The Wager

"Looks like you're a little kinder than I imagined."

A few minutes later, Gemini was eating when Hermione sat down beside him, clutching a thick textbook.

Gemini picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth before speaking unhurriedly. "For a man, especially me, kindness is an insulting word."

"Why?" Hermione frowned, her little face full of confusion.

"If a girl who wasn't very pretty and had no particular talents confessed to me, how do you think I'd turn her down?" Gemini asked.

Hermione shook her head, not quite understanding.

"I'd say, 'You're a good girl, kind-hearted, but we're not suitable for each other.'"

At that, Hermione immediately burst into giggles. The little girl rocked back and forth like a roly-poly doll, laughing so hard she nearly toppled over.

Gemini spread his hands innocently. "You can't expect me to go against my conscience and tell her, 'Actually, you're very pretty and outstanding,' can you? I've never been good at lying."

"Pah!" Hermione spat lightly. "You just like pretty girls."

Gemini shook his head. "I won't deny that. Everyone loves beauty. But I don't only like looks—temperament, knowledge, and ability are just as important. Beautiful faces are a dime a dozen; interesting souls are one in a million."

"It's not that I'd hate that girl. I just think she wouldn't be worthy of me." Gemini shook his head. "From a moral standpoint, that's called self-respect."

"Mm-hm?" Hermione tilted her head noncommittally. "Then what do you think of Parvati? She's quite pretty."

"I don't like girls of Indian descent."

Hermione's mouth fell open in shock. "You're actually... racist?"

Gemini shook his head. "It's simply a matter of personal aesthetics. Besides, I dislike shallow people who care too much about appearances."

"You just said you liked pretty people." Hermione looked confused.

Gemini nodded, spreading his hands as he said leisurely, "That's why people all become what they once hated most. It's an unavoidable part of growing up."

The moment he finished speaking, Hermione dissolved into a fluffy ball of laughter, her bushy hair swaying back and forth as her shoulders shook.

Across from Gemini, Draco looked at Hermione with disgust, visibly uncomfortable. But with Gemini sitting right there, and seeming to be on good terms with Hermione, Draco found it difficult to say anything.

There were quite a few people like him at the Slytherin table. Gryffindor and Slytherin students had always been sworn rivals, not to mention that Hermione was Muggle-born.

Hermione seemed to sense the hostile looks around her. She did not chat with Gemini for long and soon hurried away.

"Are you close with her?" Draco looked at Gemini with a puzzled expression.

"Fairly close. You could call us friends." Gemini nodded and continued eating his lunch. "You seem to have a strong opinion of her?"

Draco stared at Gemini in disbelief. "She's a lowly Muggle-born witch. What right does she have to be your friend? And look at her—she's practically a slutty vixen."

"That's an interesting thing to say..."

Gemini finished the last roasted potato on his plate, wiped his mouth with composed ease, then rested his chin on his hands, propping up his handsome face. With a faint smile, he said, "You call yourself high-class, yet you speak the most vulgar words."

Draco's expression stiffened, but he did not dare refute him.

"Ever since I learned that the Wizarding World had this concept of pure-bloods, I've had a question." Gemini asked, "How did the first wizard come into being?"

"After that, I looked through related materials and even asked Old Tom at The Leaky Cauldron. There are all kinds of theories about the origins of wizards, but they generally boil down to a few possibilities."

"First, the descendants of Muggles and magical creatures, inheriting a certain amount of magical power. Aren't half-blood Veela quite common nowadays? Second, someone simply stood out from among Muggles and awakened magical power. Third, they suddenly appeared in the world."

Gemini gave a derisive laugh. Ignoring Draco's pale face, he spread his hands and continued, "Let's assume the third possibility is supported by evidence and not discuss whether those ancestor wizards counted as pure-bloods. Even then, another problem remains."

"Those who initially possessed magical talent would have been few in number. Yet if a tribe, ethnic group, or society wanted to grow, it would inevitably have to absorb outsiders. So here's the question, Mr. Malfoy."

Gemini asked with a smile, "Where did the population come from?"

Malfoy sat there blankly. He had never considered such a question. In the education he had received, he was a pure-blood, inherently nobler and superior to other wizards.

Gemini did not continue discussing the matter. Values ultimately depended on one's own understanding; saying too much would be pointless.

"Since you're so proud of your bloodline, how about we make a wager?"

"What are we betting on?" Draco asked.

"Our year's final exams." Gemini smiled. "I bet that not a single Slytherin first-year will score higher overall than Miss Granger. Of course, I don't count. What do you say?"

Draco's face instantly turned red. He felt that Gemini had humiliated him. "What are the stakes?"

To be fair, Draco was quite intelligent. Both his magical talent and grades were good, and he did not believe he would lose to a Muggle-born girl.

"Hmm... too high, and you might not be able to afford it. But too low would insult the name of the Malfoy family..." Gemini thought for a moment, then waved his hand. Fifty gleaming gold Galleons clattered onto the long table before him, instantly drawing the attention of many people nearby.

"Fifty Galleons. How about it?" Gemini asked with a smile.

Fifty Galleons was no small sum. It was equivalent to a month's income for working-class people at the bottom of the Wizarding World. Even for the Malfoy family's wealth, it was more than a month of Draco's allowance.

"I accept!" Draco agreed to the wager almost without hesitation.

The commotion between the two drew the attention of the other students in the Great Hall. Before long, word of the wager spread throughout the school, causing a huge uproar.

"How could you gamble?"

Before long, Hermione came looking for Gemini again and asked indignantly, "And fifty Galleons, too! You only exchanged five hundred Galleons in total. If you spend money like this, you'll become penniless soon enough. What will you do for the next few years?"

"I thought you were upset because I dragged you into this. I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand."

Gemini smiled gently. "Thank you very much for your concern, but you needn't worry about money. I still have over seven hundred thousand Pounds Sterling in savings. Even if I spend all the Galleons I have, I can exchange more next year."

"Seven hundred thousand Pounds Sterling?" Hermione's little mouth opened in astonishment. "Where did you get so much money?"

"I earned it through business." Gemini was succinct. "So, to apologize, if I win the wager, I'll give you the Galleons I win."

Hermione hurriedly waved her hands. "You trust me so much. I should be thanking you, and besides..."

Hermione unconsciously lowered her head, her little face flushed red. "I heard you made the wager because he spoke badly about me. Thank you."

With that, Hermione quickly turned and ran away.

Gemini watched her retreating figure and smiled gently. "I was only stating a fact."

Thanks to reader jokim for the 10,000 reward, victor Liu for the 10,000 reward, Fish Corpse Kun for the 2,000 reward, Mengdong Buxiao Zhaixing Shi for the 1,500 reward, Xiaofeng Can Yue for the 500 reward, Rachel Gardner for the 1,500 reward, Gungun Chao Zhengyi for the 1,500 reward, and all the other readers for their rewards. Sob, hic~ I love you all to death~