Shafik Manor

Chapter 38 Shafik Manor

Just as old Charlie had said, the bus stopped after about fifteen minutes. However, due to the bus's frequent spatial jumps, Avada had no idea where he was or how far he was from London. But judging by the speed of the Knight Bus, he was probably already in north-central England.

They were now parked beside a small cabin in the middle of a vast grassland. Looking out the car window, a vast expanse of flat, verdant land stretched out before them, undulating like waves in the distance before merging with the clear blue sky. A few thick white clouds drifted sparsely across the sky, so low that every wisp of cloud was clearly visible, as if one could reach out and touch them.

The small house with white walls and a gray roof stood alone in this beautiful grassland, connected to a distant highway by only a small path. Next to it was a paved area where their car was parked.

Old Charlie got out of the car first and opened the door, inviting Avada and Baron out. As the door opened, Avada felt a moist breeze on his face, carrying the pleasant scent of grass.

"The environment here is really nice," he exclaimed sincerely.

"Of course."

Baron chuckled and said, "Beautiful, peaceful, and far from human habitation—to be honest, the Muggle exorcism spell is hardly ever used here. We can usually ride broomsticks freely on the grasslands, camp, and walk our swallowtail dogs..."

"Young master, let's go inside."

At this moment, old Charlie had already taken Avada's luggage out of the trunk. Then, under Avada's curious gaze, his body transformed. His hair disappeared, his ears grew longer, his eyes became bigger, and his skin gradually turned grayish-brown, transforming him from a short old man into an even shorter elderly house-elf.

Then, he gently stroked his suit jacket, which instantly transformed into a piece of fabric that resembled a bed sheet, now fitting him perfectly and making him look quite presentable.

Then, carrying his luggage in one hand and taking out his key with the other, he opened the door to the small house and went inside.

Avada immediately recognized the strange spatial structure hidden within the room and knew that the residence of a pure-blood noble would certainly not be so simple. So, without saying a word, she followed Charlie and Baron inside—the room was not even as large as the Burrow in the movie.

The room was spotless, but its furnishings were too simple; it was hardly habitable. Apart from a table and a few chairs, there was nothing else.

"I am Charlie."

The old elf stood in the center of the room and spoke to someone unintelligible: "I have returned with Young Master Baron and his guests."

After saying that, he walked straight to the other end of the house, where there was another tightly closed back door. He drew a few symbols on the door with his finger, then turned to Avada and smiled, saying, "Welcome to Shafik Estate, Mr. Ken."

Then he gently turned the handle and pushed open the back door. The sight that appeared left Avada speechless:

Behind the cottage lay a vast grassland. A car was parked on the nearest stone-paved ground—the very same one Avada had just ridden in. Beyond it, a wide stone-paved road led directly into a magnificent and expansive estate, unlike anything Avada had ever seen in his past or present life.

Following the stone path, the first thing that catches the eye is a magical fountain. The water spraying into the sky doesn't refract rainbows; instead, it sparkles with starlight. It's surrounded by exquisite stone sculptures and rows of neatly planted trees.

Behind the fountain stands a courtyard. Although it is not large compared to the entire estate, the exquisite decorations inside immediately distinguish it from the outside world—flowers, pavilions, outdoor tables and chairs, a pool where various exotic fish swim... and the beautiful villa made of marble in the center of the courtyard is naturally the residence of the Shafik family.

"My God, this is really..."

Avada couldn't help but gasp in amazement. Luckily, he had already seen Hogwarts Castle, so he didn't lose his composure on the spot.

"Alright, let's go."

Baron observed Avada's reaction with great interest for a while, then pulled him to the front of the mansion, knocked on the door, and took two steps back.

Click.

A soft click came from behind the door, and then the two doors slid open slowly, revealing a corridor carpeted in deep red, with several oil paintings hanging on the walls. Baron led Avada through the corridor (the carpet seemed to clean the soles of shoes, so there was no need to change) and into a grand and imposing drawing room. Two people were sitting there, seemingly having been chatting. Hearing footsteps, they turned and looked at the two with smiles.

"Baron, you're back?"

First, the somewhat burly middle-aged man spoke, then looked at Avada beside him, stood up and walked over: "You must be Ken, hello, hello. Baron has been mentioning you a lot these past few days."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Shafik." Seeing Mr. Shafik extend his hand, Avada also reached out to shake his hand and then bowed slightly to the lady of the house beside him.

"I am Jason Shafik, and this is my wife, Joan," Mr. Shafik introduced himself, then looked Avada curiously at her: "Excuse me, what is your full name?"

"Baron always refers to you as Ken, and he won't tell me your full name when I ask. He says that Headmaster Dumbledore told you to keep it a secret?"

"cough……"

Avada struggled to find the words, fearing that if she uttered her name, the invisible house-elf beside her would suddenly attack and knock her to the ground.

"...The incantation of the Killing Curse."

"What?"

"My name is the incantation of the Killing Curse; 'Ken' is taken from the second word of the incantation."

"..."

The Shafiq couple exchanged a bewildered glance, then looked at Baron with questioning eyes, and became even more bewildered after seeing Baron nod.

"The killing curse?" Mr. Shafik asked tentatively, "The one from Ava...?"

"right."

"Your name is A...Wa...Da, and your surname is Kendavia?"

"That's right."

"Who...who gave you this name?"

"It's the Bureau of Mysteries..."

So Avada could only repeat the bizarre actions of the Department of Mysteries once again, which left Avada with a hand on his forehead, Baron beside him desperately trying to suppress his laughter, and the Shafiq couple looking at each other speechlessly.

When they first heard that Avada Kedavra's real name had been kept secret by Dumbledore, they assumed he might be a descendant of some foreign pure-blood noble family, or the offspring of some important figure with a sensitive background, and that his Muggle origins were merely a cover. Considering Dumbledore's identity, they even speculated that this "Ken" might be Grindelwald.

In the end, the truth seemed both more mundane and more exciting than they had imagined...

"Oh, right, since your name is Harry Potter... does that mean you'll meet him as soon as school starts?"

Mr. Shafik suddenly realized something, and then his gaze toward Avada gradually became strange.

Avada: ...

You can't get over this joke, huh?!

(End of this chapter)