The Little Witch and the Rat

"Wait, you can brew pet potions too?"

Cedric's eyes lit up. "Could I ask you to make my owl potions from now on?"

"Of course." Kyle glanced at the gray owl on the shelf beside them. "But owls aren't like rats. Their potions are trickier, so I'll have to charge you nine Sickles.

Don't complain about the price, either. That's the going rate, and I got the recipe from Newt. The potions I brew are much better than the stuff you can buy, so they're absolutely worth the money."

"Hmm..."

Cedric nodded.

That was true. In Diagon Alley, even the cheapest owl potion cost nine Sickles, and the better ones could cost a Galleon.

If Kyle's owl-potion recipe really came from Scamander, then it was certainly worth the money.

But...

"Could you make it a little cheaper?" Cedric asked awkwardly. "We're friends, after all. Surely I get a discount."

Honestly, Cedric wanted to slap his hand on the table and confidently buy seven or eight bottles.

But he was only a second-year, and his allowance was limited. His pockets were practically empty.

Hogwarts provided room and board, but expenses like quills, ink, and parchment still added up. With all the other odds and ends, his allowance was just about enough to get him through each term.

He could save quite a bit by being frugal and cutting out unnecessary expenses, but who ever complained about having more Galleons?

A discount would certainly be nice.

Seeing the hopeful look in Cedric's eyes, Kyle rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. We're friends, so I can't charge you the market rate."

"Right? Exactly!" Cedric's eyes shone even brighter.

"How about this..." Kyle clenched his teeth and held up one finger. "You only have to pay this much."

Cedric beamed. "One Sickle?"

Kyle shook his head. "No, one Galleon."

"..."

Cedric was still wearing the smile from a moment ago, but his tone had changed.

"O-one Galleon!"

"That's a discount?"

"Of course. It's twenty times the price!" Kyle said with a straight face. "Think about it. At Hogwarts, who besides those posh Slytherins would spend a Galleon on owl potions? It's hard to make a living.

"Now that I've finally got a reliable customer who won't back out, I've got to make a little extra."

"..."

Cedric was dumbfounded. When he looked at Kyle again, the corner of his eye twitched.

That was shameless. Could he really say something like that right to Cedric's face? And so matter-of-factly, too! Did he have any basic wizardly decency at all?

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

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Kyle raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. He even asked, "So, do you still want the owl potion?"

"I do..."

Cedric squeezed the word through his teeth.

But just as he was reaching for his money,

the compartment door opened again.

A small figure stepped inside, looking a little nervous.

She was a very pretty little girl, with brown hair tied into two pigtails and a round face still carrying a little baby fat. She looked like a first-year, too.

Hmm?

Kyle and Cedric looked at each other at the same time.

Is she here to see you?

I don't know her!

Neither of them said a word, yet somehow they understood exactly what the other meant, because it was precisely what each of them wanted to say.

Once he'd understood Cedric's meaning, Kyle looked back at the girl and asked in confusion, "Did you come to the wrong compartment?"

The girl seemed a little shy, too. At Kyle's question, she instinctively started to turn and run, but stopped herself and shook her head. "N-no, I came to the right one. I wanted to find you."

"Me?"

Kyle was even more confused. He was certain he didn't know the girl in front of him.

Ignoring Cedric's teasing look, Kyle asked, "What did you want to see me about?"

As he spoke, he looked the girl over again.

He definitely didn't know her. And she didn't look anything like Chris, so he could rule out any melodramatic possibilities.

Like suddenly finding out he had a little sister just before starting school.

"Um...I accidentally overheard your conversation in the corridor."

The girl's voice was quiet and gentle. Perhaps worried the two of them might misunderstand, she quickly explained, "Please don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose. The red-haired older student forgot to close the door. I really did hear you by accident..."

Kyle clearly didn't care about something so trivial. He waved a hand. "It's fine. Go on."

That was just how the Hogwarts Express was: the soundproofing was awful. Even with the door shut tight, he could still hear people shouting in the corridor. It was probably just as bad on the outside.

Besides, they hadn't lowered their voices when Percy came by earlier. It was only natural that someone might have heard them. There was nothing strange about it.

Hearing Kyle say that, the girl let out a small sigh of relief. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a large, dusty-gray rat.

???

Kyle stared at the scene before him, feeling as if he'd seen it somewhere before—as if he'd just witnessed this exact same thing.

Oh, right. Percy had pulled Scabbers out the same way earlier. Their movements were practically identical, and even the rats they'd pulled out were the same kind.

Was this a reenactment?

At the thought, Kyle suddenly tensed and instinctively looked at the rat.

All its paws were there. It seemed like an ordinary rat.

Kyle shook his head at himself, feeling he was being far too nervous.

Honestly, there couldn't be that many illegal Animagi in the Wizarding World. And even if there were, they couldn't all be turning into rats and hiding among young wizards.

One oddball like Peter Pettigrew was more than enough.

Once he'd calmed down, Kyle had a pretty good idea why she'd come. He asked tentatively, "So, you want to buy rat potion from me?"

She had a rat with her, and she'd mentioned Percy. On top of that, their earlier conversation had mostly been about pet potions. Putting it all together, Kyle couldn't think of any reason she'd come other than to buy rat potion.

"Could I?"

Sure enough, the girl nodded at Kyle, her big, watery eyes full of hope. "I've bought a lot of potions in Diagon Alley, but they haven't worked very well."

"Of course. It'd be my pleasure."

Once he realized the girl was a customer, Kyle gave her a sincere smile. "Just a moment. I'll get it for you.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Kyle Chopper. I'm a first-year. You can call me Kyle."

"Ka...Kanna."

The little girl's round cheeks turned faintly pink. She said softly, "Kanna Prince."