Chapter 352: A Friend Not Reunited
Chapter 352: A Friend Not Reunited
Cyril was stunned, and he burst out laughing. "That's impossible!"
"Why not?" asked Hasgar Granhite, emerging from the cave with a large travel bag on his back.
"Because the Vold I know can't do magic, he's just a nerd who only knows how to study!"
Cyril confidently replied, "He must be wearing thick glasses now, studying advanced mathematics or playing chess at St. Paul's School. He might even be bullied by his classmates, waiting for me to get revenge for him!"
As the two focused on their conversation, they walked right past Vold without noticing him, completely unaware of the Peregrine Falcon hiding at the cave entrance, concealed among the fallen leaves and weeds.
After all, Vold, in his transformed state as a Peregrine Falcon, was not yet fully grown. When he folded his wings, his size was similar to that of an ordinary crow, and his dark feathers provided excellent camouflage in the night.
Granhite sighed, "I've told you before, stop watching so much TV. Do you think all smart people are nerds like those on television?"
Cyril argued, "Vold is like that—although he might not wear glasses."
"Hey, don't argue with me, listen up—" Granhite spoke with a serious tone. "The Vold I'm talking about is the same person you know, but he's not some bullied nerd. He's a rising star in alchemy, a genius!"
Cyril was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a while.
The two walked along the forest path, stepping on thick foliage that crunched under their feet.
The forest was dark, but they navigated the obstacles effortlessly without any light source.
Vold silently followed behind them in the air, occasionally stopping to maintain a safe distance.
To avoid detection, he couldn't get too close, but the forest's quietness allowed him to clearly hear their conversation.
"Vold is now highly valued by Dumbledore. He invented the Flowing Mirror, Companion Ledger, and Automaton, and he's a collaborator with Aslan Magical Workshops."
Granhite continued, "The Flowing Mirror and Companion Ledger aren't even the most impressive. The Leader wants to obtain the technology for creating Automatons, and he even sent people to infiltrate Aslan Magical Workshops for this purpose."
"However, we later discovered that the process of creating Automatons has been divided into dozens of steps, and the production of magical materials is kept completely confidential. Even if we bribed one or two employees, we couldn't obtain this technology."
"Only a handful of people in the entire world fully understand the process of creating Automatons. Among them, Vold is the easiest target and the most valuable one."
"The Leader hopes that we can obtain the secret of Automaton creation from Vold, and ideally, convince him to willingly work for us."
"So do you understand now, Cyril? That's why this mission required a young trainee like you."
The cheerful smile on Cyril's face had long disappeared, and after a long silence, he spoke softly, "So, what should we do? Should we... take Vold, take Grey away?"
Granhite shook his head, "Over a month ago, the action team attempted it once, but everyone who went failed... We don't even know who did it."
"Now that Vold has returned to Hogwarts, with Dumbledore there, it's almost impossible to take him away."
"But I heard there are people from our organization in that school too," Cyril asked tentatively. "Can't we use a Portkey..."
"You fool, the tracking of Portkeys is easier than you think! Do you want to expose the organization's secret base to a powerful wizard like Dumbledore?"
Granwhite glared at him, his fear of Dumbledore evident in his expression.
He patted the boy's head and scolded, "You obviously weren't paying attention in class. You need more whippings!"
Carrel laughed mischievously. "It's not my fault. The theory classes are so boring—what does the Leader want me to do?"
"Don't be hasty. We need to wait for the right moment. First, change your appearance and find a way to meet Ved Gre. Since you've been friends since childhood, it should be easy to rekindle that friendship, even with a new face."
Granwhite lowered his voice instinctively as he spoke of their plan.
After a while, Carrel asked, "Is there a way for me to transfer to Hogwarts? I'm outside, and he's in school, but we won't have a chance to carry out the mission."
"Do you think Hogwarts is just any Muggle school?" Granwhite retorted.
"Transferring is possible, but I'm afraid that as soon as you step in, your true identity will be exposed. I've heard of an advanced magic that can reveal a person's true name."
"Hogwarts is a school with a thousand years of history, and who knows how many protective spells have been cast on it. So, if you're thinking of infiltrating with a fake identity, forget it!"
Although Granwhite was verbally reprimanding Carrel, in his heart, he was also cursing the colleague who had taken Carrel away for not handling the aftermath properly.
If it weren't for the uproar caused by the disappearance of underage wizards in the British wizarding world, Carrel could have entered Hogwarts as a transfer student without any issues.
In that case, the reunion with his old friend would have made everything much smoother.
Carrel yawned, not taking Granwhite's words seriously.
He tilted his head slightly, gazing at the lights of the Muggle town in the distance. His blue eyes appeared exceptionally clear.
They walked into the town on foot and knocked on the door of a dilapidated inn in the middle of the night, then checked in.
The knocking startled the night birds, which took flight before fluttering back down.
On the branches outside the inn's window, two deep brown barn owls perched, turning their heads to search for mice. Suddenly, a bird appeared behind them.
The barn owls' heads turned a full 180 degrees, and they stared solemnly at the peregrine falcon behind them, making a "huff, huff" sound.
The peregrine falcon stared directly at them.
Fortunately, these barn owls were slow-moving and good-natured. If they had been great horned owls, they would have likely jumped up to cause trouble for the peregrine falcon by now.
So, Ved saw the barn owls, resembling squirrels with their long ears, move sideways a few steps, making room for him. Then, they turned their attention to the sparrows on the nearby power lines, appearing as if they were daydreaming.
The peregrine falcon accepted the barn owls' kindness and moved forward two steps, and the three birds stood side by side, looking harmonious at first glance.
Ved was very satisfied with his current position; without turning his head, he could see Carrel and Granwhite entering the guest room.
After putting down their packages, the two didn't rest immediately.
Carrel pushed the TV aside, popped a crimson lollipop into his mouth, took out the Flowing Mirror, and sat on the bed, continuing to stare at the exterior wall of the Hog's Head Pub.
Granwhite, on the other hand, took out a pen and a notebook. As he opened it, several photos fell out.
He cursed under his breath and leaned over to pick them up.
The peregrine falcon narrowed his eyes slightly.
Among the photos, he saw images of the werewolf Will and Lupin, as well as the female werewolf, Claire.
(End of Chapter)
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