"Harry Potter and the Shadows of Merlin"

In the days that followed, Daina mostly holed up in his room reading, only occasionally chatting with Hannah and Old Tom.

He also stopped using his golden finger at midnight, as he had done before.

Instead, he waited until morning to summon Merlin's magic, considering that, after all, he was still a child and needed proper rest.

"Merlin's spellbook."

[Merlin doesn't have a spellbook.]

"Merlin's magic notebook."

An ancient notebook with a metal cover materialized in Daina's hands. He was ecstatic.

But his excitement lasted only a few seconds before his face fell.

Upon opening the notebook, he realized he couldn't recognize a single word.

"Merlin's weapon."

[Merlin doesn't have a weapon.]

After three days of failing to enhance his strength, Daina felt increasingly frustrated.

So, on the fourth day, he threw caution to the wind and shouted:

"Merlin's stockings!"

To his surprise, a pair of medieval stockings appeared. However, they weren't exquisite or particularly well-made.

If not for the existence of magic, Daina would have doubted whether such items could even be produced in that era.

But the more puzzling part was—Merlin had stockings?

He didn't even have briefs, so why stockings?

Then it hit Daina—briefs were only invented in 1935.

So, it made sense that Merlin wouldn't own any.

His mother, Anna, had once told him that medieval women didn't wear underwear at all. English men, on the other hand, wore something called a codpiece—not inside, but outside their trousers, often made of metal or leather.

So technically, the insides of their outer garments were… empty.

Wasn't that a little too liberating?

Should he summon Merlin's codpiece?

No, of course not.

The stockings hadn't offered even a scrap of enhancement, so summoning something else equally useless would be a waste.

Eventually, Daina tried "Merlin's Robe" and managed to obtain a wizard's robe—a deep, royal purple garment.

This robe, unlike the stockings, was of high quality.

It was permanently enchanted with various protective spells—resisting cuts, stabs, water, and even fire.

It was his only real gain over the past few days.

Time flew, and the twentieth of the month arrived.

Daina donned the enchanted purple robe, transformed once more into Dark Dentis, and stepped into Knockturn Alley.

This time, the Alley looked very different from before.

There were noticeably fewer shady figures loitering around, and Aurors in black uniforms occasionally patrolled the area.

Apparently, the recent massacre had drawn the Ministry of Magic's attention.

This surprised Daina.

He had assumed the Ministry wouldn't care about the deaths of common criminals.

"Excuse me, sir, what's your name?"

Daina was stopped by an Auror.

With a calm smile, he replied,

"Dark Dentis."

This was a test—if the Auror reacted to the name, it meant either Pucey from Gringotts had leaked it, or Mr. Borgin had reported him.

"Dentis? That's a rare surname. You're not from England, are you?"

"Correct. I'm French, born in China. I'm in England on business."

The Auror studied him for a moment longer.

"What kind of business?"

Daina pointed toward Borgin and Burkes.

"Alchemy. In the East, alchemy items aren't commonly used—but now there's a rising interest. So I need to stock up before the trend hits."

The Auror nodded, impressed.

"To make money, you have to be forward-thinking. That robe doesn't look cheap."

"Indeed. Despite how new it looks, this is actually a medieval antique!"

"Amazing! I wouldn't dare wear an antique like that out and about."

Daina smiled. "If there's nothing else, I'll be heading to Borgin and Burkes. I have an appointment with Mr. Borgin."

"One last thing," the Auror said, slightly more serious.

"Though it might seem rude—please obey the laws here in England.

Mr. Borgin doesn't exactly have the cleanest record. I'd hate to see your name on a deportation list."

"Understood. I'm a law-abiding citizen," Daina said, maintaining his calm.

His composure seemed to satisfy the Auror, who allowed him to pass.

Daina continued onward, soon stepping inside Borgin and Burkes.

"Welcome… Ah, Mr. Dentis," said Mr. Borgin, immediately recognizing him.

"You're right on time."

Daina approached the counter.

"Do you have the information I requested?"

Mr. Borgin leaned forward, his voice lowered.

"Of course."

He pulled a parchment from his sleeve and slid it across the counter.

Daina picked it up and began to read:

1981: Gaius Avery is captured.

In May, Ollivander Avery—the Avery family head—travels extensively, meeting with:Albus DumbledoreSeverus SnapeCornelius FudgeBarty CrouchLucius MalfoyCygnus PrewettMay 17: Ollivander instructs his niece, Donna Avery, to find a scapegoat for Gaius Avery.

May 1: The family receives a letter about a side branch of the Avery family—Anna Avery and her son, Daina Avery. Due to Anna's illness, they are deemed suitable scapegoats.

The letter was written by Sally Avery (Daina's great-uncle) and delivered by antique dealer John Flint.

May 20: Donna Avery and Sally Avery coerce Anna and Daina.

Daina knocks out his mother and becomes Gaius Avery's substitute.

May 21: Daina is sent to Azkaban.

The trail disappears inside the Ministry; the official who authorized the swap remains unknown.

May 24: Anna borrows 100 Galleons from Ollivander Avery.

May 25: Anna visits the Ministry and hands a coin bag to Hokum Rickett.

June 2: Rickett is fired from the Ministry and vanishes.

May 27: Ollivander petitions the Ministry to release Daina, but fails.

May 28: Ollivander stays home.

May 29: Ollivander and John Flint visit Anna's house.

An hour later, they leave separately—Flint is seen carrying what looks like a tapestry.

August 2, 1991: Auror "Mad-Eye" Moody confirms Anna Avery is deceased.

Daina was silent.

Several names stood out.

Sally Avery—his great-uncle—had harassed his mother since his father's death.

If he couldn't win her affection, he'd rather ruin her or use Daina to force her submission.

Then there was John Flint, the antique dealer who had once tried to buy their ancestral tapestry.

If he joined the plot for the sake of that tapestry, it would make sense.

Donna Avery—she was the one who had pointed her wand at Daina's head and beaten his mother.

As for Ollivander Avery, he was the mastermind, but it was likely that someone else planted the idea.

He had met with key figures: Dumbledore, Snape, Fudge, Crouch, Malfoy, and Prewett.

Among them, Lucius Malfoy was the most suspicious.

And Hokum Rickett—a Ministry employee who received money from Anna and was later fired—was likely a scapegoat, sacrificed to protect the actual high-ranking official aiding Ollivander.

But who was this person?

The parchment had been valuable, but not complete.

Two critical people remained unidentified:The high-ranking official at the MinistryThe individual who suggested using Daina as a scapegoatDaina wouldn't let any of them go.

"Mr. Dentis," Borgin asked, "are you satisfied with the report? Honestly, it was difficult to dig up so much, given how long ago it all happened. This was the best we could manage."

Daina nodded.

"While it's not everything I hoped for, it's already quite good. Still, I want to keep digging. I must find out who the Ministry official was that helped Ollivander.

I'm offering a 5,000 Galleon reward for that one name alone."

Mr. Borgin gasped.

"You're truly generous, Mr. Dentis! But I must ask—why are you so determined to get to the bottom of this? It involves very powerful people."

Daina paused, then answered:

"Because Anna Avery was the love of my life."

Mr. Borgin nodded solemnly.

"To be loved by someone like you, Ms. Avery must have been a remarkable woman. Rest assured—we'll continue our investigation and bring you answers as soon as possible."

Just then, the door creaked open.

Daina turned.

The Auror who had questioned him earlier was walking into the shop.

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