Chapter 13: The Little Witch and the Rat

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"Wait, you can brew pet remedies too?"

Upon hearing this, Cedric's eyes lit up. "Could I ask you to make some owl tonic for me in the future?"

"Of course." Kyle glanced at the gray owl perched on the shelf nearby. "However, owl remedies are more complicated than rat tonics. I'll need nine Sickles for that.

Don't complain about the price; that's already the market rate, and my formula comes from Newt. The tonic I brew is far superior to those available in the shops—definitely worth the cost."

"Hmm…"

Cedric nodded, acknowledging this point.

He knew that in Diagon Alley, the cheapest owl tonic costs at least nine Sickles, with some premium ones going for a Galleon.

If Kyle's owl tonic formula truly originated from Scamander, then it was indeed a good deal.

But…

"Could you make it a bit cheaper?" Cedric asked somewhat shyly. "Since we're friends, there should be a discount, right?"

To be honest, Cedric really wanted to pound the table and buy seven or eight doses outright.

But unfortunately, as a second-year student, his pocket money was limited, and he was tight on funds.

While Hogwarts covered meals and accommodation, expenses for quills, ink, parchment, and other supplies added up quickly. By the end of each semester, he barely managed to make ends meet.

Though he could save some by cutting out unnecessary costs, who wouldn't want a little extra Galleon?

Getting a discount would definitely help.

Faced with Cedric's hopeful gaze, Kyle stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "You're right; since we're friends, I can't charge you the market price."

"Exactly!" Cedric's eyes brightened even more.

"How about this…" Kyle bit his lip, extending one finger. "You just need to pay this amount."

Cedric's excitement bubbled over. "One Sickle?"

Kyle shook his head. "No, it's one Galleon."

"…"

Cedric's face still bore his earlier smile, but his tone had changed completely.

"One… one Galleon?!"

"Is this a discount?"

"Of course! It's a twenty percent discount." Kyle said with a straight face. "Think about it—at Hogwarts, aside from those Slytherin rich kids, who else would spend Galleons on owl tonic? My business is tough to run.

Now that I finally have a clear, reliable customer, I have to make a bit more."

"…"

Cedric was dumbfounded. As he looked back at Kyle, he couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his eyes.

How shameless! How could Kyle say such things right in front of him? And with such confidence! Did he have no basic sense of wizarding ethics?

Cedric trembled with anger, taking a deep breath. "Kyle, you're definitely going to end up in Azkaban."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Kyle raised an eyebrow, completely unconcerned. He even asked, "So, do you still want that owl tonic?"

"I… I do…"

Cedric forced the word out through clenched teeth.

But just as he was about to pull out his money, the compartment door swung open once more.

A small figure nervously walked in.

A very pretty little girl entered, her brown hair tied into two pigtails. With her round face still showing a bit of baby fat, she looked like she was also a first-year student.

Hmm?

Kyle and Cedric exchanged glances.

"Is she here for you?"

"I don't know her!"

Although neither of them spoke, they miraculously understood each other's thoughts, as they were perfectly aligned.

After grasping Cedric's meaning, Kyle looked back and asked in confusion, "Did you come to the wrong compartment?"

The little girl seemed a bit socially anxious. At Kyle's question, she instinctively wanted to run out but then hesitated, shaking her head. "No, I didn't come to the wrong place. I want to find you."

"Find me?"

Kyle was even more puzzled. He was certain he didn't know this girl.

Ignoring Cedric's teasing gaze, Kyle continued to ask, "What do you need from me?"

As he spoke, he took another look at the girl.

He truly didn't recognize her, and she bore no resemblance to Chris, which ruled out any melodramatic twists—like suddenly discovering a sister before starting school.

"Well… I accidentally overheard your conversation in the corridor."

The girl's voice was soft, almost timid, and she hurriedly added, "Please don't misunderstand; I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose. The red-haired senior forgot to close the door, so it really was an accident…"

Kyle clearly didn't mind such trivial matters. He waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine; please continue."

That was just how the Hogwarts Express was—poorly soundproofed. Even if the door was tightly closed, he could still hear the shouting in the corridor, and it was likely the same outside.

Besides, when Percy came earlier, they hadn't bothered to lower their voices, so it was perfectly normal for someone to overhear them.

Hearing Kyle's response, the girl visibly relaxed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a large, gray rat.

???

Kyle watched the scene before him, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had just witnessed the exact same scenario.

Oh right, Percy had just pulled out his rat like this too. Their movements were almost identical, and even the rat was of the same breed.

Was this a classic déjà vu?

With that thought, Kyle felt a tightness in his chest and instinctively glanced at the rat.

Its paws were intact, so it should be a proper rat.

Kyle shook his head self-deprecatingly, realizing he was being overly cautious.

I mean, where would the magical world find so many illegal Animagi? Even if there were some, it wasn't like they'd all turn into rats and lurk around young witches and wizards.

Having someone like Peter Pettigrew was more than enough.

Once his nerves settled, Kyle began to guess the girl's intention and tentatively asked, "So, are you looking to buy rat tonic from me?"

Given that she had brought a rat, mentioned Percy, and their previous conversation had mostly revolved around pet remedies… he could think of no other reason.

"Is that possible?"

Sure enough, upon hearing Kyle's question, the girl nodded, her big, watery eyes hopeful as she softly said, "I've bought a lot of tonics from Diagon Alley, but they didn't work very well."

"Of course! It would be my pleasure."

Realizing that this girl was a potential customer, Kyle immediately broke into a sincere smile. "Just a moment; I'll go get it.

By the way, I'm Kyle Jorba, a first-year like you. You can call me Kyle."

"C-Canna."

The girl's chubby little face flushed slightly as she spoke softly. "Canna Prince."

(End of Chapter)