"Professor?" Vid was somewhat surprised.
"Some people's danger isn't apparent on the surface." Professor Morry intertwined his fingers, looked at Vid, and asked, "How much do you understand about curses and contracts?"
Vid thought for a moment: "I've read about the Unbreakable Vow and Fidelius Charm in books. Last time, the Magic Contract you established for Mr. Machioni and me, I've researched a bit, but I haven't systematically studied this area yet."
He had only been studying magic for a short time, and there was so much for him to learn. Knowing the future would become increasingly chaotic and dangerous, Vid's focus had always been on improving his survival rate.
He no longer placed his hopes for safety on anyone else, only urgently wished he could have the ability to handle any crisis.
Professor Morry nodded and was not disappointed by this.
—Or, rather, when discovering Vid still had things he didn't understand, it gave him some sense of achievement as a professor.
Professor Morry said, "The Unbreakable Vow is an extremely powerful oath; anyone who breaks the promise will die, so it's only used in extreme situations. It's like a Blood Alliance, an oath that even those willing to keep promises wouldn't easily establish. Let's not discuss this now."
—Blood Alliance?
Vid felt a slight stir in his heart.
"The Fidelius Charm is extraordinarily complex and powerful, used to conceal secrets, but the choice of Secret Keeper is key—if the Secret Keeper betrays, the charm becomes useless; if the Secret Keeper dies, all who know the secret become new Secret Keepers. Thus, the charm places all hope on one person—"
Professor Morry paused for a moment and said, "Harry Potter's parents died because of a wrong Secret Keeper."
Vid knew about this matter but still asked: "That person was—"
"Sirius Black."
Professor Morry slowly recited the name with a tone of disgust and then said, "He used to be best friends with James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew but betrayed them, leading to the deaths of the two, and he himself was imprisoned in Azkaban. The only one still outside is Remus Lupin, but I haven't heard about him for many years..."
Vid slowly nodded, "Are you worried he's a hidden Dark Wizard and might harm me?"
"Not just that, he is also..."
—Werewolf.
Professor Morry hesitated for a moment and swallowed the word.
Having a few Death Eaters among the students is quite normal, as almost all Wizards in the United Kingdom have attended Hogwarts; every kind of person exists there. But if it were known that Dumbledore brought a Werewolf into the school and let him live with other children for seven years, even the Wizards supporting Dumbledore would likely think he's mad.
But if Vid isn't aware of this fact, he could also encounter danger.
Professor Morry considered this for a moment before half-hiding it, saying, "He's someone you shouldn't approach on a full moon—you are a smart child, you should understand what I mean."
Vid nodded straightforwardly, saying, "In our Defense Against the Dark Arts class two days ago, Professor Quirrell talked about various treatments for injuries from Werewolf bites, and I've learned some myself."
"Knowing this, do you still want him to be your agent?" Professor Morry said, "You know this means he always presents uncontrollable danger—if you need, I can introduce some reliable and safe people to you."
Vid, for a moment, felt somewhat tempted because he knew that since Professor Morry said so, it meant he would use his methods to ensure the people introduced were reliable.
But after hesitating for a while, Vid still said, "I am very grateful, Professor. But I've promised to give him this opportunity... it's already a promise for me... unless his character is despicable, I don't want to easily break the promise."
Professor Morry felt some concern but wasn't surprised.
"If that's the case." He said as he summoned several books, "Today, we will pause the teaching of Alchemy and talk about Magic Contracts—this is the most common way to establish trust among unfamiliar Wizards."
...
Time flowed smoothly and silently like a stream, and in the blink of an eye, it was Saturday.
This week was not a Hogsmeade weekend, so most of the students were sleeping in the dormitories. Early in the morning, Vid donned his clothes, wrapped a blue-green scarf around his neck, and came to the Great Hall.
Extremely rare, Professor Morry was also in the teacher's seat in the Great Hall for breakfast, which made Professor McGonagall quite surprised, looking at him several times before cautiously greeting, as if confirming whether this Professor Morry was impersonated by someone else.
"Don't be so strange, Minerva."
Professor Morry, while smiling and nodding at Vid, said to Professor McGonagall, "I occasionally want to feel the vibrant atmosphere brought by the children."
Vid bowed slightly to Professor Morry, sat at the long table, and then saw the plate in front of him replaced with his favorite food, and a few familiar candies beside it.
He picked up the candy first and tried one; the taste was sweet and refreshing, not at all cloying, exactly like what his mother sent.
It seemed the House-Elf's culinary research had been quite successful.
After breakfast, Vid first came to the outside of the castle's main gate, and before waiting for long, Professor Morry also came out and said with a smile, "Hogwarts' kitchen dishes are increasingly diverse with good taste. I haven't been here for a long time; it seems I've missed many interesting changes."
Vid also smiled and casually said, "Some House-Elves surely aren't just working but are dedicatedly researching cuisine, right?"
"An interesting thought—quite interesting—" Professor Morry glanced at Vid and said, "Generally, people would think some Wizard provided them with better recipes, rather than believing House-Elves would proactively research cooking."
"Why?" Vid asked puzzled, "They have intelligence, rich emotions, having some personal hobbies and working hard into them, breaking through, isn't that quite normal?"
Professor Morry was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Vid, oh Vid...you know many things, but after all, you grew up in the Muggle world...some things that are common knowledge to others, you know nothing—this is very normal, so normal—"
He lovingly patted Vid's head, his gaze making it seem as if he was looking at a child just learning to speak.
"House-Elves have no self-awareness, Vid." Professor Morry smiled and said, "Or—House-Elves with self-awareness are... quite dangerous for Wizards, you should remember this, child."