November showed up with its usual cold snap and the promise that things were only going to get worse. Adrian found himself pretty grateful for the warmth of talking potions with Hermione every day. His skills had gotten way better, he was almost at Level Four now, just barely short of what he needed to brew Blood Fusion Potions.
To avoid the headache that came with digging through memories by hand, Adrian had snuck into the Restricted Section again at midnight. The system points he'd built up over the past few weeks paid off when he managed to upgrade his Occlumency to Level Two during several all-nighters.
But his satisfaction didn't last long. A bigger problem was staring him in the face: money. Or more specifically, his complete lack of it.
The stuff he needed for a Blood Fusion Potion would cost a fortune, and Adrian's bank account was pretty sad. Three Galleons, fifteen Sickles, and twenty-four Knuts, that was everything he had. Even if he could sneak through the secret passages to Hogsmeade, he couldn't afford half the ingredients.
And even this pathetic amount came from a letter from his mother, a woman he'd never actually met. Without her random kindness, he wouldn't have had a single Galleon.
"You know," Adrian said as they walked toward the Great Hall, still thinking about his money problems, "is there any way to make a lot of Galleons in, like, a month?"
"Well, we could always rob Gringotts," Ron said with a grin. "Just save me a spot on the team."
Hermione rolled her eyes so hard Adrian thought she might hurt herself. "Oh brilliant, Ronald. The goblins would throw you in Azkaban before you even made it past the front door." She then started lecturing them about why Gringotts was supposed to be the safest place in the wizarding world.
The security was legendary, she explained, and rumors said dragons guarded the deepest vaults...
Harry and Ron listened like it was the most interesting thing ever, but Adrian, who knew exactly how "secure" Gringotts really was, found himself mentally rolling his eyes. Right, the safest place in the wizarding world, the same place Quirrell's going to break into this year, and that you guys will rob in a few years.
Still, even with his otherworldly knowledge, Adrian had to admit that Gringotts would be a nightmare for someone like him, atleast for now that is. Ron's idea was amusing to imagine, but completely impossible.
"By the way, Adrian," Harry said suddenly, looking curious, "what do you need so many Galleons for?"
He paused, then added with that generous streak of his, "I grabbed some money from my vault before school started. If you don't need too much, I could lend you some."
To prove his point, Harry pulled a handful of Galleons from his robes and put them on the table in front of Adrian. "And if that's not enough, I've got plenty more up in the dorm..."
Adrian's eyes lit up at Harry's casual show of wealth. Having read the books, he knew Harry's idea of "some money" probably meant hundreds of Galleons. The amount currently shining on the table would probably cover his potion needs and then some.
Looking into Harry's honest eyes, Adrian felt genuinely warm inside. They'd only known each other for half a semester, but this kind of instant, no-questions-asked generosity was exactly what made Harry such a good friend.
Of course, it also helped that Harry understood money about as well as a dog understood calculus.
"Thanks, but I'll figure something out," Adrian said, shaking his head despite wanting to grab the coins. "There's nowhere to spend that kind of money here anyway."
Most people would have called him crazy. The solution was literally right there, just reach out and take it. Harry wouldn't even care if he never paid it back.
But Adrian saw it differently. Taking Harry's money now would mean owing a debt that went way beyond just Galleons. For someone trying not to get too tangled up in Dumbledore's big plans, that kind of obligation was the last thing he needed.
Besides, he still had time. If things got really bad, he could always swallow his pride later.
With some clever topic changes, Adrian got Harry to forget about the money, and they started talking about the upcoming Quidditch match instead.
Despite being Gryffindor's secret weapon, Harry wasn't overflowing with confidence like everyone expected. He actually seemed pretty nervous about letting his team down. The pressure of Gryffindor's long losing streak in Quidditch was clearly getting to him.
Adrian, though, felt nothing but confidence in his friend's skills. If anyone knew about Harry's natural flying talent, it was him. Combined with Harry's insane luck, the only way Gryffindor could lose would be if something really wrong happened.
Given Harry's kindness earlier, Adrian made a mental note to keep an eye on Quirrell during the match. No point in letting plot stuff mess up a good thing.
The group got to the Great Hall without any problems, but as Adrian sat down for lunch at the Gryffindor table, Malfoy's voice carried over from Slytherin, loudly making fun of Gryffindor's recent losses to his house.
Ron's face turned bright red, and he started to get up before Harry and Hermione grabbed him. Getting into a fight in the Great Hall would cost them more house points than they could spare.
While his friends argued about whether to confront Malfoy, Adrian quietly stood up and walked toward the Slytherin table.
Malfoy's smug look faded when he saw Adrian coming over. The smugness quickly turned into a mix of disgust and barely hidden fear. The story of Adrian's fight with the troll had become pretty famous around school, even getting props from Professor McGonagall. Malfoy was clearly wondering if Adrian was coming to settle things.
Luckily for Malfoy, he quickly realized they were at the Slytherin table, where Adrian probably wouldn't start trouble. This gave him enough guts to puff out his chest and speak with fake confidence.
"What do you want, Blackwood?"
"Nothing much," Adrian replied with an easy smile, putting three Galleons on the table. "I just wanted to make a little bet."
He gestured at the coins. "I bet Harry catches the Snitch in the next match and wins the game for Gryffindor."
Malfoy stared at the Galleons but didn't take the bet right away. While the money was pocket change to him, he clearly remembered his last run-in with Adrian and couldn't shake the feeling this might be another trap.
Harry's skills as Gryffindor's seeker weren't secret anymore, the daily practices had made that pretty obvious to anyone paying attention.
"Don't worry about it," Adrian said, acting like he didn't care and starting to collect the coins. "I forgot you probably don't have that kind of money lying around."
"Wait..."
Malfoy looked confused, but something about Adrian's casual dismissal had gotten his attention, and his pride.