Michael had already left.
Vid turned his head, looking at the window glass.
The reflection in the glass had a pair of gray eyes. They weren't as deep as black eyes, nor as bright as blue ones; they were more like the serene surface of a lake in autumn and winter, devoid of intense emotions.
Sometimes, people who made eye contact with him would feel an extraordinary chill, making one wonder if his heart was just as cold.
Through the reflection on the glass, one could see outside the castle, a group of students carrying brooms, braving the rainy weather, trudging across the lawn back to the castle. Their faces and bodies were covered in mud, as if they had rolled in a swamp, making it hard to see their features, but among them, the smallest figure was still particularly conspicuous.
Soon after, a man wrapped in a headscarf, looking cold, scurried across the field of vision.
Shortly thereafter, a bat-like figure walked briskly into the castle, the sides of his robe billowing high in the wind, and even the rain seemed to avoid him fearfully. His complexion was gloomier than the overcast sky, and all the students he encountered along the way hurriedly stepped aside in fear.
Vid couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Harry Potter.
Voldemort.
Severus Snape.
The Savior, the Dark Lord, and the former Death Eater.
A group of people whose identities were filled with contradictions, even murderous intent, coexisted peacefully in the same castle as teachers and students, just waiting for the final moment when the hidden blades would be revealed.
Thinking of Michael's expression as though his soul had been baptized when he left, Vid's mouth curled slightly.
He cleared the clutter on the table, organized his recent homework and notes, and headed toward the Astronomical Tower.
—Of course you need to bring Harry Potter in, and even do your best to help him increase his strength. If by any chance Voldemort resurrects—or due to some butterfly effect—gains more power, who will stand against him?
—Is it the currently still-weak Vid? Is it Michael, who spends his days mingling with the girls? Or is it Dumbledore, who in the story, falls from a high tower due to a curse?
Harry Potter, despite his many faults—such as recklessness, impulsivity, lack of discipline, among others, despite his proficiency in only a few spells, and achieving only average results in other courses except for Defense Against the Dark Arts... He was nonetheless the undisputed weapon against Voldemort.
Ignoring his infant days, since starting school, in a year-by-year confrontation with Voldemort, Harry Potter has invariably been the victor, and in his final year, as if aided by divine intervention, he managed to find all of Voldemort's hidden Soul Artifacts in a remarkably short time, ultimately burying this Dark Lord, while emerging almost unscathed himself.
The protagonist halo... or the child of fortune...
Vid currently does not have the power to defeat Voldemort, so he would never refuse such a friend.
Even if one day he surpasses Voldemort in power, he would not turn Harry Potter away—life is unpredictable, and Harry Potter is perpetually a powerful card.
Outside the castle, steady rain drizzled down, lightning flashed across the sky, and the bright light penetrated the window, casting mottled shadows, abruptly appearing and disappearing.
...
"Terrible weather, isn't it?"
Professor Morry poured himself a cup of hot tea, pondered for a moment, then added some milk and sugar, and sat comfortably in his chair, saying.
"Yes." Vid also cupped his hot tea, smiling as he said, "Though I also think this kind of weather seems particularly suited for sleeping in. Muggles call this kind of uniform, continuous sound white noise and believe it can mask other sound frequencies and thus improve sleep quality."
As he became more familiar with Professor Morry, Vid learned this professor's attitude towards Muggles, no longer shying away from discussing Muggle theories and technology with him.
"White noise…" Professor Morry mused for a moment before laughing and saying: "They always have some fascinating and peculiar studies, don't they? I read a... um, research report once that seemed to study the relationship between the length of human ring fingers and intelligence."
"But there are also some quite intriguing studies, like the interaction between dreams and reality, time travel, forms of extraterrestrial life, and so on." Vid thought momentarily, a bit longingly, as he said, "They're exploring beyond Earth, and if interstellar travel truly becomes possible, I would love to be one of its passengers."
"I hope for the same, but at my age, I probably won't see the day. You, on the other hand, if you live well, might have the chance—or create the Philosopher's Stone like Mr. Nicolas Flamel," Professor Morry chuckled as he said.
Vid smiled along and said, "I read in a book that the Philosopher's Stone can produce the Elixir of Life—so is Mr. Nicolas Flamel still as he was in his youth?"
He remembered the Nicolas Flamel from the movies seemed like a walking pale ghost, his bones fragile enough to break upon touch, and he wondered if it would be different in this world.
"Hmm—" Professor Morry pondered for a while before saying, "I can only say— the Elixir of Life indeed allows the owner to evade death, but the accumulative effects of six centuries are daunting, and alchemy potions can't entirely offset those effects—"
"Such longevity doesn't seem that meaningful then," Vid tilted his head thoughtfully as he said.
Professor Morry couldn't help but laugh, "Only a young man like yourself, bursting with vitality, would say such a thing without hesitation. Once you're as old as I am, you'll understand—as one nears the end of life's journey, the fear of death, the attachment to life, will instill a fear of death, along with a yearning for longer existence."
"Does Professor Morry also think this way?" Vid couldn't help but ask.
"I'm merely human; of course, I do." Professor Morry caressed the tea cup as he spoke, "But Albus once said—death is a great adventure. No one knows what the world after death is like—it could be terrifying as per the legends, or wonderful as they say, or just a void—"
Professor Morry seemed to recall something, pausing momentarily, then suddenly murmured, "So I both fear death and await its coming—I will keep going forward, to see what lies ahead—"
Vid quietly watched him.
Professor Morry suddenly snapped out of his reverie and said with a smile, "These are too early for you—speaking of which, have you come up with an answer to the question I left you before?"
"Yes." Vid took out the small box from his pocket and placed it on the table, speaking in a disapproving tone, "But Professor, this is too valuable."
"The value of a gift doesn't lie in how much it costs, but in how you will use it." said Professor Morry in a friendly and encouraging tone, "Tell me your thoughts."
Vid opened the box: "This is a piece of Occamy skin—Steven told me about this creature. Its body can stretch and shrink at will, capable of becoming as large as a dragon or fit into a tiny teapot, and it generally feeds on insects and mice—"
Professor Morry nodded and asked, "Hmm, what else?"
Vid took a deep breath, "—It's the best material to use for The Undetectable Extension Charm."