Hogwarts: The Wizarding World's First Capitalist

"Why do you have such a question?" Cedric looked at Carl with some confusion.

Carl smiled pretentiously and spoke slowly.

"It seems that I overestimated you before. You do have some qualities that I cannot help but admire, such as your amazing intuition."

"But your ability to understand things is still a little poor. You can't connect all the things together."

"I just can't understand what the other party is going to do next."

"What do you mean?" Cedric continued to ask.

Carl stretched out his finger and hooked it towards himself, motioning the other party to come closer, and then spoke in a low voice.

"First, let me give you some tips that you should consider about what's special about this year's presidential campaign."

"The clue is the major event that happened in the world last year, and the target of the guess is the topic of the other person's next speech."

Cedric, who got the hint, thought silently for a while, then shook his head very honestly.

"There are some clues, but they are so complicated that I can't draw any valid conclusions."

Looking at Cedric's honest and confused face, Carl suddenly felt playful and seductive.

"Well, there are still 60 seconds left, why don't we make a bet between the two of us?"

"And to ensure fairness, I will give my own judgment 10 seconds before he starts each new topic."

"If I guess all of them correctly, I win the bet, and then we'll have the dancing session at the end of the banquet."

"As my dancing partner, how about you act as the female partner?"

When Cedric heard this, his fair face turned red from his neck to the top of his head, like a cooked lobster.

While constantly analyzing the conditions proposed by Carl in his mind, Carl on the side continued to use his traditional skills to persuade quietly.

"According to the schedule, he still has about 15 minutes to speak, which means he should be able to cover four topics on average."

"I have to guess all four topics correctly for me to win. If you get one of them wrong, you win."

"There are still 20 seconds left. You can take your time to think. I'll count down for you. 10.9.8.7..."

When the countdown reached the last 7 seconds, Cedric nodded firmly.

"Okay, I'll bet with you, but it has to be done according to the conditions you just set, and only if I win."

"You have to pay me 27,650 gold galleons."

"Why do you need so much money?" Carl was stunned for a moment, "You have both small and large amounts. Are you going to buy something special?"

Cedric turned his head away with all his strength, not looking into Carl's eyes, and spoke softly with his lips pouted.

"Don't worry about it. Just tell me whether you agree or not."

Carl shut up, leaned on Cedric's shoulder, and extended a little finger of his right hand.

Cedric also extended a little finger of his left hand, and the two of them gently hooked their fingers together to indicate that the bet was established.

The moment the two men had just shaken hands, Carl spoke first.

"The next topic is women's reproductive rights and abortion."

As soon as he finished speaking, a large group of young women holding up banners appeared behind Mr. Clinton on the stage.

They held up pieces of paper of different colors with words written on them such as.

Slogans such as "I am the master of my own body, abortion is not murder, as a woman I am the master of my own body."

Mr. Clinton also spoke passionately.

"When I become president, I will completely change the current oppression of women in American society and promote legislation on abortion rights."

Cedric didn't listen to what was said next. He just turned his head blankly and looked at Carl who was resting with his eyes closed.

His eyes were full of surprise, and when he heard the voice again, it was Carl speaking softly.

"The next topic is about religion."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Clinton on the stage spoke again with passion.

"God blesses America, and the people living in this land have absolute religious freedom."

"God loves the world, and any discrimination in the name of God is unacceptable."

"Next topic, about guns."

"How long are we going to have to endure this?" Mr. Clinton clenched his right fist and slammed it on the podium.

With a grief-stricken expression on his face, he called out loudly.

"Right here in our great state of New York, there are dozens of shootings every week."

"The prevalence of gun violence has seriously damaged the reputation of the United States and caused countless irreparable tragedies."

"Our children are the only ones who need to worry about whether they will be shot to death by their classmates while they are in school. This situation must not continue, never."

"The last topic is about gender and homosexuality."

"America's freedom and tolerance are the foundation of our country." This topic is slightly milder than the previous three.

There were no exaggerated body movements or children covered in blood during Mr. Clinton's speech.

Compared to those who stood behind him and cheered for him, his speech was more like an exposition of the American spirit.

At the end of his speech, Mr. Clinton pointed to the sky and smiled.

"I hope that in the years to come, each of us will have the courage to express our love, and that every bit of love will not be discriminated against by anyone."

"God bless America and God bless you."

After he finished speaking, the whole audience burst into thunderous applause, and Carl raised his head from Cedric's shoulder.

He smiled at Cedric, whose face was filled with surprise, and clapped vigorously.

After the applause ended, everyone stood up and waiters in tuxedos came in one after another and quickly moved the table away.

After a while, the restaurant turned into a dance floor, and the band on the left played classical and melodious dance music.

Carl carefully adjusted his bow tie and smoothed out every wrinkle on his dress.

With a funny smile on his face, he slowly walked in front of Cedric and stretched out his right hand.

"Come on, the loser will keep his promise. My dear lady, would you please have the honor to dance with me?"

After that, without waiting for Cedric to respond, Karl suddenly grabbed Cedric's fingers and pulled him into his arms.

Then he interlocked the fingers of his right hand, put his left hand around the other's waist, and spoke softly.

"Don't think about it anymore, just think about it with your fragrant pumpkin brain."

"I'm afraid this big head is going to turn into pumpkin pie. I've already eaten a lot today and I don't want to eat dessert."

"I promise you, after this banquet is over, I will solve your doubts."

"Really?" Cedric looked at Carl with confusion and a little anger.

Carl just smiled.

"Just use your intuition to guess, and you'll know, right?"

As we were talking, after the violin prelude ended, the entrance of the cello marked the official start of the dance.

Under the bright lights, the dance floor was filled with an incredible magic, but it was different from before.

The source of the magic this time is not the traditional young lovers.

The two young men danced gracefully on the dance floor, like the brightest stars in the night sky, their dance steps were light and elegant.

Every spin was like a carefully choreographed ballet, and every eye contact was filled with a hint of playfulness, complaint, and anger.

Cedric can't dance, but he can act as a puppet, and Carl, sitting opposite him, is the most perfect puppeteer in the world at this moment.

Carl was dressed in a black tuxedo, his movements were smooth and powerful, and every rotation, turn and leg lift revealed an aristocratic calmness and confidence.

His hands were full of strength, holding Cedric completely in his palms, and every movement was just right.

The rhythm of the music danced under their feet, and their bodies rose and fell with the melody, as if they were having a silent conversation with the music.

The other guests in the center of the dance floor unconsciously made room for them and stood in the distance, quietly appreciating this feast of beauty.

As the last note fell, the two young men slowly stopped.

Cedric's face immediately turned red, and he didn't know whether it was because he was tired or shy.

Carl deliberately took two steps back, came to the edge of the dance floor, bowed deeply and gracefully, then looked up at the other party and spoke using magic.

"Now answer me, did I lie to you?"