After Quirrell left the castle, Victor could no longer use the Hogwarts server to monitor his movements.
Victor disconnected from the server and looked out at the dark night sky.
He raised his wand and released a white mechanical hummingbird.
Frowning at the bird's conspicuous white color, Victor tapped it lightly with his wand. A faint shimmer rippled over the hummingbird before it turned completely transparent...
A second later, the hummingbird flew out the window and vanished into the night...
While the hummingbird was tracking, Victor reached into his drawer and pulled out the diary.
An ancient rune on the cover was glowing white. Apparently, Fleur had added more entries.
Victor opened the diary and began to read.
Quirrell's movements were critical, but Harry's activities were just as important.
Soon, he had finished reading about everything Harry and the others had experienced that afternoon...
Fleur's notes were incredibly detailed. He wasn't sure how she monitored them—it was as if she were standing right there, watching.
Given her striking appearance, pulling that off was no simple feat!
Then again, she was a graduate of the Nurmengard Institute of Magic...
"At it again with the Malfoy boy?" Victor's brow furrowed slightly. "Those two certainly take after their fathers."
The sequence of events was straightforward.
Before their flying lesson this afternoon, Malfoy and Harry had gotten into an argument.
Malfoy seemed to have attacked Hermione's bloodline, implying that Harry was degrading himself by associating with Mudbloods.
They nearly came to blows until Professor Flitwick happened to pass by and stop them.
Then, during the flying lesson, Neville's broom—dilapidated and poorly maintained—went out of control.
Neville ended up injured. While the professor escorted him to the hospital wing, Malfoy provoked Harry again...
The two began a race on their broomsticks...
The result exceeded Victor's expectations.
Harry, flying for the first time, was not at all inferior to Malfoy, who had been on a broom since childhood.
In his shock, Malfoy nearly collided with an owl that flew out of nowhere. If Harry hadn't pulled off an incredibly difficult maneuver to grab him, young Malfoy might have broken his neck...
Afterward, Professor McGonagall, who had witnessed the whole thing from her office, seized the opportunity to award Gryffindor twenty points—and dock twenty from Slytherin.
Victor reasonably suspected that McGonagall was subtly retaliating against Snape's unfairness...
Finally, after receiving the points, Harry was recruited by McGonagall for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Victor gently set the diary down, his gaze narrowing.
He knew about Quidditch, of course, but the sport was far too dangerous.
If Harry joined the team, the opportunities for someone to strike at him in secret would increase...
Voldemort was currently kept at bay, but what about the future?
'I can't watch over Harry every second. It seems... I need to let him gain some ability himself...'
Just then, the mechanical hummingbird flew back through the window and dissolved in front of Victor.
Victor closed his eyes to process the surveillance memories before looking back out the window.
"Hunting unicorns? Drinking their blood? It seems... the Dark Lord's condition is very unstable. No wonder he's already become wary of me..."
"Potter! You dare break the school rules by bringing a broomstick to school? Don't you know first-years aren't allowed to have them?"
In the corridor, Malfoy intercepted Harry and his group as they were hurrying back to the dormitory.
While eating breakfast in the Great Hall, Malfoy had noticed Harry receiving a long, thin package.
Others might not have paid it much mind, but Malfoy, who had played with brooms since he was a toddler, knew exactly what it was. It was a broomstick!
So, he had come straight here to provoke Harry.
"What? I saved your life, and this is how you treat your savior?" Harry glanced at Malfoy, his eyes full of disdain. "And you said you grew up on a broom... yet you can't even stay on one?"
"Shut up!" Hit where it hurt, Malfoy practically exploded. "Just you wait, Potter! I'm going to tell the professors! First-years aren't allowed to have these!"
"Heh..." Ron couldn't help himself. "This is a Nimbus 2000! What did you say your family had again? A Comet 260? Comets might be flashy, but they aren't even in the same league as a Nimbus!"
After speaking, Ron grinned at Harry.
"How would you know, Weasley? You can't even afford half a broom!" Malfoy snapped back viciously. "I bet you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig, don't you?"
Before Ron could retort, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow...
"Now, now, children, I hope we aren't fighting," Professor Flitwick said in his squeaky voice.
Malfoy immediately lodged his complaint. "Someone sent Potter a broomstick!"
"Ah... yes... that's right." Professor Flitwick turned to Harry with a cheerful smile. "Professor McGonagall told me about the special circumstances. What model is it, Potter?"
"It's a Nimbus 2000, Professor." Harry felt a surge of triumph seeing Malfoy's look of disbelief. "I only got it thanks to Malfoy here, actually..."
Hearing this, Malfoy's expression turned hideous.
He had tried to play a trick on Potter, but instead, he'd practically handed him a Nimbus 2000 as a reward?!
In truth, Hermione's expression shifted slightly upon hearing Harry's words.
She really didn't want Harry to feel that the broom was a reward for breaking school rules!
But with the professor there—and knowing Harry and the boys had clashed with Malfoy partly to stand up for her—she didn't feel right speaking up at that moment...
"Ah! I heard about that—you saved Mr. Malfoy's life!" Flitwick squeaked. "You truly have inherited James's talent, Potter!"
Harry beamed with pride at the mention of his father's name.
"Hmph!" With a dark face, Malfoy turned to leave, nearly colliding with someone...
"Mr. Malfoy, you must maintain your composure regardless of the time or place. I covered this specifically in class." A gentle voice drifted over.
"Sorry... Professor Wick." When Malfoy saw it was Victor Wick, the insults he was about to spit out were swallowed instantly.
He had written to his father asking about this Professor Wick's background, essentially wanting to know if his father had any connection to him.
If they were friends, Professor Wick might look out for him just like Snape did.
