Do Not Ask His Name

After Avada and the other two left, Hagrid accompanied Harry to finish trying on his clothes, handed him the drink he had been holding, and then left the robe shop to begin purchasing the rest of the school supplies on the list one by one.

"Hagrid, you said just now that I'm K's nemesis. What did you mean by that?"

Sipping his drink in small mouthfuls, Harry tilted his head and asked Hagrid, who was walking beside him.

"Oh, heavens, I shouldn't have said that in front of you."

Hagrid suddenly looked annoyed. "That was just a joke, don't pay it any mind."

"But..."

"No buts." Hagrid's tone was somewhat serious. "Remember, Harry, don't go asking about K's name. K is a very good person; he's kind and gets good grades. You can feel at ease making friends with him at school, but whatever you do, don't ask about his name."

"Why?" Harry was even more curious now—Hagrid was even willing to tell him the name of Voldemort.

"His name is a taboo, a true taboo." Hagrid shook his head, seemingly unwilling to recall it, yet worried that Harry would feel uneasy if he didn't explain it clearly. "Even Dumbledore is unwilling to speak his name."

"If the name of You-Know-Who is merely a symbol representing fear, then K's name represents true, tangible death. Even the death of your parents is inextricably linked to that name."

"Goodness!"

Harry shrank his head back, a flicker of terror flashing in his eyes.

"But don't be afraid, and don't let this change your opinion of K, Harry. It is only his name that symbolizes death, not the person himself."

Seeing Harry's reaction, Hagrid realized he had spoken out of turn in an attempt to scare Harry, so he hurriedly explained: "He was branded with this name the moment he was born, and he himself has suffered many inconveniences because of it... Just think about it, how sad it would be if not a single friend around you knew your real name!"

"So, in this regard, K himself is the greatest victim of his name. What he deserves is not suspicion and fear, but understanding and comfort..."

Hagrid patted Harry on the shoulder, nearly making him stumble. "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. What were you all chatting about earlier?"

"We were talking about the houses. They told me that Hogwarts has four houses, and each house symbolizes different qualities: kindness, wisdom, courage, honor, responsibility... and so on." Harry recalled what Avada and Baron had said earlier as he spoke to Hagrid.

"Honor and responsibility?"

Hagrid frowned upon hearing this. "Is that how they described Slytherin to you?"

"Let me tell you, I'd rather you go to Hufflepuff than ever set foot in Slytherin. That house is practically a breeding ground for dark wizards. More dark wizards have come out of there than all the other three houses combined, and even You-Know-Who came from Slytherin..."

After following Draco Malfoy to Ollivander's wand shop and witnessing the hawthorn and unicorn hair wand choose him, Avada accompanied both families to the Nimbus Racing Broom Company's display cabinet. He listened to Mr. Shafiq, Lucius, and the Nimbus staff haggle for a long time. Finally, after Lucius handed over his magical wood samples to the Nimbus Racing Broom Company, the two families parted ways in Diagon Alley.

"Father,"

Malfoy tugged on Lucius's sleeve and asked, "What exactly is that K's background? Why is everyone unwilling to mention his name?"

"Don't ask, this is not something you should know right now."

A look of wariness flashed in Lucius's eyes as he solemnly warned his son: "You heard Mr. Shafiq's words, so don't inquire, don't be curious, and it's best not to even think about it. Just knowing his name is K is enough. Furthermore..."

"Furthermore, he likely possesses extraordinary talent and is under Dumbledore's close observation. So, it would be best for you to maintain a good relationship with him at school. Even if you don't want to get close to those blockheads in Hufflepuff, at least don't provoke him or insult him or those around him."

"Just like how I should treat that Harry Potter?" Malfoy asked nervously—he had rarely seen his father speak to him with such seriousness.

"Yes, just like how you treat Harry Potter."

Lucius nodded and whispered: "If my guess is correct, he, like Harry Potter, has the potential to become the next Dark Lord." (Note)

If Avada could have heard these words, he would have been the first to jump out and cry foul.

How on earth did he become the next Dark Lord!

Just because he came from an orphanage, was introduced to Hogwarts by Dumbledore, possesses extraordinary talent, has a phoenix feather wand, is on good terms with people from Slytherin, studies Horcruxes, and cannot have his name mentioned, does that mean he should be rashly labeled a Dark Lord?

He was a Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff hadn't produced more than a handful of dark wizards in its entire history!

Fortunately, Avada did not hear these words and go to argue with Lucius. He simply went to the bookstore alone to buy his second-year textbooks, purchased some Floo Powder and other magical materials he needed, and then boarded the Shafiq family's car to return to Shafiq Manor with them.

Along the way, Mr. Shafiq chatted excitedly about the mass production of the Nimbus 2000.

"The Malfoy family really hit the jackpot this time—after preliminary testing, the people at the Nimbus Racing Broom Company discovered that the magical wood they provided is truly useful! And it's not just for the power valve; even the balance spine can be perfected with that kind of wood. While achieving mass production, it can even slightly improve performance!"

"It's simply miraculous! Who would have thought that ordinary mahogany, after some improvement and cultivation, could become the most suitable material for crafting high-end flying broomsticks? The Morgan Index of this wood reached a staggering... yet the cost and time of cultivation are less than two-thirds of other materials of the same level. The key is that it is also very easy to..."

"The people from the Nimbus Racing Broom Company have already taken the samples back for research. If it's confirmed that there are no issues, they will discuss cooperation with Malfoy Manor and inspect the planting site conditions... If everything goes smoothly, production can probably start next year!"

"By then, we can just happen to use the new technology that hasn't been fully developed yet to directly create a new type of broomstick, which would be the Nimbus 2001!"

Listening to Mr. Shafiq's incessant chatter, Avada gradually understood: no wonder in the original work, Malfoy pulled out seven Nimbus 2001 broomsticks in his second year; it turned out his family had become the supplier for the Nimbus Racing Broom Company...

He had seen the pre-order price for the Nimbus 2000, and the conclusion was that even if he emptied his savings, he could barely afford one. As for the updated model, the Nimbus 2001, which was likely even more expensive, if one were to buy seven in a row, even pure-blood nobles would feel the pinch—that was several tens of thousands of Galleons! Enough for an average person to live comfortably for a lifetime.

As for someone like Sirius Black, who didn't treat money as money, that was a different story.

After staying at the Shafiqs' for a few more days, Avada returned to the orphanage and spent the last half of the summer vacation. During this time, having had the Trace restriction on his wand lifted, he could finally cast spells without restraint in the dead of night. Having already finished his summer homework, he only had a few things to do during this period.

Researching Floo Powder, attempting to learn Professor Baker's "Dual Casting," analyzing the "Repentance" magic in conjunction with his study notes, and slowly cracking the seal Professor Baker had left on that massive book.

However, these tasks were all of extreme difficulty. Coupled with the fact that he was away from Hogwarts and lacked the help of the largest library in all of Britain, and that the time he could set aside for research each day was limited—and he had to be careful to avoid making noise—his progress was very slow.

Finally, the time arrived: September 1st, 1991.

Note: Before Harry entered school, there was a popular theory among the speculations about him that he was a dark wizard even more powerful than Voldemort. Many former Death Eaters agreed with this view and hoped to rule the world again by supporting Harry.

P.S.: Thanks to "Serious Profiteer" and "Everything for Asuna" for the tips!