Chapter 254: Buy, Buy, Buy
After some bargaining, Kyle managed to buy the Gillyweed for fifteen Galleons. Madam Pryor had initially insisted on seventeen, but when Kyle casually demonstrated the Bubble-Head Charm, she immediately lowered her price by two Galleons and even offered to throw in a bag of Dittany and Rue seeds. Sensing this was her final offer, Kyle accepted, completing the transaction with satisfaction.
Madam Pryor placed the Gillyweed in a clear box and sighed, saying, "I only did this because I could see your genuine interest in magical plants. For anyone else, they wouldn't have gotten such a steep discount... plus those seeds, I'm out ten Galleons."
Kyle simply smiled, keeping his thoughts to himself. Diagon Alley shopkeepers were all sharp-minded, and Madam Pryor wouldn't let herself lose too much; she certainly hadn't paid twenty Galleons for that Gillyweed. This was a tacit understanding between them, and he knew he'd managed to get a decent deal. Fifteen Galleons for Gillyweed wasn't a price you'd find elsewhere.
After leaving Madam Pryor's Magical Botanical Garden, Kyle carefully placed the small box in his Mokeskin pouch. His suitcase was still with Dumbledore, so for now, the pouch would have to do.
"Hey, Kyle!"
Kyle looked up at the sound of his name and saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron standing in the doorway of the neighboring bookshop, each holding a large cone of strawberry and peanut ice cream.
"The Magical Botanical Garden?" Harry said, surprised. "I thought you'd be off somewhere reading a book, like Percy."
"I've been reading for over a month; I had to try something else," Kyle replied.
"Ron told me you spent an entire month in Nicolas Flamel's private library," Hermione said enviously. "Six hundred years' worth of books... that must have been amazing."
"Not to brag," Kyle chuckled, "but I really learned a lot during that month."
"That sounds incredible..." Hermione looked even more envious. "I'd love to visit, even just for a glimpse."