[Vid: Dad, if during the interview you determine he's trustworthy, please tell him—I will meet him this Saturday morning at the Three Broomsticks Inn in Hogsmeade Village.]
[Ferdinand: Can you leave the school?]
[Vid: I have a way.]
[Ferdinand: Is it safe?]
[Vid: Don't worry, Hogsmeade has always been under Mr. Dumbledore's watchful eye.]
...
An open book page held a moving Magic Photo—the love in the parents' eyes and the child's happy smile were permanently captured by the camera.
Ferdinand stared at it for a long time before closing the Friendship Book.
Although the words disappeared from the paper, they were already etched in his mind.
At the train station farewell, the father and son vaguely lifted a veil called "superficial peace." Since then, Vid gradually started writing in the Friendship Book about truths he had previously hidden from them.
For instance, Slytherin still upholds the pure-blood supremacy and often clashes with Gryffindor; or that he plans to practice more advanced spells with some classmates to prepare for the future.
Vid also asked Ferdinand for help in placing a job advertisement in the Prophet Daily, with the return address as a guest room at the Leaky Cauldron—Ferdinand rented the room for a month and checked the received mail after work every day. The innkeeper, Tom, seemed difficult to deal with at first but was actually a warm-hearted person, helping to sort through various job applications daily.
The advert had stringent conditions, but the salary was just average. Even so, there were many letters arriving from all directions every day. Vid specifically reminded Ferdinand that some wizards might include curses or harmful Magic Potions in their letters, advising him not to open them himself.
In truth, Vid didn't need to remind him; Ferdinand was already very wary of magic. He spent quite a sum hiring Innkeeper Tom to check whether the mail was safe—Ferdinand believed that anyone who could run a bar on such a busy thoroughfare like Diagon Alley, and continue operating under poor hygiene conditions, must have decent magical skills.
Among the letters, some included their Hogwarts graduation results and asked for a higher salary; others boasted of their abilities but couldn't provide any effective proof beyond their own tall tales.
But none of that mattered, because from the beginning, Ferdinand knew this job ad was meant for one person only—Vid had somehow heard of this wizard's name and insisted on hiring only this person. No matter how impressive other resumes were, they stood no chance of being hired.
And now, that person finally arrived.
Ferdinand was determined to ensure his son's future by vetting this individual. If this Remus Lupin character was all show and no substance, or had questionable character, Ferdinand would never allow him near his son.
"Knock, knock!"
The guest room door was knocked, and Innkeeper Tom's voice came from outside: "Mr. Gray, Mr. Lupin is already at the bar."
"Okay, I'm coming." Ferdinand took a deep breath, adjusted his collar, and walked out.
Arriving at the bar on the first floor, guided by Innkeeper Tom, Ferdinand saw him—the man with strands of white in his brown hair, wearing a wizard robe patched in several places. He seemed young but appeared haggard and aged, much like those middle-aged unemployed men who hold placards seeking work at Canary Wharf.
Ferdinand frowned.
A wizard who seemed unable to make a basic living—this was his first impression of Remus Lupin.
According to Ferdinand's understanding of magic, making a living legally should be easier for a wizard than a Muggle... How bad must his skills be if he can't even afford a new outfit?
Or does he think wearing worn-out clothes is more likely to elicit sympathy from an employer?
But this was the person Vid wanted to find.
Ferdinand still approached him.
The wizard noticed the commotion from afar, raising his head sharply. Although he looked exhausted, his eyes revealed composure and serenity, and the swift, concealed grip on his Magic Wand made him seem quite vigilant.
Ferdinand suddenly understood—this indeed was the person Vid had been waiting for a long time.
...
"Huh, strange."
During breakfast, Padma flipped through the newspaper, muttering.
"What's strange?" Michael asked, mouth full of pie.
"A job ad I used to see every day in the paper has disappeared." Padma tilted her head, as if trying to find the vanished ad through the newspaper's cracks.
"Must've hired someone!" Michael said unconcernedly.
"No way!" Padma said, bewildered. "We even discussed in the dormitory that 10 Galleons a week shouldn't attract a wizard of that level—"
Vid said nothing, quietly finishing his breakfast.
After class, Vid walked alone up the stairs, and the changing staircases took him to the fifth floor. Vid looked around for a while and finally found the large mirror Machioni mentioned in his letter.
Vid tapped the mirror with his Magic Wand, softly saying, "mostrar la verdad!"
The mirror suddenly turned, revealing a dark passage behind it. Vid lit his Magic Wand with the Lumos Spell and looked inside, only to be stunned.
In front of him was only a few steps of empty space; beyond that, the passage was completely collapsed. Rubble, bricks, and soil had blocked the once-spacious passage entirely, and traces of Dark Magic could be seen on the wall.
Someone had used a very dangerous Explosive Spell here, completely destroying this secret passage.
Vid silently stepped back, restored the mirror, and then took out the Friendship Book.
[Vid: The passage collapsed.]
[Machioni: What? It was usable when I was in school! Didn't the castle's magic prevent it from collapsing?]
[Machioni: Never mind, I know another secret passage, behind Paracelsus's portrait on the sixth floor. It's easy to find; he's wearing a furry Red Cap, chubby, and loves having someone chat with him. Talk to him about Alchemy or Divination, and he'll tell you anything...]
Vid: ...
It seems Machioni's student life was quite colorful as well.
He ascended the staircase and easily found the portrait, bored and picking its fingers. Just as Vid was about to start a conversation, he suddenly felt a concealed gaze. Turning his head, he saw Mrs. Loris, squatting on the ground, licking her paws, and watching him with her ghostly eyes.
Mrs. Loris was the pet cat of the castle caretaker Filch; like her owner, she was old and frail, her fur dulled, yet her senses remained sharp and reactions quick. Once spotting a rule-breaking student, she'd sprint to fetch her owner, ensuring the offending student faced punishment. Much like Filch, most students at the school despised her deeply.
The human and cat stared at each other.
Students walking around the school openly during the day certainly wasn't against the rules. But once he opened the secret passage, Mrs. Loris would surely bring Filch over.
Most importantly—Filch probably knew about this secret passage's existence as well, making it no longer safe to enter or exit through it.
Vid decided to leave.
"Hey, Vid!" Fred and George appeared from who knows where, greeted him enthusiastically, and took Vid along with them.
Fred draped an arm over Vid's shoulder, quietly asking:
"You're looking for the castle's secret passages?"