News came from the Friendship Book. Theo opened the cabinet door of the Disappearing Cabinet, and saw Vid with hair stuck to his forehead from sweat, looking extraordinarily exhausted.
"What's going on?" Theo reached out to support him, "You look just like you've been battling a Fire Dragon."
"Honestly, I'd rather face a Fire Dragon." Vid said.
Mind Reading seems to be just magic related to consciousness or the brain, but when resisting it, Vid felt every muscle in his body straining.
By the end of practice, there wasn't a place on his body that didn't hurt.
Theo asked in astonishment, "So you can actually deal with a Fire Dragon now?"
"No, I mean... if facing a Fire Dragon, I'd definitely run away quickly."
Vid said speechlessly, "But this torment... is self-inflicted."
The two tidied up their things to leave, Vid inadvertently saw the parchment Theo used for record-keeping.
After the Disappearing Cabinet was completely improved, they naturally did experiments, each one was a success.
Though this time the experimental results didn't need comparison or analysis, Theo still recorded everything thoroughly and carefully, apparently not intending to discard it anytime soon.
Just like his performance in Magic Potion Class.
Even though Theo wasn't skilled at Magic Potions, his attentiveness and meticulousness were unparalleled.
Over a year, Vid had become very familiar with his companions.
Michael was sharp and empathetic. Although he appeared frivolous, he was actually shrewd and foresighted.
Many times, Vid felt Michael was actually very smart, it was just that he seldom showed it.
Leian was not very talkative but always paid close attention to everyone, solving problems quietly without boasting.
For example, if the target at Umbrella House was broken or a little crab had a malfunction, it was always Leian who fixed it quietly.
Michael's words echoed in Vid's mind.
"Theo."
As they were leaving, Vid said, "Starting tomorrow, let's learn the Stunning Spell."
"Alright." Theo said with a smile, "We're finally going to learn a new spell. Everyone has already mastered the Iron Armor Spell and Disarming Spell, we've been eager to learn new, powerful spells for a long time."
"Learning doesn't equal proficiency, but mastering these three spells can almost qualify someone as a wizard suitable for battle."
Vid hesitated for a moment, then said, "If we succeed in learning the Stunning Spell by next Friday, then you and I, along with Michael and Leian, we can hold a... uh, club activity on Saturday."
Theo asked in surprise, "Just the four of us?"
"Yes, only the four of us."
Vid confirmed, then added, "The activity isn't anything good... if you don't want to participate, that's fine too."
"...I understand."
Theo's expression turned a bit serious, having picked up on Vid's hesitation.
—He hoped they could go together, yet wanted to exclude them.
Theo smiled lightly, "No matter what the others say, I'm definitely going... Is there danger?"
"Danger isn't present now." Vid said, "It's in the future... connected to that person whose name can't be mentioned."
Theo jumped in fright, "The Mysterious Man... has he infiltrated the school again?"
"Not quite." Vid said, "If things go smoothly, perhaps there won't be anything that requires our action."
"You've made me too curious... can't you tell me more details?"
"Some secrets can't be spoken, whether now... or in the future..."
...
Returning to the dormitory, Vid saw a whole coconut sitting on the table and chuckled.
Coconut water is sweet, thirst-quenching, and nutritious. Zoe and the others probably thought he needed quick nutritional replenishment.
Drinking water, washing up, and going to sleep, fatigue quickly ushered him into a deep slumber.
In the days that followed, SSC began learning the Stunning Spell. Theo and the others seemed particularly dedicated, and Harry also lingered until last before leaving.
However, his reason for doing so was because only in Umbrella House could he be sure not to run into Lockhart and Colin Creevey.
The new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, always assumed Harry desired attention like him, and every word he spoke made Harry awkward enough to wish he could disappear.
And Colin Creevey always "accidentally" encountered Harry several times a day and constantly wanted to take his picture. This almost stalker-like flattery made one feel deeply uncomfortable.
Thus, he spent most of his time at Umbrella House seeking some peace.
Michael privately asked Vid, "Not inviting Harry? You know, he... um... easily turned the Mysterious Man to ashes."
"There's no need. Even if he's the Boy Who Lived, frequent contact with that guy isn't good."
Vid glossed over the issue, then said, "If you don't dare mention the name, how about creating a code name?"
"—A code name?"
"How about calling him Tom?" Vid asked.
"Tom? The owner of the Leaky Cauldron?"
Michael had a flash of insight, and said, "Actually, you're referring to the Muggle cartoon 'Tom and Jerry,' right? I've secretly watched some..."
He extended his own imagination.
"That person is like Tom, strong but always being played by the little mouse; and we're Jerry... uh... Jerry?"
Michael hesitated a bit.
Ravenclaw calls themselves "Eagles," certainly wouldn't consider themselves as little mice.
But thinking about it, Voldemort was nothing more than a blue cat that always failed, Michael thought the Jerry Mouse metaphor wasn't so bad either.
He imagined putting the terrifying image of the Dark Lord onto Tom Cat, recalling the plot, and laughed out loud.
Vid also chuckled.
He'd excluded Harry from the start.
After all, this time, what they faced wasn't Voldemort himself, merely a Soul Artifact.
Such matters were best quietly resolved.
If Harry was involved, when Voldemort revived later, he might probe this information from Harry's mind, needlessly creating lethal risks for everyone.
He just wanted his friends to know what he was doing and provide help if necessary, rather than leading them to their deaths.
...
A week passed quickly. On Monday and Wednesday, Vid served detention twice under Professor Sprout.
Detention was actually a punishment for violating school rules, rather than a reward.
Thus, during the two detentions, Professor Sprout spent one hour teaching knowledge, and another hour having him do chores.
Fertilizing, transplanting, de-worming, pollinating...
After each detention, Vid benefited greatly, while also feeling sore and aching.
On the way back to the castle, he heard Malfoy's voice, "I'm not a servant! If my dad knew you dared let me do this, he'd make sure you'd get kicked out of school!"