"Kyle, are you sure this will work?"
As soon as Zhang left, Cedric, who had been observing from the side, came over and asked softly, "I mean, would a Ravenclaw freshman really spend money on a map?"
"Who knows?" Kyle shrugged. "We can give it a try. We don't have anything else to do anyway."
Despite Cedric's doubts, Kyle believed it would work. There were no signs at Hogwarts, and freshmen often got lost trying to find their classrooms. A map, especially one that marked the changing staircases, could save them a lot of time. And for just ten Sickles—less than one Galleon—it wasn't exactly expensive.
A first-year wizard from a Muggle family would have around six Galleons left after buying their textbooks and essentials. Spending ten Sickles on a useful map wouldn't be a stretch for most students. Of course, there were exceptions, like a certain red-haired freshman next year who preferred not to be named.
"By the way, this is for you."
As they headed back to their dormitory, Kyle handed Cedric the map. "From now on, you're in charge of supplying these."
Cedric looked confused. "And what do I get out of it?"
"Of course you get a share," Kyle said matter-of-factly. "Zhang takes half, and the other half is for you and me."
Kyle explained, "Besides, I'm still new to school and not skilled enough with the copying spell. I can't sell defective products to people; that would ruin our reputation."
"So, you're the best person for the job. You don't want people saying Hufflepuffs are swindlers, right?"
"Well... okay." Cedric agreed after considering it. What Kyle said made sense.
"Great! I'll tell Zhang to come to you directly. Let's meet up in the Great Hall this afternoon," Kyle said, giving Cedric a meaningful look before heading into his dorm.
Cedric stayed behind, watching Kyle leave, and the more he thought about it, the more something felt off. Zhang was handling the promotion, and he was making the maps, so what was Kyle's role in all of this? Kyle had mentioned that he was "just sitting around." Was he referring to him?
Cedric started to overthink it…
Meanwhile, Kyle returned to the dormitory, took a nap, and woke up just in time for his afternoon Transfiguration class. To avoid any embarrassment like before, he dragged along his friend Ryan, even though Ryan insisted he wouldn't get lost now that he had a map.
As usual, the Transfiguration class was shared with Ravenclaw, and because they arrived early, only a few students were there. Kyle knew without looking that they weren't Hufflepuffs. On the teacher's desk sat a beautiful tabby cat, watching the class with its bright eyes.
Kyle instinctively reached into his robes, touching the bag of dried fish he had prepared earlier. For a long time, he'd wanted to unlock the achievement of feeding "Professor Meow," and he had the dried fish ready for just this moment.
Like moving trash cans in Diagon Alley, feeding Professor McGonagall in her Animagus form wasn't something with tangible rewards, but it felt satisfying, like accomplishing something rare. The trash cans could be moved anytime, but McGonagall would only reveal her Animagus form in the first Transfiguration class for freshmen, making this his one and only chance.
Of course, the dried fish was supposedly for Mrs. Norris, as a thank-you for helping him find the hospital wing the previous day.
Everything seemed perfect, except for the timing. The classroom was too empty right now, and if he made a move to feed the cat, Professor McGonagall might catch on immediately. He decided to wait until more students arrived.
As Kyle lingered at the classroom door, Ryan went inside to save them seats. It was then that Zhang appeared around the corner, waving enthusiastically. "Kyle! I knew I'd find you here."
Ryan, not suspecting anything, said, "I'll save you a spot," and entered the room.
Zhang hurried up to Kyle, slightly out of breath but excited. "Kyle, you won't believe it! Things are going even better than I expected. I showed the map to some of the first-years, and within an hour, twelve of them said they wanted to buy it!"
Kyle wasn't surprised. He nodded calmly, "That's great! Thanks for all your hard work."
"It's no big deal," Zhang replied, still smiling. But then her smile faded as she asked, "Do you have more maps with you? I promised them they'd get theirs after class."
"Cedric has them," Kyle explained. "He was worried about the quality, so he volunteered to take over the copying for me. You can meet him in the Great Hall after class to pick them up. He's really good at the copying spell, so there shouldn't be any issues."
"Cedric?" Zhang thought for a moment. "Isn't he the one who gave you the original map too?"
"Exactly," Kyle said.
"Then he's such a nice guy." Zhang sighed and then frowned, as if a thought had just occurred to her. "If that's the case, I don't feel right taking half. The profits should be split equally among the three of us."
"You can talk to him about that," Kyle said, shrugging. "I've already tried offering him a share, but he refused, saying it was just a small favor. Maybe you'll have better luck convincing him."
"Alright, I'll try!" Zhang agreed enthusiastically.
In her mind, anyone who contributed deserved a fair share of the profits. Kyle smiled, sensing her determination.
"Why do I get the feeling that your smile looks a bit... suspicious?" Zhang asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Suspicious? Maybe I'm just excited about Transfiguration class," Kyle replied with a straight face. "Anyway, let's get inside before we're late."
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Cedric, Zhang, and Kyle's budding enterprise was off to a promising start, driven by the simple but clever idea of selling maps to lost Hogwarts first-years. Zhang's promotional skills, Cedric's expertise with the copying spell, and Kyle's coordination made for a solid team, though it seemed Kyle had managed to delegate most of the actual work.
For now, everything was falling into place. But for Kyle, his immediate goal wasn't about maps or making money—it was about seizing the rare opportunity to feed Professor McGonagall a dried fish during class.
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