18

After returning to his room, Malfoy didn't immediately retire to bed.

In fact, sleep eluded him.

As a member of one of the 28 pure-blood families, he had been steeped in the magical world since childhood. Yet today, he was particularly exhilarated.

Finally, he possessed his own wand!

"Wingardium leviosa!"

He waved his wand at the water cup on his desk.

Putting everything he had learned into practice was exhilarating, though the cup moved slowly due to his fledgling magical abilities, eventually tipping over and shattering on the floor.

Malfoy's face beamed with pride rather than regret.

He thought to himself, those Muggle-borns couldn't possibly be as skilled!

Thoughts of Muggle-borns, however, were abruptly interrupted by a sharp pain in his backside.

"Damn it!"

He cursed, recalling the encounter with a Muggle-born wizard earlier that day. The encounter had been nothing short of a disaster.

But as a pure-blood wizard, he wouldn't waste time on such trivial matters. His focus was on restoring the honor of the Malfoy family.

Following the guidance of a great and mysterious figure to establish a pure-blood society was his ultimate ambition.

He was Malfoy first, and then... Draco!

With such determined thoughts, Malfoy reluctantly set his wand on the pillow.

Closing his eyes, he found himself reopening them moments later to glance at the wand resting beside him. After repeating this several times, exhaustion finally overtook him and he drifted into sleep.

In his dreams, Malfoy's aspirations came to life.

The Malfoy family emerged as the most esteemed and prestigious, with Draco Malfoy basking in his father's approval and praise.

Passersby respectfully tipped their hats in acknowledgment as he walked by.

"You're a joke!"

Suddenly, a stout man with a round face appeared beside him on the road, delivering a resounding slap.

"Look at your gaunt, pallid face. Even the cook would tremble at the sight!"

"Trying to restore the Malfoy family with such a sorry appearance? You might as well try having the morning's breakfast!"

"That might actually be easier!"

Startled, Malfoy jolted upright in bed, sweat trickling down his face.

Had he done something dreadful?

Glancing up, he was met with an eerie green visage.

"Ah!"

Malfoy screamed in shock, reaching instinctively for his wand!

The parrot darted nimbly out the window, its taunts continuing: "Revive the crap, Draco Malfoy!"

It even composed a crude ballad:

"Revive the crap, that's our hero, Little Draco,"

"Waving wands and hands, the cook quakes in fear."

Though lacking in rhyme, it succeeded in infuriating Malfoy!

"Leg-Locker Curse, Petrificus Totalus, Stupefy..."

Malfoy waved his wand furiously, reciting every spell he knew, whether useful or not!

Yet his magical prowess proved inadequate, or perhaps the parrot was too agile. After an hour of futile attempts, he collapsed on the bed, exhausted and hoarse.

The infernal parrot remained unscathed, flitting about to curse from the safety of the table and beyond.

Malfoy dared not sleep again that night. Any hint of drowsiness was met with a screeching rebuke!

He spent the night curled in a corner of his bed, eyes wide open until dawn.

Thus began Draco Malfoy's journey as the firstborn intent on restoring the Malfoy family name!

But that's a story for another time.

Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

After a long day, the goblin Laxi trudged wearily homeward, a sneer etched on his ugly face. Today had been lucrative; he couldn't wait to flaunt his gold Galleons in his companion's face!

From now on, Laxi would rise!

Unbeknownst to him, a crow, perfectly concealed by the night, silently trailed behind.

In Wiltshire, southwest England.

The Malfoy family's ancestral mansion.

Early morning light streamed through the bedroom door, harshly kicked open!

Lucius Malfoy, his father, strode in with a cold demeanor, furious to find his son huddled at the foot of the bed!

"Damn it! It's late! Why haven't you begun your morning exercises?"

"How do you expect to restore our esteemed Malfoy name if this is your approach?"

At the breakfast table, Malfoy, having not slept a wink, mechanically finished his meal and contemplated a visit to the restroom.

But then, something suddenly flashed in his mind, and his sleep-deprived eyes widened!

He shook his head vigorously, attempting to banish the unsettling image!

Yet it persisted vividly.

"Ah!"

Despairingly, he clawed at his golden locks, feeling his sanity slip.

...

An old castle outside London.

Early morning light filtered through the lattice windows, dispersing the castle's stagnant air.

Our Master, Aaron Brooke, contentedly woke in his colossal 118-inch bed.

"Look at the invaluable contribution our dear Master Malfoy has made."

His first action upon rising was to check the system.

This routine was reminiscent of his former life...

Before retiring the previous night, he had temporarily silenced the system to avoid its incessant clamor. But now, upon reactivation, the system's reports flooded in like melodious music.

"Ah!"

Aaron exclaimed in delight as he perused the streaming updates:

"As expected of the sacred twenty-eight pure-blood families, how formidable!"