However, his father, Lucius Malfoy, had sent back a very short reply, warning him: Do not, under any circumstances, provoke Victor Wick!
Realizing his father was actually wary of Professor Wick, Malfoy naturally didn't dare show even a hint of arrogance in Victor's presence.
"Mr. Malfoy, I can see you have talent in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I hope you will go much further in the future. So, remember what I said: always control your emotions," Victor said softly.
"Yes, I'll remember..." Malfoy finished and hurried away with his two lackeys.
"Oh! Victor, you're here! You're quite dedicated, aren't you? Even in your daily life, you're looking out for the students," Professor Flitwick squeaked.
"Ah... Filius, you flatter me. In truth, I've simply seen too many excellent wizards fall to enemies far inferior to them because their mental fortitude was lacking... so I don't want my students to suffer for the same reason," Victor said humbly.
"Hahaha! Victor, that magic you mentioned a few days ago was very interesting. Any interest in coming to my office for a chat? We could discuss it properly, what do you say?" Seeing Victor, Flitwick immediately remembered Victor's unique insights into charms and felt an itch to discuss them.
"I'd love to! But Filius, I have a few things to discuss with Potter first. How about in half an hour?" Victor smiled.
"Excellent! I'll head back and get some tea and snacks ready!" Professor Flitwick left in a hurry.
Not far away, Harry, hearing Victor mention him, looked over curiously. "Professor, did you need me?"
"Yes..." Victor looked at Harry, then at the friends beside him. "Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom—come along as well. To my office."
Harry and his friends exchanged looks, clutching their packages, unsure why Victor wanted to see them.
By then, Victor was already at the end of the corridor, and the group hurried to catch up.
Victor's office wasn't very large, but it was kept very tidy.
Lucky was napping in his bed. Seeing the group enter, he only cracked an eyelid for a glance before going back to sleep.
Victor flicked his wand, and several chairs appeared before them.
Steaming cups of tea floated over automatically...
"Sit..."
As he spoke, Victor pulled up a chair for himself.
"Professor..."
Once they were seated, Harry looked at Victor with some confusion.
"I heard you're joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Congratulations," Victor said softly.
"Thank you... it was just luck, really," Harry said, scratching his head sheepishly.
Victor gave Harry a strange look. This kid was quite good at humblebragging; he was the first first-year on a Quidditch team in centuries!
"However... Harry, do you know much about Quidditch?" Victor asked next.
"A bit... but I won't know the specifics until I start training," Harry said hesitantly.
He really didn't know much, only the general idea.
"Then you should know it's a very dangerous sport... Harry, do you remember what I told you before term started?" Victor asked.
"You told me to make friends, get along with my classmates, and study hard..." Harry replied fluently.
Victor nodded. "But those aren't the most important things. The most important thing is... you must look after yourself. Are you absolutely sure you want to join the Quidditch team?"
It dawned on Harry that Professor Wick was worried about his safety.
But how could a Gryffindor student be afraid?
"I'm definitely joining!" Harry nodded. "My father was on the Quidditch team back in his day!"
Victor nodded, remembering that was indeed the case.
"Very well... since your mind is made up..." Victor pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it over. "This is a spell I've been working on. Learn it before your first official match. It will go a long way in ensuring your safety."
Harry took the parchment, a warm feeling blossoming in his chest. "Thank you, Professor..."
"The rest of you can learn it as well..." Victor looked at the others. "You know about his past, so you should know his path might not always be smooth. There are many people who wish to harm him—you must have realized that on the first night of school. You are Harry's friends, and I don't want any of you to get hurt because of it either."
The others felt a warmth in their hearts as well. While considering Harry's safety, Professor Wick had even thought of them! He was truly so kind!
Neville, remembering his parents' descriptions of Victor's past, felt his eyes sting and turn a bit red.
"Miss Granger," Victor said, suddenly turning to Hermione.
Hermione straightened up immediately, her eyes bright as she looked at Victor.
"I know... you might sometimes dislike some of their behavior, but... true friends allow each other to be a bit foolish now and then, and then help them correct it. Sometimes, why not try communicating as equals and being completely open?"
"Communicating as equals..." Hermione lowered her head slightly, lost in thought.
"The same goes for you all... even if a friend's advice is hard to hear, you should consider its validity and talk it through, rather than immediately questioning their words just because they were unpleasant..." Victor glanced at Ron as he said this.
Ron's mouth hung open. He could tell Professor Wick was addressing him even while advising Hermione! But... how did Professor Wick know about their squabbles?
However, Ron quickly dismissed the thought. Professor Wick cared deeply about Harry, so it wasn't strange that he'd notice these things.
"Professor... I understand what you mean." Hermione was very bright; she knew exactly what he was trying to tell her.
When advising friends, one should mind their attitude and use appropriate language... otherwise, no matter how right you are, it might not help and could even hurt the friendship.
After all, people naturally have a rebellious streak...
"Excellent... you are the cleverest among them. So, whether they master this spell will depend on your help." Victor looked at Hermione with encouraging eyes.
A flash of joy crossed Hermione's face when Victor called her the cleverest. She nodded repeatedly, deciding right then to study the spell as soon as she got back and then push the boys to learn it!
Harry and the others weren't upset at Victor saying Hermione was the cleverest, because it was true.
Harry could even tell that Victor was helping mend their friendship!
Professor Wick... he really was... too kind!
Just then, Ron's breast pocket twitched. An ancient-looking rat poked its head out, looking like it had just woken up.
However, the moment the rat locked eyes with Victor, its body froze...
"Mr. Weasley... that rat of yours... why does it look so familiar?" Victor stared at the rat, his eyes full of pleasant surprise.