Carrel was startled and laughed, "That's impossible!"
"Why impossible?"
Glanwhite walked out of the cave with a huge travel bag on his back and asked simultaneously.
"Because the Vid I know doesn't know Magic; he's just a bookish little idiot!"
Carrel said confidently, "He's definitely wearing thick glasses right now, studying advanced mathematics or chess at St. Paul's Public School. Maybe he's even being bullied by classmates, hoping I'll get revenge for him!"
The two were engrossed in conversation, walking right past Vid without noticing the Peregrine Falcon hidden among the leaves and weeds at the cave entrance.
After all, the Peregrine Falcon that Vid had transformed into wasn't fully mature yet, roughly the size of a normal crow with retracted wings, and its dark feathers provided excellent concealment at night.
Glanwhite said speechlessly, "I've already told you, watch less TV. Do you think all smart people are bookworms like on TV?"
Carrel defended, "That's Vid—though he might not wear glasses."
"Kid, stop messing around, listen—"
Glanwhite said seriously, "The Vid Gray I'm talking about is the same person you know. He's not some bullied bookworm, but a rising genius Alchemist!"
Carrel seemed too shocked and remained silent for a moment.
The two stepped on thick branches and leaves, walking along the forest path, a creaking sound underfoot.
Though the forest was very dark, they avoided all obstacles without any illumination.
Vid silently followed from above, occasionally stopping to create a gap.
To avoid being discovered, he couldn't get too close. Fortunately, the forest was very quiet, so he could clearly hear their conversation.
"Vid Gray is highly valued by Dumbledore now; he's invented the Flow Mirror, Friendship Book, and Poppet and is a collaborator of Aslan Magic Workshop."
Glanwhite continued, "Flow Mirror and Friendship Book are just the start. The leader wants the method to make Poppets and even sent people to infiltrate Aslan Magic Workshop for it."
"But later, our people found that the making of Poppets was divided into dozens of steps, completely secret from the creation of Magic Materials. Even if we bribed one or two employees, we couldn't obtain the technology."
"Those who fully master Poppet-making are very few worldwide. Among them, Vid Gray is the easiest and most valuable target."
"The leader hopes we can get the method of making Poppets from Vid Gray and ideally persuade him to willingly work for us."
"Do you understand now, Carrel? Why this mission includes you, who haven't even graduated from training camp yet."
Carrel's warm and bright smile had long disappeared. He remained silent for a long time before replying quietly:
"So what should we do? Kidnap Vid... Gray?"
Glanwhite shook his head, "More than a month ago, the operation team attempted to but everyone sent was wiped out … We don't even know who did it."
"Now, Vid Gray has returned to Hogwarts, with Dumbledore there. It's almost impossible to take away Vid Gray."
"But I heard there are people from us in that school too." Carrel tentatively asked, "Can't we use a Portkey…"
"Foolish boy, Portkey tracking is easier than you think! Do you want to expose the organization's secret base to a Great Mage like Dumbledore?"
Glanwhite glared, his concern for Dumbledore apparent.
He patted the boy's head, reprimanding, "It's clear you didn't listen well in class, even missed getting hit by the whip!"
Carrel chuckled, "Can't blame me, theory classes are so boring—so what does the leader want me to do?"
"We can't be impulsive; we need to wait for the right time. You should change your appearance first, find an opportunity to meet Vid Gray... Since you've been friends since childhood, even with a different appearance, it should be easy to build a friendship…"
As Glanwhite shared their plan, he subconsciously lowered his voice.
After speaking, Carrel asked, "Can you think of a way to transfer me to Hogwarts? I'm outside, and he's in school. No way to execute the mission."
"Do you think Hogwarts is— Muggle School?"
Glanwhite said unhappily, "Transferring is possible, but I'm afraid as soon as you step in, your true identity will be exposed—I heard there's a deep Magic that shows one's real name."
"With Hogwarts' thousand-year history, no one knows how much Protective Magic has been applied. So if you want to sneak in there with a disguised identity, forget it!"
Though he verbally reprimanded Carrel, Glanwhite internally cursed his colleagues for not handling subsequent matters well after kidnapping Carrel.
If it wasn't for the uproar in the British Magic World over the disappearance of an underage Wizard, Carrel could have justifiably entered Hogwarts as a transfer student.
Thus, once reunited, everything would proceed much more smoothly, no matter the task.
Carrel yawned, not taking Glanwhite's words seriously.
He slightly raised his head, looking at the distant Muggle Town's lights, his blue eyes appearing very clear.
They walked into the town on foot, knocking on the door of a rundown inn at midnight, then booked a room.
The birds at night were startled by the knocking and flew up, flapping down again.
Two deep brown owls rested on the branches outside the inn's window, turning their heads to search for mice, suddenly joined by another bird.
The owl turned its head a full 180 degrees, solemnly staring at the Peregrine Falcon behind, making a "hoo, hoo" sound.
The Peregrine Falcon stared straight back.
Luckily, these two owls were Long-eared Owls, slow-flying and good-natured. If they were Eagle Owls, they probably would have jumped up and picked a fight with the Peregrine Falcon by now.
So Vid saw the Long-eared Owl, like it grew squirrel ears, move sideways a few steps, giving him enough space. Then the Long-eared Owl stared at the sparrow on the nearby wire, as if daydreaming.
The Peregrine Falcon accepted the gesture from the owls, moved forward two steps, and three birds stood in line together, looking harmonious.
Vid was quite satisfied with his current position; he didn't even need to turn his head to see Carrel and Glanwhite who just entered the guest room.
After putting down their bags, the two didn't immediately rest.
Carrel pushed the TV aside, popped a crimson lollipop into his mouth, took out a Flow Mirror, and continued to stare at the outer wall of The Hog's Head Inn from the bed.
Glanwhite, on the other hand, took out a pen and a Notebook, and when he opened it, several photos fell out.
He spat, cursed, and bent down to pick up.
The Peregrine Falcon slightly narrowed its eyes.
Among them, he saw the photos of Werewolf Will and Lupin, and the female werewolf, Claire.