"Wait a minute, you can also brew pet potions?"
Upon hearing this, Cedric's eyes lit up as he said, "Then can I ask you to make owl potion for me in the future?"
"Of course." Kael glanced at the Strix owl on the nearby shelf and said, "But owls are different from rats. The potions they need are more complicated, so I have to charge nine Sickles.
Don't think it's expensive. That's already the market price, and my formula comes from Newt. The potion I brew is much better than the stuff on the market. It's definitely worth the price."
"Hmm..."
Cedric nodded.
That's true. In Diagon Alley, even the cheapest owl potion is nine Sickles, and the decent ones go for a Galleon.
If Kael's owl potion formula really comes from Scamander, then it indeed is a bargain.
But...
"Could it be cheaper?" Cedric said somewhat sheepishly, "Aren't we friends? There should be a discount, right?"
Honestly, Cedric actually wanted to slam the table and buy seven or eight doses generously.
But alas, he's only in his second year. His pocket money is limited, and he really can't afford it.
Although Hogwarts provides food and lodging, the cost of quills, ink, parchment, and other expenses aren't trivial. Plus other miscellaneous costs, it barely adds up to enough for a term.
Though he could save a significant amount by being thrifty and cutting unnecessary expenses, the problem is, who would complain about having too many Galleons?
A discount would certainly be welcome.
Facing Cedric's hopeful gaze, Kael rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully, "Hmm, you're right, we're friends, so I definitely can't charge you the market price."
"Right, right." Cedric's eyes shone even brighter.
"How about this..." Kael gritted his teeth, stretched out a finger, and said, "You only need to pay this amount."
Cedric exclaimed in surprise, "One Sickle?"
Kael shook his head, "No, it's one Galleon."
"..."
Cedric still had his earlier smile, but his tone had changed.
"One—one Galleon!"
"Is this a discount?"
"Yeah, I knocked off 20%." Kael said earnestly, "Think about it, at Hogwarts, apart from those rich Slytherin guys, who else would spend a Galleon on owl potion? It's hard for me to do business.
Now that I finally have a confirmed customer who won't flip on me, of course I need to make a bit more."
"..."
Cedric was dumbfounded, and when he looked at Kael again, his eye twitched uncontrollably.
How shameless. Can this kind of thing even be said in front of him? And with such righteous assurance, does he have any basic sense of wizard ethics?
So infuriated was Cedric that he trembled all over, taking a deep breath, he said, "Kael, you'll definitely be sorted into Azkaban."
"Thanks for your blessing."
Kael raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. He even asked, "So, do you still want the owl potion?"
"Yes..."
Cedric squeezed the word out between gritted teeth.
But just as he was about to take out the money,
the compartment door was pushed open once more.
A small figure walked in somewhat nervously.
A very pretty little girl with brown hair tied into two pigtails, and a round face still a bit chubby with baby fat. It seemed she was a new student as well.
Hmm?
Kael and Cedric looked at each other simultaneously.
Is she here for you?
I don't know her!
Although neither of them spoke, they miraculously understood each other's thoughts because it was exactly what each wanted to say.
After understanding what Cedric meant, Kael looked again, puzzled, "Did you enter the wrong compartment?"
The little girl seemed to have some social anxiety. When Kael asked, she subconsciously wanted to run away but held back, shaking her head, "No, I came to find you."
"Find me?"
Kael was even more puzzled. He was sure he didn't know this girl.
Ignoring Cedric's teasing glance, Kael continued to ask, "What do you need me for?"
As he spoke, he took another look at the girl.
Indeed, not someone he knows, and she doesn't resemble Chris at all, which almost rules out any melodramatic plotlines.
Like suddenly having a sister before school starts or something.
"Um... I accidentally overheard your conversation in the hallway."
The girl's voice was soft, sounding tender and weak, and perhaps worried that they might misunderstand, she quickly explained, "Please don't misunderstand. It wasn't on purpose. The red-haired senior forgot to close the door, it was really unintentional..."
However, Kael obviously didn't care about such minor matters and waved it off, "No worries, go on."
The Hogwarts Express is like this, poorly soundproofed. Even if the door is tightly shut, he can still hear the noises from the corridor, and it's the same outside.
Besides, when Percy came by earlier, they didn't intentionally lower their voices, so being overheard is normal, nothing strange about it.
Hearing Kael say that, the girl breathed a sigh of relief, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a large, dusty rat.
???
Watching this scene, Kael felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had just gone through the exact same scenario.
Oh, right, earlier Percy pulled out Scabbers in the same manner. The two actions were identical, even the rats pulled out were the same species.
Is this a classic reenactment?
Thinking of this, Kael suddenly felt tense, and instinctively looked at the rat.
All toes accounted for, it should be a genuine rat.
Kael mocked himself, feeling that he was being overly cautious.
Indeed, where in the Magic Realm would so many illegal Animagi be? And even if there were, why would they all turn into rats to hide by young wizards?
One oddball like Peter Pettigrew is enough.
After calming down, Kael roughly guessed the girl's intentions and tentatively asked, "So, are you looking to buy rat potion?"
With a rat by her side, mentioning Percy, and with their earlier conversation revolving around pet potions mostly... Putting all that together, Kael can't think of any other reason.
"Is that possible?"
Sure enough, upon hearing Kael's words, the girl nodded, her big watery eyes looking at Kael hopefully, softly saying, "I've bought many potions from Diagon Alley, but they aren't very effective."
"Of course, it's my pleasure."
Realizing the girl in front of him was a customer, Kael immediately showed a genuine smile, "Just a moment, I'll get it.
Oh, by the way, my name is Kael Chopper. I'm a first-year, you can call me Kael."
"Con... Conna."
The girl, with her chubby face slightly blushing, softly said, "Conna Prince."