Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0378 Root of the Matter

"Ludovic Bagman, the wizard with a not so good reputation, was not someone I would ordinarily choose to associate with, but the circumstances left me with no viable alternative. When a high-ranking official from the British Ministry of Magic, no less the head of a prominent department, extends a meeting request through the Goblin Liaison Office, one cannot simply refuse, despite the gnawing uneasiness that such an encounter might cause us trouble," Barnah said with a weary sigh.

"Ludovic Bagman brought me inside information that the Department of Magical Games and Sports and the Department of International Magical Cooperation intend to join forces to revive the Triwizard Tournament. Not only does this have the Ministry's support, but Albus Dumbledore is also willing to back it."

Bryan's gaze flickered slightly. Last year, after he returned to Hogwarts, there had been a dementor riot when the Ministry stationed them at Hogwarts to capture Sirius. At that time, he had detained all the dementors. 

When Cornelius Fudge came to negotiate with him, he had mentioned in passing that the Ministry was promoting a major event. It seemed the Triwizard Tournament was already being planned then.

"With the British Ministry and Dumbledore both pushing for it, the likelihood of the Triwizard Tournament happening was high. Ludovic Bagman also took the opportunity to make his own request. Wizards familiar with the tournament rules know the host school will be elected by the International Confederation of Wizards. Before that, no one knows which school will host it, but Bagman insisted he could get inside information. He wanted us to open a betting pool on the eventual host."

This time, it was Bryan's turn to sigh.

"You agreed to this?"

"It is, without a shadow of a doubt, an unparalleled opportunity to make money, is it not, Mr. Watson?" Barnah responded, his lips curling into the cunning smile that goblins were known for. "While it is undeniable that goblins are indeed rich, our vast wealth was not amassed overnight. Over the course of centuries, we have meticulously accumulated our fortune, seizing opportunities with keen eyes and unwavering determination, one Knut at a time, steadily expanding our coffers to their current magnitude."

When it came to an insatiable obsession with accumulating wealth, goblins were indeed far greedier than wizards.

So that was the root of this matter, Bryan thought, drumming his fingers on the table before saying after brief contemplation, "Which sides did Bagman and Mockridge bet on, Beauxbatons or Durmstrang? And how much did they wager?"

"Neither, Mr. Watson," Barnah chuckled. "Mr. Bagman staked a staggering twenty thousand Galleons, while Mr. Mockridge approximately the same amount. According to reports from our Gringotts branch in Britain, these wagers likely represent the entirety of their respective fortunes. Ah, their bets were placed on Hogwarts. That was most people's choice too– on the surface, with the British Ministry and the Dumbledore supporting for it, Hogwarts seemed the most likely to succeed. Consequently, the odds on Hogwarts were considerably lower than those offered for Beauxbatons or Durmstrang."

Bryan's thoughts raced as a slight chill crossed his lips. "Until word spread that I would be replacing Dumbledore as Hogwarts's representative?"

"Your perceptiveness is truly remarkable, Mr. Watson," Barnah nodded approvingly, his admiration evident. "Prior to your arrival in Paris, Dumbledore's decision to appoint you as Hogwarts's representative had circulated only within a highly exclusive circle. The vast majority remained oblivious to this development, and thus, their optimism regarding Hogwarts's prospects remained undiminished. However, Bagman and Mockridge harbored the belief that the fierce competition for the hosting rights had exceeded Dumbledore's expectations. Fearing that a failure would tarnish his reputation, he decided to dispatch you as a sacrificial pawn, enabling him to deflect any potential blame."

Bryan's cheek twitched slightly. The old saying was true - Ignorance is truly bliss for the fools.

"Ludo Bagman and Cuthbert Mockridge have staked their entire fortunes on this wager. Not a single Galleon can be found in their vaults now. One can only imagine their fate if they bet wrong. So, upon hearing this news, they immediately came to me, hoping to retrieve their invested Galleons and switch their bet to Beauxbatons, which seemed more likely than Hogwarts to host now. Of course, that was impossible, and I refused their request."

