The bronze eagle-shaped door ring emitted a pleasant sound:
"I make the emperor kneel, yet I am silent and unseen;
I am sharper than swords, yet I am shadowless and shapeless;
I am heavier than gold, yet lighter than feathers;
Wise men covet me, yet fools waste me."
— What am I?"
It was a very simple riddle, and Vid answered without hesitation: "Time."
"Correct answer."
The door ring whispered, and then the wooden panel opened, letting out the warm glow of fire and candlelight, along with the noisy clamour.
"Vid is back!"
Someone shouted, and the person at the door quickly pulled him inside, raising Vid's arm and shouting loudly: "Our champion!"
"Oh oh oh oh..."
Everyone in the lounge began to scream together; Vid had never realized there were so many Ravenclaw students.
The entrance wooden panel stayed open for a few seconds, then slowly closed, leaving a series of faint footprints on the butterbeer-dampened carpet.
The footprints struggled to avoid the crowd, reaching a relatively quiet corner by the bookshelf, where two girls eating cake suddenly felt the celebration enthusiasm, dropped the cake, and rushed into the crowd.
Lower-grade students squeezed to the front of Vid, waving homemade flags with ravens and golden flames painted on them; some upper-grade students stood a little further away, with approving smiles on their faces, then clapped.
The fourth-year students were the most excited, Terry repeatedly opened several bottles of butterbeer, stuffing them into everyone's hands.
Anthony rushed to the front, grabbed Vid's neck, and shouted: "I knew it! I knew it would be you!"
"Come on, we all knew!" Prefect Aikemo said loudly with a smiling face, raising a bottle and saying: "Let us all congratulate Vid for being chosen as the champion!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone raised their glasses together, and even the young wizards who couldn't drink alcohol stretched their arms to raise their juices.
Michael slightly frowned, preparing to swap the beer from Vid's hand, but saw him holding the bottle as usual, shouting loudly: "Cheers!"
Then he tilted his head back and drank it all in one go!
"Oh oh oh——"
The lounge erupted into another burst of noise, and the crowd closed in on Vid, his hand immediately stuffed with a new bottle of beer, with some eager for his autograph.
"Vid, will the Magic Spell Study Group continue?" someone asked with concern.
"Of course." Vid took a big gulp of beer, smiling: "As long as you want to join, the Magic Spell Study Group is always there!"
"What's the first event? How can we help you?" Lisa screamed, seeming eager to be the champion's assistant.
"The competition content is confidential... Oh, it's not that I need to keep it secret from you, but the judges haven't told me either!" Vid said: "I think only before the competition will we know the contents."
Actually, he suspected they didn't really listen to what he said, soon Vid's hand was stuffed with some food again.
"Have some cake, Vid, or would you like a meat pie?"
"Thanks, I'm not hungry."
Amidst the chaotic noise, Vid was always surrounded by people, deftly handling the situation, soon empty beer bottles piled up on the table and the floor.
"You should attend our parties more!" someone shouted: "Vid, you're born for this!"
Vid only smiled without speaking.
Laughter and voices echoed off the curved dome, beer foam sprayed everywhere, and someone used magic to make the empty beer bottles gently bump back and forth in front of the fireplace, creating a somewhat pleasant tune.
Some students then began to dance in the open space in the middle, skirts swirling, dance steps lively, laughter cascading around.
Michael, however, didn't join in, he looked confused at Vid in the centre of the crowd, silently observing the surroundings.
He saw Luna wearing a Doxy hairpin and heavy glasses, walking towards a corner armchair but suddenly changed direction as if bumped into something, sitting on another chair beside it.
Michael raised an eyebrow and walked to that corner, hadn't gotten close when he heard Luna say:
"Why not join? Worried someone might put Doxy eggs in your drink? My dad says that thing actually aids digestion."
"I'm not worried about that." Vid's voice sounded near the empty chair: "Besides, my digestion has no issues."
Michael breathed a sigh of relief, walked over and said: "I knew there was something fishy—who's the guy drinking on your behalf over there?"
"My poppet." Vid, hidden by the Disillusionment Charm, lazily said: "Isn't it a convincing fake?"
"Indeed," Michael glanced over again, said: "I almost couldn't recognize... Luna, how did you find out?"
"Oh, I just noticed some Doxy around here." Luna nonchalantly said: "In the centre of a carnival, invisible yet apparent, isn't it more interesting than the noisy crowd?"
Michael knew every girl in Ravenclaw, including Luna, known as the "Mad Girl," and knew when her words were incomprehensible, the simplest response was to ignore.
If you pursue the question, the thought seems to be pulled into a surreal other dimension.
He picked up a hazelnut from the table and popped it into his mouth, mumblingly asked Vid: "If you don't want to deal with it, why not just go back to the dorm?"
"How should I put it?" Vid propped his chin, said: "I want solitude, yet I'm drawn to the party's joyful atmosphere, so why not be a quiet backdrop, enjoying this delightful magnetic field."
Michael's mouth curled into an understanding smile: "Alright, this place is your viewing throne, but I'm going to dance!"
He put down his cup, walked to a lone black-haired girl standing by the bookshelf, bowed, and soon pulled her into the dance floor.
Luna thoughtfully watched Vid, said: "I heard there's a Quiet Dew, once drunk even in the busy city feels like being in the forest, I think you need it."
"No thanks." Vid laughed: "When I want to feel the forest, I'll directly go to the Forbidden Forest."
He hesitated briefly, asked: "Lately... are your things still going missing?"
"Ah…" Luna slowly blinked, then said: "No one hides my books and clothes anymore, the shoes always stay on the floor, not running around."
"I think I still hear people calling you by that nickname?"
"Mad Girl?" Luna indifferently shook her head, silver dust fluttering from the Doxy hairpin, she said: "They think I'm odd, but it doesn't matter, I only feel sorry for them."
She looked at the crowd, shrugged: "Unable to see a more wondrous world, it's not their fault."
Vid smiled again.
Sometimes he wonders, does the world Luna sees match his?
But this question inevitably has no answer—even Polyjuice Potion can't make him share the same thoughts as others.