"Why don't we raise the stakes?" Malfoy clapped his hands, and Crabbe and Goyle, who were behind him, immediately dug into their pockets, only to find two Galleons and eight Sickles.
Malfoy was embarrassed to see his two henchmen so poor, and immediately took out four Galleons from his wizard robes and slammed them on the table.
"I've only got three Galleons, fifteen Sickles, and twenty Knuts." Ivan, seeing that Malfoy had taken the bait, deftly took all the money out of his pocket.
Malfoy raised his eyebrows and smiled. "It doesn't matter… that's all that matters. The bet is set!" Malfoy was trying to empty Ivan's pockets.
If he lost, it would be a mere four Galleons, but if he won, then damn Ivan would be hard-pressed for a very long time.
Although meals and accommodation were free of charge at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the cost of daily necessities, extra-curricular potion-making materials, gifts, and snacks were all paid for.
Malfoy was looking forward to seeing Ivan borrow money to get by.
"All right, then it's a deal!" Malfoy offered to give Ivan money, and Ivan wasn't about to turn him down. One more Galleon could buy a lot more materials.
As for whether he would lose?
Yvonne thought the odds were pathetic. If she couldn't bet on that, how could she earn Galleons fast? In her dreams.
Ivan was extremely pleased that he had successfully conned Malfoy. By the end of the game, he would have seven Galleons, which should be enough to satisfy most of his needs.
"Ivan, what did you say to Malfoy?"
In a good mood, Ivan returned to the Gryffindor table, and Harry and Ron immediately came up to him and asked him about it. The conversation between Ivan and Malfoy wasn't loud, so they didn't hear much.
"Nothing, it's just that Malfoy and I have a bet that Harry will catch the Golden Snitch and Gryffindor will win the match in a few days," said Ivan.
"How could you? Gambling is not a good thing. What if Professor McGonagall found out?" Hermione scowled.
"Come on, who's going to tell Professor McGonagall if you don't?" Ron demanded.
After hearing Ivan's words, Ron wanted to bet against Malfoy.
Harry, on the other hand, felt the pressure on him increasing…
Ivan was on his way back to his dorm when the Weasley brothers intercepted him.
George pulled Ivan to one side with a mysterious expression on his face. After looking around to make sure no one was around, he spoke in a low voice.
"Ivan, we just overheard you talking to Malfoy."
"I wonder if you'd be interested in making some Galleons with us?" Fred echoed George.
"Work together? To develop magical tricks?" Yvonne asked, intrigued by the long-awaited creation of magical objects.
"How did you know we were planning to develop this?" George and Fred looked at each other in surprise.
"Isn't it?" Yvonne asked, giving a non-committal shrug. He couldn't very well claim to know their future.
"Of course not. At the very least, we're short of the funds we need to develop it! If we're ready, you're welcome to join us!" Since Ivan didn't want to talk about it, George didn't bother to ask, and Fred got straight to the point.
"What we mean is to make a bet for the rest of the game. We're sure to make a killing!"
"But we were short of funds and couldn't get involved as a player, so we thought of you."
When they finished, they looked nervously at Ivan.
"You're not trying to fake a match and lose on purpose, are you?" Yvonne asked, thinking of the possibility.
"How is that possible? Are we like that?" George shouted angrily, and Fred said angrily.
"Besides, we Gryffindor have been losing for years. Who's going to bet on us? You can't make a Galleon by faking a match!"
Yvonne's apology died in her throat. She thought Wood would cry if he knew what they were thinking.
George and Fred, on the other hand, got more excited as they talked.
"With our ace, Harry, on the team, we're going to have a major upset. He's the best Seeker I've ever seen, and we're going to win!"
"Yes, and then the betting will be able to raise the Slytherin odds high and lower the Gryffindor odds, and the Slytherins will be so angry they'll pay up!"
The more they talked, the more crooked their ideas became, to the point of trying to bribe Lee Jordan, who was a match commentator, into giving them trouble with words, even though he was a fanatical Gryffindor and tended to side with Gryffindor when it came to collecting money for a match.
Ivan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, suddenly thinking that it would be a waste of Joel's talent to only have one joke shop in the future, and that he should be running a regular Quidditch game instead.
guaranteed to make a killing…
"Okay…I'll go along with it. How many Galleons do you have left?" Yvonne pondered for a moment and decided that George and Fred's plan was sound. Given the proud nature of Slytherins, they would most likely be dragged into this mess, and it would give them an early taste of the hardships of the world.
"Five Galleons, that's all we've got." Joel and Fred gritted their teeth and took out all the money they had.
"With what I have, the principal should be sufficient." Ivan nodded, and then discussed the details with the other two.
Ivan was silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Don't tell Jordan about the bet, though. If it gets out, he'll have to punish you more harshly as a commentator."
"Okay, sure." George thought about it and nodded cautiously.
Fred said at that moment.
"We'll cast a Secrecy Charm on everyone involved, and anyone who breaks it or snitches will be severely punished."
"So the contract is valid?" Ivan asked, holding out his right wrist.
"Yes, the contract is in!" The Weasleys did the same, and Joel waved his wand, causing a mark to appear on their wrists.
Ivan looked at the system column and saw that there was indeed an extra status there. The effect was to make the tongue five times larger after breaking the contract for a whole week.
Though not particularly severe, it should be sufficient to deter underage wizards and witches.
In fact, given the proud nature of the Slytherin house wizards, they would never rat on anyone, no matter how angry they were.
Ivan's lips curled at the thought. 'That should cover the cost of the potion.'