Harry Potter gets smart and takes control - The Goblet

Chapter 82: Slytherins being Slytherins

Fred and George shared some of the crazy things they'd done in their latest campaign to lose Gryffindor points. Collectively, all of them had really enjoyed earning Gryffindor points then helping Fred and George lose them or trick the Gryffindors into losing them somewhat spectacularly.

Needless to say, none of the Gryffindors were very happy with them (though that was nothing new,) and they were perhaps starting to regret kicking out such large point winners.

But to Harry's savage satisfaction, they were winning the silent war they were waging on the traitorous red house.

The latest point loss project was a spell to cause loud flatulence—the twins took great delight in hitting their Gryffindor classmates with it. The best thing was they hadn't been caught. It was their classmates that had been hit with the spell that had gotten the blame. They'd been told several times in no uncertain terms that if their stomachs were that upset to go to Madam Pomfrey or the bathroom, and not to continually disturb class with their loud smells! It had worked so well that between winning points, Harry, Hermione and even Neville had started doing the same thing to their classmates. For once Professor McGonagall's obliviousness was highly convenient.

They were happy to report to Bill that they were keeping Gryffindor firmly in last place for the house cup.

After a good laugh, and congratulating them on well-planned vengeance Bill's expression turned serious and he flicked up a privacy ward.

"I saw Skeeters article on Bagman boys, anything you want to tell me?" He asked far too knowingly.

George sighed, and Fred looked obstinate then irritated then also sighed and said, "We won a bet-"

"and he didn't pay up." George finished.

"The one from the world cup? What'd he do pay with leprechaun gold?" Bill asked.

They nodded.

"We've tried everything-"

"-short of blackmailing him-"

"-to get him to cough up," they replied.

"He owns a lot of people a lot of money," Bill explained, "he was foolish in how he ran his books at the cup, and that wasn't even the start of his money issues. The goblins are furious with him. Furious enough that they might help you if it helps them ruin bagman... I'll get back to you on it. In the meantime, keep pestering him. You'd be surprised how often you can get what you want by reminding people and being irritatingly persistent."

The twins laughed.

"So any new exploits on the black market boys?" Bill asked with a smirk.

Fred and George blinked at him, narrowing their eyes slightly as they tried to guess their brother's angle. The Hogwarts black market was not something they often spoke about in the open. They'd talked about it between themselves often enough, and with Bill and Charlie, but it was generally not something spoken about casually like this with friends... Then they looked at their brother again, who flicked his eyes to the left briefly at Harry.

"Ah," they chorused catching on.

"Harry, dear old chap!"

"You're missing out!"

"It's the secret to our success!" Fred crowed.

"and school books!" Added George darkly.

"Hogwarts has a black market?!" Hermione said, sounding equal parts fascinated and horrified.

"Oh yeah," said Neville, "selling class notes, homework help-"

"And answers," cut in George.

"Exam study notes" added Bill.