Chapter 35: The Deal

Professor McGonagall didn't stay long. She quickly returned to her office.

As soon as she stepped out of the Great Hall, the Hufflepuff badgers let loose. The quiet table instantly transformed into a bustling marketplace.

They gathered in groups of three or four, mimicking the Weasley brothers' pitiful expressions, laughing until they pounded on the table.

Even Kanna, usually shy and introverted, lowered her head, her small shoulders shaking. She couldn't hold it in.

Kyle was stunned.

Goodness, they were all actors! From now on, anyone who told him that Hufflepuffs were all good and honest, Kyle would give them a slap to wake them up.

Of course, this didn't include himself.

...

...

After lunch, the young wizards began to leave the Great Hall one by one. Kyle was stopped at the entrance once again.

But this time, it wasn't the Weasleys. It was a familiar Asian girl.

"Hello, I'm Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. Can I take a little of your time?"

Cho extended her hand generously.

"Kyle Chopper."

Kyle also extended his hand. Their touch was brief.

He subconsciously glanced at Cedric. But he didn't react unusually. He simply introduced himself and stood aside, waiting for Kyle.

Just like when he met the Weasley brothers.

But it was understandable. They probably didn't know each other yet, and Cho was only eleven. Cedric, no matter how bad he was, wouldn't attack her now.

Azkaban had no age restrictions.

Kyle shook his head with a chuckle and turned to Cho, "What do you need?"

"I want to copy your map. Can I?" Cho said, "I can pay."

"The map?"

Kyle looked at Cedric, as if asking for his opinion.

Cedric understood, but he hadn't learned to communicate through eye contact, so he could only shrug. He indicated that the map wasn't his concern now, Kyle could decide for himself.

Tsk, good students are good students. They don't even know how to communicate with their eyes.

Dumb.

Kyle mocked Cedric's "lack of learning" in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged.

"No need to pay." Kyle took out the map and handed it to Cho, "After all, you helped Ryan and Mickel earlier. They're my roommates. Consider this a thank you."

"Oh, they're your roommates."

Cho recalled the two freshmen she had met that morning. She took the map and said with a smile, "I have to say, your roommates are quite special. They actually managed to miss every correct staircase perfectly.

Really, I watched them for five minutes, and they never walked the right way once. They were always circling on the same three wrong staircases."

As she spoke, Cho couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, "Sorry, I didn't mean to mock. I just think it's very… well, magical."

Kyle blushed, not daring to continue the topic. He awkwardly pointed to the map, "The routes on this are all related to the Hufflepuff common room. It might not be that useful for Ravenclaw."

"It's okay." Cho shook her head, "As long as I know the exact location of the classrooms, the routes will be much easier to find.

—Duplicatus."

Although her wand movements were a bit clumsy, she successfully copied the map.

"Whew, thank goodness. I thought I was going to make a fool of myself." Cho returned the original map to Kyle and said with a little pride, "I kept failing when I practiced before. I didn't expect to succeed this time."

Knowing she could make a fool of herself, she still tried it herself? Were all Ravenclaw students so strong-willed?

If this had been Ryan… well, there was no need to change. Ryan had been pestering Kyle since they were eating, saying he didn't want to copy the map and wanted a copy himself.

Look, that's the difference.

Besides, most of the Hufflepuff freshmen were like that.

Before Kyle came, Cedric, the undisputed number one in second year, was probably the only Hufflepuff who could be considered a representative, a respectable student.

Kyle had reason to suspect that Professor Sprout had bribed the Sorting Hat during last year's Sorting Ceremony.

Of course, maybe she bribed it with a plant.

But speaking of Cedric…

Kyle looked at Cho, who was smiling happily with the map in her hand, and casually asked, "Do you have a map like this in Ravenclaw?"

Cho thought for a moment and said, "Maybe, but I haven't seen one."

"Oh, actually, I haven't seen one either. Cedric gave it to me." Kyle deliberately glanced to the side, then continued, "Besides you, are there any other Ravenclaw freshmen who need this map?"

Hmm?

Cho seemed to guess Kyle's meaning and said tentatively, "Are you planning to sell it to them?"

"That's right. I do have that idea." Kyle didn't hide it. He said directly, "What do you think? Is it feasible?"

"It's feasible, but the price shouldn't be too high." Cho stretched out her hands, "Ten Sickles. That's the highest price I can afford. If it's more than that, even a single Knut more, I won't buy it. I think it's the same for other freshmen."

"No problem. Ten Sickles is ten Sickles." Kyle said indifferently, "It's not much work anyway. It's just a way to earn some pocket money."

"Then you have to hurry." Cho reminded him, "For Ravenclaw, this map is only valuable for a week before school starts. The longer it takes, the lower the price. If you wait until tomorrow, it will probably be only nine Sickles."

"Enough." Kyle smiled and extended his hand, "Are you interested in joining in? I provide the maps. You take care of advertising and the actual transactions. The profits... we split it evenly."

Cho was surprised, but she quickly reacted. She shook Kyle's hand and said, "Of course, I'm very interested."

Cho did a quick calculation. There were sixteen Ravenclaw freshmen. Minus her, that was fifteen. Even if only one-third of them bought the map, she would get twenty-five Sickles.

For a first-year student like her, that was already a considerable amount of money. Of course, she didn't want to miss this opportunity.

Besides, it was just a matter of running a few errands and talking a few words. It was easy for her.

Kyle nodded, "Then that's settled. Ravenclaw is your territory."

"No problem. I'll go back now. There should be a lot of freshmen in the common room."

Concerned with her pocket money, Cho was very motivated. She said goodbye to the two and ran briskly back to Ravenclaw Tower.