"Rita Skeeter? The reporter from The Daily Prophet?" Fred Asker with a puzzled expression. "What does she have to do with this?"
George added with a grin, "And we're not interested in her anyway. She's doomed to unrequited love."
"That's a real shame," Kyle replied, not wanting to continue the conversation. After a quick, half-hearted exchange of words, he walked between the two of them.
Lunch was already underway, and all Kyle wanted was to sit down and enjoy his tender steak and pumpkin juice instead of standing awkwardly in the doorway of the Great Hall. However, Fred and George had other plans. They followed him all the way to the Hufflepuff table.
"Even though there's no solid proof," Fred said as he sat down next to Kyle, pushing Cedric aside, "I can't shake the feeling that the Charm classroom exploded because you were there."
He took a large gulp of pumpkin juice before continuing, "Why else would everything be fine before, and then boom—the moment you show up, the classroom blows up? You must've influenced it."
Kyle nearly choked on his own pumpkin juice, feeling the weight of Fred's insinuation. What did I do? He'd been helping the whole time! Did he really have to take the blame for this?
Without saying a word, Kyle turned and gave Fred the finger.
But Fred, pretending not to notice, carried on. "It's a pity you're not in Gryffindor."
"We already checked," George added, laughing. "Gryffindor's first lesson was Potions. If you were there, and the first-years cooperated, Snape would probably be the one in the hospital."
"Yeah, such a shame," Fred lamented, putting down his glass. "If you could've managed to send Snape to the hospital, you'd be a hero—not just of Gryffindor, but of all Hogwarts!"
Fred was so lost in his excitement that he didn't even notice Cedric subtly tugging at his robes from the side, trying to get him to stop. His body shook with glee, completely unaware of Cedric's attempts to calm him down.
"Seriously, Kyle, I still think you belong in Gryffindor. Hufflepuff doesn't suit you."
"You might be right, Fred, but…" Kyle cleared his throat and flashed a smile. "Why do you think the Gryffindor first-years would cooperate with me against Professor Snape? From what I can tell, Gryffindor students are all very polite and respectful. The headmaster's kind, and surely Gryffindors wouldn't be so... unruly."
"What nonsense are you spouting, Kyle? Honest, rule-following kids don't get sorted into Gryffindor," Fred said, momentarily taken aback. Then, raising an eyebrow, he added, "Oh right, that's true—we do love taking risks…"
"So… Mr. Weasley, is this why you're not eating at your own house table?"
An icy, emotionless voice came from behind them.
Fred and George's smiles vanished instantly as they turned their heads with great difficulty.
"Professor McGonagall! When did you—" Fred forced a smile, one that looked even more pitiful than if he were crying. "I think you might've misunderstood something. I can explain!"
"There's no need, Mr. Weasley. I understand perfectly, and there's no misunderstanding," Professor McGonagall said, her expression calm as always. "You should count yourself lucky that it's me standing here and not Professor Snape."
Her tone remained steady as she continued, "For your lack of respect towards a professor, Gryffindor will lose ten points—ten points each."
Fred and George let out a collective sigh of relief. It could've been worse. After all, it was only the start of the school year, and Gryffindor still had plenty of time to make up the points. Losing twenty points wasn't too bad—manageable, at least.
"And…" Professor McGonagall continued, giving the twins a sharp look, "in light of your poor performance at the Sorting Ceremony, you will both be confined to your rooms every night for the next week."
It was as if Fred and George had been struck by lightning.
The Sorting Ceremony? They had thought that was ancient history, a forgotten event. Losing points? That was nothing to them. But confinement? Especially for an entire week? That meant no night-walking for seven long days. The two were already sinking into despair.
"Professor, please..." Fred and George looked at McGonagall with pitiful expressions, hoping for a shred of mercy.
Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall remained unmoved. Her voice remained steady and firm: "Detention begins at 11 pm. You will report to Mr. Filch, who will escort you to the trophy room. There, you will find an album listing all the names and accomplishments of Gryffindor's most outstanding students since the house was founded."
