My School Life At Hogwarts Chapter 920: A Bunch of Swindlers - Novel Cool

Chapter 920: A Bunch of Swindlers

Chapter 920: A Bunch of Swindlers

By the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were huddled together, warming themselves and killing time with idle chatter.

George, lounging in an armchair, was flipping through the latest issue of the Prophet, specifically seeking out Rita Skeeter's articles for a thorough read. He remarked to Fred and Lee Jordan, who were playing a game of Exploding Snap beside him, "I've recently grown rather fond of that woman, Rita Skeeter."

"Just don't fall in love with her," Fred teased. "She's old enough to be your mother."

"I'm talking about her writing," George clarified.

He continued perusing the newspaper, scanning the recent headlines. He felt that there was a lot of significant information within its pages. While Sirius had already dropped several bombshells recently, the newest issue of The Dark Arts Defense hadn't come out yet, so he could only rely on the Prophet for the latest scoop. He was particularly interested in any news about Ludo Bagman and his downfall.

Ludo Bagman had nearly swindled them out of every Galleon in their pockets. If it hadn't been for Albert, their dream would have ended before it even began.

Fred and George had not forgotten this grudge.

"That woman's articles are as sharp as ever. Anyone she sets her sights on is doomed," George commented.

Lee Jordan had also been following Rita Skeeter's articles in the Prophet over the past few days and had to admit that there was a reason her reporting was so well-received, even if most of it was rubbish.

But everyone loved this gossip.

"Sirius really is daring. He's definitely going to be in big trouble after what he did last time," George said as he continued to flip through the newspaper, searching for more information about Bagman.

Ever since Rita Skeeter had efficiently exposed Ludo Bagman's scandal, the former Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports had become a disgraced figure.

It was inevitable, as countless witches and wizards had placed bets with Bagman during the Quidditch World Cup. Whether they had lost or won money, they were all cursing his name now.

Amidst the torrent of angry denunciations, Bagman had slunk away from the Ministry, spending his days evading his creditors.

Hearing Fred, George, and Lee Jordan mention Sirius, Harry looked up from the game of wizard's chess he was playing with Ron and asked, "What kind of trouble will Sirius be in?"

"I don't know, but Fudge is not a forgiving man," George replied.

"The last time I saw Fudge at the Leaky Cauldron, he didn't seem too bad," Harry offered. He hadn't had much interaction with the Minister, but his impression hadn't been terrible.

"If I were you, I wouldn't trust politicians," George advised, echoing Albert's words. "They only care about their own positions and power. They're the dirtiest scum in the world—probably dirtier than a toilet."

"I'd say a stinky sock would be more appropriate," Fred chimed in, discarding his wizard card. "Some toilets are actually quite clean."

Harry and Ron scowled, taken aback by Albert's apparent disdain for Fudge. Even Fred, George, and Lee Jordan showed no respect for the Minister.

"I bet the Minister isn't too pleased about certain truths being exposed, as it tarnishes his reputation and won't do him any favors in the next election," Lee Jordan said with a laugh, shrugging his shoulders. "Especially now that people know Fudge was indirectly responsible for Peter Pettigrew's escape from Azkaban. His situation will only get worse, and he probably even has thoughts of killing Sirius now."

Harry's mouth hung open in surprise, unsure how to respond.

He knew that Fred, George, and Lee Jordan often brought up Albert in their conversations and admired him greatly, but he had to admit that Albert was often proven right. It was a feeling similar to the trust people had in Dumbledore.

Harry found it absurd that such a thought had entered his mind—when had Albert risen to the level of Dumbledore?

Well, even though Harry was reluctant to admit it, it seemed that... Albert was indeed remarkable. If he were as old as Dumbledore, perhaps he would become the next Dumbledore—a fact that even Harry couldn't deny.

"What will happen to the Triwizard Tournament now?" Ron interjected, steering the conversation in a different direction. He always felt that Fred and the others became a bit too zealous whenever they talked about Albert, reminding him of Percy during the summer holidays:

"Mr. Crouch thinks... This is what I told Mr. Crouch... This is how Mr. Crouch sees it... According to Mr. Crouch..."

Oh, Merlin, it was maddening! One Percy in the family was enough; Ron didn't want to see Fred and George going down that path.

"It'll probably continue," Fred replied without hesitation. "Albert said that the champions made a contract with the Goblet of Fire, so they can't back out now, no matter what. The consequences of breaking the contract are too dire."

"What a troublesome tournament," Lee Jordan sighed as he began to tidy up the wizard cards on the table. "Maybe this will be the last one."

"By the way, when do you plan to officially sell the wizard cards?" Ron asked, picking up one of the intricately designed cards. Over the years, the quality of the wizard cards had improved significantly.

"Next semester," Fred replied.

"We'll launch advertisements, offer owl mail orders, and sell them to Hogwarts students," George explained. "It'll be our final step toward opening our shop after graduation."

"Anderson really intends to help you open a shop, like Zonko's Joke Shop, right?" Ron asked, his face filled with envy. He wished he had friends like that too. "But aside from the canary creams, how many new products do you have prepared?"

"We won't disappoint you. We've got lots of interesting stuff," Fred assured him.

