Chapter 35: Deal

Professor McGonagall didn't linger for long and soon left the Great Hall to return to her office. But as soon as she was out the door, the Hufflepuff badgers couldn't hold it in any longer. The previously quiet table erupted into laughter, transforming into something more akin to a bustling food market.

Small groups of students gathered, mimicking the pitiful expressions Fred and George had worn just moments earlier, slapping the table as they laughed uncontrollably. Even Kanna, normally shy and reserved, couldn't suppress her amusement, her small shoulders shaking as she laughed quietly to herself.

Kyle watched in disbelief. Good grief, they're all acting pros! He thought. The next time someone tries to tell me that Hufflepuff students are all honest and straightforward, I'll make sure to give them a slap to wake them up. Of course, he excluded himself from that judgment.

...

After lunch, the students began leaving the Great Hall in small groups, but Kyle found himself stopped again at the door. This time, it wasn't Fred or George—it was a familiar-looking Asian girl.

"Hello, I'm Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. Can I have a moment of your time?" she asked politely, extending her hand.

"Kyle Chopper," Kyle responded, shaking her hand.

Out of habit, he glanced at Cedric, who stood nearby but didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Cedric simply introduced himself, then stepped aside to wait for Kyle, much like when they had encountered the Weasley twins earlier.

Of course, Cedric and Cho Chang didn't seem to know each other yet—after all, Cho Chang was only eleven, and Kyle couldn't imagine Cedric being interested in her at this age. Azkaban doesn't have age restrictions, after all, he thought with a wry smile.

Shaking off the thought, Kyle turned back to Cho Chang. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to copy your map," Cho said, her tone straightforward. "I can pay you for it."

"Map?" Kyle raised an eyebrow and glanced at Cedric, silently asking for his opinion.

Cedric, who clearly hadn't mastered the art of non-verbal communication, simply shrugged, indicating that the map wasn't his concern and Kyle could do as he pleased.

Typical good student, Kyle thought, inwardly scoffing at Cedric's "uneducated" ways. But his expression remained unchanged.

"No need to pay," Kyle said, pulling the map from his robes and handing it to Cho. "You helped Ryan and Mikel earlier, and they're my roommates. Consider this a small token of appreciation."

"So they're your roommates?" Cho remarked, recalling the two first-years she'd helped earlier. As she accepted the map, she couldn't help but smile. "I have to admit, your roommates are... unique. They somehow managed to miss every single correct staircase."

She laughed lightly, covering her mouth. "I watched them for five minutes, and they just kept going in circles on the wrong staircases. Not once did they pick the right one."

Kyle flushed slightly, embarrassed for his roommates. He hesitated to keep the conversation going, so instead, he awkwardly pointed to the map. "Well, most of the routes on here are connected to the Hufflepuff common room. I'm not sure how useful it'll be for Ravenclaw."

"That's alright," Cho said, shaking her head. "As long as I know where the classrooms are, it'll be easier to figure out the route from Ravenclaw Tower."

"Geminio", she pulled out her wand and, though her movements were a bit clumsy, cast the spell, successfully creating a copy of the map.

"Phew, thank goodness. I thought I was going to make a fool of myself," she said with a touch of smugness as she handed the original map back to Kyle. "I kept failing when I practiced before, so I didn't think it would work this time."

Knowing you might embarrass yourself, but still going for it? Kyle mused. Are Ravenclaw students always this competitive? If Ryan had been here… well, he didn't need to be. Ryan had been pestering Kyle since dinner about wanting a map replica instead of copying it by hand. See, that's the difference, Kyle thought. Ravenclaws seemed to embrace challenges, while many Hufflepuffs took a more straightforward approach.

Before Kyle had arrived, Cedric had been the only standout in Hufflepuff, the one everyone could look up to. Kyle suspected Professor Sprout had made some kind of deal with the Sorting Hat last year to bolster Hufflepuff's ranks. Perhaps it was paid in herbs.

But speaking of Cedric...

Kyle glanced at Cho, who was glowing with satisfaction now that she had the map. Casually, he asked, "Do you Ravenclaws have similar maps?"

Cho thought for a moment. "Maybe, but I've never seen one."

"Same here," Kyle said, deliberately glancing to the side. "Cedric gave me this one. So, do any other Ravenclaws need a map like this?"

Cho caught on quickly, her eyes narrowing as she tentatively asked, "Are you thinking of selling them?"

"Yeah, I was considering it," Kyle said, getting straight to the point. "What do you think? Is it feasible?"

"It's definitely feasible, but you'll have to keep the price low," Cho said, holding up her hands. "Ten Sickles, max. If it's more than that—even by a knut—I won't buy it, and I bet the other first-years would feel the same."

"That's fine. Ten Sickles it is," Kyle said, shrugging. "It doesn't take much effort, so why not make a little pocket money?"

"Then you need to hurry," Cho advised. "The map will only be useful to Ravenclaws for about a week at the start of the year. The longer you wait, the less it'll be worth. If you wait until tomorrow, it might only go for nine Sickles."

"That's fair," Kyle said with a grin. He extended his hand to Cho. "Interested in joining in? I'll provide the map, you handle the publicity and the transactions, and we'll split the profits—fifty-fifty."

Cho seemed a little surprised at the offer, but quickly recovered. She shook Kyle's hand and said, "Of course, I'm interested."

She did some quick mental calculations. There were 16 new students in Ravenclaw, and excluding herself, that left 15. Even if only a third of them bought the map, she'd still walk away with 25 Sickles. For a first-year, that was a considerable amount of money, and it wasn't something she was about to pass up. Plus, it was easy work—just a few conversations and running around.

Kyle nodded. "Great, it's a deal. You take care of Ravenclaw."

"No problem," Cho agreed. "I'll head back now. There should be quite a few first-years in the common room at this time."

Cho, eager to earn her pocket money, quickly said her goodbyes to Kyle and Cedric and hurried back to Ravenclaw Tower.