Chapter 405: Meeting Lockhart Again
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Nian Gao Pei Ma Tuan
As the organizer of the event, it is obviously an extremely exaggerated illegal incident to openly set up a market for betting.
But in the "magical" magical world, anything is possible.
Bagman proudly introduced his client: "I have convinced Roddy Pontene that Bulgaria will score the first goal, considering that Ireland's third forward is the best I have seen in many years. I gave him very high odds; little Agatha Timms put up half her Eel Farm stock in a bet that the race would last a week; and..."
He talked for a long time, and Mr. Weasley just smiled and watched him chatter. Finally, he reluctantly took out a Galleung and said with a smile: "Let me think about it... I'll bet Ireland to win with a Galleung. OK?"
He is a very down-to-earth person and does not expect to make a lot of money through evil ways such as gambling.
Of course, not having much money in your pocket is also a problem.
"A galleung?" This small amount of money obviously disappointed Bagman, but he soon regained his interest. He glanced at Glenn without revealing any trace, and continued, "Very good, very good... and Does anyone else want to bet?"
Glenn noticed his look and fiddled with the bonfire, pretending not to be interested.
Seeing that the twins were obviously interested, he leaned into their ears and whispered: "I don't recommend that you give all your savings to Bagman. As far as I know, that guy's gambling is not very good."
Fred, who was reaching for the money, changed his expression and quickly changed his mind: "We offer two Galleons and a fake wand, and bet that Ireland will win, but Victor Krum will catch the Golden Snitch!"
Although they trusted Glenn, they still couldn't bear to give up such a good opportunity to make money.
It was another small bet, but as a qualified gambling king, Bagman did not show disdain. After all, mosquito legs are still meat no matter how small they are.
Fred dug into his pocket again, pulled out a fairly finely crafted wand and handed it over.
"You don't want to give those crappy things to Mr. Bagman, do you?" Percy said in a low voice.
"Fake wand? What is that?" Bagman took the wand blankly, and the wand squeaked loudly and turned into a rubber chicken.
He was startled at first, then laughed like a child, put away the fake wand seriously, and said: "This is so interesting! An excellent prank prop! I can price it for three galleons. How about you just bet five galleons in total?"
This development was obviously beyond Percy's expectation. He stood there blankly, with dissatisfaction and surprise mixed on his face.
"Isn't that bad, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley glanced at the twins and said, "They both..."
"Don't spoil the fun, Arthur! They are old enough and know what they want!" Gambling King Bagman patted him on the shoulder, took out a notebook and quill from his jingling pocket, and started writing. "Irish wins - Krum catches the Snitch - this is too risky, boys, almost impossible to achieve, are you sure you want to bet like this?"
"Yes, Mr. Bagman!" The twins nodded immediately.
"Okay..." Bagman nodded, with a smile still on his face, "In this case, I will give you high odds. After all, the probability of this prediction coming true is too low."
"Fred and George Weasley, two plus - no, five plus with the fake wand."
He finished writing a few strokes, tore off half of it and handed it to George.
The two carefully checked the contents of the note and the signature on it before carefully stuffing it back into their pockets.
After completing his job as Gambling King, Bagman began his job as Director of the Department of Magical Sports.
He chatted with Mr. Weasley for a while, and there was another sound of someone apparating nearby. The man was wearing a meticulous black suit and tie, and a pair of polished leather shoes.
Barty Crouch.
To use Harry's words, he could pretend to be a bank manager, and even Vernon Dursley wouldn't be able to figure out his true identity.
This idea is not wrong, after all, he strictly abides by the Muggle dress code, but in an occasion like camping, it is inevitably a bit strange to dress like this.
It seems that because of Sirius's incident, his last chance of political career was ruined. At this time, Crouch no longer looked as high-spirited as in the original work, and his whole body was full of loss and exhaustion.
What's even more interesting is that Percy, obviously his immediate superior, only greeted him perfunctorily, not even as enthusiastic as when he saw Bagman.
"Sit down and take a rest, Barty." Bagman, who was sitting on the grass, waved to him with a smile.
"No, thank you, Ludo," Crouch shook his head and chatted business with him and Mr. Weasley.
At this time, there was another noise not far away.
Everyone followed the sound and noticed a bright lilac color in the crowd.
Lockhart!
His attire is somewhat similar to Crouch's, they are both in formal attire, but the style and color are completely different.
The top two buttons of the slutty pink shirt were unbuttoned, and the lavender suit jacket was also open, giving people a casual feel.
It's just that the tight suit pants and beanie shoes still give off a bit of a spirited young man.
He saw Glenn from a distance and immediately came over.
"Mr. Lockhart!" Percy was breathless with excitement.He leaned forward in a bow that made him look like a hunchback. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
The flattering tactics that were supposed to be used on Crouch were used on Lockhart intact, and he didn't seem uncomfortable at all.
"Oh! Thank you, Percy!" Lockhart smiled warmly at him.
As if because Lockhart recognized him, Percy was obviously very motivated and quickly brought over a cup of hot tea.
He rubbed his hands, as if trying to find some topic: "Mr. Lockhart, regarding the last report——"
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Lockhart, and his attention had already shifted to Glenn.
As a charlatan, he was well aware of his level, and he was able to reach this point almost entirely with Glenn's help.
Otherwise, at the moment, he is just an Internet celebrity and a writer of cool articles. How could he have the opportunity to get in touch with the power center of the magical society?
"Long time no see, dear Glenn." He took the initiative to hug Glenn like an old friend.
Percy's expression froze.
