Closing the Door is a Good Habit

In the wizarding world, rats are the cheapest of the designated pets for Hogwarts, so they naturally have a wide audience, and among them are quite a few young witches.

However, most of them would choose hamsters, which cost the same but have beautiful fur, gentle temperaments, and cute appearances; or black rats, which live longer; or even white mice, which look a bit cleaner.

This is the first time Kyle has seen a young witch who likes this kind of common field mouse, and judging by her attire, she doesn't look like a witch who is short on money.

Having spent eleven years in the wizarding world, Kyle considers himself somewhat knowledgeable.

Although the girl's clothes aren't overly flashy, the fabric is extremely high-end and the craftsmanship is exquisite. Coupled with that iconic pattern on the cuffs, it must have come from Transcendence Wizarding Wear.

That place is much more expensive than Madam Malkin's, with a starting price of twenty Galleons.

Someone who can afford to shop there could surely afford a better pet.

Looking at it this way, she must truly love this rat.

It's no wonder she came looking for him.

Rat tonic from Diagon Alley? That stuff is basically sugar water, similar in nature and function to an energy drink. It's fine for a quick pick-me-up, but don't expect it to have any real use.

Although her aesthetic is indeed unique, Kyle doesn't make a big fuss, and the expression on his face remains unchanged.

Don't forget, there are even hardcore people in the wizarding world who like Acromantulas.

He once saw one of those things in Newt's suitcase; how should he put it, its appearance was essentially a challenge to the worldview of a normal human, the kind that would become a childhood trauma after just one look.

Kyle was disgusted enough by it that he didn't step into Newt's suitcase for a whole year afterward.

By comparison, a young witch liking a field mouse is perfectly normal.

Soon, Kyle took a thumb-sized bottle from his suitcase and handed it over. "I'll give you this bottle for free. If you feel it's effective, come back for more, but I'll have to charge you then. The price might be a bit steep—one Sickle—but it's definitely worth more than the cost."

"Th-thank you."

The little girl named Kanna hurriedly reached out to take the bottle, but she didn't leave afterward. She continued to stand there, looking at the bottle in her hand and then at Kyle, her small face full of hesitation.

"What, do you think it's not enough?"

Kyle thought she felt it was too little and explained, "It's not that I'm stingy, it's just better to test the effects first. Besides, you don't need much rat tonic; two or three drops at a time is enough. Even though there isn't much in this bottle, it's enough to last you a month."

"No, that's not it. I didn't mean that."

Hearing Kyle's words, Kanna shook her head repeatedly. Then, under the gaze of Kyle and Cedric, she whispered, "I don't think it's too little; I just wanted the red one."

The red one?

Cedric, standing to the side, only then noticed that the rat tonic in Kanna's hand was a murky orange-yellow, looking a bit like mashed orange pudding.

The one Kyle had given to Percy earlier was crystal clear red, without a single impurity.

Even though it was the same product, the appearance was vastly different, and anyone could see that the crystal-clear red was far superior to this murky orange-yellow.

You shouldn't cut corners like this, even for a freebie.

In an instant, the way Cedric looked at Kyle changed.

Sure enough, a profiteer like Kyle is destined to be sent to Azkaban.

At this moment, Kanna seemed to remember something and scrambled to pull out an exquisite little handbag.

"Um... I can buy it."

Kanna gave her handbag a gentle shake, and a pile of gold Galleons clattered onto the table.

There were thirty-three gold Galleons in total, plus a few Sickles.

Seeing this, Cedric's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He only gets ten gold Galleons for an entire semester; thirty-three Galleons, even without the change, is three times his allowance.

Is he jealous? Definitely, but Cedric can handle it. After all, given his personality, he doesn't care much about the amount of Galleons, as long as it's enough.

But Kanna's next move completely broke his composure.

"Is that all that's left?" Kanna looked a bit disappointed, biting her lip as she whispered, "It's okay, if it's not enough, I can get more from Gringotts. As long as it lets Pochi live a little longer, I'll pay however many Galleons it takes."

Th-there's more??

Cedric's mouth twitched uncontrollably. At this moment, he was truly frightened by such inhuman levels of wealth.

Listen to that—however many Galleons it takes...

If it were an adult wizard, it would be one thing, but for a first-year student who just enrolled to say that, isn't it a bit too much?

Or is this just a typical day in Slytherin?

He's learned something new today.

On the other side, Kyle has no mood to care about Cedric's thoughts. He looks at Kanna, wanting to speak but hesitating, feeling a massive headache coming on.

He knows his own business—rat tonic is supposed to be this orange-yellow color.

As for the bottle Percy got, that was spiked; a normal rat would probably kick the bucket on the spot if it drank that.

But the problem is he can't say that. Moreover, looking at Kanna, she seems convinced that he has a tonic that can extend a rat's life, likely having heard every word of Percy's account.

In this situation, unless he tells the truth, there is no way for Kyle to explain his way out of this.

"Um... Kanna, it's like this."

Kyle thought for a moment and said, "That special tonic for rats is far too potent to be consumed directly. Before that, you must use a regular tonic to strengthen the rat's constitution first."

Stall, just keep stalling.

This was the only solution Kyle could think of.

If he said he didn't have it or couldn't brew it himself, what if she turned around and went to find Newt? That would be a massive disaster.

Newt might be hard to find, but Dumbledore was right there at Hogwarts. In the wizarding world, even a three-year-old knew how close their relationship was.

Since Kanna was wearing Tuofan robes, she couldn't possibly be Muggle-born. If she managed to reach Dumbledore, she might actually get to see Newt.

I should have closed the door when Percy came over, Kyle thought, rubbing his forehead with a bitter smile.

Fortunately, this wasn't a difficult problem to solve; he just needed to take a trip to Dorset once Hogwarts went on break.

He remembered that Newt had once brewed a tonic using Murtlap. The physiological structure of these magical creatures was very similar to that of field mice, and the rats sold in pet shops basically carried a trace of Murtlap bloodline.

It was just like the relationship between cats and Kneazles.

So, by diluting it slightly when the time came, it would be ready to use. At the very least, it would certainly be enough to help an ordinary rat live another three to five years.

"I will feed Pochi the tonic on time."

Kanna didn't suspect a thing and nodded very earnestly.

"Don't worry, it will definitely be fine." Kyle smiled and handed her a Chocolate Frog. "Have some chocolate; it will help you relax a bit."

"No, no need, I can buy my own."

Kanna glanced at the Chocolate Frog, then immediately looked away, her hands clutching the hem of her robes. She looked exactly like a child receiving a red envelope during the New Year—wanting it, yet feeling too shy to take it.

"It's alright, take it," Kyle said with a smile. "Consider it a welcome gift. I hope we can become classmates."

"...Thank you."

Hearing Kyle say this, Kanna blushed as she took the Chocolate Frog, though she didn't eat it, choosing instead to tuck it away carefully.