Caught Off Guard

"People will be talking about that brilliant match for a long time," Ludo Bagman said hoarsely. "Oh, right... right, how much... do I owe you?"

"Four hundred and fifty Galleons, Mr. Bagman." Fred and George grinned and held out their palms to Mr. Bagman.

"Right, four hundred and fifty Galleons." Ludo Bagman took a deep breath, reached into his pocket for a money bag, and handed it to Fred and George with obvious reluctance.

"Just a moment."

Fred and George took out several coins from the bag and examined them carefully beneath the light from their wands. They narrowed their eyes at the anxious-looking man before them. "Mr. Bagman, I think you may have made a mistake. These are Leprechaun gold coins."

As he spoke, Fred passed the money bag to George, who also took out several coins. They were all Leprechaun gold coins.

Albert had been right. Bagman really had intended to fob them off with Leprechaun gold.

That was not a good sign.

"Ah, Leprechaun gold? Sorry, I must have made a mistake." Ludo Bagman forced a look of surprise onto his face. He took the money bag George handed back, pretended to pull out several coins, and examined them closely beneath the light, as though trying to determine whether they were actually Galleons.

"I remember putting them here. Ah, here they are."

Ludo Bagman rummaged through his pockets again, eventually producing another identical money bag and handing it to Fred. He forced a smile at the twins. "It should be this bag. Check it again. And take this too, as an apology for giving you the wrong bag just now."

Bagman handed George a poster bearing the signatures of every Irish Team Quidditch player and gave the twins an apologetic look.

The Weasley twins were not distracted