Chapter 22.

  Soren was wandering in Bin and Burkes, and he saw a gss case at the front of the ter taining a dry, shriveled haing on a cushion, with a few dles pearby.

  He vaguely remembered this item being called the Hand of Glory, which, when dles were pced on it, would only illuminate for the holder, making it a helpful tool for thieves and robbers. It had to be said that this thing was quite practical, but just thinking about holding another person's hand on his own made him feel a wave of nausea.

  Soren shook his head and tio look around. The ter was filled with various human bones, a pying card stained with blood, and an old gss eye that seemed to be watg him. Terrifying masks hung on the walls, and long, rusty, sharp instruments dangled from the ceiling.

  Draco was studying a long hangman's noose while foolishly reading the bel on a vish opal neckce out loud: "Caution: Do not touch, has been cursed—has already cimed the lives of een Muggles."

  Suddenly, he caught sight of a uniquely shaped rge et and poi it, saying, "Soren, look at this et; it seems quite iing!"

  Soren's heart skipped a beat; if he was not mistaken, Harry was currently hiding ihat et.

  Soren replied lightly, "This is a vanishing et; many a wizarding families have one, as it be used to escape in times of disaster. It's quite practical, but unfortunately, due to its high cost and the ter emergenore ve Disapparition magic, vanishing ets have slowly been phased out, and by today, their methods of stru have been lost…

  Alright, Draco, I think Father's business is almost done, so let's get ready to leave!"

  After leaving Knockturn Alley, Drapatiently pulled Lucius to buy broomsticks, while Soren, who was not ied in that, separated from them. He po head to the bookstore to buy the required textbooks for himself and Draco, intending to read there for a while.

  On his way to Flourish and Blotts to buy textbooks, Soren couldn't help but notice a tall man standing in the middle of the street; although he had never ied with the Hogwarts Keeper of Keys and Grounds, he instantly reized it was Hagrid due to his extraordinary height.

  Standing beside him was Harry Potter, who had bruised skin, was covered in soot, had broken gsses, and looked quite disheveled. It seemed Harry was being scolded by Hagrid. Despite Hagrid trying to lower his voice, his booming tones made it impossible for Soren not to hear him clearly. "Wandering around Knockturn Alley, don't you know that's not a good pce, Harry? Don't let anyone see you there!"

  Just as Hagrid was scolding, Hermione and the Weasley family arrived. Hesitating, Harry expined, "We saw the Malfoy family. Draco, Soren, and his dad went intin and Burkes, which is a shop that sells dark artifacts."

  "Oh, what did you discover?" Mr. Weasley asked warily.

  "Nothing. I watched for a long time from outside the window, and until they left, I didn't see them buy anything!" Harry looked at Hagrid aed, "Hagrid, I was trag Malfoy; what were you doing in Knockturn Alley?"

  "I was looking for a potion to drive off the flesh-eating slugs; they're about to ruin the cabbage patch at school!" Hagrid replied gruffly.

  Hearing this, Soren lost all i in tinuing to listen to their meaningless dialogue and tinued on to Flourish and Blotts.

  Although his father kept his dealings with Draco a secret, Soren, familiar with the story, already khe purpose of his father's visit tin and Burkes. It was merely because retly Arthur Weasley, who had always been at odds with him, utting pressure on him, wanting to dispose of Tom Riddle's diary at Bin and Burkes. Unfortunately, he was unaware that this diary was one of his master's Horcruxes, and his as would directly lead to a series edies for the Malfoy family years ter.

  As for Mr. Bin, the owner of Bin and Burkes, he was a shrewd character who stood firm in the chaotid disorderly Knockturn Alley; how could he take on such a troublesome mess?

  It seemed he o hurry to Flourish and Blotts. He was afraid that there would be anood show to wat front of the bookstore soon.

  Soren rushed to the bookstore, purchased the plete list of textbooks, and found a discreet er to quietly wait for the se to unfold.

  When Harry and the group arrived at Flourish and Blotts, there was already a rge crowd gathered at the entrance. Most of them looked to be witches of Mrs. Weasley's age, all crowding at the door, eager to get in. Through the gaps in the crowd, they could see Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in blue wizard robes, sitting in the middle of the shop signing books.

  Around him, there were rge photographs of himself everywhere, with the faces in the photos winking at the crowd and fshing dazzling white teeth. Soren had to admit that Lockhart was a successful writer, if only he didn't steal from others' experiences.

  The events need not be eborated; Harry was unsurprisingly discovered by Lockhart, who pulled him in for a photo, announg that he would be teag at Hogwarts. Once everyaiheir sehey found Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy grappling with each other, even Ginny's cauldron had been knocked away with a ctter. Lockhart, standing aside, was extremely excited, and thewo were separated by the suddenly appearing Hagrid.

  Mr. Weasley had a split lip, and one of Lucius's eyes had been hit by a thick book, which he held along with Ginny's tattered Transfiguratiobook.

