Chapter 555 "The Weasley's Windfall"

After the game concluded and Jerry and his teammates triumphantly hoisted the trophy, symbolizing their well-deserved victory, they seized the opportunity to don their masks.

Prior to the impending throng of fans and reporters, they discreetly departed and rendezvoused with Hermione and the others, returning to their magical tent in the camp.

"Jerry, what's the name of that last move? You must've practiced it for ages; it's so cool!" Ron and Harry eagerly surrounded Jerry as soon as they returned to the tent.

In this moment, at least for the past few days since the game, Jerry was no longer just their friend; he had transformed into an idol they profoundly admired.

Although Jerry had previously stated that he was utterly confident in catching the Golden Snitch within five minutes of its release, witnessing him execute those graceful and explosive moves to seize the Snitch in just fifteen seconds left them exhilarated.

"That move? Oh, yeah, I've practiced it for quite a while. As for its name, I hadn't really thought about it yet. If you'd like to help, you can come up with one. If there's an interview later, I'll just use the name you suggest." Jerry paused for a moment, then smiled.

In truth, it wasn't a particularly elaborate stunt; it was a sequence of fluid movements that naturally flowed, and adapted to the situation at hand.

It was akin to stepping over a stair—you do it automatically, without thinking.

How could such a routine action be deemed a "stunt"? Hence, he saw no reason to assign a special name to it.

"Really? We get to name it?" Ron, Harry, and George's eyes lit up.

This might be etched in Quidditch history as a genuine maneuver, and for its name to originate from their suggestions would be an incredible honor.

"We do have some challenging maneuvers in Quidditch already, like Pokov's Temptation, Lansky's Feint, Prenton's Backtrack, Double '8' Ringflight, the Inverted Starfish, and the Dual Assault and Parkin Pincer Maneuver. Nevertheless, none of them compares to Jerry's move. I propose naming it 'Jerry's Manipulation,'" Ron suggested first.

He might not be a whiz at spells, but his Quidditch knowledge was second to none, encompassing every renowned Quidditch tactic and trick.

"I reckon it should be 'Jerry's Takedown,'" Fred chimed in.

"Let's call it 'Jerry's End,' signifying that deploying this move brings the game to a close," Harry joined in the naming deliberation.

Amidst the spirited debate about the trick's name, Jerry shook his head and approached Hermione, who had a hand covering her mouth, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Uh, um... do you like the flowers that were sent to you?" Jerry inquired with a grin, his words barely escaping his lips before they were concealed by Hermione's playful laughter.

She initially raised the flower she'd been clutching in surprise, a red rose.

It quickly dawned on her that this was the sole unblemished rose amidst the shower of falling petals, and it had serendipitously fallen into her grasp.

Hermione blushed, casting her eyes downward as she mumbled softly.

"Haha, congratulations, congratulations! This ending was truly unexpected, and it will be a topic of discussion for decades to come. It's amazing!" Ludo Bagman, the Ministry of Magic's Sports Department director, part-time commentator for the game, and general manager of Quidditch betting, entered the tent with a bulging bag of Golden Galleons.

Upon spotting Jerry, his excitement surged, and he eagerly extended his hand to shake Jerry's.

His elation wasn't solely due to Jerry leading England to victory, thus bringing honor to the Ministry of Magic.

More significantly, the gambling he had orchestrated this time around had been tremendously lucrative.

Although Ludo Bagman might appear as a former international Quidditch star and the present head of the Ministry of Magic's Sports Department, painting a rosy picture, the reality was quite different.

He had already gone bankrupt and was indebted to Gringotts.

Over the years, his gambling addiction had led him to organize numerous betting events, resulting in the loss of his entire fortune.

This Quidditch World Cup marked his final attempt at redemption.

According to the odds he had set and the betting trends, if England won, he stood to recover a portion of his losses, at least settling the debts owed to Gringotts.

However, if Ireland were to win, it would spell his total financial ruin.

To cover his losses, he'd need to fill the bets with counterfeit Leprechaun gold coins and then devise an escape plan.

Yet, not only did England emerge victorious, but also, the multiple bets on the duration it would take Jerry to catch the Snitch turned out to be a stunning upset.

And what did an upset mean? It signified that all winnings would belong to him except for a handful of those within this particular magical tent who had wagered on the time it would take for Jerry to seize the Golden Snitch.

In the end, even after paying off the 20,000-plus Golden Galleons here and settling his debts to the fairies with the remaining funds, he would still have a hefty surplus of 50,000 to 60,000 Golden Galleons.

An absolute windfall for Ludo!

The only regret weighing on his mind was that he hadn't encouraged more wizards to place bets before the game.

Had he done so, his earnings would have been even more substantial.

"It looks like Mr. Bagman is here to exchange our Golden Galleons," Jerry remarked as he released Ludo's hand and inspected the bag brimming with Gold Galleons.

Satisfied that they were all genuine, he signaled for everyone else to gather around.

Ludo played his part impeccably, promptly commencing the exchange of Gold Galleons in accordance with the previously dispatched notes.

As Ludo exited the magical tent, each person held a substantial sum of Gold Galleons, and their collective laughter reverberated within the tent.

Among them, the Weasley family was the most jubilant.

The last time Arthur had acquired such a significant sum was when he hit a 700 Galleon jackpot during the family's trip to Egypt when he bought Ron a new wand.

This time, Arthur alone amassed a staggering 5,300 Golden Galleons, and this didn't even include Bill, Charlie, and the Weasleys brothers.

While 5,000 Golden Galleons might pale in comparison to the riches of well-established wizarding families like the Malfoys, it was an enormous windfall for the perennially cash-strapped Weasley family.

It was a fortune that would secure Ron and Ginny's financial stability for years to come, sparing them the need to buy second-hand items.

This financial boon was all thanks to Jerry, who had the foresight to bet against the grain in advance.

"It appears that our shopping trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow will be quite enjoyable!" Jerry quipped, eliciting more laughter from the group, all of whom gazed at him with gratitude.

Upon hearing this, their laughter swelled once more.

"But don't tell your mother about your gambling," Arthur admonished, suddenly remembering a crucial detail, which he then explained to his children.

He had spoken to Molly about the betting before claiming his winnings, and she had agreed – but only with respect to himself. He hadn't dared to discuss the others.

"Don't worry, Dad," Fred reassured him, his eyes gleaming with delight. "We've got some grand plans for this money, and we don't want it to be confiscated."

Arthur briefly contemplated inquiring about their grand scheme but ultimately decided against it.