In the first week of summer vacation, Vid finished all his homework.
It was easy for him, as all the needed knowledge was in his head, and he could complete most of the papers without even needing to flip through books.
On the morning of the eighth day, Professor Morry's son, Steven, appeared at the door.
Since there were no pedestrians on the road at this time, he Apparated directly to the vicinity instead of coming out of the Riddle Family's fireplace.
Early in the morning, there was a sudden knock on the door. Ferdinand opened it to see a tall man standing outside.
"Hello, Mr. Gray. I'm Steven Moray—Is Vid home?"
The tall man displayed a cheerful smile.
"Of course... please come in."
Ferdinand stepped aside from the doorway, with a hint of confusion in his eyes—
Most of the wizards he had seen didn't wear Muggle clothes, but this man in front of him was dressed quite neatly.
Steven Moray, someone Ferdinand had heard Vid mention before.
For some reason, he always imagined him as a chubby kid, but in person, he looked like a basketball player.
"Hi, Steven, long time no see."
Vid came down from upstairs, raised his hand, and greeted.
"Vid, I'm here to take you to Soros Manor."
Steven's smile spread to the corners of his eyes as he said, "I guess you're ready?"
"Of course."
Vid grabbed the pencil case from the cabinet and stuffed it into his pocket. After saying goodbye to his parents, the two left the Gray family together.
The cool morning light spilled over the streets, and most houses' windows were still dark. The thin fog made the distant street scene blurry.
"How are we getting there?" Vid asked.
"Before I left, my father reminded me not to take you by Apparition to avoid any danger."
Steven raised his Magic Wand and said, "So there's only one choice left—the Knight Bus."
With a loud "bang," a three-decker bus seemed to squeeze out of thin air, and the headlights in front emitted a blinding light.
"Won't such a loud noise wake the Muggles?" Vid was startled and asked speechlessly.
"No, the bus has a Masking Spell on it, so Muggles generally can't see or hear it," Steven said.
"Generally?"
"Haha... you're very sharp."
Steven couldn't help but laugh, "Occasionally, some Muggles do notice the bus, but they usually think they're seeing things."
"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, just extend your Magic Wand and step on up, and we'll take you wherever you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I'll be your conductor tonight—"
A thin young man poked half his body out of the door and said a long string of welcome, seemingly noticing the two standing by the roadside only after.
"Please come aboard, gentlemen. What are you waiting for?" Shunpike said enthusiastically.
"Waiting to see when you'll give me a chance to speak... Eleven Silver Sickles each, right?"
Steven led Vid onto the bus and handed Shunpike a Golden Galleon and a few Silver Sickles.
"Would you care for some chocolate, sir? Only two additional Silver Sickles per piece!"
Shunpike asked loudly as he closed the door with effort.
"No, thank you. To Soros Manor," Steven said.
"Alright, sir!" Shunpike responded loudly.
Vid looked around the bus interior. Inside were several brass-posted beds, with curtains drawn on the windows. Candles on stands beside the beds provided a dim light.
Only one bed had a passenger.
The person wore an old sleeping cap and had the blanket tightly wrapped around, emitting only a steady breathing sound, unaffected by the conductor's loud voice.
"Lie down, Vid."
Steven chose a bed and lay down, warning, "This bus rides very wild."
Vid took his advice.
Shunpike raised an eyebrow, "Speed is a man's romance!"
"Thank you, but I hope this romance comes a bit gentler," Steven quipped.
Before he finished speaking, the whole bus bounced like a frog and suddenly shot off into the distance. Vid almost rolled off the bed.
Quickly, he pulled out his Magic Wand and cast a temporary Sticky Spell on his clothes, keeping him from being thrown around by the bus's bumpy ride.
"Wow, a student—you violated the Ministry of Magic's prohibition!"
Shunpike said, then burst into laughter himself.
Steven asked, "Are you going to report me to the Ministry of Magic?"
"Of course—not!"
Shunpike pinched his lips and said in a strange voice, "My lips are as sealed as if they had a Permanent Sticky Spell!"
The driver ahead said, "Sir, we do have professional ethics—Shunpike, stop joking around."
"Yes, Ern!" Shunpike gestured at his forehead with his hand.
Although the Knight Bus drove recklessly, it was very fast, and soon they arrived outside Soros Manor.
Steven and Vid stepped off the bus together as the estate's iron gates slid open silently, closing automatically after they entered.
Compared to a regular Muggle Manor, a wizard's estate was very quiet because maintaining a manor of such size would require at least fifty or sixty servants for Muggles.
But wizards didn't need that.
House-Elves could handle all the complex work.
"Actually, I wanted to invite you to my farm—Soros Manor is a bit too quiet."
Steven said, "But my father said he wants to give you a few days of Alchemy lessons first."
Vid asked, "Don't you need to go to Mr. Scamander's place?"
"Mr. Scamander gave me a two-week summer break."
Steven said happily, "After your classes, we'll have some fun at my farm for a couple of days. When the holiday is over, we'll head to Dorset—Mr. Scamander said he'd welcome your visit."
Vid was also looking forward to it.
...
According to Steven, Soros Manor had over a dozen House-Elves at service, but Vid never saw them.
The food here was also more varied in flavor than the Hogwarts' cafeteria.
Even though the school's Great Hall tables were always filled, it was mostly large platters of roast potatoes, beefsteaks, roast chicken, cakes, and such. Not that it wasn't abundant, but frequent dining in the school cafeteria could get tiresome.
Soros Manor was different.
When Professor Morry was young, he traveled the world and still often attends meetings in other countries to exchange Alchemy Products, even going undercover to Muggle product launches.
As a result, he introduced culinary delicacies from around the world to Soros Manor—Peking duck, Brazilian barbecue, Singapore chili crab, Spanish ham, Mexican tacos...
The menu provided in the dining hall was as thick as a two-inch booklet.
Moreover, you could order meals.
If you decided what you wanted in advance, the House-Elves would deliver it to the table silently within half an hour.
At noon, Professor Morry returned from outside, forgoing any small talk and starting Vid's lessons right away.
"You've already mastered all the basics of Alchemy," Professor Morry said straightforwardly, "This summer, we'll learn something special—Biological Alchemy."