Michael pondered, then gradually understood.
"He's so tall, even the Fire Dragon would find him adorable... But he surely wouldn't think others feel the same way, right? Would he?"
Vid thought for a moment, then said tactfully, "Why don't you... guess?"
Michael suddenly thought of the biting "The Monster Book of Monsters" in his backpack, and his pumpkin pie didn't seem so appetizing anymore.
Vid looked sympathetically at the excited and expectant students.
Students participating in the Maze Challenge have almost all witnessed Hagrid smack a giant insect away with a single slap and lift stranded students out of danger by grabbing their collars with two fingers.
In the eyes of the rescued students, the somewhat ferocious image was like a brilliant hero descending from the heavens.
Therefore, at this moment, many students are genuinely looking forward to Hagrid's class, without ever imagining that Hagrid could easily swat away spiders and have everyone walk with Fanged Flyers all semester.
Vid had already learned a lot about Magical Creatures from Steven, and if not for the Time Turner, he wouldn't have chosen to attend Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons.
Divination and Muggle Studies weren't on Vid's wishlist either.
But now...
Vid thought, perhaps he could try to get Hagrid to teach more useful things... or maybe skipping class is also a good option.
...
After dinner, the students, who had been sitting on the train all day, felt exhausted. Returning to the lounge, they didn't bother with chatting, bid each other farewell, and returned to their dormitories to sleep.
The dormitory had long been cleaned by the House-Elves, and although Ravenclaw Tower was high up, cold rain was pouring down tonight, the room was still warm.
Vid's luggage had already been delivered, his clothes and backpack were neatly arranged, a pot of hot water sat on the table, and slippers were placed on the entrance carpet.
Vid restrained his excitement, quickly washed up, sat at the desk, and took out the Time Turner to study.
Golden magic patterns expanded in his view, a tiny Hourglass smaller than a thumb extended into a composition more complex than the DNA molecular map, every possible corner glowed slightly with golden magic patterns, interwoven with other Magic Items in the room, like an overlapping holographic image.
Vid held his breath, immersed in this magnificent mystery.
How could such great magic be accomplished with just a Spell?
Vid looked at the mysterious Hourglass in the center of the Time Turner, determinedly placed the Golden Chain around his neck, and turned the dial once.
In an instant, various blurred colors and shapes swept past Vid, like entering the legendary time tunnel, with clock ticks audible in his ears.
The sound was deafening, and Vid couldn't hear anything else.
But Vid was completely focused, trying his best to look around, amidst the shifts of light and shadow, vaguely feeling like he saw some different paths.
Moments later, Vid felt his body sway, the surrounding scene changed.
House-Elf Zoe was hanging clothes; hearing the noise, she quickly turned around and stared at Vid in astonishment.
"Vid Gray suddenly appeared! Why is he in the dormitory? At this time, he should be in the Great Hall for dinner..."
Zoe hadn't finished muttering when she noticed the Time Turner in Vid's hand.
"It's Mr. Vid Gray from the future."
Zoe bowed, then said, "Vid Gray chose every course, a choice only Hogwarts' best students make... Very few have the energy to study so much, Vid Gray is truly amazing..."
"Thank you, Zoe."
While speaking, Vid grasped the dial, once again rewinding time.
This time, he was sure to capture that difference!
When he regained his footing, the room was empty; even the air felt damp and chilly.
Vid groaned, covered his eyes, his eyes felt fiery pain like he'd rubbed them with freshly cut onions, tears involuntarily streamed down.
"Quickly recover... heal completely..."
Vid pointed his Magic Wand at his eyes, chanting the Spell several times before feeling better.
Looking in the mirror, Vid saw his eyes were bright red, seemingly bloodshot.
Apparently, he couldn't continue exploring the magic traces during time reversal for now.
Vid knew he had plenty of time to examine it, but to avoid meeting himself later in the same spot, he immediately took his essential clothing, cast a Disillusionment Charm, and left the dormitory for the Room of Requirement.
Inside, the Room of Requirement had most of the detection tools Vid needed, including Magic Items and Muggle instruments, though Muggle products were mechanical—like an optical microscope—not electronic microscopes or plasma mass spectrometers.
Vid used several magic detections in a row; the Time Turner stayed quiet, showing no changes.
This instrument housed a strong Ant-Curse.
Then Vid tried employing Muggle methods, first putting the Time Turner under the microscope, using a Lighting Charm for suitable lighting, slowly adjusting the knobs.
A clearer image appeared in the mirror, Vid pointed his Magic Wand, projecting that small image onto the wall.
The Golden Chain... and the surrounding ring-shaped frame were nothing special, appearing to be ordinary materials, magic patterns monotonous and regular.
But the Hourglass... the white sand in the Hourglass seemed like ground sugar.
Vid looked for a while; his heart suddenly stirred.
From a bag, he retrieved a small vial of Gold Powder collected from Professor Morry and others, and from the exhibition site, similarly placed under the microscope to observe.
Gold Powder mixed with some very fine white specks unlike those in the Hourglass by shape and size, but Vid remembered their magic patterns were similar under another vision.
He suddenly recalled how when touching Gold Powder, his blood flow seemed to slow, consciousness blurred,
like time itself slowed, response rate drastically reduced, seeming as though it created an invisible barrier between him and reality.
Placing Gold Powder and the Hourglass together, he bit the bullet, reopened another vision, watching their similar yet distinct magic patterns.
But... how could it be?
These were creatures even magic users barely knew, Werewolves...
Vid wrapped the Golden Chain around his wrist, contemplating the white sand within the Hourglass, eyes deep and profound.