"Of course I'll let go, sweetheart. Don't be scared. I'm not a bad person. Come here, let me give you a hug!"
Poor Little Ginny had barely caught her breath before the Fat Lady scooped her up again.
She struggled desperately, only to find that the harder she struggled, the tighter the woman held her. Helpless, she could only turn her tearful eyes toward Harry for help.
"If you have money, everything's negotiable. Here, young man, take this hair clip. Just give me seven... oh, no, eight Galleons!"
The Fat Lady held out the hair clip with one hand and hugged Ginny with the other, looking so affectionate that Ginny might have been a younger member of her family.
She could have simply robbed them, yet she was gracious enough to throw in a hair clip with a broken spring.
"Eight?!! Do you have any idea how much a book by Gilderoy Lockhart costs? Your price is completely unreasonable!"
Hermione spoke indignantly.
"Unreasonable?!! What's unreasonable about it?!! I imported this hair clip from Mumbai. Every purple diamond on it has a certificate, and it was handcrafted by a top jewelry designer. Eight Galleons is already a twenty-percent discount because you're students!"
"So we're supposed to thank you for charging us eight Galleons?"
Luo Bin's lips curled slightly as he spoke sarcastically.
"Hey, what's wrong with you, boy?!! Fine, you don't want a discount?!! I'm putting my foot down today. Either pay ten Galleons, or I'll drag all five of you to see the headmaster of Hogwarts. Discuss it among yourselves!"
"Luo Bin, Ron, Hermione, we're running out of time. Ten Galleons... I—I can afford that!"
Harry spoke quietly.
"Harry, having money doesn't mean you have to let yourself get fleeced. I say we handle her just like Chitsby. You and