Vid emerged from the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, and Lupin was already waiting for him.
Compared to their first meeting, the man was clearly in much better shape.
He wore a deep blue Wizard Robe, no longer in the patch upon patch fashion from before. The sorrow and weariness on his face had largely disappeared, replaced by a steady maturity and a subtle melancholy brought on by the passage of time.
Such a man was undoubtedly charming, and Vid noticed some young witches subtly observing him.
Lupin ignored those gazes. Upon seeing Vid, he couldn't help but smile and walk over to say, "It's been a while, Vid."
Over the past six months, they hadn't seen each other often, but the daily Magic lessons never ceased. Through their correspondence, Lupin had become quite familiar with Vid.
Despite his youth, he didn't have the common faults of ordinary children like laziness, impulsiveness, immaturity, or restlessness.
He had a clear set of goals and a high degree of concentration, constantly learning and growing, exuding a spirit of striving upward; moreover, he was good at listening and expressing his own ideas without merely echoing others.
To the people around him, he was both trusting and respectful, able to understand others' difficulties, and treated Lupin with the same respect he afforded school professors, never condescending due to the salary paid.
During Lupin's many years of wandering, he had encountered employers of all kinds, some of whom thought, "I paid you, so you have to serve me like a dog," eager to squeeze every bit of value out of their employees.
Therefore, at this moment, his recognition of Vid had immeasurably heightened, the only obstacle being his own identity as a Werewolf.
He didn't know Vid was aware of his being a Werewolf from the start.
"Remus," Vid greeted him: "I suddenly called you over, did it interrupt something?"
Lupin laughed: "I haven't been busy lately… Have you encountered something?"
"You know, Harry and I are classmates and get along quite well."
Vid didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "Since the holiday began, Harry has cut off contact with all his friends, and everyone is a bit worried. I said I could go check on him at his home—"
Since hearing Harry's name, Lupin's expression underwent a slight, peculiar change, as if he was lost in thought, and yet pained.
Vid looked at him and said: "I've heard Harry's parents were your friends during school, so I thought perhaps you'd be willing to help…"
He paused slightly: "If this makes you uncomfortable, then forget it… I guess Harry should be fine, otherwise Dumbledore would surely have stepped in."
Indeed, Lupin's face looked rather unpleasant at that point, as if a spoonful of cold water had been poured into his ear.
"… No… it's not difficult." Lupin said slowly: "I'd like to go see him myself… it's just… I'm not sure if I should go near…"
His expression seemed a bit dazed.
"If you want to see him, then go see him," Vid said: "Who has the right to stop you from caring for an old friend's orphan? Besides, he might need help now."
The word "orphan" suddenly stung Lupin, and his expression briefly became somewhat embarrassed.
"You're right… I should go see him… I should have gone to see him sooner…"
Lupin made his decision and hesitated no longer; the two of them set off together. To avoid drawing attention, they changed into ordinary attire, first taking the subway and then hailing a taxi to Little Whinging District in Surrey.
They alighted on Privet Drive and watched the almost identical houses lining the street, Lupin asked: "Vid, do you know where Harry lives?"
Vid glanced at the house's nameplate and said: "He should live around here; his uncle's last name is Dursley."
"Dursley… I remember him——Vernon Dursley, Lily's husband. He was at Lily and James's wedding."
Lupin frowned, saying disdainfully: "He's a rude madman."
—— "What happened?" Vid asked curiously.
In his impression, James Potter was a sort of school bully, surrounded by a gang of obedient mates.
Muggle Vernon logically should be defenseless before them, only to be bullied.
But Lupin's attitude… suggested they themselves felt harassed.
Lupin took a deep breath, saying: "He's the worst Muggle I've ever met… When we first met at the wedding, he condescendingly asked James what kind of car he drove, and James told him he had a competition-grade broom…"
Mentioning this name and recalling past scenes still caused Lupin pain.
He hesitated briefly before continuing: "Then Vernon Dursley loudly proclaimed that Wizards were poor wretches living on unemployment benefits."
James told him, he owned heaps of Gold at Gringotts. Vernon didn't understand Gringotts, thinking James was teasing him, and he reacted with fury, and the couple stormed out of the wedding, making Lily cry."
Lupin chuckled bitterly: "You don't know, James would do anything for Lily. He promised Lily he'd reconcile with Vernon as soon as possible… But their attitude… Can you understand? To them, we're all freaks…"
Vid was enlightened—clearly, there might have been more unpleasant conflicts afterward.
"I should have come for Harry sooner… I didn't realize he had been entrusted to the Dursleys," Lupin said worriedly and with guilt: "Damned… I should have thought of this sooner; they were his only kin…"
"But given your past circumstances, you probably couldn't support a child well."
Vid suddenly halted: "We're here."
The two looked at the house beside the road.
It seemed as though it had been copied and pasted from its neighbors, with no differences from the gray tiles on the roof to the mottled bricks on the walls. A car was parked in the yard, which was kept neat.
An ordinary house, ordinary life, with nothing special about it.
The window of the living room was tightly closed, it's hard to tell if anyone was inside.
The sun had already set by now, and faint light streamed through the window, prompting Lupin to squint suddenly.
"Take a look at that window, Vid," Lupin said: "Doesn't the shadow seem strange?"
Vid looked at the crosshatched long shadows, saying: "It looks like someone sealed it from the inside."
"Brilliant." Lupin's voice was icy: "Now we know why Harry couldn't communicate."
"Calm down." Vid reminded: "Using magic on Muggles is illegal."
The Dursley Family having an underage wizard, revealing magic's existence to them didn't break the Confidentiality Law. But using magic to harm Muggles was absolutely illegal.
The Ministry of Magic's law enforcement has always been "ambiguous"; sometimes, after breaking the law, as long as the aftermath was handled (everyone witnessing was given Obliviate), then it wasn't a problem; other times, the same behavior would lead to imprisonment in Azkaban.
Hagrid once gave Dudley a pig's tail, definitely a crime by the law, yet Dumbledore pressed the matter down.
If Lupin breaks the law, because of his Werewolf identity, the law will be enforced more strictly.
"I understand."
Lupin gritted his teeth, discarded the anger on his face, and rang the doorbell.