Mentioning Mabel, Rita Skeeter fell silent for a moment.
When they parted in the dungeon that time, she never expected it to be their last meeting.
Trapped on the island, Rita thought all day about how to leave; but once she returned to a peaceful environment, she found herself nostalgically recalling that place in the middle of the night.
It wasn't that she had any sentiment for the prison... It was just that at the time she was surrounded by pure and kind hearts, children who, despite their tragic fate, could selflessly and openly help each other, risking their lives to shelter a stranger like her.
That feeling was really wonderful.
It was completely different from the current environment filled with arrogance, jealousy, greed, and hypocrisy.
After a moment of silence, Rita sighed and said, "No, nothing at all."
"The Ministry of Magic... Alas, the Ministry isn't concerned with the aftermath at all. Fudge now only cares about the Quidditch World Cup stadium; they have nearly five hundred people building that place and can't spare anyone for anything else. The staff previously stationed on the island have all been reassigned."
Probably because she was speaking ill of the Minister of the Ministry of Magic, Rita lowered her voice even further.
"Dumbledore was very angry. Fudge, afraid of offending him, just sent a few Aurors to deal with it."
"He didn't dare let Dumbledore investigate on his own, so he came up with a lousy plan—Fudge had the Wizengamot Court revisit old cases from over a decade ago to stall Dumbledore."
"You know, after the incident with Sirius Black, Fudge has a very legitimate reason this time, which makes it hard for Dumbledore to refuse."
"Rita—"
The communication headset crackled with agitated shouting and someone loudly complaining about the newspaper's layout.
"Coming!"
Rita Skeeter shouted back and then hurriedly said:
"I must go, Vid. But there's one more thing I think you should know—"
"I've heard that to capture the Obscurus, the Ministry of Magic will dispatch a special squad. Fudge has given them orders to kill the Obscurus and its host directly, without interrogation or reporting. If someone tries to stop them, it's considered a serious crime!"
"In short, you must be careful yourself. In case... I mean, in case... you make contact with Mabel, have her leave the United Kingdom quickly."
Rita ended the communication in a rush without waiting for Vid's response. She stuffed the pea into her small satchel, ran her fingers through her hair, waved her magic wand to remove dust and cobwebs from her hair, and walked out of the supply room with her head held high.
"Rita—my dear—"
A chubby, bald editor-in-chief immediately came up with a "saved" look and said, "Come quickly and look at this article—"
...
Vid put away the communication pea with a sigh.
For some reason, Rita seemed to think there was a possibility that Mabel might come to him. But in fact, he had only spent a very short time with that girl.
Though Vid felt those children all deserve sympathy and knew that after hearing about Rita's experiences on the island, he, too, felt an affection for them, objectively speaking, Vid didn't think Mabel would have much trust in him.
The girl's life and her subsequent fate were almost beyond Vid's control; he could only wait for the moment when fate would pass its judgment.
Other students, however, could not feel Vid's heavy heart. They cheerfully discussed holiday plans, eagerly anticipating the soon-arriving Christmas, making the classroom atmosphere inevitably more restless.
On the third day before the holidays, Vid finally received a message from Dumbledore. He patiently finished his afternoon class, then took three hours to head to the Headmaster's Office.
...
A snowy owl flew out of the window. Watching the reliable messenger carry off the letter he sent, Dumbledore returned to his desk and penned a message for Vid in the Friendship Book.
Two seconds later, he heard a knock on his office door.
The unlocked oak door was pushed open, and there stood Vid Gray.
"You're surprisingly quick, Vid," Dumbledore smiled, adding, "Of course, at your current state, you wouldn't possibly be late."
Vid also noticed the stack of documents and miscellaneous items piled on Dumbledore's desk, realizing he might have been a bit impatient.
"I seem to have arrived a bit early, Professor," Vid said considerately. "Please go ahead with your work; I can wait."
"All right... I still have two documents to handle; perhaps you could read a book in the meantime?" Dumbledore suggested.
"Certainly, Professor."
Dumbledore waved his magic wand, and a soft-cushioned armchair bounced over. A small table also appeared, lit by steaming hot tea and snacks.
—Though magic can't create food, it can move food from the kitchen to the Headmaster's Office table.
From the bookshelf, seven or eight books flew out and landed in front of Vid, who casually picked one up. When he opened it, he was slightly taken aback.
It turned out to be a copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard."
He flipped through a few pages and landed on "The Tale of the Three Brothers."
—Perhaps it wasn't mere coincidence, but rather because the office's owner had read this story so many times, leaving countless subtle marks, like hidden bookmarks among the pages, which led Vid straight to it.
Although Vid had read this book before, he meticulously went through it again at this moment—
Three wizard brothers encountered a rapid river while traveling. They conjured a bridge to cross, but the God of Death, who had not received a sacrifice, appeared suddenly, feigning a gift to each of the three brothers—