Vid turned around and saw Dumbledore fall into a long silence, the old man's slender fingers unconsciously rubbed his magic wand, his gaze revealing a complex emotion hard to describe.
He waited a while, then softly said, "Professor Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore raised his eyes, sighed deeply, his voice so low it was almost a whisper:
"If the situation requires it, Vid... don't hesitate to reach out to 'allies'... Don't worry about any positions..."
The word "allies" was slightly emphasized by him, implying discretion and complexity.
Vid's eyes widened instantly; when he understood the old man's helpless yet clear decision in his eyes, his surprise turned into understanding.
"I understand, Professor."
Vid nodded solemnly, didn't ask another question, and accepted this trust and understanding that transcended positions openly.
After walking out of the Headmaster's Office, Vid only then lifted his hand to rub his face, still unable to believe what he had just heard.
He was more aware than anyone of the century-long entanglement between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. He thought Dumbledore watching him stand beside Grindelwald, releasing flames to block the Demonized Forest without uttering a word was already the limit.
Unexpectedly...
Dumbledore took the initiative to suggest harnessing the power of his arch-enemy, who knows what kind of struggle and compromise went through him.
Undoubtedly, in the Headmaster's eyes, Vid's safety was more important than his personal grievances, thus he actively made the suggestion.
When Vid put down his palm, his gaze returned to clarity from shock and confusion.
Openly there was Moody leading the Aurors for support, secretly he could utilize the influence of the Witch Pure Party, additionally, there were the House-Elves and Poppets he had arranged earlier...
If even with this he couldn't investigate anything, ultimately returning to the United Kingdom in disgrace, Vid himself wouldn't respect himself.
...
At the dim corner of the corridor, Filch was pacing back and forth restlessly, his eyes occasionally glancing towards the Headmaster's Office. The oil lamp in his hand swayed, casting twisted, jumping shadows on the stone wall.
Mrs. Loris's tail tip curled gracefully, closely following Filch's steps back and forth, seemingly as anxious as him.
Filch said with a hoarse voice:
"Don't worry, old girl, he'll be here soon... just wait patiently, just a few more minutes..."
He bent down to pet the cat's slim back and then began pacing again, his shoes rubbing hurriedly against the floor, producing a rustling sound.
All of a sudden, Filch's ears keenly caught the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs.
At this time, there was no one else in the castle.
He quickly turned his head and saw that the visitor was indeed Vid, that perpetually gloomy face suddenly burst into uncontrollable joy, he almost ran over in small steps.
"Mr. Filch?" Vid said somewhat surprised, "I thought you'd be waiting for me in the office."
"Ah... well..."
Filch stopped his steps, his lips stretched into a smile, he mumbled awkwardly:
"I, I just happened to be free... thought I'd stop by and take a look..."
Actually, he feared Vid had too many important matters to tend to and would forget his promise to himself.
"Oh." Vid treated him as "passing by," asking gently, "Is there something you need to see me about?"
"It's... it's those little crabs..."
Filch's face flushed, he spoke with some difficulty:
"Barty Crouch Jr. fellow broke them! After I got better, I tried fixing them, most of them are barely functioning but... but some still have small issues. And two little guys can't fully recover..."
He looked at Vid with slightly muddy eyes, and pleaded, "Vid, could you help fix them again?"
"Of course." Vid said cheerfully, "Let's take a look."
The two of them went to Filch's dark, crowded office, and the chairs damaged during the fight with Barty Jr. had not even been replaced, just secured with nails and wire on the broken legs.
Vid casually cast a Reparo spell on the chair, walked to the desk, and saw that the dirty wooden table was piled with gears, screws, wrenches, and other repair tools, and even a copy of "Introduction to Basic Alchemy" with curled edges.
Filch hurried three steps to the table, slid his palm across the tabletop, hid "Introduction to Basic Alchemy," and turned around, saying somewhat awkwardly:
"I just... flipped through... casually..."
Vid nodded and said, "It's good, mastering some Alchemy Knowledge, you could handle some simple daily repairs yourself—actually, many Alchemy processes don't require magic involvement."
Filch's near-exploding shame finally gradually calmed down, he scratched his face somewhat uneasily, asking timidly:
"Really? Such profound knowledge... Can a man like me have the chance to learn it?"
"Why not?" Vid said, "Alchemy is essentially a skill that becomes more refined with practice, requiring patience and precision the most. You've managed the castle for so many years, you're not lacking those two qualities."
He reached into his pocket and tapped lightly.
The Poppets in the wardrobe space immediately got busy, in a matter of seconds, a book was found and passed around like a game.
A moment later, Vid took out a book from his pocket, looked at it, and handed it to Filch.
"The book you were reading isn't detailed enough, more suitable for apprentices with some Alchemy foundation. Try looking at this one... The first part is about the properties and handling of basic materials, the latter part is about the repair methods for Magic Tools."
This book was provided by Machioni's company as a learning manual for new employees, Vid found it interesting during a visit and took one for his collection.
Most repair processes in the book don't require magic, even someone with no Alchemy foundation could become a competent assembly line worker after reading it.
Filch practically held his breath, like a treasure he took the book.
After thanking Vid, he didn't immediately open it, but carefully tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat, even patting it instinctively.
Then, Filch cautiously opened the cupboard door, revealing the dozen or so Cleaning Crabs inside.
Vid only then realized that his so-called "moving" indeed meant the crabs could only simply move slightly.
Most just wiggle their pincers or legs like lucky cat statues; and two severely damaged ones, wrapped in taupe duct tape circle after circle, had become almost thicker than the body, naturally couldn't move.
Additionally, Filch had tried bandaging their "wounds," replacing new parts, and tying broken pincers on their bodies with wire, among other things.
The administrator had attempted various methods to rescue his little crabs, from initially rough techniques to slightly professional welding later, Vid could almost see traces of his late night, learning and repairing for countless nights.
Every repair was crude to the point of being unbearable, yet they foreshadowed an unmistakably earnest persistence.
However, under his efforts, the crabs' condition worsened, the Magic Rune Circuits above were also shattered chaotically, naturally showing no hope of restoration.
Vid sighed silently, said nothing more, drew out his Magic Wand, and gently waved it!