Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 470 You will win, but victory will not be yours.

In the magical world, when people hear that a boy is named Harry Potter, they often show surprise first, and then look at the boy's forehead to find the lightning bolt-shaped scar.

Harry was already very familiar with this combo.

So when Ludo Bagman did the same, Harry wasn't surprised at all.

Fortunately, Bagman's gaze did not linger on his forehead for long, because Mr. Weasley interrupted him:
"Alright, now please allow me to introduce it to you—"

He paused, then said solemnly:
"This is Ludo Bagman!"

You all know who he is. Thanks to him, we were able to get such good tickets—”

“Arthur, it was just a small favor, nothing at all.”

Bagman's face brightened with a smile again. He waved and then asked impatiently:

"Want to place a bet on the match, Arthur?"

Everyone except Mr. Weasley, Mr. Bagman, and Percy looked at Sherlock in surprise.

He was right again!
Ludo Bagman actually proposed a bet!

Just as Harry was used to the surprised looks on people's faces when they heard his name, Sherlock was equally accustomed to the surprised looks on others' faces when his deductions came true.

Therefore, he was even more calm and composed than Harry had been just moments before.

Bagman then jingled the pockets of his yellow and black robe, showing Mr. Weasley that they were full of gold coins.

"I've convinced Roddy Ponte to bet me that Bulgaria will score the first goal."

I gave him very high odds because I considered that Ireland's number three striker was the best I've seen in years.

Agatha Tims Jr. staked half her eel farm stock on a bet that the contest would last a week.

"Oh... let me think..."

Mr. Weasley hesitated for a moment, but considering that the other party had helped him get such good tickets, it wouldn't be very polite to refuse outright. He finally said:
"Well, okay... I'll bet one Galleon on Ireland to win, is that alright?"

"One Galon?"

Ludo Bagman looked somewhat disappointed, clearly feeling that Mr. Weasley's bet was a bit too small.

However, he quickly regained his interest and turned his attention to other people, saying as he looked around:
"Alright, a little gambling is harmless. So... is anyone else interested in betting?"

"They are too young to gamble."

Mr. Weasley quickly said, "Molly wouldn't agree—"

Before he could finish speaking, Fred and George had already pulled out a large sum of money with lightning speed.

“We’ll put up thirty-six Galleons, eighteen Sikor, and nine Nat,” Fred said.

“Ireland will win—but Viktor Krum will catch the Golden Snitch,” George said.

“Oh, right, we also need to add a fake wand,” Fred added again.

"Hey, what are you doing? Are you trying to show Mr. Bagman that junk—"

Percy seemed to find the whole thing a little embarrassing, and he spoke to the twins in a low voice.

But Mr. Bagman did not think the fake wand was a piece of junk.

He took the wand from Fred, and when he saw the wand squawk and turn into a rubber chick, Mr. Bagman was first taken aback, and then burst into laughter.

"Fantastic! Wonderful!"

I haven't seen anything this realistic in years!

I'll buy it for five Galleons, it'll be on your bet!

Percy was both surprised and annoyed, and he was completely stunned.

Surprisingly, Bagman valued the piece of junk that he had always looked down upon.

What's frustrating is that Ludo Bagman is acting like this, completely lacking the demeanor of a leader, a world apart from his department head, Buddy Krach!

Lacking much cunning, Percy remained frozen in place, like a telephone pole, due to his dissatisfaction with Bagman.

However, neither Mr. Weasley nor Mr. Bagman noticed him. Mr. Weasley, however, frowned and said:

“Children, I don’t want you to gamble… I know this is all your savings… your mother—”

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Arthur!"

Before the Weasley twins could speak, Ludo Bagman had already started talking loudly, excitedly jingling the money in his pocket.

"They're all grown up now, they know what they want!"
You think Ireland will win, but can Krum catch the Golden Snitch?
Impossible, children, this is simply impossible...

In that case, I can offer you very high odds, come on…

Ludo Bagman quickly pulled out his notebook and quill pen and hastily wrote down the names of his twin brothers.

Mr. Weasley could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

"It's done."

George took the small strip of parchment that Bagman handed him and tucked it into the front of his robe.

Having won a large sum of money, Bagman became beaming again and turned to Mr. Weasley to talk about other things.

