Avada and the others left, Hagrid stayed with Harry while he tried on his robes. Once they were finished, Hagrid handed him a drink he had been holding, then led him out of the robe shop and began buying the rest of the school supplies one item at a time according to the list.
"Hagrid, you said earlier that I'm Ken's nemesis. What did you mean by that?"
Sipping his drink in small mouthfuls, Harry tilted his head up and asked the giant beside him.
"Oh—blimey, I shouldn't have said that in front of you," Hagrid said at once, looking annoyed with himself. "That was just a joke. Don't take it to heart."
"But—"
"No buts," Hagrid said, his tone turning serious. "Listen carefully, Harry. Don't go asking about Ken's name. Ken's a good lad—kind, clever, does well in his studies. You can be friends with him at school without worry. But there's one thing you must never do: don't ask about his name."
"Why?" Harry grew even more curious—Hagrid had even told him the Dark Lord's name before.
"His name is a taboo. A real one," Hagrid said, shaking his head as though unwilling to recall it. Yet he was also afraid that Harry would be left uneasy if he didn't explain. "Even Dumbledore refuses to speak it."
"If the Dark Lord's name is just a symbol of fear, then Ken's name represents real, tangible death. Even your parents' deaths… are inseparably connected to that name."
"Merlin…"
Harry shrank back slightly, a flash of terror crossing his eyes.
"But don't be afraid, and don't let it affect how you see Ken," Hagrid hurried to add when he saw Harry's reaction, realizing he had gone too far. "The thing that symbolizes death is his name—not the person himself."
"He was given that name at birth, and because of it he's suffered no end of trouble… Just imagine it—none of your friends knowing your real name. How lonely would that be?"
"So in truth, Ken himself is the greatest victim of that name. What he deserves isn't suspicion and fear, but understanding and comfort…"
Hagrid patted Harry on the shoulder so hard that Harry nearly stumbled. "Right, that's enough of that. What were you lot talking about earlier?"
"We were talking about the houses," Harry replied, recalling what Avada and Baron had said. "They told me Hogwarts has four houses, and each one stands for different qualities—kindness, wisdom, courage, honor and responsibility… things like that."
"Honor and responsibility?" Hagrid frowned. "That's how they described Slytherin to you?"
"I'm telling you, you'd best go to Hufflepuff before you ever go to Slytherin. That house is practically a breeding ground for Dark wizards. More Dark wizards have come out of Slytherin than the other three houses combined. Even the Dark Lord himself was a Slytherin…"
…
After following Draco Malfoy to Ollivanders and witnessing a hawthorn wand with a unicorn hair core choose him, Avada went with the two families to the Nimbus Racing Broom Company's display counter. He listened as Mr. Shafiq, Lucius, and the Nimbus representatives argued back and forth for quite some time. In the end, after Lucius handed over samples of his magical timber, the two families parted ways in Diagon Alley.
"Father," Draco tugged at Lucius's sleeve and asked, "just what is Ken's background? Why does no one want to mention his name?"
"Don't ask. It's not something you should know right now."
A flicker of wariness passed through Lucius's eyes as he warned his son solemnly. "You heard what Mr. Shafiq said. So don't inquire, don't be curious—better yet, don't even think about it. Just know that his name is Ken, and that's enough. And…"
"And he likely possesses an extraordinary talent and is under Dumbledore's close watch. So at school, you'd do best to maintain a good relationship with him. Even if you don't want to associate with those Hufflepuff buffoons, at the very least don't provoke him, and don't insult him or anyone around him."
"Like how we treat Harry Potter?" Draco asked nervously—he rarely saw his father speak so seriously.
"Yes. Just like Harry Potter," Lucius nodded, lowering his voice. "If my guess is correct, he may have the chance to become the next Dark Lord."[1]
If Avada had heard that, he would have been the first to cry injustice.
How on earth had he become the next Dark Lord?!
Just because he came from an orphanage, was brought into Hogwarts by Dumbledore, had remarkable talent, wielded a phoenix feather wand, got along well with Slytherins, researched Horcruxes, and couldn't have his name spoken—was that enough to brand him a Dark Lord?
He was a Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff had produced hardly any Dark wizards in its entire history!
Fortunately, Avada never heard those words and didn't go looking for Lucius to argue. He simply went to the bookshop on his own to buy his second-year textbooks, picked up some Floo Powder and other magical materials he needed, then rode back to Shafiq Manor with the Shafiq family.
All the way back, Mr. Shafiq talked animatedly about the mass production of the Nimbus 2000.
"The Malfoys have really struck gold this time. After preliminary tests, the Nimbus Company found that the magical timber they provided genuinely works! Not only for the power valve—even the balance ridge can be completed with that wood. It allows for mass production and even slightly improves performance!"
"It's incredible! Who would have thought that ordinary mahogany, after careful modification and cultivation, could become the ideal material for high-end racing brooms? Its Morgan Index is astonishingly high… and the cost and time needed to cultivate it are less than two-thirds of other woods of the same tier. Best of all, it's extremely easy to—"
"The Nimbus Company has already taken the samples back for further study. If everything checks out, they'll negotiate cooperation with Malfoy Manor and survey the planting sites. If all goes well, production could begin as early as next year!"
"And by then, they can even apply new technology that hasn't been fully developed yet, directly creating a brand-new broom—the Nimbus 2001!"
Listening to Mr. Shafiq's torrent of words, Avada finally understood. No wonder, in the original story, the Malfoys were able to produce seven Nimbus 2001s all at once in second year—it turned out they had become the Nimbus Company's supplier.
He had already seen the Nimbus 2000's pre-order price. Even if he emptied his savings, he could barely afford one. As for the newer and likely more expensive Nimbus 2001, buying seven at once would make even pure-blood aristocrats wince—that was tens of thousands of Galleons, enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for a lifetime.
As for someone like Sirius Black, who never treated money as money—that was another matter entirely.
After staying at the Shafiq household for a few more days, Avada returned to the orphanage and spent the final half-month of his summer holiday there. With the Trace restriction lifted, he could finally cast spells freely late at night. Since he had long since finished his summer homework, he only had a few main tasks during that time.
Researching Floo Powder, attempting to learn Professor Baker's "Dual Casting," analyzing the magic of "Repentance" using his study notes, and gradually trying to unravel the seals Professor Baker had left on that massive tome.
All of these were extremely difficult endeavors. On top of that, being away from Hogwarts meant losing access to the largest library in Britain. His daily research time was limited, and he had to be cautious not to make any noise while working. All of this resulted in painfully slow progress.
At last, time reached September 1st, 1991.
(End of Chapter)
[1] Author Note: Before Harry entered school, a popular theory held that he was a Dark wizard even more powerful than Voldemort. Many former Death Eaters subscribed to this belief and hoped to support Harry in ruling the world once again.