"Of course I'm free! I have time all Sunday."
Vid hurriedly said, urging Dumbledore with a look to set a specific time.
"Then next Sunday at nine in the morning, I'll give you a lesson — remember, don't tell anyone else," Dumbledore said.
"Understood!"
Vid said happily. Once this was settled, he finally had the chance to examine the surroundings.
They were on a desolate and secluded island with jagged rocks; there were abandoned stone houses covered in green moss in flatter areas.
Nearby, on the hillside, there were plots of farmland surrounded by stone walls, now overgrown with weeds.
Diagonal to them was an outstanding rock cliff, shaped uniquely like a giant lying in the sea, with only its head exposed, a face expressionlessly gazing at the sky.
"Where is this place, Professor?" Vid asked.
"St. Kilda Island in the Outer Hebrides," Dumbledore said. "When I was young, I came here searching for ancient wizard ruins and exploring the Karasai Stonehenge; back then, people still lived in the village."
Vid looked at the desolate stone houses and decayed farming tools, amazed.
It seemed that this place hadn't been inhabited for at least several decades.
Of course, he knew Dumbledore's age but often didn't realize that this old man was born a hundred years before him.
To put it into perspective, when Dumbledore was born, the eastern power was still ruled by the Qing government, the Sino-Japanese War hadn't erupted, and scholars still had to take the imperial examination.
Instantly, he felt the gap of the ages.
Dumbledore did not notice Vid's distraction; he was observing a cage of wobbling owls, evidently the space transfer was uncomfortable for birds too.
Vid opened the cage, held the owl in his arms, stroked it until it calmed down, and said, "We need to find the person you asked to send letters for me — you know where she is, don't you?"
"Hoo—"
Owls are highly intelligent birds, and this one was especially perceptive. It uttered a low call, and Vid actually saw fear in its round eyes.
"Don't be afraid," Vid soothed. "You don't need to get close, just lead me to see the place."
"Hoo?" The owl tilted its head and looked at him.
Vid turned to Dumbledore, "Principal, you know, don't you?" He paused and added, "—I am an Animagus."
Dumbledore showed no surprise and simply praised, "A very beautiful Peregrine Falcon — As far as I know, few wizards can transform into birds."
"You do know after all." Vid sighed, understanding this was why the principal brought him. Curiously he asked, "What about you? Are you one too?"
Currently worldwide, including Professor McGonagall, there are only seven registered Animagus wizards, whose names have been mentioned repeatedly in "Today's Transfiguration Technique," among which Albus Dumbledore is not listed.
But Dumbledore was once Hogwarts' top student, a professor of Transfiguration Technique, Minerva McGonagall's teacher, and the greatest wizard in the world. Suggesting he doesn't have the ability to become an Animagus, no one would believe.
Ordinary wizards might think Dumbledore is not interested in transforming into ordinary animals' magic — after all, Animagus cannot transform into powerful magical creatures — his lack of practice is understandable.
Yet Vid believes that a wizard who pursues magic finds it hard not to be interested in this process of complete change from form to mass, from cell structure to muscle and bone.
Facing his curious eyes, the principal just smiled, then took out his quill, softly chanting, "Bosetis."
This is a spell turning ordinary items into locators; although simple, successfully casting is not easy.
A strange green light flashed past, and the quill returned to ordinary appearance.
"Keep it safe," Dumbledore handed it to Vid and said, "Bend it forcefully and it activates."
"Okay."
Vid didn't dwell on the previous question, put the quill into his pocket, and in an instant, he skillfully transformed into a Peregrine Falcon, circling in the sky.
"Caw?" The owl was so startled it nearly fell; it hurriedly flapped its wings twice to steady itself, then flew up too.
Dumbledore squinted and looked up, seeing two birds circling in mid-air, seemingly understanding each other initially, then flying towards the west one after the other.
Freedom, confidence, bravery.
Ancient Egyptians worshipped the falcon as Horus, seeing it as a symbol of royalty and divine protection, while Horus's Eye protected the deceased from harm on their journey to eternal life.
Ancient Babylon had the image of a lion-headed divine eagle; the Roman Legion's emblem was a double-headed eagle; the Sassanid Dynasty had an eagle badge; and Russia's emblem is also a double-headed eagle; the United States' emblem is a bald eagle.
Approximately twenty countries worldwide have the eagle's image printed on their emblems or flags, regarding this celestial bird as a messenger of gods and a symbol of power.
But the real falcon is a free bird, never living in groups, disdainful to rule, brave and fearless, yet very loyal to marriage.
Dumbledore felt that among all the wizards he had met, none matched the animal "eagle" more than Vid.
Before Vid completed his Animagus transformation, Dumbledore had privately pondered what animal he might become.