Minerva didn't stay long before returning to her office.
No sooner had she stepped out of the Great Hall than the Hufflepuff badgers erupted, transforming the once-quiet dining table into a bustling marketplace. They huddled in small groups, mockingly reenacting the Weasley brothers' pitiful expressions, laughing so hard they pounded the tables.
Even the typically shy and introverted Kanna had her head down, her little shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
Kyle was dumbfounded.
Good grief, they were all brilliant actors. If anyone ever told him again that Hufflepuffs were just honest kids, he'd give them a good smack to wake them up.
Of course, except for himself...
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
After lunch, as students filed out of the Great Hall, Kyle was once again stopped at the doorway.
This time, instead of the Weasleys, it was a familiar-looking Asian girl.
"Hello, I'm Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. Could I have a moment of your time?" Cho extended her hand directly.
"Kyle Chopper." Kyle returned the gesture, and they briefly shook hands.
He instinctively glanced at Cedric, but his friend showed no particular reaction, merely offering a brief self-introduction before stepping aside to wait — just as he had done earlier with the Weasley brothers.
Well, it made sense — they probably didn't know each other yet, and Cho Chang was only eleven. Cedric wouldn't make a move on her at this point anyway. Azkaban never had any age restrictions, after all.
Kyle shook his head with amusement and turned to Cho, "What can I help you with?"
"I'd like to make a copy of your map, if possible?" She said, "I can pay for it."
"The map?" He looked toward Cedric, seeking his opinion.
Cedric understood but, having never mastered the art of communicating through eye contact, could only shrug, indicating that the map was no longer his concern and Kyle should decide for himself.
Tsk, model students will be model students — they can't even master eye communication. Amateur.
Kyle internally mocked the "unlearned" Cedric, though his expression remained neutral.
"No need to pay." Kyle took out the map and handed it to Cho, "After all, you helped Ryan and Michael earlier — they're my roommates. Consider this a thank you."
"Oh, so they're your roommates." At the mention, Cho recalled the two first-years she'd met that morning. Taking the map, she said with a smile, "I must say, your roommates are quite... unique. They managed to miss every single correct staircase. I watched for five minutes as they went round and round on three wrong staircases, never once finding the right one."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.
"Sorry, I'm not making fun of them. I just think it's... well, remarkable."
Kyle's face reddened, and he quickly changed the subject, pointing stiffly at the map, "These routes are all related to the Hufflepuff common room, so they might not be very useful for Ravenclaw."
"That's not a problem." Cho said, shaking her head, "Once we know the exact location of the classrooms, finding routes becomes much easier."
✭ Geminio ➜ Duplication Charm ✭
Though her wand movement was a bit clumsy, she successfully copied the map.
"Phew, thank goodness, I thought I was going to embarrass myself." Cho said as she returned the original map to Kyle, a hint of pride in her voice, "I kept failing when I practiced before, but it worked on the first try this time."
Willing to try even knowing she might embarrass herself? Are all Ravenclaws this driven?
If it were Ryan... well, no need for hypotheticals. Ryan had been pestering Kyle since dinner, insisting on a duplicate rather than copying the map himself. See the difference?
Most Hufflepuff first-years were like this. Before Kyle arrived, Cedric, the undisputed top student among second-years, was probably the only presentable young wizard Hufflepuff could show off.
Kyle suspected Professor Sprout might have bribed the Sorting Hat last year. Or perhaps with herbs.
Speaking of Cedric...
He watched Cho's happy expression as she held the map, "Does Ravenclaw have similar maps?"
She thought for a moment, "Maybe, but I've never seen one."
"I see. Actually, I hadn't seen one before either — this was given to me by Cedric." Kyle said, deliberately glancing aside, "Besides you, would other Ravenclaw first-years need such a map?"
Hmm?
Cho seemed to guess his intention, "Are you thinking of selling maps to them?"
"That's right, I am." Kyle replied straightforwardly, "What do you think, is it feasible?"
"It's feasible, but the price shouldn't be too high." Cho held up both hands, "Ten Sickles — the most I could afford. If it's even one Knut more, I wouldn't buy it, and I guess other first-years would feel the same."
"That's fine, ten Sickles it is." Kyle said casually, "It's not much effort anyway, just a bit of pocket money."
"You'd better hurry though." Cho advised, "For Ravenclaws, this map is only valuable during the first week of school. And the price drops as time passes — by tomorrow, it might only be worth nine Sickles."
"That's enough." Kyle smiled and extended his hand to her, "Interested in joining in? I'll provide the maps, you handle promotion and actual transactions, and we'll split the profits... fifty-fifty."
Cho was surprised but quickly caught on, taking his hand, "Of course, I'm very interested."
She did a quick calculation: Ravenclaw had 16 first-years — minus herself, that's 15 — and even if only a third of them bought maps, she'd still earn 25 Sickles. For a first-year, this was quite a substantial sum, and she didn't want to miss out.
Besides, it was just running around and saying a few words — nothing could be simpler.
Kyle nodded, "Then it's settled — you handle the Ravenclaw side."
"No problem, I'm heading back now. There should be plenty of first-years in the common room at this time."
With the prospect of extra pocket money motivating her, Cho bid farewell to the two and hurried back to Ravenclaw Tower.
✭✭✭
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