Chapter - 18.3

And in a flash, it was Saturday. And the most celebrated rivalry at Hogwarts was on the doorsteps. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and overwhelmingly, Slytherins were the favourites.

Apart from the rivalry, the Quidditch matches were also important for the House Championship. And if somehow Gryffindor were to win this match miraculously, they would move up the table, surpassing Ravenclaw. It would also give them a better shot at the House Cup that has been evading them for years.

But even in this tense situation, there were still some enthusiasts. The gambling dens. And it was the Slytherins who owned the majority of the gambling houses. The Gambling houses were backed by the noble families in the wizarding world, giving them considerable influence inside Hogwarts. It was also a decent source of pocket change for the families. Even the school allowed it. Because it provided them with a nice commission as well. Even Hogwarts had its fair share of expenditures. And the school fees, as well as the grants from the Ministry, were just not enough. So gambling was a legal business at Hogwarts. But only during Quidditch.

But this time, it was a little different. And it was all thanks to Harry Potter, the living legend of Hogwarts. The gambling houses were bustling. First, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. Harry was on the lineup, which doubled and tripled the excitement of his very first appearance. And everyone wanted to try their luck with him. And the second reason was that the Slytherins thought it was a good opportunity to mock Potter and Gryffindor. And this was evident from the odds that had been announced for three days. Either the gambling houses will make a killing, or they will have to dig deep into their pockets this time.

One to mock Potter and Gryffindor, and the other to entice students to gamble more. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and everyone would want to try their luck. It was the same for the nobles as well. They were taking a risk. Either they will make a killing or be killed. But everyone was going all out, and one could tell that by looking at the odds.

Odds were in favour of Slytherin. But the outcome of the match was not the only bet. There were other bets as well, and they were so lucrative that even the Gryffindors felt enticed to bet against Harry and Gryffindor in most of them.

The odds were as follows.

Bet: Winning the Match

Return on Slytherin: 1.21

Return on Gryffindor: 1.56

But apart from this, the major attraction was Gryffindor's secret weapon, Harry. Nobody had seen him play, yet he ruled the gambling houses this time.

Bets that circled around Harry were,

Bet that Harry would be knocked out in (minutes):- In Favour : Against

Less than 2 minutes:- 1.7  :  1.3

More than 2, less than 5:- 2.5  :  1.5

More than 5, less than 10:- 3.4  :  2

More than 10, less than 15:- 5.0  :  2.7

More than 15, less than 25:- 7.5  :  4.0

He will go beyond 25 minutes:- 15.0  :  7.0

And then there was this special bet as well. Everyone who had bet more than 100 Galleons on any other bet could participate in this one.

Will Harry catch the snitch or not? Yes 'or' No

Yes : 10

No : 4

The returns were so high that the amount betted broke all previous records. The majority of the bets came from Gryffindors. But the majority of the amount betted was from Slytherins. Being nobles, they liked to go big. Most of the bets placed were on Harry being knocked out in the first five minutes. And everyone was involved in that equally, even the Gryffindors. Though the Gryffindors wanted Potter and Gryffindor to win, they were not very confident in Potter. Apart from that, the odds against Harry were just too enticing.

Alex was also interested in knowing about Quidditch. From what Alex knew about himself, he was not too shabby when flying a broomstick. But Alex never liked riding such an uncomfortable and unsightly thing. So instead of taking part in flying lessons or playing Quidditch, Alex gave a shot reading about it. From 'Quidditch through the ages,' to 'The rule book concerning both on and off-pitch magic,' Alex read them all. There were more than seven hundred ways of committing a foul in Quidditch, and only once have they all happened in a single game. It was during a World Cup match in 1473. But apart from that, you have to feel it for the referees. It can never be easy to learn every single foul and keep track of them in a game.

But right now, Quidditch was the last thing Alex had on his mind. He was going through a crisis of his own at this moment.

It was a day off for everyone because of the Quidditch match. Because of this, the Great Hall was also unusually bustling. Everywhere you looked were cheerful chatters, and everyone was looking forward to a good Quidditch match, especially the first years who were eager to watch their first match.

Meanwhile, away from everything, Alex was sitting alone in the end on the Slytherin table, minding his own business, when Daphne decided to show up and sit beside him.

"How's the food?" Daphne asked as soon as she sat beside Alex.

"Edible," Alex replied.

"Hmmm..." Daphne nodded, "So, did you bet?" Daphne asked again.

"Hmmm..." Alex nodded. For the past few days, Alex has been trying to ignore Daphne. The distance between them, which had narrowed in the last two or three months, has started to widen again. And it was all because of Daphne.

[Flashback]

After his conversation with Professor Snape, and earning points for Slytherin for fighting the troll, Alex made his way to the Slytherin dungeon. But by the time he arrived, the feast had ended, and everyone had already gone to their rooms. Well, everyone but one. Daphne was still there in the common room.

Daphne was sleeping soundly on the armchairs by the fireplace. Alex thought about not disturbing her, but when he saw the fire in the hearth dying slowly, he decided to walk up to Daphne.

Reaching the fireplace, Alex pulled out his wand and pointed it at the fire. He whispered the spell, and the fire was warm and bright again.

'This should do it,' Alex thought, but when he saw Daphne curled up like a baby, he knew it was not enough. The weather was getting colder every day, and the dungeon made it worse. So without thinking much about it, Alex took off his robe and covered Daphne with it.

But maybe because Daphne was a light sleeper, as soon as Alex put the robe over her, she opened her eyes.

"Ummm... you are back". Daphne said while rubbing her eyes.

"Why are you sleeping here?" Alex pulled back his robe and asked. There were no books, so she obviously did not fall asleep while reading.

"I was waiting for you. I didn't see you return, so I got a little worried," Daphne stood up straight,

"But I don't know when I fell asleep..."

'Waiting for me? Why would she do that?' Alex thought, 'And what is this feeling?' Alex's hand reached out for his chest.

"Now that you are back, I should get going. We will talk tomorrow," Daphne did not pay much attention to Alex's facial expression as she made her way to her room, stumbling on her feet.

While Alex could only stand there, staring in the direction Daphne left.

[Flashback end]

"Me too... I have gambled a hundred galleons on Slytherin's victory... And another twenty galleons on Potter being knocked out in ten minutes," Daphne excitedly told Alex.

"I wanted to bet on Potter not being able to catch the snitch, but I have already blown all my pocket money earlier this month," Daphne said with regret.

"Hmmm..." Alex nodded again. It was not clear if he was even paying attention to Daphne.

"How about you lend me..." Daphne cautiously asked but was interrupted.

"I am going," Alex stood and left.

"Wait for me..." Daphne said and ran behind Alex. She had to borrow some money to bet.

* * * * *

The_Lonely_Guy

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