In less than ten minutes, Machioni almost transformed entirely - his clothes were in tatters, and he had acquired a black eye.
"Stop grinning foolishly," the white-haired poppet said sternly, "When you mock others, be prepared to get beaten up."
"I wasn't mocking Professor Morry, I was just stating a fact..."
Machioni hadn't finished his sentence when he saw the poppet revert to finger-length and slip into Professor Morry's pocket.
He lay on the ground with a "thud," speechless, "Why am I explaining to a poppet."
Professor Morry nudged his calf with his toe and said, "Or maybe you should explain why you couldn't even beat a poppet?"
"Is this an ordinary poppet?"
Machioni glanced sideways at the professor and questioned, "The poppets we produce in our workshop are not nearly this nimble or strong! This must be a special gift from Vid to you!"
Professor Morry squinted and asked, "What? You think it's unfair?"
"Of course it's unfair," Machioni muttered, "But now I finally understand why you favor Vid so much..."
"Hmm?"
"That child is protected so well by his parents and Hogwarts... He lives like he's in an Ivory Tower, innocent and kind, out of place in this cruel world," Machioni said deeply.
Professor Morry was silent for a long time.
He thought of some people...
Like Peter Pettigrew, Lockhart, Quirrell, the students crying out while pursued by insects in the Maze, the overworked Madam Pomfrey, and Dumbledore, worried about students turning bad.
Professor Morry observed Machioni with a strange gaze, wondering how he came to such an unconventional conclusion.
...
Vid came downstairs and saw the suspended mirror had changed to a new scene, showing the recent match between the Braga Broom Fleet from Portugal and the Caffery Flying Crossbow Team from Wales.
In fact, Vid knew nothing about these two teams, but the mirror was broadcasting the commentator's passionate voice, and there were Quidditch enthusiasts among the audience on the first floor.
The sub-mirrors on the shelves were flying off quickly, and although staff continued to restock, the shelves were never full.
Finally, Harry managed to break free from the crowd. He stood in the corner with his hood up, staring intently at the enlarged screen.
Sirius picked two of the best sub-mirrors and queued to pay.
Vid wandered around the store idly. He had been involved in designing most of Aslan's best-selling products and had a copy of the best samples.
Thus, Vid soon grew bored, greeted Lupin, donned his hood, and squeezed out of the store.
It wasn't the time for back-to-school shopping, so apart from the area around Aslan Magic Workshop, Diagon Alley was much less crowded.
Vid planned to hunt for some books at a second-hand bookstore, sometimes one could pick up the notes of past Wizards—mostly dross, but occasionally delightful gems full of substance.
"Sorry, Will couldn't make it, he's too busy... If you agree, I can take his place..."
A faint, trembling voice came through.
For a moment, Vid thought someone was calling his name, then realized it was Will's name they mentioned.
The feeling of hearing someone just met being mentioned by others was quite peculiar.
Perhaps it was because the speaker's voice trembled so much that Vid hesitated and turned towards where the voice came from.
As he passed a store's sign, he tapped himself on the head with his Magic Wand, and a cold sensation washed over him instantly.
Like blending into the air, the boy's figure quickly vanished from sight.
Vid cast two more Magic Spells in succession, concealing his footsteps and scent, rounded a corner, and finally saw the speaker in a narrow alley.
He guessed right—it was the girl chatting with Will at Aslan earlier.
The girl was very thin, petite and delicate stature, with silky, fine, and soft golden hair, a pale complexion, and rather plain features.
She appeared to be just a child that hadn't grown up.
In front of her stood a figure cloaked in black, concealing even their form, and they seemed to be gazing icily at the golden-haired girl.
"Do you know what we're doing, Claire?" the person asked in a low voice.
The golden-haired girl Claire nodded vigorously, saying, "I know... it's potion testing, right? If Will can, so can I. I... I'm a Werewolf too."
The other suddenly let out a cold laugh.
Vid's eyes widened suddenly.
The voice of the Black-Robed Wizard was unfamiliar, but the laughter was very familiar.
"Do you have magic power, too?" the Black-Robed Wizard asked again.
Claire was stunned, then lowered her head and shook it, feeling inferior.
"I... I don't..."
The Black-Robed Wizard was silent for a moment before asking, "So, you were originally a Muggle?"
"Yeah." Claire replied, biting her lip.
"When were you bitten?"
"When I was seven."
"Most Muggles attacked by werewolves end up severely injured and die, how did you survive?" the Black-Robed Wizard asked further.
"I... it just so happened there was a Wizard in our village, he heard the commotion and helped me in time..." Claire summoned the courage to ask, "Does this... have anything to do with the potion testing?"
"No," the Black-Robed Wizard said, "Just curious."
"Then I..."
"No," the Black-Robed Wizard said languidly, "Magic Potions need to be tested on those with magic power to get accurate results. Even though you're a Werewolf, you're not qualified, only Will is."
"But... but..." Claire gritted her teeth, "Will has found a job, he doesn't have to risk his life to test potions for you anymore!"
The Black-Robed Wizard looked her over, smiled, and said, "If Will says so himself, we won't bother him, but your words don't count."
"But..."
"If you don't understand the situation, don't make choices for him, Claire."
Claire wanted to say more, but the Black-Robed Wizard seemed to have lost patience with her, waved a hand, turned to leave, leaving only one statement behind—
"Tell Will for me—if he wants to find us, meet at the usual place at 11 PM tomorrow night."
Claire stood desolately in the same spot, looking as if she were about to break.
Vid thought for a moment, took a bottle of Polyjuice Potion from his bag, tilted his head back, and drank it down in one gulp.
The invisible figure began to grow taller, the black hair turned gray, and the facial features changed form.
Before long, the Wizard Vener appeared again.
Vid switched to a spare Magic Wand, dispelled the Disillusionment Charm, and walked out from the corner.