"How about we raise the stakes?" Malfoy said, affecting a casual air as he gestured to Crabbe and Goyle behind him. The two thugs immediately began digging through their pockets with the enthusiasm of trained seals, though after considerable effort they only managed to produce two Galleons and eight Sickles between them.
Seeing his followers' pathetic financial situation, Malfoy's face flushed with embarrassment. He quickly pulled four Galleons from his own robes and slammed them on the table with more force than necessary.
"I've got three Galleons, fifteen Sickles, and twenty Knuts," Adrian said matter-of-factly, pulling out his entire fortune and placing it neatly beside Malfoy's contribution. "That's everything."
"Perfect... that's more than enough. The bet stands!" Malfoy's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. He'd wanted to clean out Adrian's pockets entirely, and this was even better than he'd hoped.
If he lost, it was only four Galleons, pocket change. But if he won, Adrian would be scraping by for the rest of the term. Sure, tuition and room and board were covered, but a student still needed money for basic supplies, potion ingredients for extra practice, gifts, sweets from Hogsmeade... Malfoy was already savoring the image of Adrian having to borrow money just to survive.
"Excellent. It's a deal," Adrian replied smoothly. Free money from Malfoy? He wasn't about to refuse. That extra Galleon could buy quite a few potion ingredients.
As for losing the bet? Adrian figured the odds of that happening were roughly equivalent to Snape suddenly developing a sense of humor. If he couldn't even bet on something this certain, he might as well give up on making money quickly and stick to daydreaming.
Having successfully baited Malfoy into the trap, Adrian felt cheerful. After the match, he'd have seven Galleons, enough to cover most of his immediate needs.
"Adrian, what were you just talking to Malfoy about?" Harry asked as Adrian returned to the Gryffindor table, curiosity written all over his face. Ron leaned in eagerly as well. The conversation hadn't been loud enough for them to overhear, though they'd noticed the Galleons being placed and collected.
"Nothing too exciting," Adrian said with a shrug. "Malfoy and I just made a little wager about whether Harry catches the Golden Snitch in the upcoming match and wins it for Gryffindor."
"Adrian!" Hermione's disapproval was immediate and pronounced. "Gambling isn't appropriate. What if Professor McGonagall finds out?"
"Come off it, Hermione. Who's going to tell McGonagall if we don't?" Ron said dismissively, already looking like he wanted to place his own bet with Malfoy.
Harry, meanwhile, felt the weight of expectation settling even more heavily on his shoulders.
After lunch, as Adrian headed back toward the dormitory, he was intercepted by the Weasley twins who appeared as if from thin air.
George pulled Adrian aside with theatrical secrecy, glancing around to ensure they weren't overheard before leaning in conspiratorially.
"Adrian," he whispered, "we couldn't help but overhear your little conversation with Malfoy just now."
"And we were wondering," Fred continued seamlessly, "if you might be interested in making some real money with us?"
"Collaborate? On developing magical pranks and products?" Adrian asked, glancing mentally at his long-dormant Magical Item Creation skill and feeling a spark of interest.
"How did you know we were planning to develop products?" George and Fred exchanged surprised glances.
"Lucky guess," Adrian replied with a casual shrug. He could hardly explain that he knew their future.
"Well, you're not wrong," Fred admitted, "but we're still short on development funds. When we're ready to start that venture, you're definitely welcome to join us!"
"What we're talking about now," George continued, "is making a killing on bets for the upcoming match!"
"The problem is we lack startup capital, and as team members, we can't exactly be seen placing bets ourselves. That's where you come in."
Both twins looked at Adrian expectantly, their nervous energy practically vibrating in the air.
"Please tell me you're not planning to throw the match," Adrian said, a horrible possibility occurring to him.
"What?!" George shouted indignantly. "What kind of people do you think we are?"
"Besides," Fred added with equal outrage, "Gryffindor's been losing for years! Who would bet on us to win? A fixed match would be completely pointless!"
Adrian's apology died on his lips as he realized how devastated Wood would be if he knew what his own beaters were thinking.
George and Fred were getting more animated by the second.
"This time we've got Harry as our secret weapon," George continued excitedly. "We're going to pull off the upset of the century! He's the best natural flier I've ever seen, we're guaranteed to win!"
"Exactly!" Fred picked up the thread. "We can manipulate the odds to favor Slytherin heavily, which will make Gryffindor's victory even more profitable. Those arrogant Slytherins will be so confident they'll bet everything they have!"
The twins were getting increasingly carried away with their scheme, even suggesting they could pay Lee Jordan to add some creative commentary to confuse their opponents, though Adrian suspected Lee would favor Gryffindor enthusiastically regardless of payment.
Adrian wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead. These two had the business instincts of natural-born entrepreneurs. Forget joke shops, they should be running professional Quidditch betting operations. The profit margins alone...
"Alright," Adrian said after considering their proposal. "I'm in. How much capital do we have to work with?"
"Five Galleons," George and Fred said in unison, producing their entire fortune with the solemnity of a religious offering. "This is everything we've got."
"Combined with what I have, that should be enough for our purposes," Adrian nodded, then began discussing the operational details with the twins.
After a moment's thought, he added, "But let's keep Lee Jordan out of the betting side of things. If this gets exposed, he'd face much worse consequences as the official commentator."
"Good point," George agreed after a pause, his expression turning serious.
"Don't worry about security," Fred said confidently. "We'll set up a magical contract that binds all participants. Anyone who breaks the agreement or tries to expose us will face... unpleasant consequences."
"So we have a deal?" Adrian asked, extending his right hand.
"Deal!" The Weasley twins mirrored his gesture, and George waved his wand. Immediately, a small mark appeared on all three of their wrists.
Adrian glanced at his mental status display and noted the new condition:
[Tongue Enlargement Hex: violating contract results in tongue expanding five times normal size for one week.]
While not life-threatening, it was certainly humiliating enough to deter most student-age wizards from breaking their word.
Besides, knowing the proud temperament of Slytherin students, they'd probably be too embarrassed to report their losses even if they wanted revenge.
Adrian smiled to himself. At this rate, he'd have more than enough Galleons to buy all the potion ingredients he needed.