The Slytherin common room was crowded as the students discussed the planned Quidditch Match against Gryffindor.
"Are they going to do it?" Blaise Zambini asked.
"They are," Malcolm Baddock said, "and they've guaranteed to cover all wagers."
"Good," Blaise said, "Now all we have to do is field the right team."
"Will it work?" a Slytherin third year asked.
"Well," Blaise said smiling, "It depends on how you mean that. If we make a large enough wager, and the Weasley twins cover it, we all make plenty of money. If they don't, then we complain to the Headmaster. Those twins are kicked out for running a gambling operation, we get our money back, hopefully, and those goody-goody Gryffindors get a black eye. Personally, I see this as a win-win situation. Who's in?"
Almost every Slytherin sounded their approval. Draco Malfoy didn't. "I don't like it. I don't mind cheating to win. But I can't stomach cheating to lose, even if it is for a good cause."
"I've thought of that," Blaise said, casually, "we will play to win. Only there are going to be complications, and our victory will be taken away. And we will have a severe handicap."
"A handicap? Now you have my interest," Draco said. "What is this handicap?"
"I thought of it," Malcolm said, "Can I tell them, Blaise." When he got the nod, the first-year Slytherin continued, "It's because we have the same name. I suggested we choose that Gryffindor, Malcolm, as our seeker."
"He won't do it," Draco said, laughing.
"Then we forfeit," Blaise said, "and win."
"No," Draco said with a snort, "The twins won't accept any bets unless Malcolm agrees. Your plan won't work." Then he added, casually, "It was a good plan, but too obvious."
"It could work if Malcolm agreed to play." Pansy Parkinson said, slyly. All eyes turned to Draco, as Pansy added, "You are his best friend, Draco. You could talk him into it."
"Of course I could," Draco said, "but that isn't the point. The point is that your plan is too obvious. Everyone will know what is going on, including the Weasley twins. Once they hear about the team we field, then they'll set the odds. And they will take Malcolm's skills on a broom into account."
"It doesn't matter what odds they set," Blaise said, "as long as we officially lose the match. With Malcolm on the team, we cannot possibly win."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Draco said.
"I would," Baddock said, and others agreed.
"Does everyone want this foolish plan?" Draco asked, laughing. No one said a word. He looked at them, and said, "If you really want, I'll talk Malcolm into it. But don't expect me to bet with you, and don't blame me when the plan blows up in your faces."
"Malcolm, don't tell me you agreed," George said to him.
"Draco explained it to me," Malcolm said. "The Slytherins don't have enough first and second years who can play. They picked me, just to fill the empty slot."
"But won't that guarantee that Slytherins will lose?" Fred asked.
"Not according to Draco. The Slytherins don't think much of your sister as a seeker, and they think they can win on points. There is a time limit, remember. All they want me to do is sit on my broom until the game is over."
"It doesn't make sense," Fred told him, "They can't pick someone from a different house, and even if they could, why not pick someone who could play."
"On top of that," George added, "Why didn't they get someone from their own house, if they just wanted that person to sit there?"
Malcolm smiled, "That's what I asked Draco. None of the eligible Slytherins wanted to be Seeker, and they used their option on Goyle as Keeper. They asked me, first of all, because they knew I would say yes, and second, because they wanted to be fair. If they picked someone from another house, that is, someone who could play, people would accuse them of cheating."
"Draco is a smart one," Fred said to George, but George had to ask a question.
"Malcolm, how did they know you would agree?"
Malcolm looked around, nervously, as said, "Don't tell anyone, but last year I was examined by a doctor, and he suggested my flying problem might be mental."
"I've always thought it was your inner ear," George said, "because that nose clip helps, but I like the mental part."
"Thanks," Malcolm said, wryly, "but the thing is, this head doctor is here to help set up the tournament. If she finds out I'm on the Quidditch team, then I won't have to go into therapy."
George slapped Fred's shoulder, and said, "I told you there was a logical explanation. All we had to do was ask. By the way, Malcolm, how good is Goyle?"
"If it's a sport, he can play it. He'll make an excellent Keeper."
They said their goodbyes and walked off. "What do you think, Fred?"
"I think Malcolm should go into therapy for agreeing to this stupid scheme. It's obvious even he doesn't believe it."
"So, the game is fixed. But why?"
Blaise Zambini stepped into the unused classroom and walked up to the Weasley twins, asking if they were accepting wagers on the Slytherin Match. George explained that the odds were 3 - 1 in favor of Gryffindor, and that they were handicapped by 99 points. Blaise smiled and placed a bet of 15 Galleons on Gryffindor to win, and handed him a pouch. When George hesitated, Blaise asked if they were refusing to honor the wager. "After all, you accepted all of those other wagers."
After Zambini left, Fred told his brother, "That makes almost 150 Galleons from Slytherin. Add all of those other bets, and we have almost 200 Galleons bet on Gryffindor."