The twins exchanged horrified glances, sensing what was coming next.
"You will transcribe the entire book," she continued, "by hand, until it is complete. No magic, no Auto-Answer Quills. You will write every word yourselves."
Professor McGonagall then pointed toward the Gryffindor table. "Now, Mr. Weasley, hurry back to your seats!"
Fred and George, utterly defeated, slumped their heads and trudged back to their table, their faces full of despair.
Kyle, watching their misery, barely managed to hold back his laughter until they were out of earshot. Then, acting as if nothing had happened, he turned to Professor McGonagall with a polite smile. "Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall. I'm glad to see you."
For the first time, McGonagall's stern voice softened a little. "Good afternoon, Mr. Chopper."
"Kyle, please," he corrected her with a grin. "Have you had lunch yet, Professor? If not, you should join us here."
Cedric, realizing what Kyle was doing, quickly moved over, making space at the table.
Professor McGonagall's expression softened further. "I would love to, but I've already eaten."
She usually avoided dining in the Great Hall with the students, either arriving before mealtimes or eating in her office to maintain her authoritative image.
"That's a pity," Kyle sighed dramatically, and the other Hufflepuffs immediately chimed in, showing similarly disappointed expressions, as if they had all been looking forward to sharing a meal with Professor McGonagall.
Everyone remained polite and well-behaved.
Professor McGonagall looked around at the Hufflepuff table, comparing it to the chaos happening over at the Gryffindor table next door. A wave of exhaustion washed over her. Why are all the well-behaved students in the other houses? she wondered. Especially Kyle and Cedric... even if they were in Gryffindor, things would be so much better.
This Sorting Hat... she sighed inwardly.
/////
Professor McGonagall didn't linger for long and soon left the Great Hall to return to her office. But as soon as she was out the door, the Hufflepuff badgers couldn't hold it in any longer. The previously quiet table erupted into laughter, transforming into something more akin to a bustling food market.
Small groups of students gathered, mimicking the pitiful expressions Fred and George had worn just moments earlier, slapping the table as they laughed uncontrollably. Even Kanna, normally shy and reserved, couldn't suppress her amusement, her small shoulders shaking as she laughed quietly to herself.
Kyle watched in disbelief. Good grief, they're all acting pros! He thought. The next time someone tries to tell me that Hufflepuff students are all honest and straightforward, I'll make sure to give them a slap to wake them up. Of course, he excluded himself from that judgment.
...
After lunch, the students began leaving the Great Hall in small groups, but Kyle found himself stopped again at the door. This time, it wasn't Fred or George—it was a familiar-looking Asian girl.
"Hello, I'm Cho Chang from Ravenclaw. Can I have a moment of your time?" she asked politely, extending her hand.
"Kyle Chopper," Kyle responded, shaking her hand.
Out of habit, he glanced at Cedric, who stood nearby but didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Cedric simply introduced himself, then stepped aside to wait for Kyle, much like when they had encountered the Weasley twins earlier.
Of course, Cedric and Cho Chang didn't seem to know each other yet—after all, Cho Chang was only eleven, and Kyle couldn't imagine Cedric being interested in her at this age. Azkaban doesn't have age restrictions, after all, he thought with a wry smile.
Shaking off the thought, Kyle turned back to Cho Chang. "What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to copy your map," Cho said, her tone straightforward. "I can pay you for it."
"Map?" Kyle raised an eyebrow and glanced at Cedric, silently asking for his opinion.
Cedric, who clearly hadn't mastered the art of non-verbal communication, simply shrugged, indicating that the map wasn't his concern and Kyle could do as he pleased.
Typical good student, Kyle thought, inwardly scoffing at Cedric's "uneducated" ways. But his expression remained unchanged.
