In the end, Wayne got his way.
Both girls agreed to his profit-sharing terms and took the maps back to their dormitories.
That boy was downright wicked, constantly exploiting their weaknesses to tempt them. Cho genuinely wanted to earn a better broom through her own efforts, and Hermione longed to buy more books.
The library only allowed one book to be borrowed at a time, and some titles even had waiting lists—far from enough to satisfy Hermione's appetite.
In the end, they both succumbed to the lure of Galleons.
And, of course, they didn't have to return the maps—those were Wayne's welcome gifts for their 'employment'.
Amidst all the hustle, Hermione had meant to tell Wayne about Harry's impending duel with Malfoy and ask for his advice, but in the end, she forgot.
With piles of gold practically within reach, who had time to worry about reckless children?
...
The next day.
For once, Hermione didn't wake up early.
On normal days, the top student would wake up at half past six, freshen up, and read in the Common Room for an hour before breakfast.
This kind of overachieving behaviour in Gryffindor was only matched by Percy. Today, however, to promote the map, she deliberately stayed curled up in bed, waiting for everyone else to wake up before heading out together.
Hermione's unusual behaviour went entirely unnoticed by her roommates—sleeping in was perfectly normal, after all.
After breakfast, the group made their way towards the corridor.
Their first lesson was Charms, held in a classroom on the fourth floor. The staircases here operated on two different patterns, and one had to observe for a while to determine which one was in use that day.
Hermione knew her opportunity had come.
"No need to observe. I've got a simpler way."
Hermione cleared her throat, and both Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown turned to look at her.
"What do you mean, Hermione?"
The young witch pulled out the map and tapped it lightly with her wand, causing it to reveal itself. Then, she tapped the icon marking the Charms classroom.
"Look, the next staircase that comes along will take us straight up—it'll drop us off nearby."
Her roommates were instantly captivated by this magical display, crowding around to peer at the map.
"It's true! The staircases' movements match the real ones perfectly."
"Hermione, where did this map come from?"
"Oh, this? Wayne made it. See—"
The young witch was quite eloquent, and in just a few words, she had highlighted all the map's advantages.
Now Parvati and the others were even more intrigued. Instead of hurrying to class, they let Hermione guide them using the map to test the staircases.
It was still breakfast time, so the corridors were filled with young witches and wizards.
Seeing their peculiar behaviour, others approached out of curiosity.
It wasn't until they were genuinely at risk of being late that Hermione finally dragged her roommates along, rushing to the Charms classroom.
Since Hermione had arrived with her roommates today, Wayne couldn't sit with her and instead joined his roommate, Toby, on the other side of the classroom.
During the lesson, Professor Flitwick explained the day's topic—the Mending Charm—before letting the students practise freely.
Seizing the opportunity, Harry and Ron deliberately tossed broken bits of wood near Hermione's feet and sidled up to her.
Harry whispered, "Hermione, does Wayne have more maps like this?"
Neville, sitting in front of them, also turned around, looking at the young witch with hopeful eyes.
The lot of them were notorious for being late risers and scatterbrains—tardiness was hardly a rare occurrence.
Especially Neville. No one in all of Hogwarts needed such a map more than he did. The chubby boy gazed at Hermione as if she were his salvation.
Hermione said, "Yes, I bought this one."
Neville trembled with excitement. "Brilliant! I won't be late anymore."
"Assuming you remember to bring the map when you leave," Ron quipped before asking the question that concerned him most: "How much does it cost?"
"Ten Galleons."
Ron's voice suddenly rose, loud enough for half the class to hear. "HOW MUCH?!"
Professor Flitwick noticed the commotion and approached. "Gentlemen, we are in the middle of a lesson. If you wish to chat, kindly do so during break. Weasley, what was that just now?"
"N-nothing," Ron stammered, lowering his head—but Flitwick had already spotted the map in Hermione's hands.
Hermione shot Ron a fierce glare before apologising, "Sorry, Professor, we won't chat about other things again."