"Including the wizard cards?" Harry asked curiously. "How much do you plan to sell them for?"

"Two Sickles for a pack, and you'll get five wizard cards inside." Lee Jordan introduced, "A set of wizard cards costs one Galleon."

"That's expensive. You guys are swindlers!" Ron exclaimed, giving the trio a strange look.

"Is it? I don't think so. For just one Galleon, you can buy a set and start playing." Lee Jordan shot Ron a disdainful look as if he were a pauper, "You don't have to buy the booster packs, and if you join the Wizard Card Club and are willing to participate in competitions, we'll give out free packs every year. To be honest, even the cheapest wizard chess set costs more than one Galleon."

Ron opened his mouth to retort, but Lee Jordan continued, "If you think even this is expensive, then you definitely can't afford the inventions of Fred, George, and Albert. Their candies cost two Sickles each."

"Have you guys gone money-mad?" Ron exclaimed in disbelief, looking at the Weasley twins, "Two Sickles for a candy?"

"We dare to sell them at this price for a reason." Fred and George exchanged a glance and placed their hands on Ron's shoulders, smiling, "If you want to get sick, our Skiving Snackboxes can make you ill immediately."

"You'd have to be crazy to want to get sick." Ron angrily shrugged off the twins' hands.

"No, there will always be times when someone wants to get sick." Fred shrugged, "After eating the Skiving Snackbox, we can guarantee that even an experienced professor will think you urgently need to go to the hospital wing. Once you leave the classroom, you can quickly recover by eating the other half of the antidote. Then, the rest of the time is yours to do as you please."

Seeing Ron's stunned expression, Fred and George patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction and said, "We've tested it ourselves, and it's safe, fast, and harmless."

"It does sound like a good thing." Harry muttered, "I'll take a set of each of the Skiving Snackboxes."

If he had had this back then, Harry would have definitely feigned illness for every one of Lockhart's Dark Arts classes.

"We're not selling them yet, so you'll probably have to wait until next semester." Fred explained helplessly, "Of course, if you want to pre-order, you can pay in advance. As the first pre-order customer, we can give you a 20% discount, which others won't be able to enjoy."

"What other inventions do you have? I'll take one of everything!" Harry was very interested in the twins' inventions.

"Wow, are you sure, Harry?"

Fred, George, and Lee Jordan all made exaggerated expressions and reminded him, "That would cost you several hundred Galleons."

"Several hundred Galleons? Are you guys robbing me?"

Harry and Ron were also shocked by the expensive price.

"Of course it's expensive. Several hundred Galleons is still cheap. If you want customization, it will be even more expensive." George didn't know where he got a magazine, which he handed to Harry.

"What's this?" Harry asked, taking the magazine.

"Our product catalog." George explained proudly.

"Is everything in here?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, thinking that the number of products was too much.

"Everything is in here, but some things need to be customized separately by Albert, and they are expensive." Fred flipped to the protective gear section of the magazine.

"There are several kinds of fireworks in this magazine, with the cheapest at two Sickles each and the most expensive at twenty Galleons for a deluxe blast. There are also custom-made versions, and the price is negotiable." Lee Jordan said to Ron, "So, wizard cards are really not expensive and can even be considered very cheap."

"You're even selling Invisibility Cloaks?" Harry was very surprised to find that they were selling Invisibility Cloaks.

"Yeah, sort of." Fred explained, "It's actually a traveling cloak with a Disillusionment Charm or a Bedazzling Hex cast on it. At first, it can turn invisible, but over time, it will gradually lose its invisibility effect and isn't that useful. However, it's more than enough to fool Filch."

"But why is there such a huge difference in price?" Ron found that the cheapest Invisibility Cloak was fifteen Galleons, while the most expensive one was three hundred Galleons, a twenty-fold difference in price.

"It's a matter of quality. The three hundred Galleon one is made of silk and is a special custom-made model. Even if it loses its magical properties, it's still a very exquisite cloak. You'll need to find Albert to make an appointment for customization." Fred shrugged, "Of course, the invisibility effect will last longer."

"I realize that Anderson is the real swindler!"

After flipping through the entire product catalog, Ron found that the most expensive items were the custom-made products, which required a temporary appointment and a deposit of one hundred Galleons. The cheapest custom-made item was one hundred Galleons, while the most expensive was five thousand. It was said to be a complete set of dragon-hide protective gear that could resist general evil curses and greatly weaken the power of Dark Magic.

"How can you say that?"

The three looked at each other and said in unison, "Albert is a swindler himself."

At this moment, Hermione rushed into the common room, breathless.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Do you know where Albert is?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"I don't know. Maybe he's with Hagrid." Fred asked in confusion, "Do you have something for him?"

"Something not-so-good has happened." Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him up from his seat, speaking quickly, "Harry, come with me."

"What's going on?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Please, just come with me, and I'll explain on the way." Hermione pulled Harry towards the corridor, with Ron following behind. They left behind the trio, who exchanged puzzled looks.

"What's going on, Hermione?"

After leaving the common room, Harry looked at Hermione with confusion, seeing that she seemed tense and anxious.

"Blaise has collapsed." Hermione said, trembling.

(End of Chapter)

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