On the deep blue sea, several sharks were rolling and fighting for food, stirring the water and causing waves.
The fishermen leaned against the ship's rail, grinning as they speculated which unfortunate fish had become shark food.
They didn't notice that in the cabin behind them, there were two pairs of fearful eyes.
Vid had already transformed back into a peregrine falcon, circling in the sky for a moment. Only after seeing Peter Pettigrew's body being torn apart and devoured by sharks did he relax, turning to fly in the direction of the Hogwarts Express.
Peter Pettigrew, whom Vid despised from the bottom of his heart but also feared greatly.
During the Wizard War, both sides had their own double agents.
There was no need to mention Professor Snape on Voldemort's side, while on the side of the Order of the Phoenix, the double agent was Peter Pettigrew.
Before Voldemort had his downfall, Peter had secretly transmitted information for over a year without ever exposing himself.
The friends closest to him considered him trustworthy, and even a powerful wizard like Dumbledore never suspected him to be the traitor.
—Just as Voldemort never considered that Snape had long since betrayed him.
However, Peter never expected that the master he chose would be taken down by a baby, forcing him to expose himself and fake his death to escape, hiding in the form of a rat for over a decade.
Later, Peter was forced into the open again, but managed to single-handedly find the hidden Voldemort and help him resurrect, which eventually led to the second Wizard War.
Therefore, Vid could not just sit by and watch Peter escape, giving him another chance.
Before coming here, he had already prepared for murder.
But fortunately, the sea was a natural graveyard. After Vid inflicted sufficiently severe wounds on Peter Pettigrew, he was naturally devoured by the creatures of the ocean.
The peregrine falcon swiftly descended through the clouds and fog again, just in time to slip through the train window before it reached the station.
With a "whoosh," it was as if a gust of wind swept through the compartment. Michael squinted and held down his hair, then saw another person appear in front of him.
Vid's clothes were a bit disheveled and his entire body was wet, with his eyebrows and hair covered in moisture.
"Did you fall into the sea?" Michael asked in surprise.
Vid chuckled, "Pretty much."
He muttered a couple of spells under his breath, drying his clothes and hair, though they remained somewhat wrinkled, but Vid didn't mind.
"What happened?" Theo asked, pausing before adding, "If it's inconvenient to say, then that's fine."
"Nothing much."
Vid sat down, gulping down a bottle of water. After a moment of thought, he said, "You'll probably see it in the newspaper soon—Peter Pettigrew has broken out of prison."
"What?"
All of them were shocked, recalling the man who had become a pet in disguise.
"This happened this morning?" Leian asked.
"Yes," Vid replied. "I had left a tracking signal on him. The moment he broke out, I was aware."
"So..." Theo swallowed nervously. "You just went to..."
"Don't worry... I didn't kill him..."
—Didn't (personally) kill him.
"But that guy won't be showing up again."
Vid stated calmly.
The other three looked at him blankly, as if they suddenly couldn't understand English.
"The train is about to arrive at Platform 9 3/4, London, please take your luggage..."
The train's announcement echoed.
They looked outside, seeing the train speed gradually slow down. On the platform, parents were waiting to pick up their children, and some eager kids had already half-emerged from the windows, waving energetically.
Vid also saw the Greys, with a frightful-looking man standing beside them, supporting himself with crutches, one odd eye whirring around.
Vid couldn't help but smile.
Peace is the most precious thing ordinary people possess.
Without peace, everything else becomes like smoke, blown away by the gale of war, leaving nothing recognizable.
…
On the filthy fishing boat, fishermen lay everywhere, snoring in deep sleep.
Two people crawled out of the cabin, leaning over the rail to look down.
Of course, they saw nothing.
Not to mention Peter Pettigrew had been shark food... even if he were alive, the fishing boat had sailed several nautical miles by now.
"Did you... did you see it?"
One stuttered.
"Of course!"
The other replied irritably, fumbling for a cheap cigarette from the cabin, only to find his hands were shaking.
He gripped his right hand with the other and turned to look at his companion.
The evening light cast a red glow on their faces.
Otherwise, they would have seen that both their faces were pale and frightened.
One had golden hair and a handsome appearance, looking like a fallen prince, even now, haggard and disheveled.
He was none other than Gilderoy Lockhart, sent to Azkaban not long ago.
The man beside him had sunken eyes, a gaunt frame, long knotted hair, and nails blackened by years of grime.
He bore an uncanny resemblance to Sirius when first released from Azkaban.
They were accomplices who had escaped from Azkaban together.
It was a natural fortress prison, never before breached.
Recently, Lockhart had been sentenced, and Ministry of Magic officials were tasked with escorting him to Azkaban.
But they underestimated Lockhart's spellcasting abilities—after all, he seemed like an impostor in every way, which indeed he was.
Despite this, Lockhart had one spell he mastered—the Forgetfulness Spell.
Previously, he needed a magic wand to cast it. But when his wand was broken, and he was tormented by Dementors in Azkaban, it awakened Lockhart's previously unimagined resilience and strength.
He managed to master the ability to cast the Forgetfulness Spell wandlessly.
Not all Azkaban guards were Dementors. After all, the place also held lesser criminals or those on trial.
So aside from the Dementors, Ministry officials often patrolled there, giving Lockhart the chance to use the Forgetfulness Spell, snatch the wand and keys.
Afterward, he helped his companion, aiding Peter in escaping Azkaban.
They had a grand plan for after their escape... but who would have thought they'd fail before starting, losing one of them before even reaching land.
"Gall, did you see who killed Peter?" Lockhart asked.