"Just be more careful next time," Flitwick nodded. "However, could you explain what this is?"
After Hermione demonstrated, Flitwick's eyes lit up. "Tracking Charm, Marking Charm, hmm... and a Concealment Charm, solidified runic patterns, Anti-Theft Charm—what a brilliant concept."
"Miss Granger, you say this is Mr Lawrence's work?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Good, very good indeed." Flitwick's eyes held both admiration and regret. Why wasn't such a clever young wizard in Ravenclaw?
"For this map alone, I'll award Hufflepuff 20 points. I can hardly believe this is the work of a first-year student."
Flitwick eagerly went to discuss the spells used on the map with Wayne, leaving Harry and Ron dumbfounded.
Neville was also deeply impressed by Wayne and planned to buy a map after class. Ten Galleons was ten Galleons—he wasn't short on money. Though Neville's grandmother was strict, she treated him well. The Remembrall he'd received earlier, for instance, was a high-quality alchemical item.
...
By noon, as soon as Wayne sat down in the Great Hall, students swarmed him from all directions, clamouring to ask about the map. They came from every house except Slytherin—mostly younger students, but some older ones too.
Cho's method of promotion differed from Hermione's; she'd simply shown the map to everyone in the Ravenclaw Common Room and demonstrated its ability to mark Filch's location after class.
This won over even more hearts, particularly among the older students. At Hogwarts, students who didn't sneak out at night were practically nonexistent. With curfew starting at nine, these energetic young wizards could never stay idle. The map significantly improved their safety.
Wayne hadn't anticipated such overwhelming interest. Surrounded and unable to move, he could only shout, "Everyone, please don't rush! Lunchtime is too short, and I don't have enough maps on me. If you want one, come to the side chamber near the Great Hall after classes this afternoon—I guarantee there'll be plenty in stock!"
Only after hearing this did the crowd disperse, satisfied.
Cedric then sidled up, grinning cheekily. "Godfather, can't you make it cheaper? Ten Galleons is too expensive."
"Piss off!"
"Right away!"
...
By four in the afternoon, the antechamber where first-years waited before Sorting had transformed. A massive banner floated overhead:
Celia Store's Grand Opening!
Our motto: Today is another day full of hope!
Though no one quite understood the slogan, they were impressed nonetheless, obediently exchanging money for goods.
Of the three map variants available, most opted for the standard edition, as knowing the staircases' movements was enough. However, Wayne had made it clear beforehand that his craftsmanship wasn't perfect; the magical power in each map would only last one academic year, becoming useless after the next term.
While it was true his skills were still developing, planned obsolescence was also a necessary strategy. The rate of deterioration was carefully calculated and entirely intentional. If he hadn't calculated that young witches' purses were limited and couldn't spend too much on maps, he would have made them disposable items that broke every month.
Wayne handled deliveries, Cho collected payments, and Hermione kept the accounts.
The trio worked busily for over an hour before the stream of map buyers finally ceased.
"Quick, count how much we've made?"
Hermione's cheeks flushed with excitement: "I've been keeping track—one hundred and twenty Galleons in total, plus six hundred and fifty Sickles."
"Wayne, you're amazing! Earning this much in just one afternoon!"
Cho gazed at Wayne with admiration. Her yearly allowance barely reached twenty Galleons, and her parents' combined monthly wages amounted to roughly this sum. What Wayne earned in a single day equalled her seven years' living expenses at Hogwarts.
"That's not how the accounting works," Wayne shook his head, not sharing the girls' enthusiasm. "I've been working on these maps for a week. Material costs money too, and most importantly, our future customers will dwindle."
"You're right," Hermione conceded, though still delighted. She checked the ledger and exclaimed excitedly:
"Not many Slytherins have come yet—they're truly wealthy. Only six maps were sold to Slytherins, but without exception, they all bought the ProMax versions. Apart from them, only two others purchased the most expensive option."
"One was Harry, the other Neville."
Having earned so much from Slytherin's little snakes, Hermione found herself thinking they weren't quite so detestable after all.
