Chapter 50: I Have a Path

Kyle wasn't a man of procrastination. Once he had an idea, he made Kanna go back to the dorm first, then immediately went to Gryffindor Tower.

But unfortunately, he arrived to find that Percy wasn't in the dorm. He asked around, but nobody knew where he had gone.

He couldn't do anything about it for now.

It seemed Scabbers was just out of luck.

When Kyle returned to the Hufflepuff common room, Kanna was sitting on a sofa in the corner, holding her rat and staring anxiously at the window across from her.

There, a large owl was looking menacingly at her… and the rat in her hand. It would occasionally smack its lips.

Rodon had never seen such a fat rat before. The fur was glossy and the body was plump. In the eyes of an owl, it was the best kind of food. It was getting a little hungry.

Of course, it knew that the rat was the young witch's pet, so it couldn't eat it. I was just enjoying the sight.

But Kanna didn't know what it was thinking. When Kyle arrived, the young witch had a pale face and was clutching the hem of her robe. There was obvious sweat on her forehead.

Honestly, she hadn't been this nervous when she discovered her Galleons were missing.

It wasn't until Kyle used a Wrackspurt jerky to distract Rodon that Kanna's face regained a bit of color.

Kyle walked over and spread his hands, "I couldn't find Percy. He's not in Gryffindor Tower."

"Hmm."

Kanna wasn't thinking that much. In her opinion, the other rats were all ugly, and Pocky wouldn't like them. Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept playing with the hamster.

It was mainly because Kyle had run away so fast that he hadn't given her a chance to refuse.

Now, this outcome was the best possible.

Kanna sent Pocky back to the dorm. When she came back out, she was much more relaxed. She even retaliated and bared her teeth at Rodon.

Rodon flapped its wings and flew out the window. Before leaving, it specifically turned to look at her, as if it were looking at a moron.

This made the young witch furious.

"Why are you angry at it?" Kyle shook his head with a chuckle. Then he took out ten Galleons and put them on the table.

"I don't want it!"

Before Kyle could say anything, Kanna shook her head firmly, "Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary."

"But Christmas is still a long time away." Kyle frowned, "Even if you don't have to worry about food, what about parchment and ink? You need Galleons for those, you can't buy them.

Or did you bring enough supplies from home?"

At Hogwarts, parchment and ink were consumed very quickly. The amount they required in the acceptance letter was not enough. They would run out in a month.

So, usually, students would ask their prefects to bring some back when they went to Hogsmeade.

Although it wasn't expensive, just a few Sickles, it still cost money. Nobody was going to give them Knuts for free.

"I…" Kanna was silent. It seemed like Kyle's words had reminded her that even at Hogwarts, you weren't completely without need of Knuts.

But even so, she still shook her head, "I'll figure something out."

Kyle tried to convince her a few more times, presenting facts and reasoning, but she was surprisingly stubborn on this point. She wouldn't accept anything other than the rat tonic.

She even refused the parchment Kyle had given her.

"You care about that rat."

Kyle rubbed his forehead and suddenly asked, "By the way, do you know any Slytherin freshmen?"

Kanna thought for a moment and said, "I should. A few years ago, I met Laura and Alexi at a banquet. They were both in Slytherin, first years.

But I don't know if they remember me. I haven't been to a banquet in a long time."

"It's okay. Just a vague impression is fine." Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Kanna, would you like to earn some Galleons yourself?"

"Earn… Galleons myself?" Kanna seemed to not understand.

"Yes, earn them yourself, like adults."

Kyle tapped on the table with his finger, "I have a plan at Hogwarts. Although it might be a little difficult for you, the profit is high. Once it's done, you won't need to worry about parchment or other things, and you can even buy a lot of snacks.

What do you think? Want to try?"

Kanna didn't say anything, but she was tempted.

She had been thinking of helping others with their homework in exchange for parchment and ink. But she always felt guilty doing that. She was also afraid that the professors would find out.

Now that Kyle said there was another way, she wanted to try.

Kyle didn't keep her in suspense. He continued, "Do you remember the map that Cedric gave you yesterday?"

Kanna nodded, "Hmm, I remember."

After the Flying class yesterday, the second-year Cedric had given each of them a Hogwarts map. She remembered that very well.

Besides, she had heard that they also had this kind of map in Ravenclaw, but they had bought them.

"It's this one." Kyle put the golden-edged map that Cedric had given him on the table, "It's the Slytherin version. But we need a middleman to sell it to them.

Do you want to try it? Five Galleons per map. We split the final profit 50/50."

"Five Galleons?!" Kanna looked at Kyle in disbelief. Her expression was exactly like Rodon's earlier.

How could these maps be worth three Galleons? That was too expensive! Why would anyone buy them?

"The ones in Ravenclaw were only about fifteen Sickles," Kanna whispered.

"This is a golden-edged limited edition. It's different from those ordinary ones." Kyle raised an eyebrow, "We used the best materials and craftsmanship. It was completely handcrafted. It took three days to make ten. There aren't anymore.

Think about it. There are hundreds of people at Hogwarts, and only ten of them will have this limited-edition map. This is a symbol of status and wealth. Is it not worth five Galleons?"

"..."

Kanna felt a little dizzy. But after listening to Kyle, it seemed like those five Galleons might be worth it.

She thought about it for a moment and said, "But it's been three days since school started. All the classes are over. Can you sell these maps?"

"Don't worry about that." Kyle said calmly, "Hogwarts isn't just classrooms. There are libraries, the hospital wing, professor's offices, etc. New students don't know where they are.

And don't forget the main building's staircases change. Who knows where they'll be moved to the next day? What if it's a path you haven't taken before?

Just waiting there isn't an option. It's too much of a waste of time. But it's easy to get lost if you walk there. No matter which you choose, you'll be late.

That's when the map becomes important. Especially a map that marks most of the staircase changes.

So, don't worry. Someone will buy it."