[Note: Read up to Chapter - 44 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Alright, little lad—are you ready?"
The middle-aged shop manager gave Aris a small, encouraging smile.
"Yeah," Aris nodded, rubbing his temple lightly. "Let's get on with it."
"Right then. Time for part two of the challenge."
The manager picked up The Mysterious Shafiq Family from the table and flipped to the first page.
"Whenever you're ready—begin reciting."
The crowd fell silent once more.
It was as if someone had cast a freezing charm on the street.
Every eye was locked on Aris.
Save for the distant murmur of activity further down Diagon Alley, there wasn't a sound to be heard.
Aris closed his eyes for a moment.
Words began surfacing in his mind—line after line, clear as ink on parchment.
Then he opened his eyes, and that same confident smile returned to his face.
"This book traces the lineage of the Shafiq family—one of the twenty-eight sacred pure-blood families.
From ancient times to the present day, it details the family's legacy, accomplishments, and rise to prominence."
He drew a short breath and continued, word for word.
"'The glory of the past is etched into noble blood, and the name Shafiq shall never fade…'"
As Aris recited, the shop manager's smile faded.
His face grew solemn as he opened the book and followed along, his eyes darting between the pages.
"'The Shafiq ancestors first settled in Egypt during the Arab conquest in the 7th century. Over time, they flourished until the 16th century, when the Ottoman Empire invaded…'"
"During the long and drawn-out war, a branch of the family migrated north to Britain, far from the reach of the Ottoman Empire. It was there they laid down roots, weaving a new and glorious chapter into the family's legacy..."
"In the 1930s, Cantankerus Knott included the family in his compilation of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and from that moment, the Shafiqs began to rise once again, climbing to yet another peak of influence..."
As Aris recited, a heavy hush fell over the entire street.
The expressions on the surrounding witches and wizards gradually shifted from idle curiosity to wide-eyed disbelief. The sheer focus in the air seemed to stir faint magical ripples, distorting the atmosphere with a quiet, otherworldly hum. The whole scene took on a strange, almost surreal quality.
Ten minutes passed.
The manager of Flourish and Blotts—the middle-aged man with the goatee and bowler hat—had long since stopped glancing at the book. He now stared, mouth slightly ajar, at the boy still speaking with steady precision.
"They are the architects of the Floo Network..."
"They are the chroniclers of wizarding history..."
"They stand astride the currents of time, walking through memory and magic alike..."
Hermione Granger's jaw dropped, her wide eyes filled with disbelief.
In the crowd, even Xeno had gone slack-jawed, blinking slowly as if unsure whether he was witnessing a trick or some sort of miracle.
Only Luna wore her usual serene smile.
She gazed at the boy at the centre of the crowd—unshaken, composed, as if wrapped in light.
And without quite knowing why, the first quiet seed of admiration was sown in her heart.
"They crafted the time magic now branded taboo by the wizarding world, concealing themselves at the pivotal moments of every major historical event—watching the course of history unfold and helping preserve the balance of the magical realm..."
Fifteen minutes later, Aris's voice finally paused.
Just when the crowd thought the performance was over—believing surely this was the limit of what a boy his age could recall—Aris calmly reached for the cup of tea set beside him by a shop clerk and took a slow sip.
Then, he carried on.
The recitation resumed.
At this point, the street outside Flourish and Blotts had turned into Aris's personal stage. He spoke with such ease, fluency, and calm that it felt almost theatrical—only it wasn't an act.
By now, no one questioned his memory.
Even if he'd stopped then and there, he would have already earned the admiration of every witch and wizard present. From the beginning to now, Aris had recited well over 5,000 words—far beyond the original challenge set by the bookstore—and he'd done it all under the watchful gaze of dozens, if not hundreds, of onlookers.
There was no room for doubt. No tricks. No shortcuts.
When the count surpassed 10,000 words, the middle-aged manager of Flourish and Blotts drew in a long breath, visibly shaken.
"That's quite enough!"
he called out, a complicated look in his eyes as he addressed the boy still standing confidently at the centre of it all, reciting without so much as a pause.
There was no need to go on.
No matter what came next—it was clear to everyone. Aris Shafiq had already set a record that no one could surpass.
You could even say he made history—becoming the first person to propose and actually complete the ultimate challenge since Flourish and Blotts first launched the event.
And the most remarkable part? He was just a lad of eleven, not even through the doors of Hogwarts yet. The sheer talent and composure he'd shown today was enough to make many fully grown witches and wizards feel thoroughly humbled.
"Well done, lad!"
With that shout, the crowd erupted into warm, resounding applause.
Aris stood among them, calm and unassuming, a modest smile on his face—as if he'd just finished something entirely ordinary.
"I reckon the wizarding world's just gained its next prodigy!"
"I've no doubt this boy will go on to rival the finest magical scholars of our age. Merlin's beard, not even Dumbledore himself could've managed that at his age!"
"I owe you an apology, young man," another wizard admitted. "Didn't think you had it in you—but I was clearly wrong."
"Flourish and Blotts has outdone itself today. We've witnessed something truly special!"
"What I'd really like to know is—what family is he from? With talent like that, he's got to have remarkable blood in his veins!"
Voices rose all around, buzzing with admiration, curiosity, and excitement.
Aris glanced around at the crowd but said nothing. He didn't need to.
His actions had already spoken loud enough.
He simply smiled, then turned his gaze towards the middle-aged manager of Flourish and Blotts.
"Well then, Mr Manager, I reckon I've completed the challenge, yeah?"
"Absolutely," the manager nodded, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
When Aris first proposed the ultimate challenge, he'd never expected it to end like this.
"Forgive me for asking, lad," the manager said cautiously, a hint of curiosity in his tone, "but could you tell me your name?"
"Of course," Aris replied with a polite nod.
"My name's Aris. Aris Shafiq."
The moment the boy uttered that name, the entire street seemed to fall silent once more.
Then, all eyes turned to him—again.
Expressions shifted instantly: a mix of surprise, confusion, and a strange blend of shock and disbelief… with just a touch of indignation flickering across more than a few faces.
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[Note: Read up to Chapter - 44 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]