"Yes. Just like the fairy tale Grandma used to tell—disobedient Little Red Riding Hood gets eaten by the Big Bad Wolf."
The two laughed disapprovingly.
"Wait until they encounter those people, they'll know what's serious!" Ron angrily glared at their backs and said, "There's no way my dad would lie!"
"As long as you know it yourself, Ronnie Jr., but hopefully no one will have to encounter them."
Fred walked up behind them and ruffled Ron's hair.
"But that guy really is a pest!" George nodded at his brother, affirming, "You're right about that."
Ron brushed Fred's hand away, still unsure whether to be upset or pleased by his brothers' words, as he watched them quickly catch up with Vid in front.
"Hey, Vid, we have an idea..."
"Might need your support..."
"Meet after dinner? Do you have time?"
"Sure." Vid agreed readily, "Same place as always."
"Alright."
The two brothers walked away shoulder to shoulder, whispering and chatting while they left.
They showed no signs of stress about facing the OWLs exams; their eyes were bright with excitement, clearly brimming with another fantastic idea.
Michael asked Vid, "Do you think Percy's telling the truth? Did that many people really get hurt?"
Vid paused for a moment before saying, "Actually, there may be more victims... that legendary island might just be a small part of the darkness."
Several images flashed quickly through his mind.
Vid initially thought the island had been hidden from maps, but he found that wasn't the case in the archives.
The place belonged to a private company, officially for processing various fish and meat, registered with the Muggle Government, with tax records in order.
Fishing boats were frequently sent from the island to the surrounding waters, making it normal for vessels to come and go.
The records they could find were only a fraction; the bones they discovered were also only part of the whole.
The ocean is a natural graveyard, effortlessly burying everything meant to stay hidden.
Upon hearing this, Michael looked at Vid seriously, elbowing him, saying:
"I knew you had some insider info—what were you doing during the Quidditch match? Where did that strange cloak come from?"
"Sorry, I can't say."
Vid spoke frankly and calmly, not feeling embarrassed about keeping secrets from his friend.
Dumbledore and Professor Snape both wanted to keep him safe by completely hiding the fact he was on the island that day, with Professor Snape taking him back to school despite his own injuries.
Vid certainly wasn't going to spill everything carelessly and ruin their kind intentions.
"Alright... I understand... I might have guessed as much." Michael nodded.
Vid gave a smile; Michael was very intelligent, and Vid never worried about being misunderstood.
This is perhaps why Michael had so many friends.
The afternoon consisted of two back-to-back Herbology classes, and the two needed to go to Professor Sprout's greenhouse, so they quickened their steps down the stairs.
Behind them, watching their silhouettes disappear from the stairway entrance, Ron couldn't help but slow his pace.
"Back to the common room, or the library?" Harry asked.
They also had Herbology in the afternoon, but not until two hours later—these two hours were a rare relaxing time of the week.
As for Hermione, she had already raced off to her classes right after leaving.
Ron hesitated for a bit and said, "Find a spot... let's practice spells."
Harry was somewhat surprised by this.
Among them, Ron had always been the lazier one. He followed Harry in learning magic spells for a while, but soon his attention was diverted to other things.
Even though Ron had an indifferent attitude towards assignments and studies, neither serious nor diligent, often finishing essays last minute, his grades were decent, allowing him to rest easy, sustaining himself day by day.
In truth, Harry also wished he could take it easy and choose a more relaxed lifestyle. But every time he got to the Umbrella House, the atmosphere of the SSC group drove him to try harder.
Even so, he often felt inadequate—for instance, his notes always appeared messy, and he frequently felt he'd recalled the wrong information.
Fortunately, the Defense Against the Dark Arts always helped him regain his confidence.
Seeing Ron reignite his effort, Harry was naturally pleased, and the two found an empty classroom to practice spells.
However, learning magic spells wasn't a one-shot process.
Like Levioso, which they had learned in their first year, now in the third year, they sometimes had to review and write papers on this spell.
By graduation, some could use Levioso to lift cars, others could only use it to move tables slightly.
Most school courses were like this; sometimes they needed two or three classes, even half a month, to master a spell.
But at SSC gatherings, Harry felt learning spells was very simple; most times, he could successfully cast a spell in about ten minutes. Some particularly difficult ones only took a day or two.
Much of their practice time was spent familiarizing themselves with spells and enhancing their potency.
At this moment, Ron was showing the typical student speed in normal study just like when he had studied with Harry before—
They spent over an hour learning the Impedimenta Curse, but Ron's "Impedimenta" was countered by Harry's ordinary Knockback Jinx.
"Not bad!" Harry said, trying not to show disappointment, "You're already quite good! Your spell blocked me for a moment!"
But after spending so much time together, Ron could naturally see through his insincerity, prompting a strong sense of defeat.
"Don't comfort me, I know this level is far from enough." Ron said, looking down at his Magic Wand, feeling somewhat disheartened.
"You actually did really well!" Harry tried to reassure him, "It might be my fault—I'm no Vid Gray when it comes to teaching; he always spots where someone's problem lies easily..."
"Vid Gray?"
Ron hesitated, choosing his words carefully.
Harry didn't notice and, checking the time, urged, "It's time for Herbology class, let's hurry!"
...
Vid's Herbology class had just ended.
Students put down their Dragon Skin Gloves and shovels, leaving exhausted and smelling of dragon dung while Vid lingered behind.
"Just a moment." He said to Michael, "I have something to ask Professor Sprout."
"I'll wait for you at the door." Michael dusted off the dirt, saying, "I need some fresh, sweet air."
Vid walked to the other end of the greenhouse where Professor Sprout was inspecting the transplanted plants.
The weather was growing increasingly cold, and even in the greenhouse, some plants' conditions weren't ideal.
Professor Sprout gently nurtured these Magical Plants, as if caring for her children.
"Professor." Vid approached.
"Oh, Vid." Professor Sprout wiped her hands on her apron, smiling brightly as she asked, "Anything troubling you?"
"I wanted to ask, has Professor Dumbledore returned yet?" Vid said, "I haven't seen him lately."
Professor Sprout sighed, "Dumbledore's been very busy lately with..."
She hesitated, knowing Vid was involved in that matter too, and said, "Matters concerning the relocation of those children."
"Those children?" Vid paused and said, "I heard Mabel—I mean Obscurus escaped?"