Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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The next day, at the same time, in the same Hufflepuff common room, Kyle, Cedric, and Kanna sat together again.
Only this time, there was a stack of golden Galleons on the table before them.
"One, two, three..."
"No need to count..." Kyle glanced at Cedric, raised an eyebrow, and said, "No more, no less, exactly sixty Galleons."
"That's a lot..." Cedric gaped, feeling completely dizzy and dreamlike.
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And indeed, it was like a dream. Today's plan went surprisingly smoothly.
Although Kanna was nervous, had completely forgotten the details of the process and, like a salesperson, pulled out a map the moment they met.
No, a salesperson would at least say hello and be polite, instead of jumping straight into the point like Kanna did.
This scene left Kyle and Cedric stunned, hesitant to continue the act.
But they soon got their answer.
Rowle and Yaxley's reactions were equally surprising.
Without even waiting for Kanna to speak, they eagerly inquired about the map's origins upon seeing its gold border.
Upon learning it was limited to just ten copies, they dropped their usual haughty demeanor and eagerly engaged in conversation.
They linked arms with Kanna, chatting and laughing as they reminisced about the banquet they had held years before, looking like longtime friends.
Kanna accompanied them on their journey, half-conscious. By the time they returned to the Hufflepuff table, she had ten Galleons in her hand.
Kanna had a vague recollection of exactly when these Galleons arrived.
Perhaps in the corridor, or perhaps at the entrance to the Great Hall, Kanna was fuzzy.
Rowle and Yaxley were highly chatty, and as they walked, they naturally shifted the conversation from the banquet to the complex architecture of Hogwarts Castle. Then, naturally, they asked Kanna for help purchasing the map. Once she agreed, the conversation seamlessly shifted back again.
The whole process was seamless, without a single abrupt shift.
Although Kanna's goal was the same as theirs, and the two sides were working together, which was why things were progressing so smoothly, Kyle had to admit that Slytherins were indeed gifted at socializing.
So, at the dinner table, his first words to Kanna were, "Remember to stay away from Slytherins from now on, or you'll be sold out by them without even realizing it."
Cedric, standing beside them, nodded in agreement.
To avoid further complications, after lunch, the two gold-edged maps were delivered to Rowle and Yaxley.
With their "promotion," all nine maps, except for Kanna's sample, were sold in less than two hours.
Some of the snakes wanted to have their family crests printed on them.
Kyle initially objected, but the offer was too much.
Double the price... who could resist?
So, in the end, it came down to sixty Galleons.
"Divide the loot... ahem, divide the Galleons."
Under everyone's expectant gaze, Kyle shoved half the Galleons toward Kanna. "We agreed on an equal split."
"No, you miscounted," Kanna shook her head, counting out ten Galleons and putting them back. Then, she gave Kyle a puzzled look.
"Twenty Galleons should be split equally between the three of us. Is your math that bad?"
"I..." Kyle opened his mouth, feeling a tightness in his chest.
"Come on, just be happy."
Cedric was practically dying of laughter beside him.
Kyle, bad at math?
He could laugh about this for the entire school year.
Kyle shoved the twenty Galleons over unhappily. He couldn't understand why Cedric, who used to be such a nice guy, had turned into this.
Good man, even gloating over someone else's misfortune?
Cedric didn't care at all for Kyle's bad attitude. He picked up a Galleon and rubbed it carefully in his hand.
"That's enough Galleons to buy me ten Hufflepuff quills."
"Hufflepuff quills?" Kyle frowned. "What's so good about them? They're so expensive."
"They look nice," Cedric said matter-of-factly. "I've had my eye on the yellow one for a long time. It goes so well with Hufflepuff."
Kyle's face twisted into a smile as he thought something, then quickly regained its composure and said calmly, "Then you'd better buy a few more so you can rotate them."
"No, just one for now," Cedric thought for a moment. "I'm going to give the rest to my father."
Hearing this, Kyle couldn't help but glance at him. Just as he was about to say something, Cedric continued, "Maybe if he's happy, he'll upgrade my broom from the Cleansweep Seven to a Nimbus 1700."
Kyle swallowed the words back.
The Nimbus 1700 was two hundred Galleons more expensive than the Cleanssweep Seven. Twenty to two hundred. Cedric's calculations were about to hit him in the face.
But you never know. Given Mr. Diggory's personality, after learning Cedric had made the house team and earned a full twenty Galleons, he might even buy him a Nimbus.
Kyle's eyes flickered, an idea suddenly forming in his mind. But it was too late now; he'd have to wait until tomorrow.
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After distributing the Galleons, Cedric went to the kitchen and brought back some cookies, sweet treats, and a large pitcher of pumpkin juice.
The three of them celebrated in the common room.
Kyle took a sip from the pumpkin juice when he saw Kanna across from him pull out seven or eight small bags and place two Galleons in each.
"???"
Conna explained, "I'm afraid I'll lose them again, so I'd better keep them separate."
Cedric asked, surprised, "Kanna, did you lose a Galleon?"
"Yes," Kanna nodded, briefly recounting the incident.
After hearing this, Cedric also put away his smile, thought about it seriously and said, "There shouldn't be any on the Quidditch field. After every flying class, Mrs. Hooch will check the field. If someone drops something, it will be found quickly.
And I didn't hear anyone pick up 20 Galleons during training yesterday.
How about this, I'll ask other people for you tomorrow to see if anyone has seen Galleons."
"It doesn't matter, I don't care anymore." Kanna pointed to the pile of small bags in front of her, smiled with her eyebrows curved, "These are enough for me to use for a long time."
"Uh..."
"Just because you lost 20 Galleons, you don't care?"
Cedric didn't say anything. Somehow, the pumpkin juice in his hand seemed to suddenly turn into lemonade.
[End of the chapter]