The next day was the first day of school, and as Vid came downstairs neatly dressed, he saw their neighbor sitting in the living room.
One-eyed Alastor Moody was methodically inspecting a piece of sausage he had speared with his fork.
Upon hearing footsteps, his blue magic eye spun around to look directly at Vid right through the back of his head.
"No need to be up so early, kid," Moody gruffly said. "Don't worry about traffic; I'll take you to the station."
Vid said in surprise, "Mr. Moody?"
"Hmm," Moody grunted, "Dumbledore told me about his plan. He's very thorough, but not thorough enough—a crowded place like the station is perfect for observing others."
"So thank Alastor; he's really considerate."
Fiona happily placed a crispy piece of toast on Moody's plate, saying, "Buttered toast, perfectly done."
Moody sniffed, took a careful look, and then said, "Smells delicious, your cooking is excellent, Madam Grey."
"Actually, it's thanks to Coco and the others at home!" Fiona asked, "Would you like some egg custard, Alastor?"
"Yes, thank you very much."
Moody was always polite to Fiona, whether out of the courtesy of sharing food or gentlemanly etiquette.
Ferdinand asked Vid, "Got all your luggage packed?"
"Yes, right," Vid said, "Only Eva doesn't want to go into the cage. Tonight, just let it fly to me on its own."
"That's better; avoids chaos on the train," Ferdinand said.
Just before leaving, Vid hugged his parents. When Fiona's eyes grew watery, he smiled, winking, and said, "Don't worry, Mom. If you miss me, I can be back tonight."
Fiona knew he meant "fly back," and burst into laughter, shaking her head, saying, "You must obey school rules, Vid. Don't let the teachers catch you and expel you!"
She hugged him tightly for a long while before finally letting go.
Recently, the subtly tense atmosphere had caused the always carefree Fiona to feel pressure, making farewells particularly poignant and reluctant.
Ferdinand gave his usual advice, "Stay safe, Vid."
Vid nodded, grabbed Moody's arm, and, with a pop, disappeared from sight.
No matter how much time passes, the stomach-churning sensation of Apparition never changes.
Vid leaned against the wall, waiting a moment until he felt better.
Looking up, they were already at Platform 9 3/4.
The deep red steam train stood on the platform, spewing smoke above, while the platform was filled with students and parents bidding farewell, and all sorts of animals squawking from cages; it was utter chaos.
Moody watched for a while, then suddenly snorted, "More people keeping rats… Dumbledore should make a new rule against keeping rat-type creatures on campus!"
Vid looked around, noticing many girls or first-year students carrying hamster cages, filled with chubby pets, some even asleep.
It seemed they had all forgotten the repulsion Peter Pettigrew had caused.
But this scene reminded Vid of Miss Mirene, the hamster Fiona had previously kept.
Although Vid didn't like such pets, he had to admit it brought Fiona much happiness.
"Those must be Poppet Pets," Vid observed after a moment, "I've seen several identical white hamsters."
"Poppet Pets?" Moody paused, then asked curiously, "Why put those things in a cage?"
Vid thought for a moment, "…Personal preference?"
Moody shook his head in confusion, "…Go find a carriage."
Vid arrived early this time; Michael and the others hadn't arrived yet, so he randomly picked an empty carriage. Moody walked around to check for safety before letting Vid inside.
"Stay vigilant, kid!"
The retired Auror gave one last piece of advice; seeing Vid settled in, he "popped" away.
Vid took a book from his pocket and placed it on the table. As he read for a moment, he felt an extremely intense gaze on him.
He turned his head to see Harry's squashed face, forlornly staring at him through the glass.
"…"
Vid was speechless for a moment before opening the window, "…Harry? What are you doing?"
"Just wait!"
Harry ran around to the carriage door and climbed aboard, then slapped a crumpled piece of paper he'd been clutching onto the table in front of Vid, then straightened it out, revealing a distorted face.
Harry's voice echoed, "Vid, is this the so-called—noble, elegant, kind Ms. Umbridge?"
Heavens know how shocked he was upon seeing the newspaper!
He couldn't fathom what mindset Vid had to praise such a person so highly.
Vid cleared his throat, dissatisfied, and retorted, "Harry, how can you judge someone by appearance? Does being ugly mean they're undeserving of elegance?"
A stern-faced Harry was momentarily taken aback, feeling like he really had no reasoning.
He sat beside Vid, racking his brains for a while, but couldn't figure out how to respond.
Vid chuckled quietly, flipped open his book, and continued studying the "Magical Creatures Research Manual."
The blood and wolf hair Claire provided couldn't be wasted, but to analyze them more thoroughly, he needed to establish a more solid theoretical framework.
The quiet in the carriage continued until almost departure when Harry heard the noisy voices of the Weasley Family outside.
Like a gust of wind, Harry ran out. Vid soon heard him exchanging greetings with the Weasley Family.
In the original story, the often shy young wizard now seemed livelier and more confident, no longer the plot's boy craving love yet often dodging it.
After a while, Michael, Theo, and Leian found the compartment, exchanged greetings, and their luggage quickly filled the racks.
A long whistle sounded, and the conductor began to close the doors one by one.
Hermione came by around this time, bringing gifts she got during her trip to France—
A tiny tower that could spew flames, though the fire was only slightly warm and not burning.
"France has some interesting magic too. I bought several magic books and rewrote my Magic History thesis."
Hermione excitedly said, "If there's a chance, I'd love to visit Beauxbatons Academy! By the way, did you all get 'The Monster Book of Monsters'? I wanted to pre-study, but couldn't open it properly."
"Stroke the book's spine," Vid said, "like petting a cat."
Hermione was surprised, "That's it?"
"Certainly," Vid said. "This book is really like an animal."
"I'll try it! If successful, I can finish it by the time we reach school!"
Just as she hastily came, Hermione left in a rush.
Vid smiled, his heart pounding with the train's gentle swaying.
By tonight at the latest… he would get his hands on the coveted Time Turner!