George sighed, saying, "We should have seen this coming. It's obvious what the plan is, and we're the targets."
"It doesn't matter," Fred told his brother, "I went over the sheet and no one bet on Slytherin."
"We were stupid," George said.
"No," Fred told him, "we took a gamble, and we haven't lost yet."
"You will, on Sunday," Draco Malfoy said, stepping out of the shadows.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Fred said with a grimace, "Your friends already baited the trap."
"I know," Draco told them, smiling politely, "but I came to make my own wager. The odds are three to one, I believe. That means if I bet one Galleon on Slytherin, and they win, which they will, my Galleon is returned to me, and I am given three more Galleons as well."
"That's right," the twins said, warily. "And also if Gryffindor wins by less than 100 points."
Draco pulled out a purse of his own and said, "50 Galleons on Slytherin."
The amazed twins accepted the bet, but Fred beat out his brother to ask why. Draco smiled wickedly, and said, "You know the match has been, uhm, fixed, but did you know that I was the one to do it. I even told my fellow Slytherins that I won't try to lose, even if it means seeing the two of you thrown out of here."
"You know something. Don't you?" George said.
"Yes," Draco told him, and walked away.
"I don't trust him," Fred said.
"We don't have to," George said, "He trusts himself 50 Galleons worth."
"But he's been wrong before," Fred answered, "and besides, we need to cover ourselves."
"Fred," George said curiously, "We also have a means of influencing future bets. If word slipped out that Draco bet heavily on Slytherin . . . "
Fred followed the thought, and smiled. Then he frowned. "George, Malfoy deliberately gave us a way out. Why?"
They looked at each other and smiled. "Malcolm," they said together.
Malcolm Baddock watched as Draco left the classroom. He had wanted to see those twins cringe, but did the cringing himself. He could not understand why Draco would bet on his own house, after everything he did. Baddock came to the conclusion that Draco had double-crossed his own house, and decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Excuse me, Professor," Baddock said when he found the Potions Teacher, "I saw something unusual today, and I thought, since you are in charge of our house, that you would explain it."
An interested Severus Snape listened while Baddock told him, "It was the Weasley Twins, from Gryffindor. They were in an empty classroom. I saw another student give them money. One of the twins wrote something down on a parchment, while the other shook the student's hand." Smiling, the young Slytherin led Professor Snape to the classroom.
"Three Galleons?" George said to the trio of girls, "and which team will you be betting on?"
"Isn't it obvious," one of the girls laughed, "who would bet on Slytherin, anyway?"
"Malfoy had better not hear that, after the large bet he made," Fred whispered to George, a little too loud.
"Wait," one of the girls said to the other two, "Draco Malfoy IS Malcolm's friend? He must know something."
"Have you seen Malcolm on a broom?" the third girl said, laughing.
"Yes," said the second girl, "and so has Malfoy, but he still made that bet."
"You're right," the first girl said, "and he is in a position to know what is going on." Turning toward the twins, she said, "Three Galleons on Slytherin."
An angry voice from the doorway said, "For making such a wise bet, the three of you may leave, NOW." A red-faced Snape angrily closed the door after the girls ran out, and said, "You will give me that parchment, now."
George handed over the parchment, which was closely examined. Then Snape performed a summoning spell. "I've asked Professor McGonagall to come here, since she is the head of your house," he told the twins. "You might as well sit down and wait." Turning to the Slytherin boy he said, "Thank you, Baddock, you may leave."
"I'm worried," Gregory Goyle said, "It doesn't seem right. Malcolm shouldn't be on our team."
Draco laughed, "You're just worried that he might fly over you. I can't think of a better person for our team. Remember, last year, when we picked his brain about letting the dementors on the school grounds?"
Goyle remembered what was said that night, and smiled, "You're right, Draco, but . . . he is going to wear that nose thing, isn't he?"
Professor McGonagall looked at the parchment in shock. "This is incredible. I don't think the students ever wagered this much. It will be a scandal if this comes out."
"It was obviously meant to embarrass your house," Snape told her, "but this is the worst time for this to happen. It will affect the entire school. Everyone is watching us because of the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Turning to the twins, he said, "Tell me the meaning of these large wagers."
Fred looked at George who looked at Fred. Fred looked at the Professors and said, "The Quidditch Match has been rigged. Slytherin is supposed to lose."
"Really," McGonagall said, "With Malcolm as their seeker, I would have expected them to win handily. Tell me something I don't know."
Fred looked over at George, who nodded. "We're accepting wagers on the outcome, and the Slytherins made a series of large bets that Gryffindor would win. Then Draco Malfoy covered those bets."
Professor McGonagall was surprised at what she heard. "Do you know who fixed the game, and how?"
"That's the hard part," George said, "The Slytherins rigged the game by choosing Malcolm as their seeker."
"Then Draco Malfoy rigged the game the other way by getting Malcolm to agree," Fred told them.
"And what does Malcolm have to say on the subject?" McGonagall asked.