"So, Sherlock, do you think we can win?"

George returned with the note, showed it to everyone, and then asked with a grin.

"No, no, no, you should tell us first how you knew he would propose a bet with us!" Fred said, and everyone else looked at Sherlock, wanting to hear what this detective from the magic school had to say.

After all, he had just pointed out that Mr. Bagman would bring up the bet.

"These two issues are essentially the same thing."

Sherlock's gaze settled calmly on Ludo Bagman.

The tall former Quidditch star was chatting happily with Mr. Weasley, his round blue eyes sparkling with childlike enthusiasm, and his rosy cheeks appearing even fuller in the firelight.

His signature short, golden hair clung to his round head, and his tight Quidditch uniform accentuated his protruding belly, revealing the relaxed state that followed his illustrious athletic career.

"Notice that his steps are bouncy when he walks, not entirely because he is happy, but more because of an uncontrollable restlessness."

This restlessness is not simply a manifestation of vitality, but rather a body language developed from years of habit.

I usually call this a gambler's characteristic excited prelude to a potential opportunity.

Just now, he responded politely but perfunctorily to Percy's enthusiastic self-introduction, but his attention had already wandered away.

This reveals that his core interest is not in maintaining relationships with his colleagues at the Ministry of Magic.

When he laughed and praised our campsite and campfire for being well-organized, his exaggerated tone and fleeting glances suggested that this was more of a polite exchange that needed to be finished quickly than a genuine compliment.

In fact, he was laying the emotional groundwork for what he really wanted to do.

Also, he was leaning slightly forward the whole time he was talking to your father.

The slight rubbing of his fingers and the occasional brief pauses in his speech all indicated that he was preparing his opening remarks.

At this point, Sherlock suddenly stopped.

Just as everyone was getting to the exciting part, they were immediately alarmed when Sherlock abruptly stopped.

Ron, the most impatient of them all, immediately urged, "And then? Sherlock, keep going!"

“Didn’t you just say that these two questions are essentially the same thing?” Fred asked as well.

“You still haven’t said whether we’ll win or not!” George followed up with the question.

"Unfortunately, you will win the bet, but victory will not come to you."

???

Upon hearing Sherlock's words, the Weasley twins were stunned.

What is this word?

Fortunately, Sherlock didn't keep us in suspense and quickly provided an explanation:

"In fact, this former Quidditch star and current Minister of Magic is already in dire financial straits due to his gambling addiction."

The fear of bankruptcy and the obsessive desire to constantly seek a way to turn things around have become ingrained in his instincts.

This is easy to see—even in this informal, makeshift camp, facing a group of naive young people, he was able to suggest small bets to liven things up…

Sherlock shook his head and said:
"That's why I said you will win the bet, but victory won't happen to you."

"Because judging from the high odds he just offered you, even if you win, he won't be able to pay you your rightful share."

After saying that, the Weasley twins were completely dumbfounded.

"No way? Mr. Bagman is the Director of the Ministry of Magic, how could he do something so shameless?"

Harry couldn't help but say.

“Dear Harry, you always think of others as kind as you.”

Sherlock shook his head slightly. "I can tell at a glance that Mr. Bagman has a gambling addiction."

You know, to me this is as obvious as a habitual thief.

In addition, he is currently burdened with a huge amount of debt.

Of course, he wouldn't admit it himself.

In his eyes, this Quidditch World Cup has long become a tool for making money.

Therefore, his identity has absolutely nothing to do with this matter of defaulting on a debt.

After hearing Sherlock's words, Fred was the first to stand up. "I'll go get the money back!"

"Can we get it back?"

Hermione couldn't help but say, "If he really is the kind of person Sherlock described, it's unlikely he'd spit out something he'd already eaten, right?"

"If you really want to come back, do it now."

Sherlock smiled slightly, "With Mr. Weasley, his colleague, by his side, he will probably agree out of politeness."

Once he leaves, there will be no chance at all!

The Weasley twins had considerable faith in Sherlock's abilities.

"I'll go now!"

Fred rushed over without saying a word.

When he found Ludo Bagman and explained his purpose, he was suddenly stunned, having been excitedly chatting with Mr. Weasley.

(End of this chapter)