After the signal hijacking incident, Sirius Black said:
"...All the Ministries of Magic in various countries are at their wits' end, but I think this is a great thing... At least it proves that Vid has unique value to that person, and he won't be in danger for the time being."
"He's a smart kid, Remus, trust Vid... He'll certainly hold out until we rescue him."
Lupin knew that Sirius was trying to relieve him of his guilt, but he couldn't even pretend to put on a reassuring expression.
His pain was not just because of his negligence, but because he was worried... When they had a way to rescue Vid, Vid might prefer to choose the other side.
Unlike Sirius, who was always out and about with a carefree personality, Lupin had been in contact with Vid longer, communicated more frequently, and had long faintly detected... certain thoughts of Vid's.
Unlike the inherently kind and naive Harry, Vid seemed accustomed from birth to looking at problems from a higher level, and more... indifferent.
Take a look at those blood-and-fire scenes showcased in the video! Compared to the Ministry of Magic, Vid would undoubtedly align more with Grindelwald's methods—Lupin's first reaction upon seeing the video was this.
Punishing evil and promoting good, decisive in action, such modern Robin Hood-like methods undoubtedly held a strong appeal for teenagers.
Lupin worried that the child would be unwilling to return and was even more concerned about him doing... doing some things in the Purist Party, losing his place here.
The only fortunate thing is that Vid doesn't have nothing to hold onto here; he has parents, teachers, dear friends, and companions. These emotions will tether him, preventing his descent into darkness.
...
The signal hijacking of the Flow Mirror didn't just happen once; it would suddenly pop up every once in a while, brazenly interrupting the ongoing program to repeatedly broadcast the latest actions of the Purist Party through a short video.
They also learned not to cut into the climax of TV shows, but to replace the brief ten seconds of the opening and closing credits or Aslan's advertisement slots.
Nowadays, almost all wizards with a Flow Mirror around the world were receiving the same signal; aside from national Ministry of Magic news, they were watching the exact same program. The Purist Party and Grindelwald quickly sparked a discussion throughout the magical world.
The criticism and resistance weren't as much as Lupin originally thought there would be.
Unlike the wizards in nearby countries who were tense and fearful, those who were distant, thinking Grindelwald's resurgence posed no threat to them, were mostly applauding.
During his work, Lupin had met many wizards from other countries, and exchanging a Friendship Book was a basic courtesy. In the messages they sent him, those wizards said:
"This should have happened long ago!"
"Did you see those poor children? I truly can't believe there are people in the world treated so cruelly!"
"Muggles encroach on our lands, tarnish our image, even pollute the very air we breathe! I really hope someone can bring them to justice!"
"I understand your point, Remus, but aren't the ones he kills deserving of it?"
"Stay safe, my friend. Even if you join the Purist Party, I won't say anything... I think he's a very charismatic leader."
...
Leader?
A leader who kidnaps underage children?
Lupin was filled with unvented anger.
The frequent attacks on Muggle influences by Grindelwald would typically estrange the entire Ministry of Magic, but their objective was to eliminate the evil forces coveting magical power and rescue victimized children, which was different from indiscriminate attacks, gaining most people's understanding and support.
What's more, he stayed on the edge of breaking the Confidentiality Law without fully breaching it.
Using magic in front of many Muggles and attacking them publicly with magic were unforgivable crimes in the magical world.
However, not only were the attacked Muggles aware of magic, but they also were either dead or incapable of moving freely afterward. The arriving Ministry of Magic could comfortably use the Forgetfulness Spell to control the situation, preventing magic from truly being exposed to Muggles.
Every time after a Purist Party attack, they would launch a large firework into the sky. Even if Muggles saw it, they wouldn't think "this is magic," but wizards living nearby would immediately notice, and the Ministry of Magic could quickly arrive to investigate.
This controlled the speed at which incidents spread, preventing panicked Muggles from filming the scene and broadcasting it on TV or in newspapers, becoming a large-scale leak that the magical world couldn't control.
That person spent fifty years in prison and didn't become a hidebound old fool; instead, he became even more cunning and unpredictable.
From Dumbledore's increasingly busy figure, Lupin could sense—even Dumbledore found the current Grindelwald more troublesome than before.
...
"Sirius Black and Remus Lupin of the British Ministry of Magic?" a red-bearded German wizard checked the proof Sirius was holding again, and in broken English, he said: "Your people are over there."
He pointed, and Lupin looked over to see several British wizards emerging with two others.
Leading the British wizards was a man in his fifties, his short gray hair meticulously groomed, his blue-black wizard's robe had no excess wrinkles, his back was straight, his expression serious, and he was speaking fluently in German to someone beside him. The Austrian short and plump wizard next to him wore an evident look of awe.
"It's Barty Crouch," Sirius said with a complex expression.
Barty Crouch was once the head of the Magic Law Enforcement Department, dealing with Death Eaters with a hard and ruthless hand, openly opposing Voldemort, and he used to be someone Sirius admired.
But it was also Barty Crouch who imprisoned Sirius in Azkaban without trial.
—Although this was something Sirius brought upon himself, and he didn't think it was Crouch's fault, this incident severely damaged Barty Crouch's prestige. Countless people publicly criticized his once-admired methods, and his son Barty Crouch Jr's history as a real Death Eater was dredged up again.
Since then, it was always awkward whenever they met again.
The last chance encounter at the Ministry of Magic was more than a month ago, and now Sirius noticed that Barty Crouch seemed even more aged than before, clearly having a tough time lately.
Sirius hesitated for a moment, but ultimately the task was more important, and the two moved towards them.
They heard Barty Crouch say solemnly: "Please understand, Franz, St Mungo's is under a lot of pressure right now, and they've had to place patients in the corridors."
"Yes, yes, we understand," the short and plump wizard said with a pained expression: "But there are simply too many injured this time, and most of them are Muggles... Our hospital indeed cannot cope; leaving them would mean letting them die, and inside there are even some children from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland..."
Barty Crouch pondered for a moment and inadvertently spotted Sirius. He was slightly startled, then nodded expressionlessly.
"Here's what we'll do..." Crouch said to the short and plump wizard: "Patients born in the British Isles can be sent to St Mungo's, and besides that, we can additionally accept twenty more patients..."
"Fifty... Can we take fifty?" the short and plump wizard pleaded: "The healers at St Mungo's are the best in all of Europe; only they might save those poor children..."
"What's going on?" Sirius pulled aside an Auror he knew to ask.
"Those rescued victims, most of them were transfused with the blood of Magical Creatures, leading to some... some indescribable mutations," the Auror said with sympathy and helplessness. "Muggle hospitals simply can't treat them, and even St Mungo's might... sigh, if you ask me, it would be kinder if they died."
Seeing that the people ahead couldn't spare time for them, Sirius took the opportunity to pull this Auror aside and whispered, "Tell me about your investigation results..."
Meanwhile, Lupin quietly separated from them, walking deeper into the manor.
Holding his magic wand, he passed through two rounds of checks inside and outside the gate, and no one came to question him now.
Lupin repeatedly cast Detection Spells, trying to discern a trace of familiar magical aura from the fire-licked building or find the information Vid left for them.
However, there was nothing. Nothing at all.