"He actually knows less than we do," Fred admitted.
"I have one more question," Snape said, "When I walked in, you had finished talking three Hufflepuffs into betting on Slytherin. Why?"
"We always cover our bets, even when we know we'll win," George said. "Thanks to the Slytherins, we were in deep trouble. When we let it slip that Malfoy bet heavily on his own house, well, it helped to even things out a lot."
The two professors talked with each other, then turned to the twins. "Two questions," Professor McGonagall said, "first of all, how much money is involved, and secondly, what is your status as for as 'covering' all of the bets."
Fred and George looked up in surprise. "We have over 300 Galleons," Fred told them.
"Most of that has been bet on Gryffindor," George explained, "but even after using our own money, we are still short by a little more than 12 Galleons."
"A fellow student owes us a favor," Fred added, "but he can't loan us more than Two Galleons."
The two professors talked again. After some fifteen minutes under a silence charm, they turned back to the twins.
"They ARE in your house, Minerva," Severus Snape said, smiling.
"Thank you, Severus," McGonagall said, then spoke to the twins, "You have two choices. You can be expelled, today, for running a gambling operation on school grounds, Or. . . . " She paused to grin, wickedly, ". . . You can become model students for the remainder of the year. In class at least. I wouldn't want to give you impossible conditions."
"I like the second choice better," Fred said, with George nodding.
"Also, there will be no more gambling after this incident is brought to a close. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am," the twins answered.
Severus Snape reached into his robed, and pulled out five gold coins, "I believe I will wager that my own house will win."
"You may stop by my office," Minerva McGonagall said, "and I will give you an equal amount. With the loan from your friend, you should have sufficient funds."
"You're betting on Slytherin?" Fred asked.
"Of course not," Professor McGonagall said with mock anger, "I am betting that a fine young Gryffindor, Malcolm, will help the team he is playing on, and that team will win its match. I have always been fond of that boy."
"Thank You, Professors," George said, curious, "but I have to ask why."
"Personally," Snape said, "because I hate cheaters. I won't defend what you are doing, but at least you have been fair about it. And, thanks to my house, this entire situation has gotten out of hand." He paused and added, "because of this, we will never turn a blind eye to you again. Remember that." Saying that, he left, muttering the name Baddock.
Professor McGonagall smiled at Snape's comment, then said, solemnly, "Before this, it was always a mild diversion. I don't think you ever had much business."
"Our record was Four Galleons," Fred told her, "that was the Slytherin/Gryffindor match, last year."
"I dislike complimenting you on this," Professor McGonagall said, "but you kept your heads in a crisis, and never tried compromise on your promise. Even when you were confronted by your teachers, you did not panic, which is no surprise. But you did not back down, either. That shows true Gryffindor Bravery. I only wish you had shown bravery in something other than betting on a Quidditch Match."
"That was strange," George said, later. "Snape AND McGonagall helping us out. I was already packing my bags."
It was Sunday morning, and Doctor Lydia Spencer arrived at Hogwarts for to watch a very interesting young boy prove himself. She was there, also, because she loved Quidditch, and found the circumstances of the match intriguing. As she passed two older boys, whom she recognized as the Weasley Twins, she heard them mumble something about two Galleons. "Excuse me," Doctor Spencer said, smiling, "why two Galleons?"
Fred and George looked at each other and smiled. "You're Malcolm's doctor," Fred said. "You must be proud of him, what with his playing in the match."
"Not that much, Fred," George told him, "She never even tried to wager."
Lydia almost laughed out loud, "The two of you are the local 'bookies', I assume. What are the odds?"
"Fortunately, Malcolm has a reputation, and we've got the odds at 3 to 1 and 99 points. Unfortunately, we can only accept bets, for Malcolm's team, and nothing more than 10 Galleons."
Doctor Spencer hesitated. She thought about the mad money she always kept, and decided on a whim. She could afford it, and it could help her gain Malcolm's trust. "I'll bet the two Galleons you mumbled about," she said, "On Gryffindor."
"Uhm," George said, smiling, "Malcolm is playing on the Slytherin team."
"Isn't that unusual?"
"It's an unusual match?" George answered truthfully.
"Neville," Fred said, "we need you to reach into your pockets. We're short covering the bets and you promised to help us."
"How much," Neville asked in an annoyed tone.
"Five Knuts," Fred told him.
Neville actually laughed at the small sum mentioned. As he handed over the copper coins, he asked, "What am I betting on?"
Fred grinned and said, "You just bet that Malcolm catches the snitch."
"I want my money back," Neville said, shaking with laughter.
Fred nodded to George, who signaled to Lee Jordan. If they won or lost, it would only be money, but they would still have the trust of their customers. Fred and George smiled at each other as Lee Jordan announced the code phrase, "Everything is in order for the match, today." They also laughed as half the students in Slytherin suddenly stared in disbelief.
"Who do you think will win," Fred asked.
"I have no idea," George answered, "But this IS going to be an interesting match."