Chapter 52: They Gave Too Much
The next day, at the same time, in the same Hufflepuff common room, Kyle, Cedric, and Kanna sat together again.
Only this time, there was a pile of golden galleons on the table in front of them.
"One, two, three..."
"No need to count..." Kyle glanced at Cedric, raising an eyebrow. "Exactly sixty galleons."
"That much..." Cedric's mouth hung open, his whole body feeling dizzy, as if he were in a dream.
...
In fact, it really did feel like a dream. Today's plan had gone surprisingly well.
Kanna had been so nervous that she'd completely forgotten the specific process and, like a salesperson, pulled out the map as soon as they met. No, even a salesperson would at least say hello and make small talk, not jump straight to the point like Kanna did. This left Kyle and Cedric standing there, unsure if they should continue with the performance.
But soon enough, they had their answer.
Rowle and Yaxley's reaction was just as unexpected. Without even waiting for Kanna to speak, they eagerly asked where she got the map as soon as they noticed its gold border. After learning that only ten copies had been made, they dropped their previous haughty demeanor and eagerly struck up a conversation with her. They took Kanna's arm, laughing and reminiscing about the banquet from a few years ago, acting like they'd been best friends forever.
Kanna just went along with it, stumbling her way through the whole interaction. By the time she made it back to the Hufflepuff table, she had ten galleons in her hand. She had only a vague memory of when she received the galleons. It might have been while they were in the corridor, or maybe at the entrance to the Great Hall.