Chapter 165 "Parents Worry"

Shortly after purchasing all the necessities for the upcoming semester in Diagon Alley, Wentworth, Harry, and Draco returned to Wentworth's residence under Hagrid's guidance.

"Is this where you live, Wentworth? It doesn't look very impressive! I assumed you would at least reside in a grand manor," Draco remarked confidently as he entered the door.

Wentworth wasn't mad at Draco's remark and smiled at him, "Well, compared to how the Malfoys have been living all this time, I must say that we, indeed are lacking in that regard. Please, comfort yourself in this humble abode of mine, Mr. Malfoy."

Harry burst into laughter after hearing Wentworth's sarcastic reply, while Draco himself blushed and tried to cover his face out of embarrassment.

Later that night, the group held a modest birthday celebration for Harry at Wentworth's residence, leaving Harry deeply moved.

After living all his life with the Dursleys, Harry could feel a bit of hope in his desperate life... the solitude life where they would abandon him and look past him...

Seeing the two boys before him smiling and celebrating his birthday together with him made Harry teared up a bit, before Draco hung his arm around Harry's neck and laughed at Hagrid who was doing a trick or two to lighten up the mood inside the room.

However, while Wentworth and the others were joyously celebrating Harry's birthday, Lucius found himself in quite a predicament as he sat across from his wife, Narcissa.

After a while, Narcissa broke the silence with a hoarse voice by addressing Lucius, "Are you just going to stand by and let the Grindelwalds take Draco away?!"

Facing his wife's skepticism, Lucius, though displaying a trace of impatience on his face, patiently explained, "The kid got a name, his name is Wentworth. Refrain from calling him using his surname in public from now on! Looking back at it, Dumbledore must've casted a spell on that kid during the Quidditch World Cup final. There is no way no one would've questioned his identity further if it's not thanks to Dumbledore who deliberately concealed it away..." He explained calmly.

"As for Draco, it was entirely his own decision to go, not something I forced upon him! Moreover, I don't see any harm in Draco establishing early contact with the leader of the Alliance. Tell me why are you against it badly." Lucius responded confidently.

However, despite Lucius' reassurances, Narcissa remained worried and expressed her concerns, "You are well aware of the reason why I am against it! The Alliance is a collection of fanatics! A group of dark wizards driven by madness! They can resort to anything to achieve their goals! Aren't you afraid that Draco might become their pawn?"

Lucius fell silent for a moment in contemplation, acknowledging the validity of her worries.

However, he eventually gritted his teeth and said, "Perhaps, it's not entirely out of the question for Draco to choose to align himself with the Alliance! While on the other hand it would bring me a bit of calmness, but..." He stopped mid-sentence as he lamented the choice he made in the past.

Observing Narcissa's shocked expression, Lucius hurriedly explained, "Why did we choose Voldemort back then? It boiled down to two factors! First, his strength was formidable. Second, the pure-blood supremacy he advocated aligned with our interests!"

"Now, with the Alliance making a resurgence, they possess comparable strength, and their goal of dismantling the 'International Wizarding Secrecy Law' to let wizards rule the world also aligns with our interests!"

"You must understand, the Malfoy family had significant ties with Muggle nobility before the introduction of the International Wizarding Secrecy Act! If the magical world can be reintegrated with the Muggle world, our Malfoy family is bound to prosper!" He explained as his eyes were burning fervently with fighting spirit.

As Lucius concluded, his pale face took on a red hue, displaying a mixture of excitement and enthusiasm.

However, Narcissa's response to Lucius' answer was not one of excitement but rather a worried inquiry, "What if— I mean, what if Voldemort didn't die? What if he returns? What would happen to us if we betrayed him and sided with the Alliance?"

Narcissa's words had the effect of a sudden cold shower on Lucius, jolting him back to reality. After a moment of stunned silence, he gritted his teeth and asserted, "No, impossible, Voldemort must be dead! He has to be dead!"

Locking eyes with his wife, Lucius and Narcissa exchanged a mutual gaze, detecting a shared horror in each other's eyes.

Meanwhile, under Hagrid's guidance, Wentworth, Harry, and Draco departed from Wentworth's residence en route to King's Cross station.

This time, Wentworth chose not to have Rosier or Abernathy accompany him.

As Rosier and Abernathy watched Wentworth leave from the window, Rosier didn't turn back but instead asked Abernathy, "Have you thoroughly investigated that child?"

Abernathy flipped through a piece of letterhead sent by an anonymous source and replied, "Certainly, it has been thoroughly investigated. The child was born into the 28th Sacred Family of the Malfoy lineage in the United Kingdom. He is the sole heir of this generation of the Malfoy family and has been designated as the next generation's heir."

Upon hearing Abernathy's response, a smile curled Rosier's lips, and he muttered, "Very good. There were letters earlier, inquiring whether our new leader prefers wizards with no familial ties. What a joke. Only children make choices. We, the Alliance, want them all! We don't care where they're from as long as they are willing to serve the greater good. We want them all!

Abernathy also responded with a smile, "I don't blame them. After all, the debate between half-blood wizards and pure-blood wizards has a long history in the magical world. It can only be said that the existence of the 'International Wizarding Secrecy Law' confines them to only seeing a small part of the magical world. Little do they know, this world is vast!"

Agreeing with Abernathy's perspective, Rosier nodded and continued, "You're right. The world is vast, but we wizards are akin to a group of mice hiding in the shadows. Fortunately, the wizarding world still has our Alliance, and our Alliance has Grindelwald!"

On the other hand, upon their arrival at King's Cross station, Hagrid excused himself and departed first. Wentworth then led the two excited individuals across the stone pillar to platform nine and three-quarters.

Upon entering the platform, with Harry marveling at the surroundings, Wentworth noticed Lucius approaching with his wife Narcissa, accompanied by a House-elf pushing a suitcase.

While Draco eagerly greeted his parents, Narcissa only gave him a perfunctory touch on the head. Lucius then addressed Draco sternly, "Draco, take Harry into the car first. I have something to discuss with Wentworth."

Without awaiting Draco's response, Lucius and Narcissa approached Wentworth, bowing their heads respectfully as Lucius spoke, "Hello, Wentworth. This is my wife, Narcissa. It's Draco's first time living away from us, and we're a bit concerned. At Hogwarts, please take good care of him and let him learn more alongside you. We appreciate your guidance. I hope it won't be too much trouble."

In a display of respect, Lucius presented a gift box from his arms to Wentworth.

Observing Lucius' actions, Wentworth couldn't help but smile and quip, "Does this gesture represent the Malfoys surrendering?"

Wentworth forgot that the Malfoys were simply doing what needed to be done for now, so they could assure their own survival while prospering in the days to come if the Alliance indeed emerged as a new winner to claim the throne in the wizarding world.