Lucius's Confusion

"The Malfoy Family once stood on Voldemort's side, so although we're both Slytherin pure-blood families, our relationship has never been particularly good, and we rarely associate with each other. Even without that history, I doubt we'd get along. It's poor form to gossip behind someone's back, but I have to say, that family hasn't done many decent things throughout its history..."

"Their manor mainly cultivates various herbs and magical woods. The quality isn't as good as what you'd find in the Hogwarts greenhouses or the Ollivander Family, but they do have their own strengths..."

Two days later, at Shafiq Manor, Baron was dressed in a smart suit and quietly explaining the Malfoy Family's general situation to Avada. The Shafiqs sat upright in the living room, with old Charlie and another House-elf Avada didn't recognize standing beside them. The two families had never had much to do with each other, but their relationship wasn't "bad," either. Besides, the Malfoys had come with a business opportunity, so they deserved to be treated with respect.

At last, the doorbell rang. Old Charlie waved his hand, and the two front doors swung open, revealing three figures behind them:

The middle-aged man at the front was thin, with a pale complexion and long, light-blond hair. He held a cane decorated with a serpent's head, and a faint smile played on his lips. It was Lucius Malfoy. The tall Narcissa Malfoy stood to his right, holding the hand of a blond boy with slicked-back hair—Draco Malfoy.

Avada sighed inwardly. The Malfoy couple were dressed formally and conducted themselves with perfect decorum, wearing warm smiles that put people at ease. They were nothing like their unpleasant counterparts in the original story. Even Draco Malfoy stood properly, without fidgeting, merely looking around curiously.

He couldn't help finding it absurd. In the original story, Lucius had glared at Dumbledore and even tripped him up from time to time—and Voldemort hadn't even returned yet.

As he mused over it, he rose with the Shafiq family, but didn't go all the way over to greet them. He merely took a couple of steps forward.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Malfoy. A very long time—when was the last time we met?" Mr. Shafiq walked forward with a smile and shook Lucius's hand.

"Our last meeting... was at the Wizengamot trial. I was facing accusations of being a Death Eater at the time. You were on the jury and witnessed my acquittal."

Lucius responded warmly, his expression turning reflective. "Even now, I don't like to think about that time. I was under the Imperius Curse, dazed and confused all day, with maddening voices whispering in my ear every moment. Then, when I finally came to my senses, I was surrounded by Aurors pointing their wands at me and calling me a Death Eater..."

"Oh, forgive me. I've been going on about myself. Allow me to introduce my wife, Narcissa Malfoy, and my son..."

He patted Draco on the back, prompting him to step forward. "Draco Malfoy. He's about to start at Hogwarts this year... Draco, say hello to Mr. Shafiq."

"Hello, Mr. Shafiq!" Draco bowed stiffly, but his tone was very respectful.

"Good boy."

Mr. Shafiq patted his shoulder, then turned to his wife and son. "This is my wife, Joan Shafiq, and this is my son, Baron..."

"Baron is top of his year. You should ask him for advice."

Lucius said this to Draco, prompting an extended round of "You're too kind."

"This is K, Baron's friend at Hogwarts. He's staying with us for a few days and will be coming with us to Diagon Alley." Mr. Shafiq turned and beckoned Avada over, inviting him to step forward and greet the Malfoy family, too.

"K?"

After Avada had greeted them, a puzzled look appeared in Lucius's eyes. "Just one name?"

"It's best not to ask about his real name, Mr. Malfoy."

Mr. Shafiq's expression suddenly turned serious. Behind him, Mrs. Shafiq and Baron lowered their heads, trying not to laugh.

"Why is that?" Lucius asked.

"His name is forbidden—even Dumbledore avoids speaking it."

Mr. Shafiq knitted his brows and lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing something. "That name once stirred up a storm of bloodshed in the Wizarding World. Dumbledore personally oversaw K's enrollment and carefully concealed his real name after he started school. Believe me, Mr. Malfoy, you wouldn't want to hear that name."

"No one would want to hear that name."

Avada: ...

He mulled over those words for a while, then was surprised to realize that not a single one of them was a lie. Mr. Shafiq had perfectly upheld the noble virtue of honesty.

Lucius gave Avada a long look, said nothing more, and continued chatting easily with Mr. Shafiq.

Little did he know, his palms were already slick with cold sweat.

He knew that neither Dumbledore nor the Shafiq family was easily intimidated. There was almost nothing they considered taboo—they could even mention the Dark Lord's name without a second thought!

A name that had once stirred up a storm of bloodshed in the Wizarding World, that even Dumbledore avoided, and that no one wanted to hear...

No wonder...

Lucius mused inwardly. I never expected Hogwarts to have someone like him as well as Harry Potter...

I just wonder when he had a descendant?

"So, K... which House are you in?" Lucius bent down and asked kindly, keeping his voice low.

"...Hufflepuff."

"Hufflepuff?" Lucius was quite surprised. It didn't quite fit what he'd imagined, but after thinking it over, he decided it made sense.

Yes, of course. Dumbledore must have arranged his life from childhood, changing his personality in order to erase that person's influence as much as possible...

"So you're in Hufflepuff. A good House..." After frantically racking his brain for something nice to say about Gryffindor, Lucius finally managed to praise Hufflepuff. "So, do you find the workload at Hogwarts heavy? Have you run into any difficulties?"

"Uh... it's okay. Everything's been pretty easy."

Avada watched the changes in Lucius's mental state follow a pattern of "surprise—understanding—surprise—understanding—probing." Combined with Mr. Shafiq's honest explanation, he could more or less guess what Lucius was thinking.

Mr. Shafiq had warned him in advance, and Avada agreed that this mysterious, suggestive story would save him a lot of trouble. At the very least, Lucius would certainly warn his son not to bother him, so Draco Malfoy, with his unpleasant personality, wouldn't make trouble for him at school.

As for who Lucius would think of—Grindelwald or someone else—he could figure that out for himself.

"K was only one point short of coming first in his year," Mr. Shafiq said with a smile.

"He only lost a point because he unfortunately got one question wrong on his Astronomy exam. Otherwise, he would've tied with Baron for first place."

Just as I thought. He inherited that person's talent. No wonder Dumbledore thinks so highly of him...

Lucius grew even more certain of his guess, then smiled kindly. "That's quite an achievement. And I'm glad Draco will have two such excellent older students to learn from when he starts school. Draco, you should learn from Baron and K."

"I know, Father."

Draco nodded, thoroughly confused. He knew that being top of the year—or nearly top—was impressive, but he couldn't shake the feeling that his father had been acting strangely.

For one thing, he'd always looked down on Hufflepuff, yet he'd just praised it for the first time in his life. And when he'd asked that "K" questions, he'd seemed a little nervous...

Who was he, exactly? Could he really be more distinguished than the noble Malfoy Family?

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, it's about time. Shall we go to Diagon Alley together now? I can show you the display for the new broomsticks while we're there." Mr. Shafiq asked with a smile. Lucius nodded. "I can hardly wait."