Barnah's words tumbled forth with rapid-fire intensity, "In a desperate attempt to hedge their risks, Bagman and Mockridge resorted to leveraging their personal names as collateral, securing a loan of fifty thousand Galleons from us, which they then proceeded to wager this entire sum on Beauxbatons– Heh, wizards's greed is no less than that of us goblins, Mr. Watson."

"Hmph," Bryan grunted coldly, his face turning frosty. "Don't confuse the issue, Mr. Barnah. Given your status, you wouldn't risk stealing Hogwarts's security plans just for a few thousand Galleons or because of requests from Bagman and Mockridge. And you certainly wouldn't act twice in a row. You were willing to do this because you believed Bagman's judgment and feared losses to your own interests." 

Barnah twitched his mustache, his mouth opening as if to utter a retort, but ultimately, he remained silent, his words left unspoken.

Cunningly, he had hoped to redirect Bryan Watson's anger toward Bagman and Mockridge with his words, but he clearly underestimated how seasoned Bryan was to see through his ploy so easily.

Gerson Barnah was not confident that Bryan Watson wouldn't kill him.

If this matter were to come to light, the British Ministry of Magic would undoubtedly suffer a devastating blow to its reputation, a humiliation of monumental proportions. But it was precisely because of the grave nature of this that the enraged Ministry would definitely grab the goblins by the scruff of their necks, tearing a chunk of flesh from their hides - the Ministry wouldn't let it go easily.

History had borne witness to the fact that wizards always banded together against other races when their interests were threatened.

Moreover, if Bryan Watson chose to slaughter them all tonight, Barnah believed this incident could very likely become an unsolved case given the power this wizard had just demonstrated. Neither wizards nor goblins would be able to find the culprit.

"How large is the current betting pool?" Bryan asked coldly, eyeing the now-silent goblin.

"Over two million Galleons," Barnah hesitated before answering truthfully.

His answer made Bryan pinch the bridge of his nose, his expression darkening.

While Bryan was not surprised people would seek to profit from wagering on such a significant matter, but he never expected it was Bagman who instigated it at the start, let alone that there would be so many betting enthusiasts.

If he chose to expose this huge betting pool to the world, it might not incite widespread turmoil throughout the European wizarding world, but there was no denying that he would earn the resentment and ill-will of countless individuals.

In this moment, those possessing the means to participate or possess knowledge of the Triwizard Tournament were either high-ranking wizards or individuals of immense wealth and influence. Earning the resentment of this group would make it difficult for Bryan to walk freely in the wizarding world during peacetime - and even Dumbledore wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

As these sobering thoughts united in his mind, Bryan's brow furrowed in contemplation.

Dumbledore's intelligence network was formidable. This betting pool, instigated by Bagman and fueled by the goblins, may have already reached his ears. Perhaps Dumbledore also wanted to push him out because he didn't want to help the evildoers.

But dwelling on this was pointless now. The important thing was how to handle the situation.

Bryan had no intention of creating a massacre here, but since he had exposed this huge gamble, if the goblins didn't back down, he would overturn the table.

Most importantly, he needed to deal with Bagman and Mockridge.

'Send them to Azkaban?'

It was no trivial matter to imprison a high-ranking Ministry department head and a prominent director within the infamous wizarding prison - such a decision would require an official trial before the Wizengamot court. Doing so would make this matter public knowledge, likely causing the upcoming Triwizard Tournament to be canceled. 

Not to mention the political ramifications within the Ministry and the tangled web of nepotism.

Bryan drummed the table, pondering how best to resolve this. 

Meanwhile, the old goblin Barnah was watching closely, trying to discern Bryan's thoughts.

"Without a doubt, Mr. Watson, we have committed a grave sin. We violated the interests of Hogwarts and yours," Barnah said cautiously. "We are willing to compensate for this. How many Galleons do you think would be enough to quell the fury of yours and Hogwarts?"

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