Vid waved his magic wand, and a stream of clear water rinsed the teacup.
Dumbledore had already left, but a faint scent of lemon sherbet seemed to linger in the room.
A slight rustling sound came from under the pillow, and the Snail Puppet slowly extended its body, then confidently crawled out of its shell, its compound eyes quietly turning towards Vid.
Vid set down the teacup with water stains and reached out his palm, and the snail climbed up with a sense of camaraderie.
It didn't secrete the kind of mucus true snails do; when it landed on the hand, there was only a cool, smooth sensation.
Vid touched its spiral shell and smiled, "Are you afraid of Professor Dumbledore? But he seems to like you very much."
The snail's antennae swayed slightly and whispered, "He was angry... very scary... Master isn't afraid?"
Vid paused his stroking motion.
Indeed... since when... did he no longer worry about Dumbledore possibly opposing or even getting angry?
While Vid was lost in thought, the door suddenly was knocked on again.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The knock was still extremely rhythmic, leisurely paced, making one wonder if Dumbledore had returned.
Vid got up to open the door.
A silver-haired old man stood at the door, lean, sharp, with a habitual hint of sarcasm and disdain at the corner of his mouth, his gaze on Vid complex—
A mix of critique, consideration, and even disdain, with a faint trace of approval hidden within.
He didn't engage in pleasantries, walking straight to the center of the room, surveying the hotel's simple environment, and changed the words he was about to say:
"You live in a place like this? The Witch Pure Party has many properties in the United States, why didn't Antoine arrange a better place for you?"
Vid: "..."
No matter how cheap a motel is, the environment is better than the prison cell in Nimongard, right?
Grindelwald never complained about those harsh conditions when he was imprisoned, yet after escaping, he indulged in the best food and accommodations, never suffering any grievances.
Of course, Vid kept these thoughts to himself.
After a brief pause, Vid said, "This is a place I chose myself—the best way to hide is to live in the city center without attracting anyone's attention. Someone from the Witch Pure Party would always be watching their properties."
In other words, he currently didn't intend to reveal the relationship between himself and the Witch Pure Party.
Upon hearing this, Grindelwald let out a light snort from his nose and showed a fleeting expression of displeasure, but within the displeasure was also a certain understanding of "as expected."
His critical gaze fell on Vid's face, observing his overly calm demeanor, then sat down in the only armchair in the room and softly laughed.
"These days... have you had nightmares, Vid?"
He asked in a whisper-like tone.
Vid lifted his gaze to look at him and said, "No."
Then he rolled up his sleeves and poured the remaining half-pot of red tea into Grindelwald's cup as well.
Upon hearing Vid's response, the old man's smile widened a bit. He toyed with the teacup in his hands and said with a laugh:
"Admit it, Vid! You're exactly like me! You might have learned from Dumbledore how to wear chains, how to imitate compassion, but you cannot change our essence!"
He downed the red tea in one gulp, placing the cup down when he felt a cool touch on his finger back.
He had touched a teacup still wet with water.
Grindelwald looked at the cup in his hand, then at the cup with half-remaining tea in front of Vid, finally his gaze fell on the cup that had clearly just been washed.
He twitched his nose, vaguely detecting a sweet candy scent in the air.
Beside him, Vid's gaze lowered, clutching the snail that had again shrunk to his side, and said:
"I really don't think I'm like you, Mr. Grindelwald. I never enjoy chaos... on the contrary, what I pursue is order and justice."
"Of course, I wouldn't feel restless for clearing out a few tumors because I know what I'm doing is right, even more because this saves more lives!"
He raised his eyes and looked directly at Grindelwald, saying: "If you investigated my actions, you'd know... I haven't implicated any innocent people, even if they carry the blood of criminals themselves!"
"Oh?" Grindelwald leaned back on the chair and raised an eyebrow, "Then do you know that your actions of sending your little toys to save people have aroused suspicion?"
Vid furrowed his brow, "Someone noticed the rescuing animal was a Poppet?"
"No disguise is foolproof, Vid."
Grindelwald's tone softened slightly, "Someone is inquiring within Hogwarts whether our genius alchemist is truly sitting in the classroom, attending class peacefully."
"Your classmates are completely unsuspecting, and their response was—"
Grindelwald deliberately paused, seeing no trace of nervousness in Vid's expression, finally losing the malicious anticipation within his heart.
""
"—This was the response given by your classmate; they've confirmed you've been at school."
Grindelwald said: "It seems the person cooperating with you, covering for you, is quite clever. They didn't allow your classmates to perceive anything unusual."
"Of course, this also benefits from your distinctly different style from ordinary students. When I was at school back then, I wouldn't skip classes openly like you did!"
Vid couldn't help but smile and said, "After all, we are Ravenclaw, most of my classmates wouldn't casually invade others' private spaces."
Actually, calling it indifference wouldn't be inaccurate either. Most friendships in Ravenclaw are a bit more "plastic" compared to the other houses.
But to Vid, this indifference was a more comfortable state of interaction compared to "enthusiastic as fire," "thoughtful," and so on.
Grindelwald smiling slightly, "So do you know which classmate leaked your whereabouts to others?"
His gray-blue eyes closely stared at Vid, as if trying to see the cracks in his heart, then softly revealed the mystery:
"Anthony Goldstein... I heard his Prefect position was recommended by you?"
Vid was taken aback: "Really? Anthony?"
Immediately, he said, "Then when I go back, I should find a way to thank him... The person who inquired must be Selena Goldstein, right?"
From his first meeting with Selena, he privately speculated that there might be some familial connection due to the familiar surname form.
Although "Goldstein" isn't an uncommon surname, in the sparsely populated Magic World, this is a clear enough link.
Grindelwald's expectations once again turned into bubbles, but he was not disappointed—probably because he was accustomed to it.
"It's good that you're aware; I'm waiting to see what surprises you can bring next."
Grindelwald got up to leave, and as he was about to go out, he suddenly turned back and asked: "Dumbledore came by earlier?"