"Defence Guide"

"Morning, Sirius. Where did you just go?" Lupin poked his head out of the kitchen, looking at Sirius as he entered the tent. "Why do you look so unhappy?"

"I just went to see Ludo Bagman. That bastard only paid me half the Galleons he owed me from last night." Sirius had no goodwill whatsoever toward Bagman, who was trying to welch on the debt.

"When did you place a bet?" Lupin stared at Sirius in shock. He had never imagined his old friend had been gambling in secret. That was not a good thing.

"I thought you'd be more concerned about how much I won." Sirius pulled over a chair and sat down, smiling as he propped his legs on the table, though no one knew what he was thinking.

"All right, how much did you win?" Lupin asked helplessly.

"About... a thousand Galleons," Sirius said.

"How much?" Lupin's eyes widened in disbelief.

"A thousand Galleons," Sirius repeated.

"Stop gambling. Quit while you're ahead!" Lupin completely ignored the black smoke slowly rising from the pot as he tried to persuade his old friend. He simply could not understand why Sirius would take the risk of gambling. What if he lost? To win a thousand Galleons, how many Galleons had he bet?

"Bagman didn't have enough Galleons to pay me, so he suggested I keep betting." Sirius glanced at Lupin's slightly gloomy expression and said casually, "I've already agreed. I earned those Galleons anyway, so it doesn't matter if I lose them all. Besides, it's not like I'll necessarily lose."

Lupin fell silent. He knew he had no right to lecture Sirius, and in the end merely said, "Don't get too greedy. Quit while you're ahead," before turning back to the kitchen to continue making breakfast.

"Lose? Would I lose?