Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

Percy started throwing a tantrum again after seeing the notification that Rowe had received.

He locked himself in his room and sulked.

He thought Ron was incredibly lucky; not only was he in the same year as Harry, but they were also good friends.

"He's definitely benefiting from the savior's influence, that's why he's getting better and better at school!" Percy cursed inwardly, then felt a surge of intense envy.

Why wasn't there anyone as prominent as Harry in his time?
With his abilities and social skills, he can definitely build a good relationship with that person, and then he won't have to worry about anything!

Percy didn't realize that his mindset had subtly changed, turning him into someone who relied on others to accomplish things he couldn't do himself.

Thinking only about having someone to rely on, and relying on that person to accomplish things that one cannot do alone, is actually a very dangerous mindset, typical of Slytherin.

People in Slytherin always recognize their own incompetence early on, and then invest in other outstanding talents.

They admire strength and are keen to bind talent to themselves through investment, forming a huge interest group.

However, investors do not occupy a major position within this huge interest group.

On the contrary, it is the geniuses who are in charge of this group.

This is why so many nobles gathered around Tom Riddle after he rose to fame.

These powerful nobles, in particular, obeyed him and made their vast family businesses work for him.

That's why the Death Eaters, such a grotesque and evil organization, came into being.

During dinner, Ron noticed that Percy hadn't come out and asked, "Should we go call Percy? What's wrong with him?"

George shook his head: "No need. Let him be alone. He must be feeling terrible to be surpassed by his dear little brother."

Fred added, "Especially the underlings I've always looked down on, the most unknown and inconspicuous underlings."

Ron was speechless, unsure of what to say.

He had always known that Percy was a bit bureaucratic, but he hadn't expected that simply going to participate in the outstanding student assessment would make him feel so uncomfortable.

The twin brothers looked at each other and said in unison, "Oh, Ron, you don't need to be so sad. It's not necessarily your fault. We both became outstanding students too."

In the whole family, besides the youngest Ginny, he was the only one who wasn't a good student, so he felt bad.

George: "But he should be awarded the honorary title next semester as well."

Fred: "But it's just a title, with absolutely no resources provided."

Upon hearing this, Ginny asked with some concern, "I heard Percy mention that the assessment for outstanding students is very dangerous. Will I have to participate in such an assessment in the future?"

This time, the twins and Ron said in unison, "No need!"

George: "Ginny, all you need to do is study happily."

Fred: "Yes, you don't have to work so hard. Leave the family support to us."

Ron: "And me, Ginny, you can rely on me too. Oh, and Harry will help you too."

Ginny glanced at Ron and asked cautiously, "Brother, since it's dangerous for you to take the honors exam, will Harry prepare something to protect himself? Didn't Mom and Dad go to the Ministry of Magic to ask their colleagues if they could borrow some life-saving artifacts for you?"

“You mean Harry?” Ron said casually. “He’s with his godfather right now. His godfather is Sirius Black. Black is one of the oldest noble families, and his family should have a lot of life-saving artifacts that they’ll provide for Harry.”

“Ginny,” Ron said meaningfully, “Don’t underestimate the wealth of any nobleman. The wealth they have accumulated over the years is beyond the imagination of ordinary people like us.”

He originally knew nothing about nobles, but through Draco, he learned more or less about their style and background.

While some of their practices are despicable, in terms of heritage, the traditions passed down among noble families are indeed much better than those of ordinary families.

That evening, not only Ron but also Harry received a letter from Draco and Hermione.

The contents of the letters Draco and Hermione wrote were very simple.

They calculated the timeline and felt that the two of them might be taking the outstanding student assessment soon, so they sent a letter in advance.

I wish them good luck with their assessment. Let's get together again after the assessment is over.

Hermione did not participate in this combat-type elite assessment, even though Ron and Harry both believed she had the ability, because Hermione was not interested in combat.

She was already very satisfied with being recognized as an outstanding student in the research category.

However, since her friends all had to participate in combat-type assessments, she gathered a lot of information for them.

For example, what aspects will the assessment mainly test? What should they do if they encounter danger? If any force majeure situation occurs, even if the Aurors can't handle it, how should they use their wands to send out a distress signal in an emergency?

This information is important, as it gives them more confidence during the assessment.

As for Draco, he exudes the air of aristocratic nouveau riche.

He did not gather information, believing that everyone faces different tests, and different tests require different approaches, testing the wizard's adaptability.

So he expressed his support for his two friends in the simplest way possible: he sent each of them two life-saving items.

In Ron's humble abode.

When Ron took out the life-saving artifact that Draco had sent him, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, and even George and Fred couldn't help but praise it repeatedly.

George: "You seem to have a really good relationship with the Malfoy family heir."

Fred: "Our little brother has really made something of himself, managing to befriend a nobleman."

Not long after Arthur and Molly returned from the Ministry of Magic, they borrowed several life-saving items from colleagues and old classmates, which they have already given to Ron.

After taking a special look at the strange item Draco had sent, they silently compared it to the one they had borrowed.

Arthur asked in surprise, "The life-saving artifacts your friend sent are of very high quality, even better than the ones we borrowed. Did he take them from his family's treasury?"

Molly said, “Honey, I don’t trust any of those nobles, but your friend is an exception. The fact that he’s willing to give you such a precious life-saving item shows that you are very important to them.”

Ron scoffed, "That's because you don't know the strength of the Malfoy family. If they can afford these two items, you can imagine that there are even more precious things in their treasury."

Arthur disagreed, saying, "Ron, we often say that nobles are stingy because they are calculating in everything they do."

But the two wondrous items he gave you weren't given to you for profit; the Weasley family has nothing that the Malfoy family could covet.

