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Chapter 29 – A Debt Paid in Galleons
Betsy had expected a handshake. She had not expected rejection.
She was beautiful—Slytherin's famous beauty—and even if rumours called her fierce, plenty of boys still fell over themselves to win her attention. No one refused her openly. No one rejected the eldest Miss Greengrass.
So when Darren turned his back on her, spurning her offered hand and calling her a pure-blood while apologizing he was not—Betsy's shallow pride splintered.
A Mudblood refused her? How dare such a thing!
She stalked after him, wand already in hand, fury sharpening every step. If she couldn't win him, she'd put him in his place. A quick hex with her cherrywood wand would teach this cub a lesson—public humiliation worked both ways.
But before she could close the distance, Darren stopped and turned to face her, expression dark.
"Get out of the way!" he snapped.
Betsy froze. The insolent tone from a child who'd just insulted her family was unbearable. She clenched her fists, then readied herself to leave—until a hooded figure in black lunged from the crowd and sent a green jet of pure hate straight at them.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A hush exploded into panic. The green light screamed past where Darren had been standing—and struck the space he'd just vacated.
For an instant there was only motion: Betsy wrapped her arm around the nearest body, raising her wand without thinking.
"Expelliarmus!" she barked.
"Stupefy!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Protego!"
Spells flew like a violent chorus. The black-robed attacker crumpled beneath the onslaught—knocked, stunned, thoroughly beaten—then collapsed to the cobbles, motionless. No one moved to help him as Betsy jabbed her wand down and cautiously lifted the hood.
A pale, hollow-faced man stared up at them—thin as if the sun had never touched him. He didn't answer when Betsy demanded, "Who are you?"
The man said nothing.
Betsy's face hardened. She raised her wand again and muttered a final stinging Hex—more to silence than to harm. Darren watched, hair prickling with adrenaline, grateful and mortified in equal measure. He'd almost been the one struck.
When the danger receded, Betsy's gaze slid to him with something like confusion in it—an emotion she didn't expect to feel. The boy, who had just spurned her, had somehow blocked a kill-curse—either by chance, by timing, or by deliberate intervention. Was he special? Or was this somehow a setup?
Darren met that look and forced a scoff. "Don't be sentimental," he said loudly, playing the part with perfect timing. "I was only running, and I happened to be one step slower, so I accidentally blocked the curse for you.
> [Ding! Mission complete — Congratulations, Host. Reward: 1x Bloodline Lottery Ticket.]
He accepted the reward automatically and felt the familiar ping of system currency. Good—he could get out of there now. He'd forgotten Paggie at Flourish and Blotts and needed to fetch her before she worried herself into hysterics. Best to leave before anyone asked awkward questions.
Betsy, however, was not done. She watched the cub walk away and scowled inwardly. How stupid to run slow and inadvertently get in the way of a Death Eater's curse—if that was what it had been. Even worse, he'd acted like it was an accident and then tried to walk off like nothing had happened.
A begrudging thought crept in: despite the insult, despite his muddy origins, he had stepped into harm's way. If she told the family the whole truth—that this insolent child saved her—what would they think? Her pride made her blanch at the idea of being indebted to a Muggle-born or half-blood. But she had to do something to make the situation right… and keep sight of appearances.
She pulled a small purse from a hidden pocket—a Gringotts key—and thrust it into Darren's stunned hands.
"The Greengrass family will not forget this," she said stiffly. "There are thirty thousand Galleons in this vault. Consider it part of what you're owed. And—do not tell anyone what happened today."
She tried to sound cold and commanding, but a tiny flush betrayed her—if she hadn't been so reckless with money earlier, she could've spared a much larger sum than this paltry thirty thousand. What a waste, she thought bitterly. A Queen of Slytherin showing mercy for a child—what would people say?
"And you're going with me to St Mungo's," she added, voice curling with disdain but practical at the same time. "You don't know what that curse could have done. I don't want you to die and leave your parents to mourn—you'll come and we'll get checked."
Her hand went out—this time not in friendship but with purpose.
"Hurry," she snapped. "I'll Apparate us. Do you know how to Apparate? Hold my hand—if you can't, I'll take you by portkey, or we'll use the Floo. Don't try to be a hero."
Darren gaped. He had not expected house-style generosity nor the offer to Apparate together. His throat tightened with relief—and a cunning plan to make sure Paggie didn't scold him to death for abandoning her at the bookshop.
He stepped forward and took the Gringotts key, throat dry. He let Betsy take his hand for Apparition. The crowd parted like water as they moved, and for the second time that day, Diagon Alley settled back into its bustle—leaving a hush of gossip and speculation in their wake.
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ps: Chapter 27 is written incorrectly, the reward Transfiguration Talent 2 points, changed to the Reward Potions Talent 2 points, has been modified
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