The celebration in the Ravenclaw Common Room lasted for a long time. Since the next day was Sunday, everyone let loose and danced and laughed the entire night, eventually forgetting the reason for their celebration.
Vid didn't stay long, though. When it was time for bed, he quietly returned to his dormitory, leaving the Poppet in the common room to handle the endless toasts.
Before sleeping, Vid didn't forget to use the Communication Pea to 'call' his parents and tell them about his selection news.
The family had discussed the league in advance. The Greys were already aware of Vid's plans, so they weren't surprised by the news. They just reminded him to "stay safe" and "not focus too much on winning or losing," among other things.
Nearing dawn, the Ravenclaw Common Room finally quieted down. Most people couldn't hold on any longer and went back to their dorms to sleep, while some who were drunk just slept on the sofas or carpets in the common room.
Just before dawn, there was no longer anyone awake in the common room, and the House-Elves finally emerged to begin tidying up quietly.
A figure on the sofa suddenly moved, startling Zoe, who was cleaning up the bottles. She turned around, saw the familiar figure, and immediately ran over joyfully.
"Mr. Vid Gray... huh?"
The familiar figure had an unfamiliar aura, causing the House-Elf to halt and look suspiciously and cautiously at the "Vid Gray."
The "Vid Gray" smiled and softly said, "You're not mistaken, I'm not him."
The other two House-Elves, Habi and Fel, immediately came by Zoe's side, warily watching the fake Vid. However, perhaps because the other party's demeanor was so calm, they only quietly asked:
"Who are you? What do you want? Where is Mr. Gray?"
The fake Vid pointed at his ear and said, "Can't you hear what's going on in all the dorms? Why don't you listen for yourselves?"
He then stood up, brushed off the crumbs from his robe, left the common room, and walked along the spiral staircase towards the dormitories.
This "Vid," who had supposedly drunk dozens of bottles of beer that night, seemed completely unaffected by the alcohol, as he took each step with almost identical spacing and frequency.
The House-Elves' big ears quivered slightly, hearing the "fake Vid" reach Vid Gray's dormitory, where the original even breathing stopped.
Soon after, Vid himself mumbled, "The party is finally over?"
"Yes, master," the "fake Vid" replied.
"What time is it," Vid grumbled, glanced at the time, fell back on his bed, and said, "You should rest too, Vise..."
The House-Elves exchanged glances with one another.
"Poppet?"
"Must be the Poppet."
"As expected of Mr. Gray."
Only then did they relax and continue cleaning. Zoe carefully shifted a student who had been sleeping on the floor to the side and extracted an empty bottle from his arms.
...
Poppet Vise, upon receiving the order, crossed through the wardrobe door and entered the spacious interior.
There was always plenty of work to do in the wardrobe space. At that moment, there were seven or eight tall, thin figures—some crafting items, some engrossed in reading books, and others assembling machines.
These were among the most intelligent Poppets, capable even of learning new knowledge and mastering new skills independently.
Each of them wore a badge on their chest, with names like [Vidas], [Riddle], [Vilan], [Vito], [Vine] inscribed, which individually seemed fine, but placed together immediately revealed how casually they were chosen.
Poppet Vise also pulled out a badge with his name from his pocket, fastened it to his chest, and took over the tool from Riddle's hand, tinkering with some metal pipes.
"Vise, will the master let you participate in the competition in his place?" Riddle, the Poppet, asked.
"Impossible," Vito replied. "If the headmasters found out, they'd definitely consider it cheating and disqualify him."
"No need," Vise also said. "The master can win the competition himself."
"Except for you, we will be leaving soon," Vine sighed with a touch of reluctance on his face.
The other Poppets, remaining expressionless, went "Ugh—"
"Stop acting in front of us, Vine," Vito said expressionlessly. "Go fool the people outside."
"Haha, just getting some practice!" Vine laughed, playfully brushing back his brown hair with his hand, saying, "After all, soon I will be the world's viewed successor of the Witch Pure Party—Braun!"
...
The next morning, countless owls carrying the Prophet Daily, dropped newspapers and feathers onto the students' breakfast tables.
Vid heard Fleur Delacour exclaim loudly in annoyance, then complain to her companions about Hogwarts' hygienic conditions—
"Oh my, can't these owls deliver the mail at a different time? Does it have to be in the morning? Right when we're eating? I can't take a bite! Just think of bird droppings in the pumpkin juice, it makes me sick!"
Several Beauxbatons girls frowned, putting down their spoons.
The nearby Ravenclaws were already used to the French young lady's ways, pretending they hadn't heard anything. Only a few girls covertly curled their lips, exchanged glances, and made slightly mocking expressions.
Of course, Vid didn't pay attention to these exchanges of glances. He just unfolded the newspaper and saw the selection list for the league on the front page.
"They're so fast; the newspaper must have worked overnight," Michael said, peering over to look, pointing with his finger. "Your three names are right at the top... Oh, and there's a photo."
Harry's photo captured the moment he attacked the Basilisk, likely taken from previous Flow Mirror News coverage, while Cedric's was a standard shot standing in front of the school castle.
As for Vid's photo, it was taken at Machioni's Magic Workshop, surrounded by Alchemy Tools, clearly showcasing his identity as an Alchemist, even subtly suggesting a "bookworm" vibe.
Vid sighed — going out from now on, he couldn't expect people to not recognize him completely.
He looked at the report, which was very abridged and objective, presumably to meet a deadline, offering no extra introductions to the champions from each school.
The author's name at the end of the report was Rita Skeeter, which surprised Vid.
—So that woman can write a normal report! He thought Rita only wrote with added sensationalism and wild speculations!
Vid then turned a page and, after seeing the headline of the next report, his gaze slightly tightened.
"Mysterious Deaths Near Glennaf Forest, Suspected Dark Magic Experiment."