted after receiving the map, and casually said, "Do you Ravenclaws have a similar map?"
Cho thought for a moment and said, "Maybe, but I haven't seen one."
"Oh, actually, I haven't seen one before. Cedric gave it to me." Kai deliberately glanced to the side before continuing, "Besides you, are there any other Ravenclaw first-years who need a map like this?"
Hmm?
Cho seemed to have guessed what Kyle meant and said tentatively, "Do you want to sell the map to them?"
"Yes, I do have this idea." Kyle did not hide it and said bluntly, "What do you think, is it feasible?"
"It is feasible, but the price should not be too high." Cho stretched out his hands: "Ten Sickles, this is the highest price I can afford. If it exceeds this number, even if it is only one knut more, I will not buy it. I guess other first years are about the same."
"It doesn't matter, ten Sickles is ten Sickles." Kyle said indifferently: "It doesn't take much effort anyway, just consider it as some pocket money for yourself."
"Then you better hurry up." Chireminded: "For Ravenclaw, this map is only valuable a week before school starts. And the longer the time, the lower the price. If it's tomorrow, it will probably only be nine Sickles."
"That's enough." Kyle smiled and extended his hand to Cho. "Are you interested in getting involved? I'll provide the maps, and you'll handle the promotion and the actual transactions. As for the profits... we'll split them equally."
Cho was a little surprised, but she quickly caught on. She shook Kyle's hand and said, "Of course, I'm interested."
Chi did a quick calculation. There were 16 new students in Ravenclaw, excluding her, that left 15. Even if only a third of them bought the maps, she'd still get 25 Sickles.
For a first-year like her, that was a considerable sum, and she certainly didn't want to miss out.
Besides, it was just a matter of running errands and chatting, easy enough for her.
Kyle nodded and said, "Then it's settled. I'll leave the Ravenclaw side to you."
"No problem. I'll be back now. There should be quite a few new students in the common room by now."
Cho was naturally concerned about her own pocket money. After saying goodbye to the two of them, she hurried back to Ravenclaw Tower.
[End of the chapter]