Astoria quietly lowered her head.
As the only one present who had not even touched the threshold of a Domain, she felt as though she was being singled out everywhere.
"I also took the opportunity to restore Slytherin House's reputation," Rhys said proudly after expressing his disdain for Voldemort.
"Oh?"
"How did you do that?"
Daphne and Astoria were both piqued by his words.
"You'll know when you read the Daily Prophet tomorrow," Rhys said, not revealing his actions directly, instead telling them to check the newspaper the next day.
"Alright…"
As they began sharing the soup, bread, and roasted sausages, the Weasley family returned to the neighboring camp, and the small campsite suddenly became lively again.
After greeting Mr. Weasley and exchanging a few words with Harry, who was squeezed in the crowd, Rhys noticed Fred and George, who were beaming with excitement.
Even something as major as Voldemort's return had not dampened their good mood in the slightest.
"Looks like you're in a great mood?" Rhys glanced at them.
"Rhys, if your dream was about to come true, you'd be just as happy as we are," Fred said, pulling out a bulging money pouch from his robes and shaking it in front of Rhys, producing a pleasant clinking of coins.
"Good thing Bagman settled the payment with us before the Dark Lord showed up," George added with a bright smile. "The longer you wait, the more things can go wrong. Money feels safest once it's in your pocket."
"Congratulations," Rhys said sincerely, genuinely happy that the Weasley twins were able to pursue their dream. Then he suddenly remembered that he had also won some money from Bagman.
"What are you planning to do with it?"
"Open a joke shop," Fred and George said in unison.
That answer was not surprising at all. In Rhys's view, Fred and George had endless ideas and exceptional hands-on ability. They were perfectly suited for this.
"By the way, did you check the coins he gave you?" Rhys suddenly asked, recalling something.
"No. Why?"
"At the opening ceremony, the Leprechauns threw out quite a few of their gold coins. Some of those might have gotten mixed in with the coins Bagman gave you."
The smiles on Fred and George's faces instantly faded.
The two opened the pouch, but they had no way of distinguishing real Galleons from Leprechaun gold. However, Rhys noticed the problem the moment the pouch was opened.
He took the pouch from the twins, turned it upside down, and spilled all the coins onto the ground.
"They're all Leprechaun gold," Rhys said casually, delivering words that sent a chill down Fred and George's spines.
The two froze on the spot. After several minutes, Fred finally forced out a smile, saying that Bagman had probably made a mistake, and that he and George only needed to send him a letter to get their money back.
Rhys was not optimistic. If only a few or even dozens of Leprechaun coins had been mixed in, it might have been accidental. But for such a large sum to be entirely fake could only mean it was intentional.
After hearing Rhys's analysis, Fred and George's spirits immediately collapsed.
"We need to find him right away," Fred said, understanding that every second of delay reduced their chances of getting the money back.
"Even if we can only recover the principal, I'll accept it," George had already started lowering his expectations.
"Let me help you," Rhys said, silently casting a spell to conjure a group of small snakes that slipped into the forest to search for Ludo Bagman.
He was betting that Bagman had not Apparated away.
Rhys felt that, as a Ministry official in charge of magical sports, Bagman was likely still nearby at a time like this, so it was worth a try.
Before long, he received feedback.
"Follow me," Rhys called to Fred and George, then turned and disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Without hesitation, the twins quickly gathered the coins from the ground into the pouch and followed.
The three of them moved through the dim forest for a short while before spotting Ludo Bagman in a slightly more open area.
At that moment, he was surrounded by several goblins, his expression flustered.
Seeing the three of them, Bagman's face changed, and the goblins frowned as well.
"Bagman, if you think these young wizards—"
"Mr. Bagman, you gave us the wrong money!" Fred shouted directly. "They're Leprechaun coins!"
He strode up to Bagman and held out the coins from the pouch for him to see.
"What Leprechaun coins? You must be—" Bagman's attempt to argue faltered halfway through, because the coins in the pouch began to disappear!
"You believe us now, don't you?" Fred squeezed a goblin aside and spread the pouch open in front of Bagman.
"And my money as well," Rhys added from the side.
A trace of displeasure flashed across the goblins' faces. One of them turned to Rhys and said, "We were here first—"
Before it could finish speaking, it was sent flying, crashing into a nearby bush.
Rhys acted as if he had heard nothing and continued urging Bagman to settle the payment.
The remaining goblins were immediately enraged. The largest one even pulled out a longsword nearly as long as its body.
"Oh? Planning to make a move against me?" Rhys smiled faintly. "Goblins displaying hostility toward wizards should be regarded as rebellion. That is stipulated in the accords."
Confusion flickered in the goblins' eyes. What kind of law was that?
"The Supernatural Species Accord issued in the tenth century, drafted by Hogwarts founders Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin," Rhys helpfully cited the legal source.
"An agreement from a thousand years ago—"
"As long as the accord is still in effect, it carries legal authority." Rhys raised a finger and pointed at the goblin holding the sword. "Rebellious goblins should be executed."
As soon as he finished speaking, the goblin turned into a pile of flesh.
The remaining goblins: !!!
"According to the accord, I, as a wizard, have initiated an attack against a goblin. Since I did not cause that goblin's death, I should pay three silver coins as compensation. Here you are." He took out three silver Sickles from his robes and tossed them at the goblins' feet.
The goblins' faces instantly filled with anger.
____
12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI