"Dumbledore." Madam Pomfrey suddenly said, "I might have a way to restore him to human form, but I'll need your help."
"Alright."
Dumbledore put away the Crystal Bottle and walked over.
Fox landed on ProfessorBurbage's shoulder and instantly disappeared with him from the room.
...
In the dormitory, Vid suddenly felt a pang of anxiety in his sleep, and he jolted awake, clutching his chest as his heart raced.
—A nightmare?
He shook his head, unable to remember what he'd just dreamed.
He looked at the time again, realizing it hadn't been long since he fell asleep.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he got out of bed, picked up the water on the desk, and drank a few gulps. The cold water had a bitter taste of tea.
He casually waved his hand, lighting an oil lamp, and realized he had picked up the wrong cup; the cold water was still on the desk, and in his hand was a cup of black tea.
By now, he had drunk most of the tea, leaving only some dregs and tea leaves in the cup.
Vid glanced outside; the starry sky was dark, with only a few sparse stars twinkling.
He didn't know why, but he still felt a vague uneasiness.
Looking at the teacup in his hand, inspiration struck him. He drank down the remaining tea, leaving just a sip, and rotated the cup three times before turning it over onto the saucer.
A moment later, Vid righted the teacup and looked at the residue on the saucer, his mind conjuring up corresponding images and meanings.
An octopus—signifying a warning.
He gently rotated the saucer, observing from different angles.
A cross—symbolizing trials and tribulations.
A skull—indicating danger.
A crab—suggesting an enemy nearby.
Vid lowered his eyes and looked again, confirming it wasn't his imagination.
His eyes truly could discern something different from the tea leaves.
Vid put down the cup and walked to the window. After observing for a moment, he suddenly transformed into a Peregrine Falcon and soared into the sky.
He circled the school, focusing particularly on the Forbidden Forest and Black Lake, but found no hidden enemy forces emerging.
Just as he planned to check the entrances of the school's hidden passages, Vid saw two silhouettes emerge from the night.
"What bad luck," Fred complained. "Professor Kettleburn insisted on watching us enter the school before leaving... otherwise, I would have taken the chance to sneak back and eavesdrop!"
George sighed, "No choice. He's taught us for two years and knows us too well."
"I should have behaved a bit better in Care of Magical Creatures Lessons back then."
"No choice, Monchi's mouth is too foul. Could you resist teaching him a lesson?"
"Haha, unlikely—but can't you say something other than 'no choice'?"
"Alright—I'm curious, what's with that Werewolf?"
"Good question, that's what I want to know too."
As they entered the castle, a voice suddenly joined them: "What Werewolf?"
"Wow—"
The twins jumped and turned around, only to find it wasn't Filch catching them.
"Vid?" Fred asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
"Saw you two coming back at night and got curious," Vid said. "Did you run into Professor Kettleburn? Did he catch you and send you back?"
The twins exchanged a glance and then pulled Vid into the nearby empty classroom, saying mysteriously, "No—we encountered something really exciting, really strange tonight..."
After recounting the night's events, George sighed, "I really don't get it, why a Werewolf now? And I always felt Hagrid seems to know that Werewolf..."
Fred nodded, "Exactly! But they treat us like kids, won't let us hear anything, just shoo us away!"
"Because we're students, we can't do much, right?" Vid waved his hand. "Go back to sleep early; you have classes tomorrow morning."
In the empty classroom, Fred and George exchanged looks.
"What's going on, isn't this strange?" Fred asked in surprise. "Did he just walk away like that?"
George rubbed his chin and guessed, "Maybe he thinks we're making up stories to fool him? Like we'll shout 'surprise' when it ends..."
"Sigh... the after-effects of lying too much, telling the truth and no one believes..." Fred said in lament.
"But he was right about one thing," George said.
"What?"
"If we don't go back to sleep, we'll definitely be late for tomorrow's Transfiguration Class!"
...
Vid quickly left the Weasley Twins, walking briskly to a nearby toilet cubicle. After estimating the time, he took out the Time Turner and spun it thrice without hesitation.
Time rewound rapidly, and Vid heard the ticking of a clock and the whispering of innumerable voices.
He closed his eyes.
A moment later, the dizziness faded, and the surroundings remained dimly lit.
Sitting on the toilet lid, Vid was just about to leave when he heard a deliberately lowered, familiar voice—
"What's Malfoy up to?"
Theo was lurking at the toilet door, secretly watching the two figures at the end of the corridor.
"Reporting to Filch."
Leian stood behind him, straining to overhear the conversation between the two:
"He's saying that at night... there are students wandering near the Potions Classroom underground corridors... Filch says he'll catch those rule-breakers..."
"Since when did Malfoy start caring about the rules?" Theo frowned in thought, then had a flash of insight: "Could he be talking about Vid?"
"Possibly."
"We have to find a way to warn him, so he doesn't get caught by Filch!"
The two whispered as they left the toilet.
Subsequently, Vid tapped his wand on his head, feeling a chill wash over him, and his body seemed to blend with the surroundings like a chameleon.
Vid exited the toilet, and not long after, he saw two students running into the castle, pressed for time due to curfew.
It was Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater.
Penelope was a female Prefect from Ravenclaw, with long, curly brown hair, smart and beautiful, with a good personality, and many boys in the house liked her.
Surely Percy wouldn't act pretentiously around Penelope, right? Otherwise, Vid couldn't understand Penelope's choices.
He left the castle, transformed into a Peregrine Falcon, and soared into the sky.
Soon, Hogsmeade Village appeared before Vid, and he folded his wings, landing on a large tree, almost entirely concealed by its broad leaves.
The Peregrine Falcon's gray eyes watched the Three Broomsticks Inn ahead. Through the semi-transparent glass, he could vaguely see two figures sitting inside, one of them exceptionally tall.
The Peregrine Falcon slowly scanned the surroundings, checking to see if anyone else, like him, was watching the two people inside.