"No need to pay," Kyle said, pulling the map from his robes and handing it to Cho. "You helped Ryan and Mikel earlier, and they're my roommates. Consider this a small token of appreciation."
"So they're your roommates?" Cho remarked, recalling the two first-years she'd helped earlier. As she accepted the map, she couldn't help but smile. "I have to admit, your roommates are... unique. They somehow managed to miss every single correct staircase."
She laughed lightly, covering her mouth. "I watched them for five minutes, and they just kept going in circles on the wrong staircases. Not once did they pick the right one."
Kyle flushed slightly, embarrassed for his roommates. He hesitated to keep the conversation going, so instead, he awkwardly pointed to the map. "Well, most of the routes on here are connected to the Hufflepuff common room. I'm not sure how useful it'll be for Ravenclaw."
"That's alright," Cho said, shaking her head. "As long as I know where the classrooms are, it'll be easier to figure out the route from Ravenclaw Tower."
"Geminio", she pulled out her wand and, though her movements were a bit clumsy, cast the spell, successfully creating a copy of the map.
"Phew, thank goodness. I thought I was going to make a fool of myself," she said with a touch of smugness as she handed the original map back to Kyle. "I kept failing when I practiced before, so I didn't think it would work this time."
Knowing you might embarrass yourself, but still going for it? Kyle mused. Are Ravenclaw students always this competitive? If Ryan had been here… well, he didn't need to be. Ryan had been pestering Kyle since dinner about wanting a map replica instead of copying it by hand. See, that's the difference, Kyle thought. Ravenclaws seemed to embrace challenges, while many Hufflepuffs took a more straightforward approach.
Before Kyle had arrived, Cedric had been the only standout in Hufflepuff, the one everyone could look up to. Kyle suspected Professor Sprout had made some kind of deal with the Sorting Hat last year to bolster Hufflepuff's ranks. Perhaps it was paid in herbs.
But speaking of Cedric...
Kyle glanced at Cho, who was glowing with satisfaction now that she had the map. Casually, he asked, "Do you Ravenclaws have similar maps?"
Cho thought for a moment. "Maybe, but I've never seen one."
"Same here," Kyle said, deliberately glancing to the side. "Cedric gave me this one. So, do any other Ravenclaws need a map like this?"
Cho caught on quickly, her eyes narrowing as she tentatively asked, "Are you thinking of selling them?"
"Yeah, I was considering it," Kyle said, getting straight to the point. "What do you think? Is it feasible?"
"It's definitely feasible, but you'll have to keep the price low," Cho said, holding up her hands. "Ten Sickles, max. If it's more than that—even by a knut—I won't buy it, and I bet the other first-years would feel the same."
"That's fine. Ten Sickles it is," Kyle said, shrugging. "It doesn't take much effort, so why not make a little pocket money?"
"Then you need to hurry," Cho advised. "The map will only be useful to Ravenclaws for about a week at the start of the year. The longer you wait, the less it'll be worth. If you wait until tomorrow, it might only go for nine Sickles."
"That's fair," Kyle said with a grin. He extended his hand to Cho. "Interested in joining in? I'll provide the map, you handle the publicity and the transactions, and we'll split the profits—fifty-fifty."
Cho seemed a little surprised at the offer, but quickly recovered. She shook Kyle's hand and said, "Of course, I'm interested."
She did some quick mental calculations. There were 16 new students in Ravenclaw, and excluding herself, that left 15. Even if only a third of them bought the map, she'd still walk away with 25 Sickles. For a first-year, that was a considerable amount of money, and it wasn't something she was about to pass up. Plus, it was easy work—just a few conversations and running around.
Kyle nodded. "Great, it's a deal. You take care of Ravenclaw."
"No problem," Cho agreed. "I'll head back now. There should be quite a few first-years in the common room at this time."
Cho, eager to earn her pocket money, quickly said her goodbyes to Kyle and Cedric and hurried back to Ravenclaw Tower.
/////
"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."