Alchemy is closely linked to Ancient Magical Runes, and Ancient Magical Runes is an extremely difficult course to learn. Unlike Magic History, most courses in Magic School focus on practice, but Ancient Magical Runes must start with rote memorization.
Characters, glyphs, phonetics, meanings—Ancient Runic Language is far removed from modern languages in every aspect. To grasp the foundation of this course, there's no other method than memorization. Many students who opt for Ancient Magical Runes graduate without having memorized all of it.
Fortunately, Ravenclaw students do not have poor memory; even if they don't match Hermione, Vid had undergone memory-enhancing training, and his memorization speed was not much slower than Hermione's. Within three months of delving into magic, he relied on his formidable memory and love for magical alchemy to memorize several books, repeatedly copying them to reinforce his memory, ensuring no mistakes in this aspect.
After a silence, Professor Morry began questioning the content of those books, then pulled out parchment and quill, randomly asked Vid to write some Ancient Magical Rune characters and phrases.
More than an hour later, Professor Morry had to admit, the student in front of him still seemed like a child, yet he hadn't lied, he truly mastered all the content he claimed to know.
Alchemy is one of the toughest courses at Hogwarts, with very strict standards from Professor Morry—less than ten students choose to study Alchemy each year, all top of their grades. But Professor Morry dared to say, even if he called in the few seventh-year students he taught now, even the best among them would make one or two small mistakes in these questions.
Alchemy demands genius-like sharpness and creativity, as well as meticulous, precise, unyielding meticulousness rivaling a watch's gears. Rarely do these two qualities coexist in a person.
Moreover, this one standing in front was merely a... a...
Professor Morry suddenly realized he knew nothing about the student before him.
"Child, which year are you in now?" the old professor asked kindly.
"First year, sir," Vid replied.
Professor Morry paused again: "I remember—isn't Ancient Magical Runes an elective for third years?"
"Yes, sir," Vid said, trying to seem composed, not like a peacock showing off.
Professor Morry didn't mind whether the student before him appeared mature enough, instead he began to recall his own eleven-year-old self… and his own level when he began studying alchemy at sixteen… and those remarkable wizards he knew—like Dumbledore, like Grindelwald, like Voldemort, and their performance in first year…
As he thought, Professor Morry's gaze at Vid was increasingly like seeing a hidden treasure; his smile grew kinder, and he asked softly: "What's your name? Which college are you from?"
"Vid Gray, Ravenclaw College," Vid said, already sensing something from the change in the other's demeanor.
Professor Morry asked again: "You like alchemy very much, don't you, Vid?"
This time his tone was entirely serious compared to before.
"Yes, Professor," Vid answered as always: "It's a wonderful field, with the power to change the world; perhaps I'll study it all my life."
"As a wizard, what do you think of Muggle technological inventions?" Professor Morry asked further.
This question was simple enough—the furnishings in the office indicated the sort of answer this professor wanted. Yet Vid fell silent, contemplating seriously for a long time before saying: "Muggle technology is advancing rapidly, tools are constantly innovating, information exchange and communication are becoming more efficient, and the impact on the world is becoming more prominent. Wizards need to actively learn, absorb, and integrate; otherwise, they will be left behind by the times."
This was genuinely his heartfelt thought.
Even though he longed for the wonders of magic, when comparing the true disparity between both sides:
Wizard communication—owls; Muggle communication—instant mobile phones, internet.
Wizard population—the United Kingdom has only about three thousand, worldwide only tens of thousands to a million; Muggle population—just in the United Kingdom, there are over 57 million, with 5.4 billion worldwide, increasing to 7 billion in twenty years, 8 billion in thirty.
Wizard killing—the Killing Curse used by few Dark Wizards; Muggle killing—Maxim machine gun, incendiary bombs, nuclear weapons, self-propelled artillery, grenades, intercontinental missiles; even a two-year-old child can shoot.
The disparity between the two sides is so great, that in the past during the Muggle dark ages, Wizards had to hide themselves to ensure survival; in a future of ever-stronger technology, Wizards must learn from the Muggle World, get closer to it, integrate, lest they easily be consumed by the era.
Vid also harbors many more dangerous thoughts, but they aren't convenient to voice. He's afraid that once he speaks too much, Professor Morry's good impression of him will disappear, and he'll be labeled as the "third-generation Dark Lord" or something of the sort—it would be so unfair!
Just this generalized answer already satisfied Professor Morry; he smiled and said: "I teach sixth and seventh-year students every Monday and Thursday; if you have any doubts, you can come to my office at these times. As long as you keep your passion for alchemy, I'm happy to spend two hours every week guiding your studies."
Professor Morry spoke so reservedly, but in the next moment he found a book titled "Learning Magic Item Creation from Scratch" from his collection and loaned it to Vid, setting up a Thursday tutorial before letting Vid leave.
Holding the book as he stepped out, Vid glanced through the window toward the Forbidden Forest beside Black Lake, suddenly remembering the shadow he saw upon waking.
It seemed like it should be Professor Morry then, with the same silver-white hair…
All of a sudden, Vid's steps halted, and he felt a chill—his scalp prickling, goosebumps rising.
When did he see that person? After meeting Professor Morry... was there a gap of ten minutes? Darn it! Burning too intensely, he couldn't remember the time clearly.
In any case, the time shouldn't be too long.
If that person was Professor Morry, how could he reach Vid's location in about ten minutes? Apparition is prohibited at Hogwarts, Professor Morry's old legs wouldn't climb stairs quickly, nor does he seem like a teenager who'd ride a broom to hurry.
If that person wasn't Professor Morry… or Dumbledore… then who could it be? Another professor Vid doesn't know, or...
Vid thought perhaps he was overthinking; Harry Potter's first year at school should have been peaceful... at least for ordinary students... but the chilling thought kept creeping back up.
"What's wrong, Vid?" Professor Morry asked behind him.
The previously familiar and gentle voice suddenly carried a few hints of eerie atmosphere.
"It's nothing." Vid was surprised his voice was so calm at this moment, faintly tinged with gratitude: "Just thinking it's fortunate you discovered me this morning... Were you just coming back from outside?"
"Of course not." Professor Morry didn't seem suspicious, smiling nonchalantly as he explained: "I usually don't live at school, only come through the fireplace when I need to teach—oh, the fireplace in my office can temporarily connect to the Floo Network, specially authorized by the Ministry of Magic. I had just arrived at the office this morning when I heard Griffiths shouting in the hallway—then I met you after going out."