The red-haired wizard was boredly tapping the picture frame, occasionally peeking to see what the other paintings were up to.
This tower was referred to by students as the Astronomical Tower because they had to observe the stars and attend astronomy classes at the top every week. Even the paintings in the corridors were mostly related to astronomy. Most of them were quiet and silent; no one was willing to chat with him.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps and saw a familiar student walk by, hurriedly catching up.
"Hey, are you over your cold? Morry gave you the potion, didn't he? That old guy's energizing potion is indeed good—"
He expected the student to walk away without a glance, as before, but unexpectedly, the student stopped and looked at him thoughtfully.
"Are you Griffiths?" Vid asked.
"That's right!" The red-haired wizard nodded happily. "Morry must have told you, right? Now, he's the only one who occasionally chats with me."
"Aren't there a lot of other paintings here?" Vid gestured around.
"Ugh, don't mention it," Griffiths said gloomily. "Did you see that old guy in the painting diagonally opposite?"
Vid looked over; he was talking about an old wizard with stars painted on his robe and hat, standing in front of a very large telescope, intently observing the starry sky.
Griffiths said, "He's been holding that telescope for hundreds of years, observing the unchanging starry sky in the painting, and he just finds me annoying; and then there's Shalom, the one with glasses, always writing and calculating on parchment, never stopping. In fact, the results she calculates were confirmed by Muggle scientists over a hundred years ago, yet she keeps calculating."
Vid saw a slender witch bending over her calculations, and even after hearing Griffiths' words, she didn't stop.
"And those star-gazing kids over there, see them? They're like little goblins from Cornwall," Griffiths complained. "When they're not star-gazing or sleeping, they're definitely causing trouble everywhere—knocking over the telescope of the starry old man, tearing Shalom's parchment, or pulling my hair and spilling ink on my robe! I've really had enough!"
Griffiths sighed lonely and helplessly, and even though Vid was in a bad mood, he was amused by him, and the gloom, heaviness, and suspicion in his heart seemed to be dispelled.
He asked, "How long have you been hanging here, and you're still not used to it?"
"Sigh, you don't know, I originally hung in the foyer on the first floor, surrounded by paintings. I could watch the young wizards come and go every day, occasionally teaching them pranks. It was quite fun," Griffiths said regretfully. "But later, to hang Fosco's painting, they moved me to the Astronomical Tower. I initially thought it wouldn't be bad to meet some new friends. Little did I expect it to be so dull here!"
"Can't paintings roam around?" Vid asked.
"They can, but it's quite strenuous. Most of the time, I'm stuck in my own painting," Griffiths said expectantly. "Can you move my painting back to the foyer? Or just a lively place will do! I will repay you!"
Vid didn't agree immediately and instead said, "I have to ask the professors first. As long as they don't object, I'll help you relocate."
Griffiths thought for a moment and asked, "—What if they object?"
"Then I'll secretly move you, just not to the foyer—that's too conspicuous," Vid said.
"Great!" Griffiths was so excited he could almost jump, urging, "Then go ask quickly! The sooner the better."
"...Okay, sure."
Vid smiled and turned to leave.
He originally wanted to ask Griffiths whether Professor Morry had indeed come out of his office that morning, and whether Quirrell frequented this place. But after chatting a bit, he gave up on the idea.
The red-haired wizard talked too much, not seeming like someone who could keep a secret; besides, he had known Professor Morry longer, so why should Vid trust him to keep a secret for him?
Best to move the painting first... and then plan further.
…
Terence Morry finally finished teaching the seventh-grade students, clutching his lesson plan angrily as he left, leaving behind a few quail-like students staring at each other, looking as if they had just been through a storm.
What did "first-year students are better than you all" even mean? Do first-years know what Alchemy is? Do they know how to write "0" in the Runic Language?
They were indignant but didn't dare to contradict Professor Morry under his scolding. They could only murmur apologetically, "Right, right, you're absolutely correct."
Professor Morry was even more furious.
After meeting Vid, he found his painstakingly selected students more and more unsatisfactory; and reviewing their last Alchemy Works, he became increasingly dissatisfied, ultimately assigning five times the usual workload, still feeling these students had it too easy.
Professor Morry huffed angrily back to his office when he heard a warm voice from afar: "Was today's class smooth, Professor Morry? The young wizards must have learned a lot, right?"
It's hard to remain indifferent in the face of such enthusiasm. Unconsciously, Professor Morry smiled, "Oh, Griffiths!"
"Yes, who else but me?" Griffiths said.
Professor Morry couldn't help but stand in the corridor, venting about his students to him: "—Not having brains is one thing, but they aren't even diligent. Why study Alchemy? They might as well be ornaments at the Ministry of Magic!"
"So you've taken a liking to that young wizard?" Griffiths leaned on the frame, smiling as he asked.
Professor Morry was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Griffiths, talented wizards often stand out from a young age, displaying extraordinary skills the moment they enroll, attracting everyone's attention. But those with talent always yearn to learn those profound and dangerous magics, to acquire more powerful abilities, pursue greater gains, yet very few are willing to settle down and study Alchemy."
"But in my view, even mastering the world's most dangerous Forbidden Magic, what does it matter? Look at those once-famed individuals! Some fell like shooting stars, some turned into notorious Dark Lords, and others, despite their vast fame, ended up with nothing! The more powerful they are, the more death and slaughter they bring to the world!"
"What truly brings change to the Wizarding World, what brings happiness to people, should be Alchemy! Only by continuously learning from Muggles, innovating technology, and improving Alchemy Products can the Wizarding World develop better, and only then... can we prevent wizards from being wiped out by Muggles."
"But these years... Although I've achieved some results, introducing some of the Muggles' inventions into the Magic World, I just feel like a baby learning to walk, the harder I chase the footsteps of the giants ahead, the more despairing the gap between us becomes... And this gap keeps growing every moment."
"And my students? All they have on their minds is inventing some popular Magic Items and making lots of money. That's all they think about—"
"But that kid's different, right?" Griffiths suddenly asked.
"Yes—" Professor Morry smiled, "Even though he's only eleven."