Don't Ask His Name

After Avada and the others left, Hagrid stayed with Harry while he tried on his clothes. Then he handed Harry the drink he was holding and left the robe shop to start buying the rest of the school supplies on the list.

"Hagrid, you just said I was K's nemesis. What did you mean?"

Sipping his drink, Harry tilted his head back to look up at Hagrid.

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

Hagrid suddenly looked regretful. "It was only a joke. Don't think too much about it."

"But..."

"No buts." Hagrid's tone grew serious. "Remember, Harry, don't ask about K's name. K is a good person, kind and clever. You can feel free to be friends with him at school, but whatever you do, don't ask his name."

"Why?" Harry was even more curious now. Hagrid had even told him Voldemort's name.

"His name is taboo. A real taboo." Hagrid shook his head, seeming reluctant to think about it again, but worried Harry might feel uncomfortable if he didn't explain. "Even Dumbledore doesn't want to mention his name."

"If You-Know-Who's name is just a symbol of fear, then K's name represents real, tangible death. Even your parents' deaths are inextricably linked to that name."

"Oh!"

Harry ducked his head, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

"But don't be afraid, and don't think badly of K because of it, Harry. It's his name that symbolizes death, not him."

Seeing Harry's reaction, Hagrid realized he might have said too much to scare him and hurried to explain. "He was given that name when he was born, and it's caused him all sorts of trouble... Just imagine how sad it would be if not one of your friends knew your real name!"

"So K himself is actually the greatest victim of his name. What he deserves isn't suspicion and fear, but understanding and comfort..."

Hagrid patted Harry on the shoulder, nearly making him stumble. "Anyway, let's not talk about that. What were you talking about just now?"

"We were talking about the houses. They told me Hogwarts has four houses, and each one represents different qualities—kindness, wisdom, courage, honor, and responsibility... things like that." Harry recalled what Avada and Baron had told him and explained it to Hagrid.

"Honor and responsibility?"

Hagrid frowned at that. "Is that how they described Slytherin to you?"

"Let me tell you, you'd be better off in Hufflepuff. Whatever you do, don't go to Slytherin. That house is practically a training ground for Dark wizards. It's produced several times more Dark wizards than the other three houses combined. Even You-Know-Who came from Slytherin..."

After accompanying Draco Malfoy to Ollivanders and seeing the wand with a hawthorn wood and Unicorn Hair core choose him, Avada went with the two families to the Nimbus Racing Broom Company's display booth. He listened as Mr. Shafiq, Lucius, and the company representatives haggled for quite some time. Finally, after Lucius handed over samples of his magical wood, the two families parted ways in Diagon Alley.

"Dad,"

Malfoy tugged at Lucius's sleeve and asked, "Who exactly is K? Why is everyone unwilling to mention his name?"

"Don't ask. You're not supposed to know that yet."

A hint of apprehension flashed in Lucius's eyes as he solemnly warned his son, "You heard what Mr. Shafiq said, so don't ask about him or get curious. You'd be better off not even thinking about it. Just know that he's called K, and that's enough. Besides..."

"Besides, he may have extraordinary talent and is being closely watched by Dumbledore. So you'd better get along with him at school. Even if you don't want to spend time with those Hufflepuff fools, at least don't provoke him or insult him or anyone around him."

"Like I should treat Harry Potter?" Malfoy asked nervously. He rarely saw his father speak to him so seriously.

"Yes, just as you should treat Harry Potter."

Lucius nodded and lowered his voice. "If my guess is right, he could become the next Dark Lord, just like Harry Potter." (Note)

If Avada had heard that, he would have been the first to protest.

How had he become the next Dark Lord?

Was it just because he'd grown up in an orphanage, been brought to Hogwarts by Dumbledore, had extraordinary talent and a Phoenix Feather wand, got along with Slytherins, studied Horcruxes, and couldn't have his name mentioned? Was that enough to carelessly decide he was a Dark Lord?

He was a Hufflepuff! Hufflepuff had produced hardly any Dark wizards in its entire history!

Fortunately, Avada hadn't heard those words and gone to argue with Lucius. He simply went to the bookshop alone to buy his second-year textbooks, then bought some Floo Powder and other magical materials he needed. After that, he climbed into the Shafiq family's carriage and returned to Shafiq Manor with them.

On the way, Mr. Shafiq chatted excitedly about mass-producing the Nimbus 2000.

"The Malfoy family really hit the jackpot this time. The Nimbus Racing Broom Company's initial tests showed that the magical wood they supplied actually works! And it can be used not only for the power valve but also to complete the balance spine. They can mass-produce the brooms and even slightly improve their performance!"

"It's incredible! Who would have thought that ordinary mahogany, after some selective breeding, could become the ideal material for making high-end flying brooms? Its Morgan Index is an astonishing... and the cost and time required to grow it are less than two-thirds of other wood of the same grade. Best of all, it's easy to..."

"The Nimbus Racing Broom Company has taken the samples back to study. If they confirm there's no problem, they'll discuss a partnership with Malfoy Manor and inspect the plantations... If everything goes smoothly, production could start as early as next year!"

"By then, they'll be able to use the new technology that's still in development to build a new kind of broom: the Nimbus 2001!"

Listening to Mr. Shafiq talk on and on, Avada gradually understood. No wonder Malfoy had produced seven Nimbus 2001 brooms out of nowhere in his second year in the original story. His family had become a supplier to the Nimbus Racing Broom Company...

He'd seen the Nimbus 2000's estimated price. His conclusion was that even if he spent all his savings, he could barely afford one. As for the newer Nimbus 2001, which would probably cost even more, buying seven at once would make even a Pure-blood noble wince. That was tens of thousands of Galleons! Enough to keep an ordinary person fed and clothed for the rest of their life!

As for someone like Sirius Black, who treated money like it was nothing, that was another matter.

After staying with the Shafiq family for a few more days, Avada returned to the orphanage and spent the final half-month of summer vacation there. By then, the restrictions imposed by the wand Trace had been lifted, and he could finally cast spells as much as he liked in the dead of night. He'd finished his summer homework long ago, so he had only a few things to do during this period.

Study Floo Powder, try to learn Professor Baker's "Dual Casting," analyze the "Confession" spell using his study notes, and slowly break the seal Professor Baker had placed on that enormous book.

However, all of these tasks were extremely difficult. And since he wasn't at Hogwarts, he no longer had access to the largest library in the United Kingdom. He also had limited time each day to devote to research and had to work carefully to avoid making a sound. All these factors made his progress painfully slow.

At last, September 1, 1991, arrived.

Note: Before Harry started school, a popular theory about him was that he would become a Dark wizard even more powerful than Voldemort. Many former Death Eaters believed this and hoped to take over the world again by supporting Harry.