Sights of Diagon Alley

Skylar wandered around Borgin and Burkes. In a glass case before the counter, he saw a shriveled human hand resting on a cushion, with several candles beside it. He vaguely remembered that it was called the Hand of Glory. Once the candles were placed in it, their light illuminated only the holder, making it a fine aid for thieves and robbers. He had to admit it was practical, but the thought of holding a hand severed from someone else's corpse made his skin crawl.

Skylar shook his head and continued looking around. The counter displayed all kinds of human bones, a bloodstained deck of cards, and a glass eyeball that seemed to stare constantly at people. Horrific masks hung on the walls, while strings of rusted, long, sharp instruments dangled from the ceiling.

Draco, meanwhile, was studying a long noose. He grinned foolishly as he read the tag on a magnificent Opal Necklace: "Caution: Do not touch. Cursed—claimed the lives of nineteen Muggles." Suddenly, he caught sight of a large cabinet with an unusual design and pointed at it. "Skylar, look at that cabinet. It seems interesting!"

Skylar's heart skipped a beat. If he had guessed correctly, Harry was hiding inside that cabinet right now.

"That is a Vanishing Cabinet," Skylar said evenly. "Many ancient wizarding families keep one in their homes. It can be used to escape when disaster strikes, so it is quite practical. Unfortunately, they are expensive to make, and after the more convenient magic of Apparition appeared, Vanishing Cabinets gradually fell out of use. By now, the method of making them has been lost... All right, Draco. Father should be done with his business soon. We should get ready to leave."

After leaving Knockturn Alley, Draco impatiently dragged Lucius off to buy Broomsticks. Skylar, who had no interest in that, parted ways with them. He planned to go to the bookstore first to buy all the books on his and Draco's lists, then spend some time reading there.

On his way to Flourish and Blotts to buy textbooks, Skylar's attention was inevitably drawn to a huge man standing in the middle of the street. Although Skylar had never dealt with Hogwarts' gamekeeper, he recognized Hagrid at once. His height was simply too conspicuous.

Beside him stood Harry Potter, his skin bruised, his body covered in soot, his glasses shattered, and his appearance utterly bedraggled. It looked as though Hagrid was scolding him. Though Hagrid tried to lower his voice, his booming volume still allowed Skylar to hear every word clearly. "Wanderin' around Knockturn Alley—don't you know it's not a good place, Harry? Don't let anyone see you there!"

In the middle of the scolding, Hermione and the Weasley family arrived. Harry hesitated before explaining, "We saw the Malfoys. Draco, Skylar, and their father went into Borgin and Burkes. It's a shop that specializes in selling Dark Arts items."

"Oh? And did you find anything?" Mr. Weasley asked warily.

"Nothing. I watched from outside the window for ages. Until they left, I never saw them buy anything!" Harry looked at Hagrid and asked, "Hagrid, we were following the Malfoys. What were you doing in Knockturn Alley?"

"I was looking for something to drive away Flesh-Eating Slugs. They're almost done ruining the school's cabbages!" Hagrid said gruffly.

Having heard that, Skylar lost interest in listening to their pointless conversation and continued toward Flourish and Blotts.

Although his father had kept it from him and Draco, Skylar, who knew the plot, had long known why his father had gone to Borgin and Burkes. Arthur Weasley, who had always been at odds with Lucius, had recently been investigating him too closely at the Ministry of Magic. Lucius simply wanted to get rid of Tom Riddle's Diary through Borgin and Burkes. Unfortunately, he did not know that the Diary was one of his master's Horcruxes. What he did would directly lead to a chain of tragedies for the Malfoy family several years later.

As for old Mr. Borgin, he was a shrewd man who had remained standing in chaotic, lawless Knockturn Alley for so long. How could he possibly take on such a troublesome mess?

It seemed Skylar had to hurry to Flourish and Blotts. There would probably be quite a show outside the bookstore shortly.

Skylar hurried to the bookstore, bought every textbook on the lists, then found an inconspicuous corner and quietly waited for the plot to begin.

When Harry and his group arrived at Flourish and Blotts, a huge crowd had already gathered outside. Most were witches around Mrs. Weasley's age, all crammed at the entrance in an attempt to get inside. Through gaps in the crowd, they could see Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in flowing blue robes, seated in the middle of the shop and signing copies of his books.

Large photographs of himself were everywhere around him. Every face in those pictures winked at the crowd, flashing dazzlingly white teeth. Skylar had to admit that Lockhart was a successful author—if he had not stolen other people's experiences.

There was no need to describe what happened next. As expected, Harry was spotted by Lockhart and dragged inside for photographs. Lockhart announced that he would be teaching at Hogwarts. By the time everyone came back to their senses, Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy were already grappling with each other. Even Ginny's cauldron was knocked flying with a loud clang. Lockhart, standing nearby, was tremendously excited, until Hagrid suddenly appeared and pulled the two men apart.

Mr. Weasley had a split lip, while one of Lucius's eyes had been struck by a thick book. He was still clutching Ginny's battered Transfiguration textbook.

