"Calm down, calm down, dear Sybill, I swear I never intended to deceive you. As Merlin is my witness, I'm a poor victim too!"
Bagman wiped the sweat from his forehead, speaking slickly, "I was deceived as well! They gave me the Leprechaun's coins to bet, but what I paid out was real gold and silver, and in the end, I lost a fortune!"
He patted his side to indicate that his money bag was empty, not a penny in it.
"Liar!"
Trelawney said with trembling lips, "Then why—why were all the coins you gave me Leprechaun's magic coins? Not a single true Galleon! You must have done it on purpose! The Goddess of Destiny told me you're lying!"
"This is sheer slander!"
Bagman's round face turned bright red, and he said angrily, "As a senior official of the Ministry of Magic and the head of the Sports Department, would I covet that little money of yours? You must take responsibility for what you say! Otherwise, I..."
"Enough!" A cold, sharp voice suddenly intervened.
Trelawney, who had been trembling all over due to Bagman's aggressive attitude, let out a sob, clutched her long shawl tightly, and turned to look.
Barty Crouch Senior strode out of the shadows, his eyes burning with cold fury.
"Or what, Ludo Bagman?"
Bagman's previously ruddy complexion suddenly turned pale as he instinctively stepped back and said:
"You don't understand the situation, Barty... it's complicated between us..."
"I don't see anything complicated!"
Crouch Senior said with disgust all over his face as he stepped forward, approaching Bagman, his voice coldly questioning:
"Look at me, Ludo! Didn't Professor Trelawney personally hand her Galleons over to you?"
Bagman's Adam's apple bobbed as he stammered, "Well... that's true, but..."
"Silence! No more excuses! As the head of the Ministry of Magic's Sports Department, organizing gambling in a world-class competition that you co-hosted and personally presided over is a heinous, shameless, and illegal act! You must face suspension and investigation!"
Barty Crouch's sharp gaze swept over Bagman's pale face, mercilessly saying:
"Before that, you must reimburse Professor Trelawney's original stake in full within twenty-four hours! Perhaps this might reduce your guilt a little!"
Bagman's pupils contracted violently, and he screamed, "You can't do this! Barty, for Merlin's sake, we've worked together for so many years, do you have to push me to the brink?"
"Now," Crouch Senior said expressionlessly, "you have 23 hours and 59 minutes to prepare the money!"
"I've already said I lost everything too!" Bagman shouted, jumping up and down, "My money bag is now lighter than your handkerchief, how can I repay her?"
"No money? How can you have no money?" Trelawney hid behind Crouch Senior and shouted sharply as well: "You took away so many Galleons from me alone!"
"I don't care whether what you say is true or false, but you still have 23 hours and 58 minutes."
Crouch Senior said, "When the time comes, your illegal acts will be reported on the Minister's desk!"
Bagman stomped his foot fiercely, swung his arm, and strode away.
Trelawney sighed in relief and sat down wearily on the nearby bench, a layer of mist over her glasses, nervously fingering her necklace and anxiously asking:
"Will... will he really return the money? To be honest, I've sought him out several times, and each time he finds a way to brush me off..."
Barty Crouch Senior turned to look at her, saying: "Don't worry, I'll personally supervise him."
Looking at his stern expression, Trelawney shrunk back somewhat, but then, perhaps driven by greed, she mustered the courage to grab Crouch Senior's sleeve, trembling as she said:
"Actually... I placed my bet on the match's outcome, and it had the highest odds... I should have won... won thirty-five thousand Galleons..."
Crouch Senior removed her hand from his arm, saying blandly: "Gambling is illegal, Madam. As a professor—"
His gaze swept over the bushes and statues not far away, meaningfully saying: "You should not let students see you indulge in gambling, trying to gain without effort."
Trelawney's face instantly became as pale as Bagman's earlier.
Crouch Senior nodded to her and also turned to leave with large strides.
Trelawney wrapped her shawl around herself, feeling as if she was shivering all over, and she did not dare to look around to see if there were any students hiding. She looked up at the night sky, putting on a trance-like expression, and murmured:
"The blessings granted to the seer by destiny were intercepted by vile thieves... Ah, I understand!"
She spread her arms wide, her eyes misty as she said:
"Oh, all-knowing God, is this your test for me? Warning me not to use these eyes that peek into destiny, coveting worldly desires..."
By the end, her words suddenly turned into a sob, as if someone had gripped her throat.
She let out a sob, murmuring, "I understand... I must go listen to the stars' revelations..."
Then, Trelawney hurriedly walked towards the North Tower.
After a while, Vid finally walked out from behind the pillar.
It wasn't that he intentionally wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation; it was just that after hearing the beginning, Vid recalled the prophecy he had concocted for Professor Trelawney last term and understood how it all came about, hence he wanted to listen to the subsequent developments.
In the original story, Bagman cheated Fred and George out of their funds and seemingly never returned it all. Unexpectedly, this time it was Barty Crouch Senior who stepped up to resolve the matter.
Even though he's no longer the head of the Magic Law Enforcement Department, seeing how decisively, sternly, and without favoritism he handled this matter, one can imagine what kind of style he had when he wielded power in the Law Enforcement Department back in the day.
So, people used to trust him and look up to him, but when blemishes appeared on him, they unanimously condemned him.
Vid was lost in thought when suddenly he heard a rustling from nearby the bushes.
Two students clumsily crawled out, their ties askew, and scarves clutched in hand. Not knowing there was someone else nearby, they fled the flower path, their faces flushed crimson.
Vid: "..."
His eyes slowly shifted to the temporarily arranged bushes, rose garden, fountain, and the massive statue in the courtyard, suddenly realizing this place looked quiet and lonely but might actually be hiding quite a few couples rendezvousing.
He shook his head, not wanting to encounter any more intimate scenes, and turned to head towards the castle.
There were still a few hours till bedtime, and with the help of the Time Turner, he could scrape together seven to eight hours, so he figured he might as well head back to the Room of Requirement to study Alchemy a bit longer.
He ascended the stairs step by step, and when he reached the second floor, the sounds below were nearly inaudible. The corridor was exceptionally quiet, so even his footsteps were amplified several times over, with the echoes sounding as if someone was following behind him.
Vid lightly waved his Magic Wand and cast a Levioso spell on his boots. Suddenly, a formless buoyancy seemed to emerge beneath him, carrying him across the corridor, floating upwards.
At a glance, it seemed like Hogwarts gained another youthful ghost.
As Vid reached the eighth floor of the castle and was just about to cancel the Levioso spell, he suddenly heard a series of light, tapping footsteps.
He instinctively held his breath, leaned against the wall, and peeked over, only to see a sneaky figure pacing in front of the tapestry.