[Ding! The Cursing Parrot has been recognized. +Awakening Value: 134, current upgrade target: 866 points away.]

[Sequence 002: Cursing Parrot Talent Awakening: Magic Resistance: 99999, Physical Resistance: 0, Skill Talent: Unlimited Flash Teleport .]

[Basic Creation Value +246.]

[Detected intense anger from a wizard +12 Creation Value.]

[Detected extreme defenselessness from a wizard +25 Creation Value.]

[Detected profound shame from a wizard +45 Creation Value.]

[Detected...]

Aaron counted his gains with a grin. If his ears weren't in the way, his smile would have stretched ear to ear.

Master Malfoy must have had a very eventful night, contributing nearly 500 Creation Values in one go!

He checked his panel: Creation Value - 1989.

"Still a long way to go before I can draw ten times in a row!"

Aaron sighed, unperturbed. It was just the beginning. As his creations increased, Creation Value would flow steadily into his pocket even without active effort.

Hmm?

Glancing at the sequence creation column, he couldn't help but exclaim:

"Wow, 99999 magic resistance, invincible!"

"And Unlimited Flash Teleport, envy-inducing!"

Seeing the parrot's incredibly high buffs, Aaron felt a pang of envy himself.

But upon noticing its 0 physical resistance, he relaxed a little.

Zero physical resistance meant ordinary Muggle weapons could harm it, provided they could keep up with 002's Unlimited Flash.

Luckily, he was its creator.

Quietly encouraging Malfoy, Aaron suddenly found him rather endearing, not as annoying as before.

After all, he was his assistant.

After rising, brushing his teeth, Aaron headed to the laboratory to pour himself a cup of Meow Meow Coke.

Another energetic day awaited!

Sip.

Mid-sip, Aaron noticed a gap in the castle window.

A ball of pure black liquid flowed in like water.

Startled, he spilled Coke on his lap...

A chill ran down his spine.

As the black liquid fully seeped in, a crow's head emerged.

Followed by its neck, body, and feathers.

Soon, a pure black crow appeared, cawing twice before perching affectionately on Aaron's shoulder.

"Damn it! Get off me!"

Aaron seized the crow by the neck, placed it on the table, and gave it two sharp slaps.

"Scared me! I thought Venom had gotten in!"

"You're a crow, what shady business are you up to!"

The crow, still dazed from the slaps, stood confused, unable to reply.

"No, Master, this is my skill. Besides, you locked up the castle tight, how else could I get in?"

The crow felt unjustly treated but lacked the means to protest!

"By the way, let's see what you've brought!"

Rubbing his hands, Aaron eagerly reached into the crow's traceless extending space.

"Wow!"

Aaron exclaimed, withdrawing hands filled with round coins.

Grabbing a handful, he confirmed they were heavy, golden Galleons.

"My dear crow, you've struck gold!"

Aaron jubilantly kissed the crow.

The crow, its neck still in Aaron's grip, managed to say, "Could you release me first?"

"Right!"

"Got to start saving!"

A product of his deeply ingrained parental education from a previous life, Aaron's first thought was to save!

Even in the Hogwarts world, this mentality persisted...

But it was a subconscious impulse. Aaron wasn't foolish enough to save for a house.

As a future legend and nightmare in the wizarding world, his aspirations were much grander!

With the crow in tow, he ascended to a secluded room.

No windows, just Aaron's own alloy-reinforced walls, solid as rock!

Trembling, Aaron held the crow tightly.

Clatter.

Countless gold Galleons spilled from the crow's pouch, forming a mountain of coins nearly a cubic meter high.

Aaron gazed at the pile with satisfaction.

"Hmm?"

He soon noticed numerous silver Sickles and copper Knuts mixed in with the gold Galleons.

Annoyed, he cursed, "Next time, only Galleons, got it? The golden ones!"

"Why bring silver Sickles and copper Knuts? They're worthless. Break that habit! Understood?"

He slapped the crow twice.

Dizzy from the shakes, the crow stood bewildered. Moments ago, Aaron had called it "dear"...

Why was his master so unpredictable...

Aaron wasn't being rough; for the crow, it was akin to tickling.

After all, unlike a parrot, the crow wasn't sentient and needed direction.

Well...

Aaron admitted, he was becoming more like Judas.

...

A secluded courtyard in London.

Awakening in bed, the fairy Laxi reminisced on last night's revelry with a satisfied smile.

After flinging Galleons in his wife's face, she had eagerly engaged in various games.

Upside-down Golden Snitch, Poisonous Dragon Drill, Ice and Fire, even the '69' position...

Rising, Laxi admired his confident, cold reflection in the mirror. "Ha! Men, you must conquer!"

Eager to inspect his personal treasury, a daily ritual to spur him through his 9 to 6 workdays.

Opening the vault, he froze in disbelief!

Then, a piercing scream tore through the air!