A few students looked at Vid, then at Abigail, and obediently walked out.
Professor Abigail casually threw a "Silent" towards the door, then asked, "Vid, what brings you here?"
The professor still wore a smile on her face, but her expression faintly had a bit of tension.
Vid sat across from her, saying, "Actually, it's nothing important. I just wanted to say thank you to the professor—luckily you arrived in time, or else I wouldn't have lasted much longer."
Abigail raised an eyebrow.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but she always felt like the emphasis in Vid's words was on "in time," rather than "thank you."
—Is he questioning why she was able to arrive in time in a moment of crisis, when the other professors hadn't yet arrived?
Maybe she was overthinking... but Abigail still felt she needed to explain a bit.
"Actually, I was already on the train... remember? I said I wouldn't stay at school during the holiday."
The professor playfully blinked and said:
"I wasn't a student at Hogwarts before, but I've heard so much about it, including this unique Magic Train. Since I had the chance, I had to experience it."
"It's just that I was too excited last night. After getting on the train, I soon fell asleep, which is why I didn't appear initially."
"So that's how it is." Vid smiled with relief, "Thanks to your curiosity, everyone was okay... The professor's Guardian God seems to be a Doberman?"
"Yes... yes..."
For some reason, Abigail's smile became stiff at this simple question, and she unnaturally changed the topic:
"Yours is an eagle, right? Very majestic, it seems very fitting for you. Who taught you?"
"It was Remus." Vid paused and said, "Remus Lupin, he was my tutor."
Hearing Lupin's name, even though Abigail controlled her expression, a fleeting glance towards Vid revealed her inner thoughts.
Vid could almost see what was on her mind—"You hired him as a tutor? Do you know he's a werewolf?"
His heart sank slightly, and he looked down, asking, "Did the professor study at Ilvermorny? What kind of school is that?"
"Oh... Ilvermorny..."
Unconsciously adjusting her hair, Abigail said, "Ilvermorny was founded with Hogwarts as a reference, also divided into four houses—Thunderbird, Cheetah, Horned Serpent, and Puckchi, and new students also go through a sorting ceremony when they enroll..."
"Which house was the professor in?" Vid asked.
"Me? I was in Cheetah House. Actually, when I stood over the Gordian Knot—oh, that's the sorting ceremony at Ilvermorny—both the Cheetah and Thunderbird statues responded to me, but I ultimately chose Cheetah House..."
Perhaps recalling her happy house life, Abigail couldn't help but smile.
Vid occasionally responded with a sentence or two while quietly observing her.
In fact, he wasn't completely ignorant of Ilvermorny—among the thousands of books in the Hogwarts library, many wizards' travelogues and Magic Notes actually mentioned other magic schools around the world.
Hogwarts is recognized as the oldest and best Magic Academy, but other schools also have their own characteristics. Ilvermorny, the mimic, is mentioned the most frequently.
Some praised it as the most democratic and accepting of all magic schools, while others scorned it because one of its founders was a Muggle, that Muggle named James Stewart even became the headmaster.
In contrast, Ilvermorny's sorting ceremony was highly praised, with people generally believing its dual-choice mechanism to be superior to Hogwarts' sorting hat.
Vid remembered that Ilvermorny's Cheetah and Thunderbird were equivalent to Gryffindor at Hogwarts, where Cheetah symbolized warriors, and Thunderbird represented a love of adventure.
Although this seems somewhat absolute, the house you choose indeed largely represents the traits students possess, and these traits, during several years of study, are constantly resonated, assimilated, and strengthened by those around them.
Cheetah... Courage...
Vid speculated to himself: Could Dumbledore's patient attitude be because he saw that Abigail is actually a "Gryffindor?"
Someone who can summon a Guardian God can't really be that bad... Umbridge, who happily engages in wickedness, should be a rare exception...
Vid mused to himself while asking, "Doesn't Ilvermorny have a train leading to the school? How do the students get there?"
Abigail laughed, "Ilvermorny is built atop a mountain, surrounded by dense forest, transportation like a train can't reach it."
"Students usually use Floo Powder to reach a village near the school and then ride a broom up, and in recent years, Magic Carpets have become popular too... As for students from Muggle families, the school has Magic Carriages specially for transport..."
Abigail chatted, forgetting the time, until the train's broadcast reminded students to prepare to disembark, and she suddenly came to her senses.
"Ah, it's already that time... you should go pack your luggage." Abigail said.
"Alright, professor, see you next semester then," Vid said, "I'm looking forward to the new format of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class."
Previously, because Dumbledore hadn't come back, the reconstruction of the Chamber of Secret wasn't fully completed, so the werewolf, vampire, and other poppets never got the chance to interact with students.
By next semester, this class will definitely become more thrilling.