"Wait, you can brew pet tonics too?" Cedric's eyes lit up, "Could you make owl tonic for my owl from now on?"
"Of course." Kyle said, glancing at the tawny owl on the nearby shelf, "But owls aren't like rats — their tonics are more complicated. I'll have to charge nine Sickles. Don't think that's expensive — it's the market price. Plus, my recipe comes from Newt himself, and the tonic I brew is much better than what you'll find in shops. It's definitely worth the money."
"Hmm..." Cedric nodded.
He had to admit that was true. In Diagon Alley, the cheapest owl tonic cost nine Sickles, and better ones could cost up to a Galleon. If Kyle's owl tonic recipe really came from Scamander, it was indeed excellent value.
However...
"Could you make it cheaper?" Cedric asked sheepishly, "We're friends, aren't we? Shouldn't there be a discount?"
Truth be told, he would have loved to boldly purchase seven or eight bottles. But as a second-year, his pocket money was limited — he was quite strapped for cash.
Though Hogwarts covered room and board, expenses for quills, ink, parchment, and other supplies added up quickly. With various miscellaneous items, it was just enough to get through the term.
While he could save by being frugal and cutting unnecessary expenses, who wouldn't want more Galleons? A discount would definitely help.
Facing his hopeful expression, Kyle stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, you're right. We're friends, so I can't charge market price."
"Right, right!" Cedric's eyes brightened further.
"How about this..." Kyle bit his lip and held up one finger, "You only need to pay this much."
Cedric exclaimed excitedly, "One Sickle?"
Kyle shook his head, "No, one Galleon."
"..."
The smile remained frozen on Cedric's face, but his tone had changed.
"One... one Galleon! This is a discount?"
"Of course, it's twenty times the normal price." Kyle said with a straight face, "Think about it — at Hogwarts, who besides those rich Slytherins would spend Galleons on owl tonic? Business is tough. Now that I finally have a customer who won't get angry, I definitely need to make more profit."
Cedric was dumbfounded, his eye twitching as he looked at Kyle.
"How shameless — how could he say such things to his face? And so matter-of-factly too! Does he have any wizarding morals at all?"
Trembling with anger, Cedric took a deep breath and said, "Kyle, you're definitely going to end up in Azkaban."
"Thanks for the kind words." Kyle raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. He even asked, "So, do you still want the owl tonic?"
"Yes..." Cedric ground out the word through clenched teeth.
But just as he was about to reach for his money, the compartment door opened once again.
A small figure nervously walked in. It was a pretty little girl with brown hair in two ponytails and round cheeks still carrying some baby fat — she looked like another first-year.
Hmm?
Kyle and Cedric looked at each other.
Is she here for you?
I don't know her!
Though neither spoke, they perfectly understood each other's meaning, as if reading minds.
Kyle looked back at her and asked, puzzled, "Did you get the wrong compartment?"
The little girl seemed shy. When he asked this, she instinctively wanted to run away, but held herself back and shook her head, "No, I didn't get it wrong. I'm looking for you."
"Looking for me?" Kyle was even more confused — he was certain he didn't know this girl. Ignoring Cedric's teasing look, he continued, "What can I help you with?"
As he spoke, he looked the girl over again.
He definitely didn't know her, and she bore no resemblance to Chris whatsoever, which ruled out certain cliché scenarios — like suddenly having a sister before starting school.
"Um... I accidentally overheard your conversation in the corridor earlier." The girl's voice was soft and gentle. Perhaps worried they might misunderstand, she hurriedly explained, "Please don't misunderstand — I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose. That red-haired prefect forgot to close the door, it really was an accident..."
But Kyle obviously didn't mind such trivial matters and waved his hand, "It's fine, go on."
The Hogwarts Express was like that — terrible soundproofing. Even with the doors tightly shut, he could hear all the shouting in the corridor, and it must be the same from outside. Besides, they hadn't particularly lowered their voices when Percy was there earlier, so it was perfectly normal for someone to overhear.
Hearing him say this, the girl let out a small sigh of relief, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a large grey rat.
"???" Kyle looked at the scene before him, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu, as if he'd just experienced this exact same scenario.
Oh right, Percy had just done the same thing with Scabbers earlier — their movements were identical, and even the rats were the same breed.
Was this happening again?
At this thought, his heart suddenly tightened, and he instinctively looked at the rat. All its toes were intact — it had to be a normal rat.
Kyle shook his head, mocking his own paranoia.
Really now, how many illegal Animagi could there be in the wizarding world? Even if there were some, they wouldn't all transform into rats and hide among young wizards.
One Peter Pettigrew was quite enough.
Once he'd calmed down, Kyle could guess what she wanted, "So, you want to buy Rat Tonic from me?" he asked tentatively.
It made perfect sense — she had a rat, mentioned Percy, and their previous conversation had been all about pet tonics. What else could it be?
"Is that okay?" Sure enough, the girl nodded, her big watery eyes looking hopefully at Kyle, "I've bought many tonics from Diagon Alley, but they don't work very well," she said softly.
"Of course it's okay—it would be my pleasure." Upon discovering this girl was a customer, Kyle immediately showed a sincere smile, "Just wait, I'll go get it now. By the way, I'm Kyle Chopper, a first-year. You can call me Kyle."
"Kan... Kanna." The girl's round, baby-fat cheeks turned slightly pink as she said softly, "Kanna Prince."
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