Draco gave Marius Cloud a terrified glance and obediently followed Lucius out the door. At this point, all he wanted was to put as much distance between himself and the terrifyingly dangerous Marius as possible.
Just as Lucius exited, Marius received a surprising notification from his system:
["Congratulations, Host! You've successfully overpowered Lucius Malfoy beyond your level. You've earned one bonus spin!"]
Marius froze for a moment—and then grinned in delight.
He'd pulled it off completely thanks to the right timing, location, and a bit of theatrical luck. To have scored a reward on top of that? This was like tripping into a treasure chest!
Lucius's dramatic exit didn't disrupt the party for long. After all, every guest here was a big name in their own right. Lucius was important, yes—but hardly irreplaceable. And this birthday bash wasn't about him anyway.
"Oh my word!" Minister Fudge finally waddled over, face stretched into his most sycophantic smile. "My dear Alaric, you've been keeping quite the secret, haven't you? Your son's magical output just now—I dare say even Hogwarts' upperclassmen would be hard-pressed to match it!"
Alaric Cloud suppressed the gleam of pride in his eyes. "You flatter him, Cornelius."
"How about this," Fudge said, practically glowing, "has your son considered joining the Ministry after graduation? We'd be thrilled to have someone of his talents!"
Alaric's face turned stern.
"No, Cornelius. But thank you for your… generous suggestion."
He knew exactly what Fudge was after. Yes, he probably was impressed with Marius's ability. But more than anything, he wanted to cozy up to the Cloud family while their status was on the rise again. If he could draw the boy genius into the Ministry's fold, it would solidify his own position and influence.
But why would the ancient and powerful Cloud family need the Ministry at all? They had wealth, prestige, and vast enterprises of their own. They employed people like Fudge, not the other way around.
Fudge pressed on. "Still, surely a young man like Marius would find tremendous opportunity at the Ministry. With the right guidance—"
"I believe in letting Marius choose his own path," Alaric said coolly.
Shot down again, Fudge gave a regretful sigh and wandered off, nursing a drink offered by a house-elf. But as he walked toward Marius, his attitude had already changed. No longer did he see the boy as some spoiled aristocratic failure—he saw a rising star.
And he wasn't the only one.
Since that shocking magical surge, the number of guests coming up to speak with Marius had grown by the second. Wizards and witches who once quietly dismissed him as a disgrace to the Cloud name were now eager to make his acquaintance.
Before, he had been a symbol of disappointment. Now, he was the future of one of the oldest wizarding houses.
And it wasn't just about pedigree—many of the guests had a strong grasp of magical theory. They saw what Cornelius Fudge had seen too: a boy not yet in Hogwarts who already possessed the raw magical power of a fully-trained wizard. A freak of nature. A genius beyond compare.
"Ugh… being famous is such a pain," Marius muttered as he fielded yet another handshake.
Astoria Greengrass had never been prouder. She clung tightly to his arm, beaming. "I knew it! Marius, you're not just a genius—you're a super, super, SUPER genius!"
"Okay, okay, you can tone down the 'super' a bit," Marius chuckled, gently prying her off like a koala cub.
Even Pansy Parkinson's expression had changed. Though she said nothing, the brightness in her eyes said it all. Marius, who could easily read her like a book, knew exactly what was running through her mind: I knew I backed the right horse.
He waved her over. "Help me carry these presents back to my room, will you? This pile's taller than Hagrid."
He glanced at the growing mountain of birthday gifts and sighed.
"Note to self—someday I have to invent a pocket-dimension storage ring or something. Can you believe this magical world doesn't have one? So anti-wizard."
As he sorted through the gifts, Marius couldn't help but marvel. The most valuable, of course, was still Horace Slughorn's Felix Felicis, but the rest weren't anything to scoff at either. This stash would keep him entertained for quite some time.
But the Felix Felicis meant far more to him than its rarity or cost.
This wasn't just a potion that temporarily boosted your luck. To Marius, it was a strategic weapon—perfectly suited for what he had in mind.
"If I drink this before I use the system's lottery spin," he murmured, eyes gleaming, "who knows what mind-blowing prize I might get?"
But just as he was about to uncork it, he paused.
"Hey, system. Does the value of rewards increase based on how difficult the challenge was, or how strong the opponent I beat?"
["In theory, yes."] The System responded quickly.
Marius immediately capped the bottle again.
"Then I'll save the good stuff for later."
Sure, Lucius Malfoy was a decent wizard, but by Marius's standards, he didn't qualify as a real challenge. If the prizes scaled with difficulty, he wasn't going to waste the potion on someone like that.
"Alright then—spin the wheel, system!"
The System shimmered into view. Glimmering lights flashed rapidly, cycling through lines of magical text. And then—
It stopped.
What did Marius win?
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: p@treon.com/PokePals