Mr. Lockhart, whom he worked so hard to please, could stoop so low to be so enthusiastic about a Hogwarts student who had not yet graduated, which was obviously beyond his understanding.
But in the "magical" magical world, anything is possible.
Bagman proudly introduced his client: "I have convinced Roddy Pontene that Bulgaria will score the first goal, considering that Ireland's third forward is the best I have seen in many years. I gave him very high odds; little Agatha Timms put up half her Eel Farm stock in a bet that the race would last a week; and..."
He talked for a long time, and Mr. Weasley just smiled and watched him chatter. Finally, he reluctantly took out a Galleung and said with a smile: "Let me think about it... I'll bet Ireland to win with a Galleung. OK?"
He is a very down-to-earth person and does not expect to make a lot of money through evil ways such as gambling.
Of course, not having much money in your pocket is also a problem.
"A galleung?" This small amount of money obviously disappointed Bagman, but he soon regained his interest. He glanced at Glenn without revealing any trace, and continued, "Very good, very good... and Does anyone else want to bet?"
Glenn noticed his look and fiddled with the bonfire, pretending not to be interested.
Seeing that the twins were obviously interested, he leaned into their ears and whispered: "I don't recommend that you give all your savings to Bagman. As far as I know, that guy's gambling is not very good."
Fred, who was reaching for the money, changed his expression and quickly changed his mind: "We offer two Galleons and a fake wand, and bet that Ireland will win, but Victor Krum will catch the Golden Snitch!"
Although they trusted Glenn, they still couldn't bear to give up such a good opportunity to make money.
It was another small bet, but as a qualified gambling king, Bagman did not show disdain. After all, mosquito legs are still meat no matter how small they are.
Fred dug into his pocket again, pulled out a fairly finely crafted wand and handed it over.
"You don't want to give those crappy things to Mr. Bagman, do you?" Percy said in a low voice.
"Fake wand? What is that?" Bagman took the wand blankly, and the wand squeaked loudly and turned into a rubber chicken.
He was startled at first, then laughed like a child, put away the fake wand seriously, and said: "This is so interesting! An excellent prank prop! I can price it for three galleons. How about you just bet five galleons in total?"
This development was obviously beyond Percy's expectation. He stood there blankly, with dissatisfaction and surprise mixed on his face.
"Isn't that bad, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley glanced at the twins and said, "They both..."
"Don't spoil the fun, Arthur! They are old enough and know what they want!" Gambling King Bagman patted him on the shoulder, took out a notebook and quill from his jingling pocket, and started writing. "Irish wins - Krum catches the Snitch - this is too risky, boys, almost impossible to achieve, are you sure you want to bet like this?"
"Yes, Mr. Bagman!" The twins nodded immediately.
"Okay..." Bagman nodded, with a smile still on his face, "In this case, I will give you high odds. After all, the probability of this prediction coming true is too low."
"Fred and George Weasley, two plus - no, five plus with the fake wand."
He finished writing a few strokes, tore off half of it and handed it to George.
The two carefully checked the contents of the note and the signature on it before carefully stuffing it back into their pockets.
After completing his job as Gambling King, Bagman began his job as Director of the Department of Magical Sports.
He chatted with Mr. Weasley for a while, and there was another sound of someone apparating nearby. The man was wearing a meticulous black suit and tie, and a pair of polished leather shoes.
Barty Crouch.
To use Harry's words, he could pretend to be a bank manager, and even Vernon Dursley wouldn't be able to figure out his true identity.
This idea is not wrong, after all, he strictly abides by the Muggle dress code, but in an occasion like camping, it is inevitably a bit strange to dress like this.
It seems that because of Sirius's incident, his last chance of political career was ruined. At this time, Crouch no longer looked as high-spirited as in the original work, and his whole body was full of loss and exhaustion.
What's even more interesting is that Percy, obviously his immediate superior, only greeted him perfunctorily, not even as enthusiastic as when he saw Bagman.
"Sit down and take a rest, Barty." Bagman, who was sitting on the grass, waved to him with a smile.
"No, thank you, Ludo," Crouch shook his head and chatted business with him and Mr. Weasley.
At this time, there was another noise not far away.
Everyone followed the sound and noticed a bright lilac color in the crowd.
Lockhart!
His attire is somewhat similar to Crouch's, they are both in formal attire, but the style and color are completely different.
The top two buttons of the slutty pink shirt were unbuttoned, and the lavender suit jacket was also open, giving people a casual feel.
It's just that the tight suit pants and beanie shoes still give off a bit of a spirited young man.
He saw Glenn from a distance and immediately came over.
"Mr. Lockhart!" Percy was breathless with excitement.He leaned forward in a bow that made him look like a hunchback. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
The flattering tactics that were supposed to be used on Crouch were used on Lockhart intact, and he didn't seem uncomfortable at all.
"Oh! Thank you, Percy!" Lockhart smiled warmly at him.
As if because Lockhart recognized him, Percy was obviously very motivated and quickly brought over a cup of hot tea.
He rubbed his hands, as if trying to find some topic: "Mr. Lockhart, regarding the last report——"
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Lockhart, and his attention had already shifted to Glenn.
As a charlatan, he was well aware of his level, and he was able to reach this point almost entirely with Glenn's help.
Otherwise, at the moment, he is just an Internet celebrity and a writer of cool articles. How could he have the opportunity to get in touch with the power center of the magical society?
"Long time no see, dear Glenn." He took the initiative to hug Glenn like an old friend.
Percy's expression froze.
Mr. Lockhart, whom he worked so hard to please, could stoop so low to be so enthusiastic about a Hogwarts student who had not yet graduated, which was obviously beyond his understanding.