  Ginny had picked up her cauldron, and seeing this, Lucius casually shoved the book into her cauldron, his eyes glinting with malice. While everyone's attention was focused on Arthur Weasley, Soren was that tattered "Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration" Ginny was holding, and if nothi wrong, a bck diary should be tucked i.

  "Here, little girl, take your book! This is the best thing your father give you." He broke free from Hagrid's arm, waved at Drad Soren still ihe bookstore, and rushed out without looking back.

  "You shouldn't pay attention to him, Arthur." Hagrid stretched out his hand to smooth Mr. Weasley's robes, nearly lifting him up. "This guy is rotten to the core; his whole family is! Everyone knows it. The Malfoys' words aren't worth listening to. Their blood is taihat's just how it is."

  Even after leaving Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for quite a distance, Soren could still clearly hear Hagrid's booming voice—damn, caught in the crossfire, he thought to himself while feeling the blood of Malfoys run through him. It seemed that gaining Hagrid's favor iure at Hogwarts would be quite challenging or obtaining his help.

  The three returo the Malfoy family's designated parking spot.

  Despite beien by Arthur, it was evident that Lucius was in a good mood, probably because he had successfully shifted Tom Riddle's diary onto the unfortunate young girl in the Weasley family. The four of them then boarded the carriage, flying baalfoy Manor.

  I must say, pared to the various modes of transportation Soren knew in the wizarding world, such as Floo Powder, Portkeys, and Apparition, the Nightmare carriage, which was fast, steady, and pletely smooth, was definitely one of the most fortable ways to travel.

  The three remained silent during the journey, with Lucius showing a ptive expression. Just as they were about to reach Wiltshire, he suddenly spoke to Drad Soren: "Listen, there may be some is at Hogwarts this year, but they have nothing to do with you two. Just remember to fulfill your duties as a Malfoy and maintain a wise approach to self-preservation."

  After pursuing the matter relentlessly, Draco finally got Lucius to reveal a little more, "Fifty years ago, before I was born, an i occurred at Hogwarts…"

  Lucius thought for a moment before w it carefully: "I 't say the specifics of that i, but a Mudblood girl died in it, and Hogwarts covered it up, so not many know about it. You just o know that this was a spiracy against Mudbloods; you don't o know too much. Knowing too much will only make you look suspicious. Also, Draco, you o study hard this year. As a noble Malfoy, it's disappointing that yrades st year were worse than those of a lowly Mudblood. Holy, you've let me down. Look at Soren; now that's a true son of mine! You should learn more from your brother!"

  Draco rarely saw his father so stern with him and obediently agreed.

  That night, Soren tossed and turned in bed, pgued by tahoughts.

  Acc to the plot, Tom Riddle's diary would eventually be destroyed by the savior Harry Potter, and Voldemort would lose one of his life-saving horcruxes. This was the root cause of his father's offense against Voldemort, leading to the various cruel punishments Voldemort inflicted on his father and brother, and the sele of Malfoy Manor as the Death Eaters' headquarters trapped the family in unescapable fear. After Voldemort's downfall, his father was sent to Azkaban; even after being cleared and released, the family's fate of dee could not be reversed.

  He was tangled iher to find a way to snatch the diary back from Ginny, directly eliminating Lucius's mistake from the source, or to let the plot develop in a dire he was familiar with, allowing himself to maintain an advantage iory. The various gains and losses involved made him indecisive. However, the most important thing was that at this moment, Soren had to face a question he had been avoiding since his time travel: what kind of role was he supposed to py in this new world?

  If he acted acc to his past personality, he could easily escape this family aurn to the Muggle world to live. With the knowledge and experience he accumuted in his previous life, it wouldn't be difficult to rebuild a successful career and life. Unfortunately, every time he faced this choice, he couldn't bring himself to cut off the rare familial bond in this life.

  As the first light of daroached, after a night of ption, the fusion aation in Soren's brow dissipated. A newfouermination and vi ignited in his gaze. He felt an invisible force slowly rise from his abdomen, spreading to his chest and limbs, as if he had been reborn, filled with strength.

  At this moment, he finally regaihe ce to face his fate and had a clear dire for his future.

  "Since heaven has allowed me to live again in this new world, I should bravely face my destiny! To protect my family, I ot join the Order of the Phoenix. To safeguard the honor of my family, I also ot join the Death Eaters. My destiny must be determined by myself!"

  Regardless of success or failure, even if he truly succeeded in reg the diary, what would it matter?

  Voldemort would eventually fall, and his father's incorrect choice of the Death Eater fa would iably lead the family to irreparable dee; even if Soren ged the plot and allowed Voldemort to achieve final victory, his ily destructive and mad nature wouldn't align with the family's is. The family has never wao eliminate Muggle-born wizards but rather to maintain a superior dominance over them.

  If the final oute is to be like that, it might be better to let the plot follow the predetermined development of the inal text. At least Soren could still retain a narrative advantage.

  What Soren should do now is to leverage this advao grow stronger. As long as he bees powerful, revitalizing the family would be just a matter of speaking.

  This year marks the opening of the Chamber of Secrets for Slytherin; it is time to pn how to gain the best is amidst this turmoil.

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