Chapter 14: The One Whose Name Must Not Even Be Spoken

The last carriage of the Hogwarts Express.

Listening to Sherlock, Harry, and Hermione loudly discussing taboo topics, Neville Longbottom completely forgot about looking for his pet.

He wanted to speak up several times, but each time the words caught in his throat, and he hesitated nervously.

Ron, watching the three engage in a seemingly normal conversation, hesitated many times as well.

Until he could no longer bear it and finally mustered the courage to interrupt them:

“W-wait a minute… Y-you actually said the Dark Lord’s name out loud!”

“Why not?” Sherlock asked, looking curiously at Ron, who was nearly out of breath, and Neville, who truly was gasping.

“You’re afraid?”

He knew that in the wizarding world, the name Voldemort was highly taboo; otherwise, books wouldn’t refer to him as “He Who Must Not Be Named.”

Yet, after more than a decade, his lingering terror remained.

Just mentioning the name to Harry and Hermione was enough to make them uncomfortable.

Seeing Ron and Neville nod repeatedly, Hermione couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you afraid?”

“Of course it’s because…” Ron struggled to explain clearly.

After a moment of thought, he murmured, “My parents used his name to scare me when I was little… Every wizarding family’s children were told by their parents that this name is forbidden. Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t want to say it—actually, no one wants to say it.”

Neville nodded emphatically beside him, signaling the same.

Ron looked at Harry with admiration: “But then again, it makes sense, since it’s you…”

Harry hesitated for a moment, then explained:

“Saying his name isn’t because I’m brave; it’s because I never knew the name was forbidden. Do you understand what I mean?”

Hermione nodded in agreement.

For those not born into wizarding families, this was indeed the case.

Voldemort? Far scarier was the way Harry’s mother would call him by his full name.

“Anything can be said. There’s nothing you can’t say,” Sherlock said calmly amid their surprised gazes. “Fear comes from the unknown, and the best way to overcome fear is to face it.”

Seeing Ron and Neville frightened like quails, Sherlock offered a straightforward solution.

Harry and Hermione nodded vigorously.

Ron and Neville looked at Sherlock with admiring eyes.

Impressive!

But that was all.

Even though they agreed with Sherlock, the education they had received since childhood forbade them from doing so.

Hermione and Neville stayed in the carriage a while longer, only leaving when a smiling woman pushed open the compartment door to ask if they wanted to buy snacks. They then got up to continue searching for Neville’s toad.

Before leaving, Hermione reminded Ron to consider getting a new wand, as using an old one might cause spells to fail.

Ron: (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)

Strangely enough, when Sherlock said the same thing, Ron could accept it.

But hearing it from Hermione irritated him immensely.

“No matter what house I’m sorted into, I don’t want to be with her,” Ron said bluntly as soon as Hermione left.

Harry nodded absentmindedly, his attention still on Sherlock.

This new friend he had just met was truly remarkable!

By now, Sherlock stood before the snack vendor, gazing curiously at these unfamiliar treats.

Judging by their appearance alone, these little snacks were full of magical charm.

Seemingly trivial, but exactly the reason Sherlock had plunged headfirst into the magical world.

“Did you bring lunch?” Sherlock looked toward Harry and Ron.

Harry shook his head.

To be fair, aside from punishments, the Dursleys didn’t let Harry go hungry.

But they never truly let him eat his fill—his cousin Dudley always snatched whatever Harry wanted.

Under such circumstances, no one prepared lunch for him.

Ron mumbled quietly that he had brought sandwiches.

Seeing his reddened ears, Sherlock immediately understood.

Hungry but broke.

Sherlock said no more, asked the price, and bought a bit of each snack.

In the end, it cost less than twelve silver Sickles.

Not expensive, but not cheap either.

“I’ll treat everyone, but these are just snacks, so Ron, you’d better use your sandwich to fill your stomach first.”

Hearing this, Ron eagerly nodded in agreement.

His mother always forgot he disliked corned beef, so Sherlock’s suggestion suited him perfectly.

Besides, snacks were far more appealing to him than corned beef sandwiches.

Harry didn’t hesitate to nod either; this was the first time a peer had shared food with him, and the feeling was strange yet wonderful.

After some time together, Sherlock had already grasped their personalities clearly.

Harry seemed introverted and solitary but was subconsciously strong and brave, so he could confidently accept Sherlock’s kindness.

On the other hand, Ron appeared carefree but lived under the shadow of five outstanding older brothers, harboring some insecurities.

If Sherlock had simply said he wanted to treat him, Ron would have found it hard to accept.

But phrasing it as an exchange—like now—made him feel comfortable.

Besides, Sherlock wasn’t lying; he truly believed that before snacking, they should have some proper food to settle their stomachs.

To his delight, Mrs. Weasley’s cooking was excellent, and the beef was delicious.

The three then began to feast heartily, and the carriage soon filled with the aroma of good food.

Ron showcased his expertise by introducing various magically themed snacks to Sherlock and Harry.

For instance, Chocolate Frogs weren’t real frogs but chocolate bars filled with cream.

The milk was rich and silky, pure, smooth, and easy to melt, offering a new taste experience.

They tasted very good, and little wizards loved them.

However, Sherlock and Harry’s attention was mostly on the collectible cards that came with the snacks.

Every Chocolate Frog came with a card; the front showed a portrait of a notable wizard, and the back contained a biography.

Harry got a card of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

Photos in the magical world differed from the non-magical world; people in photos actually moved.

So when Harry finished reading Dumbledore’s life story and flipped the card back to the front, he was startled to find Dumbledore’s face had vanished.

“You can’t expect him to stay there all the time,” Ron casually explained upon seeing Harry’s surprise.

When Harry told Ron that in the non-magical world, photos never change, Ron was the one amazed: “So they just stay still? That’s amazing!”

As he spoke, Dumbledore’s face reappeared in the picture.

Harry couldn’t help but marvel, “This is incredible, Sherlock. Aren’t you surprised?”

Sherlock bit into a Chocolate Frog; it really did taste good.

He took the card from Harry’s hand and watched the old white-bearded man disappear and reappear, smiling as he said:

“This kind of thing… can actually be done without magic.”