0715 Suspicions

“How much money have you borrowed from the goblins lately, Ludo?” Bryan asked with a hint of teasing in his voice, though his eyes remained sharply observant, studying Ludo’s reaction.

“Oh, you’re completely underestimating me, Bryan!” Ludo exclaimed, momentarily puffing up his chest in a grumble.

Hearing the sharp question that cut straight to the heart of his predicament, Ludo immediately became alert, his previously relaxed posture was becoming rigid.

He opened his mouth wide in an exaggerated display of indignation, preparing to launch into a well-rehearsed boast about his financial acumen and gambling expertise, but when his nervous, flickering gaze inadvertently met Bryan’s sharp eyes, Ludo found the false boldness withering in his throat. The boasting words he had prepared died unspoken, and he could only manage an awkward, unconvincing smile that twitched at the corners of his mouth.

“Only five thousand Galleons,” He finally admitted in a voice that tried being nonchalant but failed spectacularly.

“Only five thousand?” Bryan repeated disbelievingly, giving a cold, humorless laugh. “That’s almost your entire Ministry salary for two full years, Ludo. Professional Quidditch matches don’t happen every day of the week—there simply aren’t that many legitimate opportunities for you to make large extra money without raising uncomfortable questions at the Ministry.”

The subtle emphasis Bryan placed on the word “legitimate” was impossible to miss.

Ludo’s shiny cheeks, already ruddy from the mountain air, flushed an even deeper color of crimson and spread across his face. With just that one sentence, he knew with absolute certainty that Bryan had observed him counting his money earlier.

He breathed nervously a couple of times, his chest rising and falling rapidly beneath his flashy waistcoat, fanning himself vigorously with the slightly tattered hat clutched in his trembling hand as though suddenly overwhelmed by unbearable heat despite the cool mountain breeze.

“This isn’t just a simple loan for frivolous pursuits, Bryan. Not at all!” Ludo protested, desperation coloring his words. “It’s a calculated investment, a strategically arranged business loan provided by the goblins with favorable terms. Just wait and see—mark my words—it won’t take very long at all before I earn it all back with large interest!!”

Bryan felt a brief flicker of genuine curiosity at this unexpected statement, but he still observed Ludo with an openly skeptical gaze that made Ludo shift uncomfortably, unable to maintain eye contact for more than a few fleeting seconds.

“The cautious goblins were actually willing to loan you five thousand Galleons, Ludo?” Bryan asked with unconcealed disbelief, his eyebrows rising in surprise. “You didn’t happen to foolishly put up your Ministry appointment letter as collateral, did you? That would be a particularly dangerous game, even for someone with your… appetite for risk.”

Looking at Ludo, who was now puffing and sputtering, seemingly unable to form clear words in his own defense, Bryan shook his head in a mixture of pity and disapproval.

The fact that someone like Ludo—a man whose financial irresponsibility was legendary in certain circles could remain in the prestigious position of Director for so many years without consequence showed just how terribly the Ministry’s discipline and standards had deteriorated under Fudge’s leadership.

“What exactly made you dare to place such a reckless bet, Ludo? You should be aware that with such a large, ‘investment’ at stake, if you lose not only would your position as Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports be immediately at risk, but you probably wouldn’t even be able to stay in England without facing severe consequences from both the Ministry and your goblin creditors. The goblins are not known for their forgiveness when it comes to unpaid debts. Are you really that confident in your gambling instincts?”

“It was you, Bryan—it was you who gave me this confidence,” Ludo replied, his entire demeanor transforming intensely. When discussing gambling and betting odds, Ludo became surprisingly vigorous and energetic.

“Remember the drawing ceremony before the first task of the Triwizard Tournament? You cleverly covered for Hermione Granger, subtly manipulating events to let her draw the most docile Chinese Fireball from among the dangerous dragons—”

Ludo’s eyes gleamed with the excitement of someone who believes they’ve uncovered a valuable secret.

Bryan’s eyebrows immediately shot up in genuine surprise, his usual composure momentarily shaken by this completely incorrect assumption.

It had been Freodom who had secretly tampered with the drawing, not him. However, recognizing a potentially valuable source of information, Bryan didn’t correct Ludo’s misunderstanding, choosing instead to remain silent and continue listening.

“—I immediately realized in that moment that you were fully, completely supporting Granger,” Ludo continued enthusiastically, oblivious to Bryan’s brief reaction. “Ah, of course, you might have just wanted Hogwarts to win the Tournament. That very day when I returned to London, I wasted no time arranging to get some gold galleons together to place a confident bet on Granger winning the competition!”

“Miss Granger would certainly be deeply touched if she knew how much faith you had in her abilities and how enthusiastically you supported her—” Bryan commented in an intentionally low, sarcastic voice, watching Ludo carefully.

“Oh, I didn’t actually plan to place such a heavy bet at first, Bryan, I assure you!” Ludo exclaimed with some frustration.

“Before the competition officially began, not many knowledgeable people favored Miss Granger’s chances and consequently, the odds on her winning were very high, promising an excellent return.

But after her surprisingly impressive performance in the first task, she suddenly became a favorite to win in many betting circles, and the shrewd goblins immediately lowered her odds significantly in response.

Even if she ultimately won the Tournament, the potential returns wouldn’t be particularly satisfactory anymore given the reduced odds. I had no choice but to mortgage my house—ahem, I mean, strategically increase my investment to maintain the potential for a truly life-changing return.”

Bryan pressed his lips together tightly in disapproval.

“But I’ve heard that now Hermione’s odds have become very high again?”

“That unexpected development happened later—” Ludo explained with enthusiasm, his eyes gleaming with the passion of a true gambling addict who believed he had found the perfect opportunity.