For pure-blood aristocrats, money was no object—what they truly sought were products that highlighted their superior status.
"Come on, time to divide the profits."
With a grand gesture, Wayne ushered the two young witches into a disused classroom.
Over a hundred Galleons and several hundred Sickles cascaded onto the table, glittering gold and silver until their eyes swam.
"Let's convert six hundred and fifty Sickles to forty Galleons for easier calculation—that makes one hundred and sixty total. Here's twenty-four each," Wayne swiftly calculated, pushing small piles of coins towards them.
"Is it alright to take this much?" Cho hesitated. "I didn't contribute much."
"Those were the terms we agreed on—no backing out now," Wayne insisted firmly, stuffing the money into their pockets.
"There'll be more products later when I'll need your help again. I can't manage everything alone."
Truthfully, Wayne cared little for this money—his system awarded points based on items' selling prices.
Every Galleon spent by a young witch or wizard meant five points instantly credited.
Seeing his determination, Cho and Hermione exchanged glances and reluctantly accepted.
...
Slytherin Common Room.
First-year Blaise Zabini proudly displayed his newly purchased map.
"See this? It shows Filch's location. That stupid Squib's wandering around the third floor like a headless chicken."
A crowd of students gathered around, equally fascinated. "Where'd you get this, Zabini?"
"Bought it from Lawrence," Zabini declared haughtily. "Not expensive—just ten Galleons."
"Indeed reasonable," the others nodded in agreement, though whether genuinely or pretending remained unclear. At this moment, even if they genuinely thought it was expensive, they couldn't show it. They had to uphold the pride of pure-bloods.
"Hmph."
Watching Zabini surrounded by the crowd, Malfoy let out an envious, jealous snort.
Such treatment was something only he deserved. After all, he, Malfoy, was the unofficial Prefect of the first year.
"Showing off like that, just because he spent a bit of money," Malfoy muttered bitterly. "And it's that Lawrence again."
Unlike his pure hatred for Harry, Malfoy's feelings towards Wayne were a mix of sheer disdain and envy.
A Mudblood by birth, yet far cleverer than he, a pure-blood, and constantly praised by the professors.
And now he'd gone and made some stupid map, becoming the centre of student gossip yet again.
Even he, the young master of the Malfoy Family, had never received such attention.
"Let's go!"
Malfoy stood up angrily.
Crabbe asked blankly, "Where to?"
"To buy that map from Lawrence!"
The Slytherin Common Room, like Hufflepuff's, was in the dungeons, but theirs was closer to the Black Lake.
To reach Hufflepuff's Common Room, they'd have to go up to the Great Hall and back down again. Taking advantage of the fact that curfew hadn't started yet, Malfoy hurried to buy a map. Though he hated the idea of giving Wayne his money, he couldn't let others have something he didn't.
Otherwise, people might think the Malfoy Family was in decline.
After finding a Hufflepuff student to fetch Wayne, Malfoy waited with his two lackeys.
Soon enough, Wayne emerged.
He had been chatting with Cedric in the Common Room—Cedric was particularly interested in the Revealing Charm on the map, which differed significantly from the version he'd learned.
This was an improved variant Wayne had found in the Restricted Section, and he hadn't been stingy about sharing the incantation with Cedric.
"Malfoy, what do you want?"
"Hmph."
Malfoy was as insufferable as ever, tilting his chin up, though, being shorter than Wayne, he could only look up at him.
"Do you still have those maps you're selling? Give me one—the most expensive version."
"The ProMax edition?"
Malfoy waved impatiently. "The one that marks Filch's location. Hurry up."
"Got it, of course. Wait here, I'll fetch it for you."
With that, Wayne ducked back into the Common Room to retrieve the map, returning five minutes later. Seeing the map, Malfoy had no desire to linger. He handed over the money and turned to leave.
Just then, Wayne's mocking laughter rang out behind him.
"So much for the Malfoy Family—reduced to using the same things as everyone else."