All of Theodore's earlier pride and self-satisfaction were completely shattered by Slughorn's praise for Marius. The fact that Slughorn even gifted Marius a vial of Felix Felicis made it worse—his jealousy burned all the more intensely. His emotions boiled over, and before he realized it, his voice had risen enough for everyone to hear:
"We all know you've always been completely average! I bet Professor Slughorn just got it wrong. You're not some genius!"
Marius almost laughed out loud. Kids… Still so obsessed with the idea of being labeled a genius. But Theodore's brainless outburst—basically shouting insults to his face—caused Marius's expression to gradually turn cold.
Even before Marius could respond, both Pansy and Astoria had already stepped in, looking thoroughly indignant.
"Marius is a genius in my eyes!" Astoria huffed defiantly.
Pansy, sharp-tongued as always, added, "Theodore, would you please stop flaunting your pitiful self-obsession? The more you compare yourself to Marius, the more your immaturity shows."
"Am I wrong?" Theodore snapped, the veins on his neck bulging. "Marius has never shown a single magical phenomenon—not even the tiniest one! All of us have. Doesn't that prove he's just average?!"
It was true that when young witches or wizards lost control of their magic, unintentional phenomena occurred—exploding furniture, floating objects, that sort of thing. The louder and more dramatic, the stronger the magical potential was believed to be. To never show any magical outbursts? That was basically saying you were no better than a Muggle-born.
Theodore calling that out in front of the entire gathering was more than just rude—it was downright vicious.
Even Pansy and Astoria fell silent, unable to come up with a good counterargument. They, too, had shown signs of uncontrolled magic when younger.
"Theodore!"
His father's voice boomed out from nearby. "Apologize to Marius at once! That was disgracefully rude. Have you forgotten all the manners the Nott family taught you?!"
Turning to Alaric Cloud with an apologetic look, he added, "I'm terribly sorry, dear Alaric. I hope you can forgive my son's immaturity."
Alaric's face was visibly dark. "Mr. Nott, I don't believe your family has the authority to judge whether or not my son has talent."
What truly set Alaric off wasn't just the insult—it was the subtle shift in the room. The other guests were frowning, sure, but many of them clearly agreed with Theodore. Everyone knew Marius Cloud was said to have little talent. Even with Slughorn's rare praise, many assumed this was simply the Potions Master's first major misjudgment in decades.
Alaric couldn't imagine how such whispers and ridicule would affect his son.
But when he turned toward Marius, he saw—calm.
"Is that all it takes to make you feel proud? Magical outbursts you couldn't even control?"
Marius's tone was cool. "Forgive me, but to me, those 'phenomena' are nothing more than signs of poor magical discipline. You should be ashamed, not proud."
He gave a helpless shrug. "I understand children don't usually have great control over their power, but turning that into a badge of honor? That I'll never understand."
The mood in the room immediately shifted. Marius's logic wasn't exactly wrong—phenomena were the result of uncontrollable magic—but nearly everyone in this social class had experienced one or more. Marius's words were basically an open slap to the entire room. He was implying that all of them had lacked discipline as children—and were foolish for being proud of it!
And what was with that tone? You're a child too!
"Mr. Cloud," came a voice like a frozen blade, "allow me to offer you a word of advice, on behalf of your father—boasting without the skill to back it up will only lead to your downfall."
It was Lucius Malfoy, his expression cold and unreadable. Marius noticed Draco standing stiffly behind him, clearly the one who had tattled.
"Forgive me," Marius replied, his voice laced with mock courtesy, "but where does Lord Malfoy get the confidence to speak on my father's behalf, when he hasn't even spoken himself?"
He sighed theatrically, as if disappointed. "And really now—an argument between children, and the illustrious head of the Malfoy family feels the need to weigh in personally? Doesn't that feel a bit… petty?"
"You…!"
Lucius, just like Draco earlier, was stunned speechless. His face twisted into something not unlike the bark of an ancient tree.
Alaric stepped in with a cold wave of his hand. "Lucius, this is the Cloud estate. I assume you wouldn't stoop to bickering with a child out of spite for me, would you?"
Lucius's shoulders quivered with barely contained fury. But after a long pause, he gave a sharp huff and turned away.
The guests exchanged silent glances. Marius's verbal riposte had been so sharp and swift that no one wanted to be the next to step up and get publicly humiliated. The rumors about Marius being slow-witted clearly didn't hold up—this boy was razor-tongued and scarily composed.
Still, some were secretly delighted that Theodore had unwittingly taken on the role of antagonist. It wasn't their reputation at stake.
"You think you're better than me just because you can talk well?!" Theodore shouted, his face flushing red. "At least I had a magical outburst! You've never shown anything! If you're so good at controlling your power, then show us! Right here!"
Though none of the adults could speak out now, many were silently egging Theodore on. No one truly believed that Marius's lack of phenomena was due to precise magical control. Such a prodigy had never existed—and probably never would. Even He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had shown countless magical surges as a child.
"Cloud…"
Elara Cloud stepped closer, concern written on her face. She wanted to step in and break the tension—but Marius beat her to it.
"You want to see a phenomenon?"
Marius had intended to let this all slide, to keep things civil. But Theodore was practically begging for humiliation.
"Y-yeah!" Theodore shouted. "I bet you can't do anything!"
Marius gave him a slow, dangerous smile. "Well then… come closer, Theodore. Let me show you a treasure."
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: p@treon.com/PokePals