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Chapter - 20.1
"Name?"
"Alexander Ashbridge..."
And as soon as Alex introduced himself, every ear behind the table perked up. Eyes turned toward Alex.
'He is here...'
The boy entertaining Alex thought but soon got his act together. The boy then pulled out the register, "Your token..." By this time, Nicole had also come and stood by Alex.
Alex pulled out the token from his robes and gave it to the boy.
"Alex Ashbridge..." The boy read through the details, "You placed two hundred on Slytherin's victory... You have lost them all," the boy spoke, but unlike the other times, he was not loud enough.
'Another spendthrift?' Nicole was already a surprise to everyone, but there was another one who gambled like there was no tomorrow. The average a common student gambled was somewhere around forty and fifty galleons. But just now, Nicole started off with two hundred and fifty. And following suit, there was another who started off with two hundred.
"Huh... How unlucky. Next time bet on Gryffindor... Maybe you will have a better chance of winning everything you lost..." It was Ron who spoke up. He and Harry had just arrived when they heard Alex lose his money. Though Ron was surprised by the sheer amount Alex lost, since he lost it all, there was nothing to feel envious about.
"No one asked for your opinion," Nicole spoke up. She did not like Ron making fun of her brother in front of everyone.
"And that's why he lost all his money..." Ron said smugly, "What? Want me to lend you a little?"
"Next... You placed five hundred on Potter being knocked out in more than ten but less than fifteen minutes," the boy paid no attention to what the others said and continued, "And you lost..."
Now, this was followed by pin drop silence. No one said a word. There was shock and envy in most of the eyes.
'Fuck... Seven hundred galleons?' Everyone was amazed by Alex's ability to pull out seven hundred galleons... Just to gamble them away. Not many students can pull that feat at Hogwarts.
"Bravo... Bravo... My man... Keep it going," Ron applauded as his claps broke the silence. He felt it was his lucky day. First, Gryffindor won, and now the one person Ron hated the most had lost everything he put on line. What more could he ask for... Or maybe there was still something.
"You placed eight hundred galleons on Harry being knocked out in more than fifteen, but less than twenty-five minutes," the boy said as he wiped the sweat over his forehead. No one knew what he was thinking, "You lost that as well..."
"You got to be kidding me..." Someone said in disbelief, and soon the students, irrespective of whichever team they supported, began to clamour.
"This guy is crazy rich on top of being unlucky," someone said, jealous of Alex's deep pockets and happy about his loss.
"Man... He is going up and above with every bet... How much did he lose till now?" Someone from the Gryffindor asked.
"Fifteen hundred... Even I feel like pitying him," another from Gryffindor replied.
"Have you gone crazy?" Daphne asked. Hermione and Daphne have also walked in close to the siblings, "Why would you gamble so much? And lose it all."
"Tell me... Are you trying to whitewash some black money?" Hermione looked in suspicion toward Alex. She never knew what was going on in Alex's head, and everything was possible with him.
"Brother, it's alright... It's just some money. You earned it on your own without anyone's help... You can do that again," Nicole said softly. She felt sad. Not because Alex lost the money, but because everyone was making fun of him or blaming him. What are they so excited about? It was not their money.
"Oh... I am not worried," Alex turned his gaze towards Nicole for a split second before looking back at the guy in front of him, "And you shouldn't get agitated as well... Everything is fine."
Nicole was used to this calmness... But even she did not think her brother would be so calm after losing a fortune. There was not a tinge of emotion on his face. And if that was the case, she knew there was nothing to worry about. Well, even if he lost all the money, Nicole won't be bothered. After all, she didn't earn a single penny. And whatever was left with her was already enough to last them for a good couple of years.
But not everyone was as pleased as Ron. Harry was displeased. He had a smile on his face, but his frown gave his frustration away. He was pleased by the fact that Alex was losing his money left, right, and centre. But Alex bet everything on him being knocked. If not for the money lost, Harry wouldn't have been satisfied.
Meanwhile, Ron was just a step short from dancing. His face was all smiles, after all, this was the first time he got an upper hand on Alex. He would be a fool to let this chance slip by.
"I take it back... Even if Gryffindor were to play daily for the next seven years, you wouldn't be able to win back everything you lost, "Ron said smugly, "How can someone be such a jinx... And the siblings are orphans, no brainer to guess why..." Ron's lips curled up as he looked down on Alex and Nicole.
"You... What do you even kn..." It was enough, Nicole wanted to fight for his brother, but Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her back, "Let me go... I will show him who's a jinx..."
"There is no need to use force every single time," Alex calmly said.
"But..." Nicole wanted to retort. Hermione and Daphne on the sides also felt that Nicole was right in trying to knock a couple of teeth off the asshole. But why would Alex do everything opposite to what the situation demanded?
"Let's go," Harry did not want to stand there any longer and turned around to leave."
"Sure... I don't want to be anywhere near that jinx," Ron quickly agreed.
Hearing Ron, everyone else also stepped back. Superstition was something every wizard believed to a certain degree. What if they did catch his jinx? No one was willing to take that risk.
But just as many were about to leave, following Potter and Ron, someone among the crowd spoke,
"What if..."
"What if he bet on the next one as well?"
And hearing that voice, everyone stopped in their tracks. Even Harry and Ron froze where they were.
"And if he placed the same amount... Won't he recover his loses?" Someone else said.
"Not only recover, but it will be a gain huge as well..."
"Hey, you... Behind the table. Why did you stop?" The crowd demanded, not able to hold the excitement.
"That can't be..." Ron murmured as he looked at Alex. And his heart sank when he saw that soft smile on Alex's face.
"God, please don't..."
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Ya tease you. TFTC
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