"Kyle, are you sure this is okay?" Cedric whispered as soon as Cho left, finally breaking his silence. He had been standing there, listening to everything. "I mean, do Ravenclaw first-years really pay for maps?"
"Who knows," Kyle shrugged casually, "but we've got nothing better to do, so why not try?"
Though Kyle played it off, he was confident this plan would work. Hogwarts had no road signs, and new students had to find their way around by either figuring it out themselves or asking older students, which often led to them getting lost on a daily basis. A map could save them a lot of hassle. And at just ten Sickles—less than a Galleon—it was affordable for most.
Kyle thought about first-years from Muggle families. They would usually have around six Galleons left after buying their school supplies, so ten Sickles for a map, especially one that showed the tricky moving staircases, would be a worthwhile trade for many. Of course, there would always be exceptions—like a certain red-haired freshman who, in the future, might balk at the cost.
"Oh, by the way, this is for you," Kyle said, tossing the map to Cedric as they walked back to the dormitory. "You're in charge of making copies from now on."
Cedric blinked in confusion. "Me? Why?"
"Nonsense, you gave it to me, so of course you should get a share. Cho handles sales, and we'll split the other half between us."
Kyle continued matter-of-factly, "Besides, I've just started school. I'm not that skilled with the Doubling Charm yet. If I mess up and sell a faulty copy, I'll get an earful. So, it's best you handle it. We don't want anyone thinking Hufflepuffs are shady businesspeople, do we?"
"Well... okay," Cedric agreed after a moment's thought, realizing Kyle had a point. There was no harm in taking on the task, and it seemed fair enough.
"Great, then it's settled," Kyle grinned. "I'll tell Cho to come to you directly. Let's meet in the Great Hall this afternoon."
With a meaningful look, Kyle turned and headed toward his dormitory, leaving Cedric standing there, deep in thought. The more Cedric considered it, the more something seemed off. Cho would handle the sales, and Cedric would make the maps... but what was Kyle doing? Apart from those tasks, there didn't seem to be much else to handle.
Wait a second, Cedric realized. When Kyle said "we have nothing better to do," did he mean "we" as in me?
Cedric fell into contemplation, while Kyle headed back to the dormitory, took a refreshing nap, and showed up at the Transfiguration classroom just in time for the afternoon lesson. To avoid another incident, and spare himself the embarrassment of Cho witnessing it again, Kyle made sure to bring Ryan along, despite Ryan's insistence that with a map, he wouldn't get lost.
Transfiguration was once again with Ravenclaw, and because they arrived early, only a few students were scattered around the classroom—none of them Hufflepuffs, of course. Kyle didn't even need to look; he just knew.
At the front of the room, perched on the teacher's desk, sat a beautiful tabby cat. Kyle instinctively reached into his robe pocket and felt the packet of dried fish he had stashed away.
Feeding Professor "Meowgonagall" was an achievement he had always wanted to unlock. He had even prepared for it, bringing the dried fish in advance, much like how he used to move the rubbish bins in Diagon Alley. There was no reward, but it felt good—a small, personal sense of accomplishment.
Trash cans could be moved anytime, but there was only one chance to feed Professor McGonagall when she appeared in her Animagus form during the first Transfiguration lesson of the year. And Kyle, as a first-year, could play innocent—after all, how was he supposed to know that Professor McGonagall could turn into a cat?
As for the dried fish in his pocket, well, that had been prepared for Mrs. Norris to thank her for guiding him to the hospital wing yesterday.
Everything was set, just waiting for the right moment. The classroom was still too empty, and if Kyle approached the tabby cat now, it would be too obvious. Professor McGonagall would easily catch on. He needed to wait for the room to fill up, and Kyle was patient. He knew this was his only shot at pulling off his little plan.
He sent Ryan into the classroom first, giving some excuse to linger by the door. It worked out perfectly when Cho appeared around the corner, waving enthusiastically.
"Kyle, I knew you'd be here!" she called.
Ryan didn't think much of it and said, "I'll save you a seat," before disappearing into the classroom.
Panting a little from her rush, Cho beamed as she reached Kyle. "You have no idea how well things are going! I showed the map to the other first-years, and in just one hour, twelve of them already want to buy it!"
Kyle, unsurprised by the success, responded calmly, "Not bad. You've worked hard."
"It wasn't hard at all," Cho said, still catching her breath. She looked Kyle up and down before asking, "Did you bring the map? I promised I'd have it after class."
"Cedric has it," Kyle explained, shrugging slightly. "He's the second-year boy I was with at lunch. He was worried we couldn't guarantee the quality of the map, so he volunteered to make the copies for us. You can find him in the Great Hall after class. He's top of his year and really good with Doubling Charms."
"Cedric?" Cho said, thinking back. "Right, you mentioned he gave you the original map."
Kyle nodded. "Exactly."
"He really is a good guy," Cho remarked, but then she paused, frowning as something occurred to her. "In that case, I don't think I should take half. We should split the profits three ways."
"If you insist, you can talk to him after class," Kyle said with a helpless shrug. "I'm fine with my share. I already told Cedric we should split it evenly, but he refused, saying he only did a little. I couldn't convince him, but maybe you'll have better luck."
"Alright, I'll try!" Cho said with determination. In her mind, since she was part of the project, the profits had to be shared equally.
Kyle chuckled. "Good luck with that."
Cho looked at him suspiciously. "Why do I feel like there's something strange about your smile?"
"Is there?" Kyle asked, trying to look innocent. "Maybe I'm just excited about the Transfiguration class. We should head in before we're late."
Kyle's serious tone was enough to divert Cho's attention, and she nodded. "You're right, let's go."