Chapter 222: Pre-Match Bets

After a fierce competition, Cho Chang and her team finally made it to the finals.

Their opponents were the Bulgarian team, and Cho Chang's direct counterpart was Viktor Krum.

This match would be watched by Penelope and Hermione.

Additionally, Alaric's current neighbors, the entire Weasley family, would be attending, along with the recently exonerated Sirius Black and his friend Remus Lupin, who would be bringing Harry.

Thanks to Ludo Bagman's connections, Alaric had secured enough tickets for the Quidditch World Cup finals well in advance.

When Alaric arrived at the match venue with the two girls via Portkey, Ludo Bagman was there to greet them.

"Hello, Alaric," Ludo immediately approached with a fawning smile upon seeing the boy.

"You're here quite early. Oh, look, I've already prepared your tickets for the finals.

Your seats are in the front box, where you can clearly see your girlfriend's splendid performance in the final... uh."

Ludo's ingratiating behavior had a reason.

Recently, due to his loose tongue, he had revealed that Cho Chang's broomstick was made by Alaric, causing Alaric and his alchemy shop a lot of trouble.

However, when he handed Alaric the carefully prepared box tickets and said a bunch of flattering words, he realized that Alaric's expression had become very unfriendly.

Moreover, the two girls beside Alaric each clung to one of his arms and glared at Ludo viciously.

Ludo immediately realized his mistake.

He had just mentioned another girl as Alaric's girlfriend in front of the two girls, stirring up a hornet's nest.

Ludo knew all too well what a woman's jealousy could lead to.

"Uh... I have something to attend to... there's a problem with the Bulgarian team's locker room that I need to handle, so I'll be off now."

Seeing the unfavorable situation, he hastily made up an excuse to leave.

"Wait—" Alaric's cold words made his body stiffen.

"Is there... anything else, Alaric?"

"I heard that Mr. Bagman is managing the bets for this Quidditch match, correct?"

"Yes... yes, Alaric," Ludo Bagman became instantly excited at the mention of bets, forgetting that he had just angered Alaric.

"Alaric, are you interested in placing a bet? I've already convinced Roddy Pontner to bet with me.

He says Bulgaria will score the first goal, and I've given him high odds because I consider Ireland's No. 3 Chaser the best I've seen in years.

Agatha Timms has wagered half her eel farm's shares, betting the match will last a week.

And just now, Mr. Weasley bet only one Galleon!

My goodness, if everyone bet like him, how would the betting go on, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh, yes," Alaric sneered slightly.

"Let me think, I'll bet on the Irish team winning, not only leading in points but also Cho Chang being the first to catch the Golden Snitch to end the match."

"So, you're betting the Irish team will lead by more than 150 points?" Ludo asked, as the Golden Snitch itself was worth 150 points.

"Correct."

"And the amount is?" Ludo looked at Alaric expectantly.

"Ten thousand Galleons."

Alaric took out a heavy dragonhide pouch and tossed it to Ludo, almost too heavy for him to lift.

"Ten thousand Gold Galleons!" Ludo exclaimed.

"This is the largest bet I've ever received. Very well, very well... anyone else want to bet?"

Penelope and Hermione exchanged glances and each took out some Galleons.

Penelope's money came from her share of the alchemy shop's income, while Hermione's came from her winnings in the International Wizard Duel Tournament.

"I'll bet on the same result as him," Hermione said, pointing to Alaric.

"So will I," added Penelope.

"Oh, let me see... a total of 5,200 Gold Galleons in bets. That's very generous, ladies.

But Ireland is the favorite to win, and Cho Chang is widely regarded as a superior Seeker to Viktor Krum, so the odds aren't very high. But considering you bet on the points difference..."

Ludo Bagman quickly pulled out a notebook and quill and scribbled down the names of the three bettors.

"Done."

Alaric took the small piece of parchment Ludo handed him and slipped it into his robe pocket.

"Well then, esteemed ladies and gentlemen, enjoy your time here," Ludo said, hurrying away.

"Why did you bet such a large amount?" Hermione asked Alaric once Ludo Bagman had left, looking puzzled.

"To teach him a lesson," Alaric smirked.

"Who told him to be so loose-lipped? I want to make him lose a significant amount of money."

Alaric was referring to Ludo revealing that he had made Cho Chang's broomstick.

However, it was clear that Penelope and Hermione misunderstood, thinking about the earlier incident.

"This is your fault," Penelope chided, "for always liking every girl you meet."

Her words, however, suddenly angered Hermione.

"I knew Alaric first," Hermione brought up a recent topic that had been bothering her.

"Why did you get to move into his house?"

"Love isn't about who comes first," Penelope winked at Hermione. 

"Ugh!" Hermione pouted.

She also wanted to get closer to Alaric, but her personality made it impossible for her to suggest moving in with him.

The girls' bickering left Alaric feeling a bit helpless. He cleared his throat to divert their attention.

"Ahem, let's not talk about this now. We need to set up our camp."

"Got it, got it."

Upon Alaric's reminder, the girls stopped arguing and got to work.

In emotional matters, Alaric was in a relatively strong position.

Although he took the initiative in some stages, overall, he was in a passive role, allowing him to handle conflicts between the girls more assertively.

Soon, the tent was set up—despite the convenience of Apparition and Floo Powder, they chose to camp at the site for the full experience of being at the match.

Of course, the tent was connected to Alaric's house via a portable fireplace.

Since the wizards' tent area was actually a Muggle camping ground, magic use was prohibited nearby.

However, this didn't trouble Alaric.

On one hand, such bans didn't really restrict him. On the other, although Hermione and Penelope couldn't cook without magic, someone else took care of them.

That someone was the lady of clockwork, Orianna.

Outside Hogwarts, Orianna had become accustomed to acting as Alaric's assistant and caretaker.

After Penelope moved into Alaric's house, she and the other two girls gradually learned of Orianna's existence.

While the presence of such a mechanical lifeform was indeed extraordinary, given Alaric's history of unprecedented feats, the girls were not surprised to find a mechanical maid in his home.

The only thing that bothered them was that the maid called Alaric "Daddy."

.

.

.

Guys, do leave some power stones and reviews.

✌patreon.com/bobthewriter✌

If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to 30 Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.