Harry paced back and forth in the hall of the Great Hall, watching classmates who had just finished dinner leaving one by one, chatting and laughing.
With only two days until the Christmas break, even the fifth-year students were finally relaxing, filled with the joy of the holidays.
But Harry's heart was heavy, and he couldn't help but walk around while waiting.
In the portrait hanging on the wall, a lady wearing a lavish headdress noticed him and shrilled, "Oh, look at this little gloomy idiot! I bet he's heartbroken!"
In another portrait, a red-haired wizard leaned against the frame with a smile, saying, "Come on, Cassandra. In my experience, he must be in big trouble and is waiting to get punished! Isn't that right, little Potter kid?"
Harry wasn't in the mood to respond to them, so he pretended not to hear, also making an effort to ignore the students passing by, who glanced at him.
Suddenly, Harry noticed Vid walk out from the Great Hall, and he hurriedly went over, calling out, "Vid!"
Vid stopped and looked over.
But at this moment, Harry didn't know where to start, and he didn't think the hall was the right place to talk.
Vid saw his awkwardness and proactively said, "The weather's nice, want to walk by the lake?"
Harry immediately nodded, "Sure."
They walked down the steps, crossed the snow-covered grass, and headed toward the Black Lake.
The lake was frozen with thick ice, gleaming white under the sunlight. Even the clumps of dry grass by the shore were covered with frost and thin ice, crunching underfoot.
Vid drew his Magic Wand and casually waved it, conjuring several clusters of warm flames that appeared out of thin air, hovering around them, quietly radiating heat.
Harry watched this effortlessly performed magic, momentarily distracted.
From first year to fifth year, magic had long ceased to be as difficult as it once was, and he could clearly sense his progress and changes. Sometimes, his performance even surprised Sirius.
But compared to Vid...
Harry couldn't even tell how large the gap between them really was.
Thinking of this, Harry no longer tried to carefully consider how to speak—no matter how gracefully he put it, Vid was so smart that he would surely understand his true meaning.
So Harry took a deep breath and decided to be honest: "I'm sorry, Vid. That day... the day you started teaching... I saw you went to the medical room at night, so I followed... I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just..."
"Just worried I was hurt, and wanted to know what happened?" Vid asked.
Harry looked at Vid in surprise and blurted out, "Neville told you?"
"No, he didn't. I just saw it when I left," Vid said with a smile. "You've gotten taller, Harry—taller than the statue."
His gaze moved upward, and Harry instinctively touched his hair, suddenly understanding.
"So that's it..."
Having said the hardest part, especially as Vid seemed neither angry nor nervous, Harry relaxed somewhat, and the questions in his heart naturally came out:
"I also saw a baby in the Medical Wing... Is he the head of the Auror Office mentioned in the newspaper?"
"Yes."
Vid didn't deny it: "Ezra Hughes was hit by Time Magic, and his condition is complex. Currently, Hogwarts is the only place in the world with the experience of successfully curing such cases, so Mr. Hosone, the former president of the American Magic Congress, brought him here."
"Contrary to the fabricated guesses in the report, they are actually brave and upright individuals. Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey agreed to help with the treatment, so Mr. Hughes will have to stay here for a while until he fully recovers."
"As for me..."
Vid paused and continued: "You know I've been hit with Time Magic, too, although the situation is different. But during the treatment process, I can help in certain areas, provide some... reference."
After hearing this reasonable explanation, a huge weight was lifted from Harry's heart, and he even felt a bit embarrassed for his previous suspicions.
As if to make up for something, he eagerly said, "Me too! I was also turned small by that Golden Teapot earlier! Is there anything I can do?"
Vid shook his head and said, "Your situation is different, Harry. You were reverted directly by the teapot, and the lack of any side effects is all thanks to the Goddess of Fortune. Ezra Hughes's case is much more complex and can't be solved the same way."
Harry, hearing this, felt a bit disappointed but also relieved—
The reason Vid was involved but he wasn't informed was not due to Dumbledore treating them differently, but simply because their situations were different.
The two of them walked around the lake for a while, chatting about exams, holiday plans, and other lighter topics, making for a much more relaxed atmosphere, and Harry had more smiles on his face.
Just as they were about to head back to the castle, they suddenly saw several figures sprinting toward the castle from the direction of the Quidditch Pitch, each head topped with blazing red hair, like flames bouncing across the snowy ground.
At the forefront were Fred and George, their long legs striding quickly, faces tight, showing none of their usual humor, and in a blink, they rushed past the two of them.
Next came Ginny, her face pale, following her twin brothers silently without even noticing Harry nearby.
Finally, there was Ron, long-limbed and appearing to have rolled on the ground, his robe smeared with mud and grass, one leg not quite fully functional as he stumbled at the back.
An ominous feeling suddenly rose in Harry's chest, and he rushed over to grab Ron's arm, and loudly asked, "What happened, Ron?"
Ron looked at Harry, eyes wide, clutching his friend's wrist with a face full of fear, saying:
"Professor McGonagall came to the pitch and said... she said my dad got seriously injured at the Ministry of Magic... critically ill... already sent to St Mungo's..."
Ron's face was blank, speaking as if he were sleepwalking, "What does... what does 'critically ill' mean? Why is this happening? He just sent me a message last night, saying he got me an amazing birthday gift..."
He suddenly wiped his face with his hand, as if waking from a dream, stopped talking, and turned to run towards the castle with all his strength, his figure helpless and panicked.
Harry stood frozen, a cold chill sweeping over him.
Mr. Weasley... the kind, just... curious about Muggle life like a child, Mr. Weasley... "critically ill"?
He dared not think further; his body instinctively chased after the figures ahead.
At that moment, a silver Phoenix suddenly flew in front of Vid. The Phoenix opened its mouth and spoke with Dumbledore's slightly tense voice:
"Vid, if it's convenient for you, please come to my office."