"Why can't anyone say that name?" Harry asked, puzzled.
From what he had gathered, Voldemort was supposed to be a figure loathed by everyone, yet people in the wizarding world seemed to treat his name like a dark, forbidden secret.
"Because during the war, that name carried a curse... if you uttered it, You-Know-Who could sense it, and Death Eaters would appear around you in an instant." Hagrid's face bore a trace of lingering fear. "Back then, too many people met with disaster just for saying it, so... everyone eventually came to a silent agreement to call him You-Know-Who. They developed a deep, visceral dread of the name. Even now, with the war over, that fear hasn't faded... so people still call him You-Know-Who."
Harry understood. Avoiding the name wasn't about a lack of courage; it was a taboo concerning life and death. Even if Voldemort was dead and gone, people still didn't dare speak his name. It had become an ingrained habit.
From these small details, Harry began to grasp just how terrifying Voldemort had been... and it also highlighted how dangerous it must have been for Professor Wick to go undercover by Voldemort's side.
"I agree with you, Hagrid."
"What's that?" Hagrid hadn't fully recovered from his grim trip down memory lane.
"Professor Wick... he really is the bravest person in the world."
...
When Harry appeared at the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron with his many bags and packages, Victor Wick was already waiting, leaning against the door of his Bentley.
"I'll take you back," Victor said.
"Eh?" Hagrid looked at him, slightly stunned. Hadn't they agreed that he would be the one to take Harry home? Why...
"Sorry, Hagrid... Gringotts was broken into this afternoon. It's suspected to be the work of former Death Eaters. At such a sensitive time... well, you understand," Victor said with a smile.
"Ah... I see..." Hagrid nodded. "How are those lot still hanging around! You-Know-Who's been gone for years!"
Since Death Eaters were involved, Victor Wick was naturally the more suitable choice to escort Harry home. Though Hagrid felt disappointed, he had no choice but to accept it.
Victor sighed. "If you had seen the Dark Lord with your own eyes back then, you would understand why his servants still refuse to believe he's truly gone."
Only those who had witnessed Voldemort's true power would find it absurd that such a formidable wizard could be finished off by a one-year-old child.
It was as if people were told that Dumbledore had been slapped to death by a toddler...
Without seeing it themselves, who would believe it?
Harry said goodbye to Hagrid and climbed into Victor's Bentley once more.
All his shopping bags were placed into the trunk, which had been expanded with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Harry let Hedwig fly off on her own; she would be able to find where he lived.
"Diagon Alley is the shopping hub of the British wizarding world, so there should have been many people your age. Did you make any friends while shopping today?" Victor asked.
"No," Harry shook his head. He had only just entered the wizarding world, and as soon as the witches and wizards in Diagon Alley saw his scar, they crowded around him with terrifying enthusiasm. After that, Harry didn't dare greet anyone else.
"But... when I was buying my robes, I met a boy about my age. He was really annoying."
"Oh? How annoying?"
"He introduced himself as Malfoy... he looked down his nose at everyone, acting incredibly arrogant," Harry said, frowning.
"Haha..." Victor laughed. "So it was the Malfoy boy. That's typical; their whole family is like that. They carry a pure-blood arrogance that's quite grating. Lucius Malfoy... oh, Lucius is likely the father of the boy you met. He was very arrogant back in the day too, though he turned as soft as a noodle in front of the Dark Lord. He used to be quite haughty with me as well, but once I earned the Dark Lord's favor, he suddenly became remarkably polite."
Harry felt a surge of joy finding that Professor Wick's opinion of the Malfoys matched his own.
"He wanted to be friends, but I turned him down," Harry said. "I don't like that kind of arrogance either."
"Well... we all meet people we dislike in life. Fortunately, we have the right to choose our own friends... but unfortunately, most of the time, we are forced to deal with people we can't stand. We have to learn how to coexist with them..."
Harry turned to look at Victor. He understood what the professor was talking about.
Wasn't that exactly the situation he had faced while embedded with the Death Eaters?
Harry looked out at the passing scenery and mused, "I thought my life would be completely dull, and I just wanted to escape Aunt Petunia's house. I never imagined a world of magic actually existed..."
Victor smiled. "Humanity's understanding of this world is still very shallow. Even within Muggle society, many unknown secrets are hidden. Perhaps you could walk into any bookstore in London and see an angel."
Noticing an elegantly decorated bookstore by the roadside and remembering the TV shows he had watched before his reincarnation, Victor made a small, nostalgic joke.
Just as Victor was reminiscing, the door to that bookstore suddenly opened, and a short man in a white suit with a shock of white hair stepped out...
That familiar appearance nearly caused Victor to accidentally veer onto the sidewalk...
Victor pulled over and looked back at the shop, but the short man had already turned back inside after putting out a sign, preventing Victor from getting a better look.
"Professor... what's wrong?" Harry asked curiously.
"Oh... nothing. I thought I saw an old acquaintance, but thinking about it now, that should be impossible. I must have been mistaken." Victor started the car again and headed toward Privet Drive.
The Dursleys had ultimately bowed their proud heads to the corruptive power of capital.
By the time Victor dropped Harry off at Privet Drive, they had already cleared out a new room for him.
"Remember what I told you, Dursley," Victor said sternly. "You know I have my ways of checking in on Harry. Don't try to play double games with me!"
"Yes..." Dursley's face turned a deep red, his response squeezed out through gritted teeth.
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said happily.
There was no doubt that from now on, his life at the Dursleys' would be a hundred times better than before.
Even if the Dursleys continued to isolate him, he didn't care. As long as they didn't bother him, it was a huge win!
"It was our oversight, Harry. We should have known sooner."
After reminding Harry to preview his textbooks, Victor stepped on the gas and left Privet Drive...
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