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Chapter 790: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes
Chapter 790: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes
The Gryffindor students were still buzzing with excitement over their Quidditch Cup victory, and the common room was filled with a festive atmosphere as they recounted funny moments from the game. However, what truly excited them was their gambling winnings.
Yes, they had won some money.
And they had won it from the Slytherin bookies right next door—nothing could make them happier.
Of course, the money hadn't come easily.
The wager had four conditions: Gryffindor scoring the first goal, Harry catching the Golden Snitch, Gryffindor defeating Slytherin, and ultimately winning the Quidditch Cup. Only if all these conditions were met would the Slytherin bookies have to pay out double the odds.
"Well?" As soon as Kenneth returned to the common room, he was surrounded by a crowd eager to know if the Slytherins had paid up as promised.
"Unfortunately, they don't have enough galleons to settle the debt right now, but I've recovered everyone's principal. They will pay the remaining amount before the school holidays."
"How can they do this to us?" The students were displeased with the Slytherins' failure to honor their debts, and they feared they might not get their money back at all.
"They're truly strapped for cash. After all, they lost badly. All three other houses won, and they were the only ones who lost," Kenneth explained sympathetically. "Let's give them some time and not pressure them too much."
There was no denying that the Slytherin bookies had lost disastrously. Even if they sold everything they had, it wouldn't be enough to cover their losses.
Kenneth estimated that the Slytherin bookies would need to pay out several hundred galleons, which would amount to at least thirty or forty galleons per person. He doubted that the group could come up with this kind of money, even though their families were wealthy. It didn't necessarily mean that they, as individuals, were equally affluent.
"What if they refuse to pay up?" someone asked anxiously. "The Slytherins don't have a good reputation when it comes to honoring their debts. What if they decide to renege on their losses?"
"They wouldn't dare," Kenneth replied with a cold smile. "Unless they want to be targeted by the students from all three houses. We have a magical contract with the Slytherin bookies, and they will face consequences if they fail to pay up before the summer holidays."
"What kind of consequences?" someone asked curiously.
"That's a secret for now," Kenneth said mysteriously. "If they violate the contract, you'll see something very interesting happen to them after the holidays."
Kenneth had anticipated the possibility of the Slytherins defaulting on their debts, which was why he had taken precautions and wasn't worried about the extremely unfavorable bet he had accepted.
"Come on, tell us!" the students urged.
"If you don't want your principal back," Kenneth said as he pulled out a list and began distributing the returned principals, "then I'll tell you."
"Hey, where's Albert?" Kenneth asked as he finished handing out the money and walked over to the trio playing wizard cards in the corner.
"He stepped out," Fred replied.
"Remember to return his galleons," Kenneth said, placing a small bag containing twenty galleons in front of George. "And here's your principal back, too."
"You must have made a nice profit this time," George commented as he took the bag, checked the contents, and looked up at Kenneth. He suspected that Kenneth had taken advantage of the situation to line his pockets.
"About this much," Kenneth said, lifting his hand and wiggling his fingers to indicate a small amount.
"A hundred galleons? I thought you would have made a killing," George said, feeling that he had overestimated Kenneth's greed. After all, they had followed Albert's lead and bet twenty galleons each.
"If they lost too much, more than they could handle, they might just refuse to pay anything at all. Then we would be the ones taking a huge loss," Kenneth explained, having considered the possibility of the Slytherins being unable to pay.
In that case, it wouldn't just be a matter of offending the students from the other houses.
To be honest, it was Albert who had warned him not to be too greedy and to ensure that the Slytherin bookies didn't lose so badly that they couldn't afford to pay up.
Most students had only placed small bets to show their support. It was a handful of individuals who had wagered significant amounts, and they were the ones who stood to gain the most from this bet.
That was why Kenneth had tied the interests of the three houses together and used a magical contract to ensure the Slytherin bookies wouldn't dare default.
"You're truly heartless," Fred commented.
"If you think I'm heartless, then give up the remaining twenty galleons," Kenneth retorted, his disdain evident as he faced the trio who were taking advantage of the situation to lecture him.
"Why would we give up money we won fair and square?" Fred retorted, his lip curling.
The Slytherin bookies had been set up neatly, and the trio was certain that even Kenneth, the unlucky one, didn't realize he had been pushed to the forefront of the scheme.
With a magical contract in place, it didn't take a genius to guess who had provided it.
"You... won twenty galleons?" Ron felt a dull ache in his chest.
"Yes, didn't you place a bet, too?" George asked, puzzled by Ron's expression. He glanced at Kenneth, who shrugged with a half-smile.
"Are you alright, Ron?" Hermione noticed his unusual behavior.
"It's nothing," Ron said, turning to Harry. "How much did you bet, Harry?"
"Ten galleons," Harry replied without hesitation. "I didn't think we would lose, nor did I think I would lose, and we definitely didn't lose."
"That's our Harry," they exclaimed.
"I was just saying," Harry continued, looking at Ron's pale face, "what about you? Didn't you place a bet, too? What happened?"
"He backed out later," Kenneth interjected, his expression almost breaking into a smile as he struggled to hold it back.
"Why would he do that?" Lee Jordan asked, perplexed. It didn't make sense for Ron to back out of such a sure bet. Anyone could find out that students from the three houses had bet on the outcome of the match, and it certainly wasn't a mindless gamble.
"Actually, I've always felt that Ron doesn't have much luck when it comes to money," Fred commented.
"I agree," George nodded.
"Shut up, both of you," Ron snapped at the twins. He couldn't help but feel unlucky. Why had he backed out? He recalled Albert mentioning that the Slytherins often reneged on their debts, and he had decided to withdraw his bet to avoid losing the rest of his money.
Just then, the door to the common room opened, and Albert walked in.
"Where have you been?" George asked, tossing a bag of money at Albert.
"I was with Hagrid. By the way, Hermione, you're free next Wednesday, right? Take Crookshanks to Hagrid's to help him get rid of the rats in his house," Albert said.
"Why not tomorrow?" Hermione asked, confused about the specific day.
"He needs some time to prepare," Albert explained.
As for why it had to be next Wednesday, it was because it would be a full moon, and he intended to settle the "cat, dog, wolf, and rat" situation once and for all.
(End of Chapter)
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