By the time their performance was over, Hogwarts' Three Little Ones had never felt so humiliated. The roaring laughter from the audience had never stopped.
"I am never doing anything this stupid again!"
As they took their bows, Harry spoke through gritted teeth. Ron nodded vigorously, agreeing in a hollow voice:
"I think this is the most embarrassing thing I've ever done..."
An unusual flush colored Malfoy's pale face. He felt far more aggrieved than either of the other two.
As the son of the richest man in the Wizarding World, a fabulously wealthy family in the Muggle world, and Lucius's first and only heir, he had actually done something like this for a measly three thousand dollars!
An utter disgrace!
He had never felt money was so important.
Malfoy lowered his voice. "Let me do the talking afterward. We have to get out of that agreement as soon as possible. We quit!"
But things developed in a way they hadn't expected. The moment they stepped offstage, the chubby manager rushed over and swept them into a hug reeking of smoke and sweat.
Fine beads of sweat covered his flushed, fat face as he gripped Malfoy's shoulders with both hands.
"That was fantastic! So creative! How did you come up with it? You're f**king geniuses!
"I've decided-you'll be performing our closing act for the rest of your time here!"
What???
Being forced into ballet outfits and making fools of ourselves once for three thousand dollars was already our limit. Now you want us to perform every day? As the closing act, no less!
This is humiliating! Utterly humiliating!
Harry and Ron were just as furious as Malfoy. They glared at Tory, only to hear him say:
"Your pay was a hundred dollars per show. I'll raise it to three hundred."