The dimly lit room was filled with the scent of old parchment and developing potion, with photos hanging from the walls and on strung-up lines, annotated with symbols only the writer could understand.
Each photo was related to the recently concluded Alchemy Competition:
The moment the Werewolf Poppet appeared, the audience erupted in terrified screams, people fleeing from their seats, a face frozen in fear captured in the photo;
The center of the next photo featured Vid Gray and Modis Graves eyeing each other, their gazes possessing a power impossible to ignore, while the expressions of the few judges on the photo's edge were intriguing;
Kubit and Graves shook hands, surrounded by businessmen whose eyes gleamed with greed, envy, desire, jealousy, while the two shaking hands bore identical expressions of seeming amusement;
In the corner of the wall, Karl Kleist was frantically trying to lift his Poppet, a photo that, even motionless, held the power to make people laugh heartily.
But clearly, it had been excluded by its photographer from the selection series—compared to news that could stir people's hearts, amusing news naturally wasn't deemed important.
A hand with fresh scars took another photo from the wall, showing the silver-haired girl Dalia focused on wielding her Magic Wand, her features so exquisite they seemed to glow, even a Veela might not surpass the girl's charm at this moment.
"What a shame..."
The man muttered, "At any other time, just this one photo would net me quite a bit of money."
Despite saying that, he still placed the photo on the table, tossing it into a box along with Karl Kleist's photo.
At the center of the vortex of photos—the unkempt, heavy-eyed Tom Hake, wearing an old jacket, a cigarette clenched unlit between his lips, his hands tucked into dingy pockets, his gaze like a spotlight sweeping back and forth over these photos.
"Vid Gray...this kid turned out to be a real Alchemist...pity, real pity...proving how amazing he is, such news hardly has any punch."
Tom Hake muttered under his breath, "There's a rumor saying this kid inherited Nicolas Flamel's legacy?"
His eyes flickered with brilliance, calculating in his mind how to write the report to maximize public engagement.
Yet after pondering for a moment, Tom Hake shook his head again:
"Flamel's legacy seems divided among many...and that old man may not be dead. Broadcasting how much Vid Gray inherited might just buzz for a couple of days...anyone with sense would know, there's nothing particularly surprising about this."
"But this one..."
His hunting gaze locked onto another photo, occasionally breaking into a grin like discovering prey, occasionally deep in thought, fingers unconsciously tapping the table.
"That's right...yes...I'll write it like this..."
"Deals behind the Alchemy Competition, the Government Security Department aiming to introduce Hollow Poppets...what dangerous signals are violence agencies keen on 'Absolute Force' releasing? Why did the Magic Security Department ignore warnings from several authoritative judges..."
As Tom Hake murmured, a brand new Quill swirled swiftly across the paper, leaving line after line of text.
He reached out to take down two photos, placed them into the potion that could make photos move, his face showing a blend of fatigue and sheer excitement.
"It's you guys!" he muttered to himself, "Let's light those who think they can hide behind the glamourous stage, baby!"
Tom Hake snapped his fingers with a "pop", the photos soared out of the potion, and the feathered Quill beside them surged with life, its shaft almost leaving afterimages as it wrote.
...
In the morning, Vid and others came down for breakfast; he had just greeted Michael's family across the way when the Weasleys noisily burst out of their room, Fred shouting:
"What?! We finally made it to the American Magic World, and you bring back a toy Thunderbird? Ronald, are you still my brother Ronald?"
Ron pulled a face: "Of course I wanted to buy the self-flying umbrella and Ghost Pepper Chocolate Beans, but I don't have that much pocket money! If you're willing to help with the reimbursement…"
"Don't even think about it!" Fred flatly refused: "I'll buy what I like myself!"
"Yo, Vid! Michael!" George waved: "Fred and I plan to check out the prank shop here, want to come along?"
"Of course!" Michael said, intrigued, "I heard their store has Invisibility Spray?"
"That's just a scam!" Ron said angrily: "It's especially expensive and only lasts a short time, plus only the parts sprayed can turn invisible!"
"So you bought it, right?" Fred scoffed loudly: "No wonder you ran out of pocket money...Ron, honestly—what did you want to hide?"
A noisy group made their way downstairs, the morning sunlight cast over the long dining table, making the golden hair of the girl by the window more dazzling.
"Good morning, Vid!"
The blonde girl Elise raised her hand and greeted from afar.
Today she wore a light green robe, a color as vibrant as new buds in spring, offering a fresh and lively aura.
Before Vid could speak, Fred and George exchanged a glance and simultaneously pushed Vid forward!
"Ah, keep this beautiful lady company, Mr. Gray." Fred pretended to say formally.
"We're off to dine as well." George straightened up, imitating Percy's tone: "See you later, Mr. Gray."
Both turned around, then began winking and gesturing, their faces openly teasing.
The group seamlessly left Vid behind, heading to another table, Hermione shook her head helplessly, Harry was about to say something when Ron deftly pulled him away.
"Haha!"
Michael burst into laughter, then led his somewhat bewildered parents past Vid towards a table by the door.
Only Moody remained grim-faced, choosing to sit with his back to their table, his eyes in fact swiveling 180 degrees, keeping a tight watch their way.
Vid: "..."
Although it was already autumn, these folks seemed just to enter spring, connecting every slight breeze and rustle to love and reproduction, eagerly stepping into the swamp and hoping to drag everyone else in too.
Vid shook his head, not embarrassed, just slightly helpless as he adjusted his sleeves, casually walking towards Elise.
"Good morning, Van...no, Elise."
In the protagonistic gaze and prompting smile from Elise, Vid changed the names.
Elise's smile became more genuine.
"Morning, Vid."
The girl pointed at the New York Ghost on the table, saying, "I guess you haven't seen this yet?"
"Naturally." Vid said sitting opposite, "I haven't had a chance to subscribe to magazines and newspapers here."
"Then you should have a look." Elise handed over the neatly folded newspaper, smiling: "Its contents are quite interesting."
"Hello, Mr. Gray." The hotel's waiter came by with paper and pen, asking: "What would you like this morning?"
Vid opened the newspaper, casually said, "Scrambled eggs...toast, coffee. Thank you."
"No problem, coming right up!"
The waiter swiftly scribbled, ripped a slip and with a flick, the paper turned into an airplane, zooming towards the kitchen, while the busy server headed to Harry's table.
Words on the newspaper sank into Vid's gaze—
[Just when the judges raised doubts about the potential risks of the Poppet, Mr. Alderich Kubit, Senior Deputy Minister of the Magic Security Department, was quick to offer an olive branch.]
[This makes me worry about whether the Congress's governance strategy will shift...it seems our Security Department prefers cold war machines over humane management...]
[But I must ask, are Werewolf Poppets truly safe? Reliable? If they go berserk like Werewolves, who can subdue such terrifying beasts? Several judges have commented on this...Poppet inventor Vid Gray also stated...]
The front-page headline repeated the handshake scene between Kubit and Graves, almost seamlessly connecting them. As they mechanically repeated the gesture, the smiles on their faces grew eerily, like brewing a shocking conspiracy.