Molly also said, "Yes, you should thank your friend. He has helped you a lot. Now I no longer worry about you being unable to protect yourself if you encounter danger."

Because I was worried about the child's mother, I sincerely thank him for sending you this life-saving miracle.

"Why don't you send me Draco's address, and I'll send him a thank-you note?" Ron thought of that scene and quickly shook his head.

A mother's way of expressing gratitude shouldn't be by sending a heartfelt, shouting letter!

"Mom, I'll write back now and express my gratitude strongly. I'll thank you myself."

On the other side, Sirius was equally surprised.

He saw that the sender was Draco Malfoy, a surname that signified the highest nobility in the wizarding world, and he became quite wary.

If it weren't for the fact that it was addressed to Harry, he would have thought that the Malfoy family was provoking him, the unjust heir to the Black family.

When he mentioned it to Harry, he observed Harry's expression and found that Harry showed no unusual reaction.

He was even surprised and delighted to receive a letter from Draco Malfoy.

Sirius couldn't help but ask, "Harry, is Draco Malfoy your friend?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, he's one of my friends at school. We work in the same lab. He's very talented in research, especially in potions."

After thinking for a moment, he revealed something else to make his point more convincing.

"He invented a poison that can also harm evil gods to some extent, but Godfather, don't tell anyone about it."

He hasn't publicly stated that he was responsible for developing this potion; instead, the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts are acting as agents.

Sirius frowned. "Are you talking about the pitch-black potion?"

Now it was Harry's turn to be surprised. "Godfather, how do you know about this potion?"

Sirius said, "It's no secret that this potion is so famous in the Ministry of Magic, and that they've made great progress in their exploration of the world of evil gods through it."

Even I, who had only recently returned to a normal life, received several letters from nobles and learned some news.

Many noble families are searching for the creator of the Black Elixir, hoping to obtain the original formula from him.

If they can bypass the Ministry of Magic and produce the potion themselves, their exploration of the world of evil gods might be even faster than the Ministry's.

Sirius Black expressed his disdain for this behavior.

"As you know, nobles are a group of greedy merchants. They are not willing to tolerate the rule of the Ministry of Magic. They want to rely on their profound heritage and knowledge to negotiate with the Ministry of Magic and make the Ministry of Magic serve them."

At this point, he changed the subject.

"I never expected that such a miraculous potion would be in the hands of the Malfoy family. He is quite different from the Malfoy family members in the past."

In the past, with such talent, the Malfoy family would have undoubtedly entrusted the production to their own family, without any involvement from the Ministry of Magic. They might not even have gone to Hogwarts; they would have been quietly hidden away by their family.

Harry said, "This potion formula was developed by Draco, and he has certain rights to use it. The Malfoy family should also be able to produce this potion themselves. Haven't you received any information about it?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Currently, many nobles are looking for this potion recipe, but none of them can find it, and apart from the Ministry of Magic, no family can sell it to outsiders."

Even if they could sell it, it would be through the Ministry of Magic's channels. I've never heard of the Malfoy family having any other way to obtain goods; it seems they don't intend to make it public.

A thoughtful look crossed his eyes. "This is a wise choice, after all, there are very few potions that can harm both evil gods and those who have been corrupted by the delusions of evil gods."

Even the powerful Malfoy family might not be able to withstand the pressure exerted on him by a united front of other nobles.

While he was thinking, Harry had already opened the envelope, quickly read the contents of the letter, and taken out the life-saving artifact that Draco had sent.

In addition to Draco's letter, there was also Hermione's letter.

Harry put the artifact aside and continued opening Hermione's letter.

Sirius curiously took the strange object and examined it in his palm.

Upon inspection, he found that neither of these life-saving artifacts had any tracking magic attached to them; they were artifacts in their completely normal state.

Sirius thought to himself: This is quite strange. When did the Malfoy family become so upright? Or does he really consider Harry his friend?

"Godfather, is there something wrong with these two strange objects?"

After reading Hermione's letter, Harry looked up at Sirius.

Sirius shook his head and handed over the strange object.

"No problem. Your friend is quite good to you. The life-saving treasure he sent must have been found in the Malfoy family's treasury. Its life-saving ability is no worse than the one I gave you. It was carefully selected."

Harry said, "Draco said in the letter that he had prepared two for Ron as well, not just for me, and wished us good luck with our exams."

Sirius nodded. "When you come back after your assessment, invite him to the manor to play together."

Harry smiled and said, "I was planning to do that too. I invited him before the holidays started, and he said he would come if he had time, but he wouldn't stay long. We'll probably stay a little longer."

Sirius: "Remember to let me know in advance, so I can have Kreacher prepare."

The next day, early in the morning.

Representatives from the Ministry of Magic appeared at both Weasley's Burrow and Black's Manor.

They didn't go inside; instead, they notified people from outside.

The moment the Auror appeared, everyone in both the Burrow and the Manor sensed a powerful aura approaching.

Arthur and Sirius both breathed a sigh of relief; the Auror who came over was an old Auror with formidable strength.

With him overseeing them, both Harry and Ron should be safe.

The key point is that the Aurors who came were all familiar with them. Before taking Ron and Harry away, they even exchanged a few words with Sirius and Arthur.

Their words implied that they shouldn't worry, as the Ministry of Magic attached great importance to this assessment.

Ron and Harry met up in an unfamiliar place, and then they were transported by Apparition to a remote town.

They had previously undergone training to address the aftereffects of Apparition, so they didn't feel particularly uncomfortable being brought to this place.

Ron murmured, "Harry, have we already left England? This town doesn't look like the English countryside."

Harry nodded and said, "It has a medieval style, and the architecture and decoration are very luxurious, but we've been here for several minutes, have you noticed that no one has come out?" (End of Chapter)