“Remember what I told you on the night of the Yule Ball? A mysterious group of Germans suddenly appeared and placed heavy bets that Granger wouldn’t be able to complete the tournament. That huge, unprecedented amount of wagered money sent Granger’s winning odds sky-high again, creating a golden opportunity. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Bryan. If I foolishly missed it out of excessive caution, I would bitterly regret it for the rest of my life, so…”

“So, you’ve essentially bet your entire career and future on it too?” Bryan interrupted, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, his sharp gaze fixed on Ludo’s increasingly flushed face.

“Haven’t you considered for even a moment that this entire situation might be a trap, a carefully orchestrated scheme set up jointly by the goblins and that mysterious group of Germans? Ludo, have you asked yourself why they are so inexplicably confident that Hermione won’t be able to complete the competition?

Even if Hermione doesn’t ultimately win the Tournament, as long as she persists determinedly until the very end, that extremely large sum of money wagered against her would be lost. Betting specifically on her not completing the competition clearly has serious problems—”

“They probably simply hope that Hermione will accidentally get injured during one of the dangerous tasks and be forced to withdraw from the competition in the second or third round. That’s quite possible, isn’t it? The Tournament has a historically bloody reputation, after all,”

Ludo responded shrugging his shoulders, seemingly completely unaware of the implications Bryan was highlighting.

“What if they’re not just hoping for an unexpected accident, Ludo? What if they secretly plan to interfere directly to ensure their desired outcome? Aren’t you worried about that possibility? More importantly, aren’t the normally suspicious goblins the least bit concerned about potential manipulation?” Bryan pressed, his voice taking on an edge of urgency.

“Oh, haha!” Ludo laughed with surprising heartiness, as though Bryan had just told a particularly amusing joke at a dinner party. He reached out and patted Bryan’s arm with familiarity.

“The goblin who privately told me this news said they had indeed been seriously worried about precisely this issue before reluctantly accepting the unusual bet. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened in the long history of magical gambling, but they eventually agreed to accept the large wager after careful pondering, Bryan. The goblins firmly believe—” Ludo paused, looking at Bryan with appreciation.

“No one in their right mind would dare attempt to harm Hogwarts students under the watchful eyes of both Albus Dumbledore and Bryan Watson, unless they no longer value their lives! The goblins consider your combined protective presence to be the most secure guarantee possible.”

Bryan was momentarily rendered speechless by this.

Indeed, this mysterious group of Germans seemed to have simply stumbled upon a stroke of good fortune in their betting strategy, but judging from all the currently available evidence and suspicious timing, the possibility that these people were completely innocent lucky bystanders was very small, almost approaching zero.

As for Ludo Bagman himself…

Bryan scrutinized this, out-and-out habitual gambler standing in front of him, carefully pondering the goblins’ surprisingly positive view of this particular bet that Ludo had just mentioned. Upon further pondering, it seemed they might actually be innocent.

“In any case, this entire situation is far too suspicious to ignore—” Bryan groaned softly, running a hand through his hair. “I need to locate and meet these mysterious Germans in person to determine exactly what makes them so inexplicably confident about Miss Granger’s failure.”

“That won’t be easy to accomplish, Bryan—” Ludo advised, suddenly adopting the tone of a knowledgeable insider. “You must understand, these particular people are highly sought after in certain circles. Many interested parties want to discover their identities and question their unusual confidence, and they’re undoubtedly well aware of this fact, so they’ve hidden themselves extraordinarily well.

After placing their bets, they seemingly disappeared into thin air. Even the goblins with their intelligence networks claim they don’t know precisely where these Germans originally came from or where they later went—”

“But with such a large sum of gold galleons changing hands, surely the goblins know which specific vault the money was originally withdrawn from, don’t they?”

“They reportedly settled the entire transaction in cash—” Ludo explained. Seeing Bryan’s slightly furrowed brow of concern and deep contemplation, he quickly attempted to reassure him.

“You’re worrying unnecessarily, Bryan. In my opinion, what you should be focusing on is not missing this extraordinary financial opportunity while it’s available. Put all your savings into backing Hermione, and then simply ensure through your influence that Granger definitively wins the competition.

By the way, has that brilliant little girl figured out the secret of the golden egg yet? Have you already given her any subtle hints or guidance? Oh, if you’re not entirely comfortable being too obviously involved, I could certainly find an appropriate opportunity to provide some advi…”

Bryan gave Ludo a sideways glance, successfully silencing his increasingly inappropriate suggestions mid-sentence.

While they were talking, all activities on the Quidditch pitch below had finally concluded. Wizards were gradually leaving the field. Ludo raised his wrist to check the time and suddenly exclaimed:

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, Bryan, as much as I’d genuinely like to continue this fascinating chat with you, I absolutely must leave right now. I have to get back to the Ministry. So… what are your plans? Returning to Hogwarts tonight?”

“I’m afraid, Ludo, I have other arrangements scheduled and won’t be returning to London with you—” Bryan replied calmly.

“Well then, good luck with whatever you’re planning—” Ludo responded with a knowing wink, having obviously anticipated what Bryan intended to do despite his deliberately vague answer. After thinking silently for a moment, he leaned closer to Bryan and added in a soft tone:

“By the way, the goblin who told me the news about the betting odds is called Engel. He works at Gringotts’ Paris headquarters in charge of related international gambling business. I have a good relationship with him over the years. If you’re absolutely determined to identify and locate that mysterious group of Germans, you would speak directly with Engel. Perhaps he’s concealing some crucial information that he might share with someone of your stature and influence.”

After saying this potentially important information, Ludo stepped back, nodded once in farewell, and with a turn and a sharp crack, Apparated directly to the platform below.

Once there, he hurriedly pushed his way through the gathering crowd and departed through one of the recently repaired fireplaces before the main surge of leaving spectators could arrive and delay him.

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