Ginny had already picked up her cauldron. Seeing this, Lucius casually stuffed the book into it, his eyes gleaming with malice. While everyone's attention was focused on Arthur Weasley, Skylar kept watching the battered Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration that had been shoved back into Ginny's hands. If nothing unexpected had happened, a black Diary should have been tucked inside it by now.

"Here, girl. Take your book! It's the best thing your father can give you." He wrenched himself free of Hagrid's arm, beckoned Draco and Skylar, who was still inside the bookstore, and stormed out without looking back.

"You shouldn't listen to him, Arthur," Hagrid said, reaching out to smooth Mr. Weasley's robes and nearly lifting him off the ground. "That bloke's rotten to the core. His whole family is. Everyone knows it. Nothing the Malfoys say is worth listenin' to. Their blood's bad. That's all there is to it."

Even after walking quite a distance from Flourish and Blotts, Skylar could still hear Hagrid's booming voice clearly. Seriously? Catching stray fire while lying down? Skylar complained inwardly. As someone with Malfoy blood flowing through his veins, it seemed he would have a hard time winning Hagrid's favor—or getting his help—at Hogwarts in the future.

After the three of them returned to the Malfoys' private parking area, Lucius, despite having been beaten up by Arthur, appeared to be in an excellent mood. He was probably pleased that he had successfully passed Tom Riddle's Diary on to the poor little girl from the Weasley family.

The family of four then boarded the carriage and flew back toward Malfoy Manor. Compared with the various methods of travel Skylar knew in the wizarding world—Floo Powder, Portkeys, Apparition, and so on—the fast, steady, completely bump-free Thestral carriage was undoubtedly one of the most comfortable.

The three of them remained silent throughout the journey. Lucius wore a thoughtful expression the entire way. As they were about to reach Wiltshire, he suddenly spoke to Draco and Skylar. "Listen. Something may happen at Hogwarts this year, but it has nothing to do with either of you. Just remember to fulfill your duties as Malfoys and maintain an attitude of self-preservation."

Relying on his father's indulgence, Draco pressed him relentlessly for answers. Only then did Lucius reveal a little more. "Fifty years ago, before I was born, an incident occurred at Hogwarts. I cannot tell you the specifics. A Mudblood girl died in that incident. Hogwarts covered it up, so not many people know about it. You only need to know that it was a conspiracy targeting Mudbloods. You do not need to know anything else. Knowing too much will only make you look suspicious. And Draco, you had better study properly this year. As a noble Malfoy, you actually ranked below a lowly Mudblood in your year last year. To be honest, you truly disappointed me. Look at Skylar. Now that is a son worthy of Lucius Malfoy. You should learn more from your younger brother!"

It was rare for Draco to see his father so stern with him, and he meekly agreed.

That night, Skylar tossed and turned, unable to sleep because of his tangled thoughts. According to the plot, Tom Riddle's Diary would eventually be destroyed by Harry Potter, the Chosen One, and Voldemort would lose a Horcrux that safeguarded his life. This was the root cause of his father offending Voldemort, bringing down all manner of cruel punishments upon his father and brother later on. Voldemort's choice of Malfoy Manor as the Death Eaters' headquarters would also leave the entire family living in inescapable fear. After Voldemort's defeat, his father would be sent to Azkaban. Even after being cleared and released, he would be unable to reverse the family's fate of decline.

He struggled over whether to find a way to take the Diary back from Ginny and eliminate Lucius's mistake at its source, or to let the plot proceed along the path he knew and retain his advantage of knowing what was to come. The gains and losses left him unable to decide. Yet more importantly, Skylar now had to face the question he had been avoiding ever since coming to this world: what sort of role did he want to play in this world he had crossed into?

If he followed the personality of his previous life, he could simply leave this family and return to the Muggle world. With the knowledge and experience he had accumulated in his former life, it would not be difficult to build another successful career and life. Yet whenever he faced that choice, he could never bring himself to sever the rare familial bonds he had gained in this life.

When the first light of dawn arrived, after a night of thought, the confusion and hesitation vanished from Skylar's brow. An unprecedented determination and conviction burst from his eyes. He felt an invisible force slowly rise from his abdomen, spreading through his chest and limbs. His entire body seemed reborn, filled with strength.

At that moment, he finally found the courage to face Fate and a firm direction for his future. Since heaven has given me another life in this brand-new world, then I should face my destiny bravely! To protect my family, I cannot join the Order of the Phoenix. To protect my family's honor, I cannot join the Death Eaters either. My Fate must be decided by me!

Leaving aside whether he could succeed, what would it matter even if he truly managed to take the Diary back?

Voldemort would eventually fall. His father's mistaken choice to join the Death Eaters was destined to lead the family into irreversible decline. Even if Skylar changed the plot and allowed Voldemort to achieve final victory, Voldemort's madness and strong destructive tendencies would not serve the family's interests. What the family had always wanted was never the extermination of Muggle-born wizards, but permanent dominance over them from on high. It would be better to let the plot follow its predetermined course from the original story. At least then Skylar could retain his advantage.

What Skylar needed to do now was use his advantage in knowing the plot to grow stronger. As long as he became strong enough, reviving the family would be no more than a matter of words. This year was the year the Chamber of Secrets would be opened in Slytherin. It was time to consider how he could gain the greatest possible benefit from this upheaval.