Chapter 36: Aftermath and Chaos
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. IT BELONGS TO JK ROWLING.
A/N: Read, enjoy, and remember not to take either life or my writing too seriously.
The Weasley twins quickly capitalized on the bizarre events of the second task.
They began selling a toy called The Fire-Breathing Egg Duck—a waddling duck figurine that laid golden eggs.
Alongside it they introduced Ducky Delights, a toffee candy that temporarily transformed the eater into a fire-breathing duck.
Fred and George even gave Ron several enchanted boxes of the sweets.
For several days afterward it was common to see enormous ducks in the Great Hall roasting their meals with bursts of flame.
Meanwhile Lucius Malfoy was drinking heavily again.
He had recently been forced to sell part of his secret collection of Dark artifacts to Borgin and Burkes.
Originally he had planned to hold onto those items until the Dark Lord returned, when their value would skyrocket.
Instead he needed the money to make loan payments and pay his mounting debts—including his large Firewhisky bill.
Lucius still fumed when he remembered the final insult.
Dolores Umbridge's will had left everything she owned to the Ministry, specifically requesting that it be used to improve the conditions of the Dementors in Azkaban.
Apparently she felt a special kinship with them.
Lucius smashed his empty glass against the wall.
Just then an official owl tapped at the window.
It carried a letter from Gringotts.
Lucius opened it confidently—he had made his payment on time.
The letter read:
Lucius Malfoy,
Your loan has entered default status.
The full balance, including accumulated interest, is now immediately due.
Please report to Gringotts tomorrow.
Gorpus
Default Loan Collector
Lucius stared at the letter in disbelief.
Default? Impossible.
He poured another drink.
"Tomorrow," he muttered, "I'll straighten this nonsense out."
The following day Lucius strode into Gringotts, his cane echoing loudly across the marble floor.
Every tap disrupted the goblins' counting.
When he finally reached a teller, he demanded to see Gorpus.
The teller examined his letter and silently signaled the guards.
Three-armed goblins surrounded Lucius immediately.
"You are accused of defaulting on a loan," the teller said calmly. "You will not leave the bank until the matter is resolved."
Lucius was escorted to Gorpus's office.
The goblin looked disappointed.
"No sacks of galleons?" he asked.
Lucius sneered.
"I already made my payment."
Gorpus checked the records.
"You attempted to pay twenty thousand galleons. Unfortunately the payment was insufficient."
"That was MORE than I owed!" Lucius snapped.
Gorpus unrolled a very long contract.
"Section forty-eight, subsection A, sub-subsection eighteen."
Lucius squinted at the tiny print.
The interest rate was ten percent per week.
His face turned pale.
Gorpus smiled widely.
"Because you missed the required payment, the entire loan is now due immediately… including projected interest."
The final amount:
Twenty-six million galleons.
Lucius nearly fainted.
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