"No problem! You can leave everything to me!" Old Mr Malfoy exclaimed, his weathered face flushing red with excitement.
He looked nothing like a man who had only recently recovered from a serious illness.
The moment he responded, countless jealous eyes turned toward him.
In the past, those looks would have made Old Mr Malfoy uneasy.
But now...
After one enormous gamble, the Malfoy family had finally found someone worth backing. If he didn't revel in it now, when would he ever?
Who still dared act arrogantly in front of him now?
Leaning on his walking stick, Old Mr Malfoy proudly surveyed the crowd, completely unfazed by the needle-like stares directed at him.
Backing the right person really was an incredible feeling!
The other pure-blood families looked as though they had swallowed flies.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
Previously, they had thrown their support behind Grindelwald, only to find that the benefits they received were nowhere near what they had expected.
Now someone who could clearly produce tremendous wealth stood before them.
How could they possibly allow the Malfoys to monopolise all the profits?
No matter what, they had to claim a share.
Did the Malfoys really think they could swallow everything themselves without choking?
Old Mr Malfoy naturally understood that.
He could be as arrogant as he pleased when the occasion called for it, but he also knew exactly what had to be done.
Moreover, the fact that Wade had revealed the existence of the new broom in public instead of discussing it privately by owl made his intentions perfectly clear.
He wanted the other pure-blood families to join the partnership as well.
The Malfoys alone could only provide Wade with so much.
Old Mr Malfoy understood Wade's thinking completely.
His own goal was simply to secure the largest slice of the pie from this tremendous opportunity.
At the end of the day, however, all of it came from Wade. So even if the Malfoys earned a smaller share of the profits, Old Mr Malfoy was determined to maintain their close relationship with Young Master Wade.
Even if Young Master Wade later worked with other pure-blood families, the Malfoys would always remain his most loyal supporters.
Only then would the family's benefits continue to flow without end.
Wade gave Old Mr Malfoy a slight nod before heading toward the train.
Old Mr Malfoy immediately stepped forward himself, forcefully shoving aside several pure-bloods who were blocking the way.
"Honestly... damn it, wasn't this old man practically dying not long ago? How's he still this strong?" one of the displaced wizards muttered.
"Hah! That's because Young Master Wade's potion is so effective!" Old Mr Malfoy declared proudly.
And he had every reason to be proud.
To save his life, the noble Young Master Wade had personally negotiated with the family he had fallen out with and obtained an unprecedented potion formula to cure him.
What an honour!
If he hadn't contracted Dragon Pox, he would never have had the chance to cling to such a mighty patron.
Without needing to be told, Abraxas hurried after Wade, pulling his suitcase.
Since his father intended to stay behind showing off, it fell to him to look after Young Master Wade.
"Abraxas, you're starting your fifth year this term, aren't you?" Wade asked.
"Yes, Young Master Wade," Abraxas answered respectfully.
"Don't call me Young Master Wade, Abraxas. We're comrades. Just call me Wade."
Wade turned around and took the suitcase from him.
Abraxas looked rather at a loss.
"Don't be like this, Abraxas. Just treat me the same way you always have. Since I chose the Malfoy family as my first partner, I won't change that lightly. Unless..." Wade chuckled softly. "You wouldn't betray me, would you?"
"Young Master Wade... we'd have to be fools to do that. Right now there are plenty of pure-blood families that would love nothing more than to kick the Malfoys aside," Abraxas said hurriedly.
"I've already told you, stop calling me Young Master Wade. You're not my house-elf. You're my comrade. Call me Wade."
Wade grasped his suitcase and prepared to lift it onto the train.
"If we're comrades, then let me help you."
Abraxas was quick to catch on and immediately adjusted his attitude.
Since Wade disliked excessive formality, he would simply behave as he had before.
"Thanks."
With Abraxas's help, Wade's suitcase was soon loaded onto the train.
"Wade..."
The moment he boarded, Wade came face to face with a tall Slytherin boy.
"Ah, Andre. Long time no see."
Wade greeted him cheerfully.
At the same time, he noticed the gleaming Head Boy badge pinned to Andre's left chest.
"Well, well, Andre. Look at you now!"
Andre touched the badge modestly.
"Honestly, if it weren't for the Mutual Aid Society, and for all the extra lessons you and Tom gave me, I never would have become Head Boy."
That wasn't merely flattery.
At his original level, Andre really would have struggled to earn the Headmaster's favour.
