The compartment door shook violently as it was struck from the outside, causing the door frame to creak with a teeth-grating noise. Kyle, focused on maintaining the Doubling Charm, was startled and accidentally jerked his wrist upward.
A long tear appeared on the map he'd just finished duplicating.
"I..." Kyle stared at the ruined map, his eye twitching. That was a whole Galleon wasted...
The others were similarly rattled by the sudden noise. Fred, who'd just completed his own Doubling Charm, accidentally stamped the map's image directly onto George's brand-new robe.
"By Merlin's beard! This was my new robe, just bought this year!" George exclaimed, inspecting the map print now adorning his sleeve with dismay. "Kyle, is there any way to remove this?"
"Of course there is, and it's very simple," Kyle replied coolly, glancing at the door. Through the glass, he could see three boys standing outside in the corridor.
"That Harry Potter, giving up Malfoy's friendship for that miserable Weasley. Utterly foolish, just like his parents—ungrateful," Draco Malfoy sneered to himself, punctuating his words with another slam against the neighboring compartment door.
"And that Weasley," grumbled Goyle, Malfoy's burly sidekick, nursing his sore fingers. "That scrawny rat of his actually bit me! I'll make him pay."
Despite his thickset frame and stump-like appearance, Goyle's scowl had a bit of intimidation to it.
"Don't worry, Goyle. There'll be time enough," Malfoy assured him, rubbing his wrist and sneering coldly. "My father's on the school board, and once we're at Hogwarts, I'll have plenty of ways to make them regret today."
Straightening his slightly tousled hair, Malfoy turned to leave with Crabbe and Goyle, intending to join the other Slytherins. But before he could take a step, the adjacent compartment door swung open.
"Hold it right there, gentlemen," Kyle said, stepping into the doorway, his face expressionless as he looked over the three boys. His gaze settled on the pale-faced boy at the center.
After a brief pause, Kyle asked, "You were the one who slammed the door just now, weren't you?"
"Er...yes, that was me." Malfoy, caught off guard, quickly recovered his composure. "My name is Draco Malfoy, and I apologize if I disturbed you."
Though his words and posture were polite, the arrogant glint in Malfoy's eyes was unmistakable, particularly when he introduced himself.
Kyle, unfazed by Malfoy's smugness, replied evenly, "Your apology is noted. Here's the thing: if you compensate us for the damage you caused, we'll call it even."
"Damage?" Malfoy's face briefly registered surprise before he spotted Fred and George standing just behind Kyle. Instantly, his polite façade evaporated, replaced by a sneer.
"Red hair... It's the Weasleys again, with their band of freak friends," he muttered in disdain.
Without a word, he reached into his pocket, tossed a Galleon at Kyle, and said with a smirk, "Keep the change. Oh, and just in case you didn't know what it looks like—it's a Galleon."
As Malfoy moved to leave, Kyle's hand reached out, blocking his path.
"Wait..." Kyle said calmly, shaking the Galleon in his hand lightly. "This isn't enough."
Malfoy paused, clenched his teeth, and angrily tossed another Galleon in Kyle's direction, his throw forceful, as if he wished the coin itself could drive Kyle away. But Kyle caught it with ease and shook his head.
"Sorry, still not enough..."
"Don't push it!" Malfoy's face flushed with anger. "If you keep harassing me, I'll tell my father you're extorting me! He's on the Hogwarts Board of Governors—he has the power to get you expelled!"
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "I think you might be mistaken. I'm a well-behaved student who's earned the Special Award for Services to the School. I would never stoop to blackmail. I'm simply requesting fair compensation for the damage caused. Even the Board of Governors or the Minister of Magic couldn't object to that."
"Special Award for Services to the School?" Malfoy scoffed, then paused as something clicked. "Wait... are you that new student, Kyle?"
He recalled that his father had mentioned a first-year who'd won the Special Award for Services to the School—a rare achievement, though he hadn't given much thought to it before now.
"To be precise, you're the first-year. I'm a second-year," Kyle corrected him smoothly. "Now, back to the compensation?"
Malfoy scowled, calculating his options. He didn't know the specifics of Kyle's demands, but given that Kyle was associating with the Weasleys, he assumed they were far from wealthy. In his mind, two Galleons was already more than generous.
But he felt a growing sense of intimidation as he looked at the group of six standing in the compartment—all second-years or older—while he only had Crabbe and Goyle beside him, both fresh-faced first-years like himself. They didn't stand a chance in a scuffle.
"How much do you want?" Malfoy muttered through gritted teeth, resigned to paying his way out.
Kyle thought for a moment, then replied, "Not much. Two hundred Galleons. Including what you've already paid, that leaves one hundred and ninety-eight Galleons due."
"Two hundred Galleons?!" Malfoy's face turned pale as he yelled, "That's outrageous! Not happening!"
"Relax, I can break down the math for you..." Kyle began.
"I don't want to hear it!" Malfoy's face had gone crimson with fury. He yanked out his wand and pointed it straight at Kyle. "This is extortion! You're blackmailing me, plain and simple!"
Two hundred Galleons was an absurd amount, more than most Ministry of Magic employees earned in a month. To Malfoy, it didn't matter how many times he'd banged on their door—he wouldn't even owe that much if he'd barged in and hexed the lot of them.
He might have wealth, but he wasn't foolish enough to part with two hundred Galleons over something so trivial.