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Chapter 9 - 《Harry Potter: My Life as Hermione》Chapter 9: What Real Haggling Looks Like

Hagrid was missing!

The realization left Qin Yu utterly exasperated. With no choice but to put his trip to the wand shop on hold, he set off to search for the big guy.

After a good while of wandering, he finally spotted a crowd gathered outside a pub—and, standing head and shoulders above everyone else, there was Hagrid.

Qin Yu hurried over, weaving through the onlookers until he reached Hagrid's side.

"Five hundred Galleons is just too much. I don't have that kind of money on me. Can't you wait while I go and scrape together the rest?" Hagrid was pleading with a thin, sharp-faced man across from him.

Beside the man crouched a massive, three-headed dog, chained and restless.

A Three-Headed Dog!

Well, that explained everything. The moment he saw the beast, Qin Yu immediately understood—Hagrid's animal obsession had struck again.

Honestly, looking at that three-headed dog, Qin Yu had to admit—even he felt a powerful urge to buy it. Imagine walking this monster down the street! Who'd dare mess with you then?

But clearly, this deal wasn't going to be simple.

"Sorry, big guy, I can't promise I'll wait for you to come back. This sort of thing, it's in high demand," the thin man drawled.

"But what am I supposed to do? I really want it, but I just don't have enough on me right now!" Hagrid looked torn, his gaze fixed longingly on the three-headed dog.

Watching this, Qin Yu could only pinch the bridge of his nose in silent agony. Oh, Hagrid… Even if you want it that badly, don't make it so obvious! You're just asking to get fleeced.

Seeing Hagrid hesitate, the man pressed on, "Tell you what—got anything valuable on you? Show me. If it's worth five hundred Galleons, I'll swap you for the dog."

Hagrid's eyes lit up and he started digging through his pockets—only for a small hand to tap his arm.

"Hm? Qin?" Hagrid finally seemed to notice him.

So you only just realized I'm here? Qin Yu rolled his eyes.

"Hold on, Hagrid," Qin Yu whispered.

"Oh. Alright," Hagrid nodded automatically. The kid seemed clever—if he said wait, there had to be a good reason.

Qin Yu turned to the thin man. "Sir, what breed is this three-headed dog, exactly?"

"Purebred Greek Cerberus, of course! Paid a fortune for him from a Greek wizard," the man said, chin up with pride.

"Is that right, Hagrid?" Qin Yu asked.

"There's definitely strong Greek lineage," Hagrid replied, slipping into his expert mode, "but one of the heads has some Nordic traits. Purebred? That's… debatable."

"Rubbish! I'm not selling it to you now! Get lost, both of you—you're blocking my business!" the thin man snapped, clearly annoyed.

Now Hagrid looked desperate. Even if it wasn't purebred, he still wanted it badly.

He shot Qin Yu a pleading look.

Qin Yu just smiled, calm as ever. "Sir, if you think we're just making things up, you're underestimating my friend here."

He gestured to Hagrid. "This gentleman is a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and an expert in magical creatures. Do you really think he'd talk nonsense?"

Every word was technically true—Hagrid was the gamekeeper and Forbidden Forest's guardian, which made him a sort-of professor, and his knowledge of magical beasts was second to none.

The thin man faltered, glancing around at the watching crowd, suddenly looking a bit embarrassed. But he quickly puffed himself up. "Just because you say he's from Hogwarts doesn't make it true!"

"If you want proof, you can always write to Headmaster Dumbledore," Qin Yu replied, flashing an innocent smile.

The thin man, seeing his confidence, started to believe it.

"Doesn't matter to me. I'm selling for five hundred Galleons. Who says I can't get that for a non-purebred Cerberus?" He crossed his arms, stubborn as ever.

He was banking on Hagrid's desperation—plainly aiming to gouge him.

Qin Yu stopped Hagrid from speaking, and kept smiling. "Sir, you can tell we really want your three-headed dog."

"Hmph!" The man snorted, looking smug.

"But apart from us, look around—who else here is actually interested in buying this beast?" Qin Yu said, slow and steady.

He was right. Keeping a three-headed dog required one thing above all: a massive house. Most people couldn't even consider it.

The crowd chuckled. They were just here for the spectacle, not to buy.

"So what? I'll just wait for the next buyer…" The man's bravado was slipping.

"The next buyer? Who knows how long that'll take? And with the way you're feeding them, will your money even last that long?" Qin Yu let his smile fade.

"Hmph, I've got plenty of money!" the man blustered.

"Oh, really? Then why are you feeding this Cerberus nothing but potatoes? Look how skinny they are." Qin Yu pointed at the dog.

Three heads, three mouths—feeding them was ruinously expensive. If the man couldn't even afford meat, he'd be bankrupt soon enough.

Qin Yu almost added, "And you're so scrawny yourself, and look like you haven't bathed in months—doesn't exactly scream 'wealthy' to me." But there was no need to be cruel.

The man's face turned crimson—he'd caught the subtext.

"None of your business! The price is five hundred Galleons!" he insisted, but his earlier confidence was gone. Well, except for Hagrid, who only had eyes for the dog.

"Alright, nothing more to discuss. Hagrid, let's go. If we're any later, Professor Dumbledore will be cross," Qin Yu called out, turning to leave.

Hagrid opened his mouth, about to protest, but one sharp look from Qin Yu made him swallow his words and shuffle away, head down.

They'd barely taken two steps when the thin man's anxious voice rang out: "Wait! Don't go!"

Qin Yu stopped and turned. "Yes, sir? Something else?"

"Alright, name your price," the man said, defeated.

"Fifty Galleons," Qin Yu said, holding up five fingers.

"Why don't you just rob me?! Who bargains like that?" the man yelped, eyes wide.

"You asked me to make an offer. Besides, my owl only cost eighteen Galleons. Fifty for your dog is quite fair," Qin Yu replied, utterly serious.

"Four hundred! Take it or leave it!" the man spat.

"One-fifty. That's triple my starting offer. I'm being generous," Qin Yu said, all business.

"Three-eighty! I'm barely covering my costs!" the man whined, looking pained.

"One-eighty. I'm sure your profit's still more than that," Qin Yu countered, cool as ever.

"Three-fifty! Any lower and the deal's off!"

"Two hundred. If you keep this up, we'll just walk away."

The back-and-forth continued, the man growing more and more desperate, while Qin Yu remained as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

In the end, the man caved—he'd sell for two hundred forty-five Galleons. And as for why not a round two-fifty? Well, Qin Yu explained that "two-fifty" was an unlucky number in the East.

Hagrid was so delighted at the price his grin nearly split his face in two.

"Go on, pay him, Hagrid," Qin Yu prompted the big fellow.

"Er…" Hagrid looked suddenly sheepish.

"…You're not telling me you don't have two hundred forty-five Galleons?" the thin man wailed, nearly in tears. "Why did you haggle for so long?!"

"Um, I really don't," Hagrid admitted, mortified.

Well, might as well see this good deed through to the end. Qin Yu sighed, and reached into his own money pouch.

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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