Each year, Hogwarts selected one outstanding seventh-year boy and one outstanding seventh-year girl to serve as Head Boy and Head Girl.
Clearly, seventh-year Andre Shafiq had been chosen as this year's Head Boy.
"Abraxas, you should head to the prefects' compartment," Andre said, turning to him. "I've reserved an empty compartment for Wade. I'll take him there."
Abraxas could only nod in agreement.
Had it been anyone else, he would never have agreed.
But Andre, like him, had been one of Wade's earliest followers, and could be counted among his most loyal supporters.
To put Wade completely at ease, he had even volunteered to swear an Unbreakable Vow with him.
"If we're talking about backing Wade, the Shafiq family placed their bet long before the Malfoys did, even if it all began with a fight."
"Abraxas, you've become a prefect too?" Wade asked happily.
"Yes..." Abraxas replied, taking a prefect's badge from his pocket and pinning it onto his robes.
This year was Abraxas's fifth year, and prefects were generally selected from fifth-year students. Unless they later became Head Boy or Head Girl, they usually served until graduation.
Clearly, the Headmaster had appointed Abraxas Malfoy as this year's Slytherin boys' prefect.
"Excellent! It just goes to show how effective the Mutual Aid Society has been!" Wade said with satisfaction.
There was nothing that made him happier than seeing the comrades he had personally nurtured become more and more accomplished.
Abraxas smiled faintly. In truth, he was delighted to have been chosen as a prefect.
After all, what Slytherin student didn't want a position of responsibility?
Once Abraxas had left, Andre led Wade to an unusually spacious compartment. It contained several rows of seats and was large enough to accommodate twenty or thirty people.
After riding the Hogwarts Express for years, Wade had never seen a compartment this large.
Noticing his confusion, Andre explained, "As Head Boy, I have a few small privileges. For example, I can make a compartment a bit bigger."
Tom and several of the others were already seated inside.
When Charlie and Henry saw Wade, they immediately came over and helped him lift his suitcase onto the luggage rack.
"All right, Andre. You're Head Boy now, so I'm sure you've got plenty of other responsibilities to deal with. Don't waste too much time on me. We'll talk later when you're free," Wade said.
"All right." Andre nodded.
Even so, Wade noticed the hesitation on his face.
"What is it? The relationship between us is different from anyone else's. If something's on your mind, just ask."
Andre had already sworn an Unbreakable Vow to pledge his loyalty to him, and the mark was still visible on his hand. There was nothing they couldn't discuss.
"Wade... I wanted to ask... did you help me become Head Boy?" Andre asked uncertainly.
"Andre, you're overthinking it. You earned the position entirely through your own efforts. In fact, I only found out today that you'd become Head Boy," Wade explained.
Hearing that, the worry immediately disappeared from Andre's face, replaced by a relieved smile.
"Keep up the good work, Andre. Continue sharpening your abilities. After you graduate, I'll have plenty of important work for you to do," Wade said meaningfully.
Andre would be the first among Wade's most trusted comrades to graduate, and Wade already had many special plans for him.
Andre nodded thoughtfully before turning and hurrying away.
Wade closed the compartment door and took a seat by the window.
He had only just opened his notebook when Tom sat down across from him.
At that moment, Grace McLaggen from Gryffindor came over excitedly, carrying an open book.
"Miss McLaggen, I'd like to speak with Wade alone," Tom said stiffly.
The smile on Grace's face slowly froze.
"Oh..."
She answered dejectedly before reluctantly making her way back to her seat.
Tom drew a small circle with his wand. Wade felt a faint pulse of magic, and suddenly the noise from outside the compartment disappeared.
"Tom, that's hardly the proper way to treat a beautiful young lady," Wade said with a smile.
"I know. But... McLaggen is just too annoying!" Tom frowned. "She was like this today, and she was the same when she visited my family's estate. She always has an endless stream of questions. She's like an irritating fly."
"Tom, that's going too far. Our Mutual Aid Society has never refused a member's reasonable request for help. Remember this. Don't say things that undermine unity again."
Wade sternly criticised Tom's poor attitude towards a fellow comrade.
"But she already knows the answers to a lot of those questions! She just keeps asking me the same things over and over," Tom complained.
Realisation dawned on Wade.
He broke into a grin.
"Ah, I see now. Looks like Comrade Riddle's luck in love has finally arrived! Before long, you'll have a relationship that goes beyond revolutionary comradeship..."
"Don't say another word! Women only slow down my spellcasting!" Tom snapped.
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Read 12 Advance Chapters—P@t- Captain69