The next morning, Vid saw news about a fire in Little Hengton Village in the Prophet Daily.
The article mentioned that it was suspected a Dark Wizard was conducting evil experiments and had burned down an abandoned house. The Ministry of Magic, after monitoring, discovered traces of Fiendfire.
Fortunately, there were no casualties in this incident.
The newspaper didn't mention that it was the Gaunt Family's house, let alone their illustrious history as descendants of Slytherin.
It's unclear whether they deemed it unnecessary to mention, or if the young Ministry of Magic staff were unaware of who once owned that "abandoned house."
However, Vid was certain that Dumbledore wouldn't overlook this detail.
He glanced at the breakfast table; the old headmaster was recommending today's lamb chops to Professor Flitwick, and a thick stack of newspapers was on the table beside him.
Vid lowered his eyes and flipped through another newspaper.
This one was a Muggle-published daily, specifically sent to him by Ferdinand. The newspaper featured clear site images, taken from an aerial view.
The flames had burned a perfect circle in the woods, within which there was no grass, while the perimeter remained untouched.
The newspaper described the event in an exaggerated tone, concluding mysteriously—it might be traces left by a landing alien spaceship.
Meanwhile, another newspaper suggested it was a secret experiment by a country testing highly precise strike weapons, criticizing the UK's defense, military, technology, and bureaucracy in all aspects, claiming the country was nearing its downfall.
Vid: "..."
He chuckled silently, then set the newspaper aside.
Breakfast was still porridge.
The house-elves had finely minced the meat and vegetables, ensuring he didn't have to chew at all to swallow easily.
The mixed porridge looked unattractive, so those lovely little creatures sprinkled a thin layer of celery and sesame seeds on top, making it look much better.
There weren't many people in the hall because after breakfast, students hurriedly rushed out. The maze was reopening today, and many students hadn't even eaten before queuing up early.
After eating, Vid routinely went to the library to borrow and return books. Thanks to Bellot, each time he could borrow the books he wanted from the restricted section and always heard Madam Pince complaining about Lockhart's recklessness.
Vid suspected that this librarian already knew a lot, like the true origin of his slips. But Madam Pince never said much, only requiring a slip to borrow books from her.
Though she complained, she neither questioned the source of the slips nor confronted Professor Lockhart.
Vid wondered if Madam Pince treated every student this way, or if he received special treatment here.
Vid didn't delve into it; he just brought books back to the Umbrella House, voraciously absorbing all kinds of knowledge, especially lately focusing heavily on curses.
Voldemort was an expert on curses, and the curse he placed on the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship was one that even Dumbledore couldn't lift.
To confront Voldemort, one would likely suffer without understanding curses, unlike Harry, who had the protection of Bloodline Magic.
From the books, Vid learned some interesting and ancient curse methods, some of which he'd seen in fairy tales as a child, but he hadn't realized wizards could actually do them.
Simple ones, like the Jelly-Legs Curse, are indeed curses, though they don't last long and are mostly used by students to prank each other.
The Killing Curse and Cruciatus Curse are also curses, requiring extremely strong emotions to perform.
These don't last long; most of what Vid learned in school were ways to resist these spells.
Among curses, some last longer, have profound impacts, and can even pass down through bloodlines, requiring superb skills, complex preparations, and powerful magic.
For example, the Blood Curse turning people into animals; or establishing an unbreakable bond between two people—the Blood Alliance.
And among ancient curses, some can permanently turn people into animals or plants, put them into perpetual sleep, or cause constant bad luck, which are even more complex.
The caster themselves might also be affected by some hidden, negative impact.
Vid was engrossed when someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Vid," Michael said, "Put down the book! It's almost eleven; we ought to leave!"
Theo and Leian were already waiting at the door.
Vid blinked, asking, "Leave?"
Michael raised an eyebrow, "You didn't forget, did you? Today is Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff's match!"
It dawned on Vid.
Yesterday, he was so engrossed in the joy of destroying the Resurrection Stone Soul Artifact that he forgot about his house's match today.
Because the Gryffindor and Slytherin match was postponed for two weeks, it coincided with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff match.
After entering December, the wind at high altitude was bone-chilling. The heads of the houses didn't want to delay their matches any longer to avoid negatively affecting the players' performance, so they scheduled both matches for this weekend.
They reached the sports field, where a lot of people already gathered, although it wasn't as clearly divided as yesterday's match.
Both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had good rapport, with students from other houses mixed into the teams they supported.
Vid even saw a few Ravenclaw students stealthily removing their blue scarves and blending into the Hufflepuff team.
When confronted by their housemates, they argued, "We're not betraying…but it's Cedric!"
"It's his first match, um, you know...he needs more support..."
"But we need support too!" Ravenclaw's Seeker Dar exclaimed in frustration, waving his arms, "Do you think I'm catching bugs when I'm up there?"
"Of course, you're striving for our house's honor, dear."
Dalton's girlfriend kissed his cheek in comfort.
As the boy broke into a smile, she added, "By the way, you're of age, be careful up there...don't bump the younger students off their brooms."
Dalton's smile vanished instantly.
He watched his girlfriend walk over to the other side's stands, then looked at the two lower-year students beside him in despair, asking, "What about you two? Are you also going to support Hufflepuff?"
Vid and Michael exchanged a glance.
Michael patted Dalton's arm, saying, "Of course, we're supporting Ravenclaw! Go, team!"
Dalton felt a little better this time, mumbling things like "pretty boys" while heading angrily towards the Ravenclaw team.
"They're seriously formidable, aren't they?"
A misty voice sounded from beside him. Vid turned to see Luna holding an eagle staff.
On closer inspection, it was a long branch with an eagle figure made of paper on top. This girl was quite crafty.
If Dalton had seen Luna just now, he probably wouldn't have been so indignant.
"Hello, Luna."
Vid said, tapping the eagle with his magic wand. It immediately became livelier, looking around and letting out a high-pitched screech.
Everyone around them was startled and looked in their direction.
Luna ignored the stares, nodded in satisfaction, and cheerfully said, "That's much better, thank you."
With that, she held her staff high and leisurely walked to the front bench. The eagle occasionally cawed, causing people on both sides to make way, and even the Hufflepuff players kept glancing over.
Vid also saw Cedric holding a Flying Broomstick.
He was tall, handsome, and well-defined, with a slight smile on his face. Although only a fourth-year, he stood among the Ravenclaw team and wasn't much shorter than the seventh-year team captain beside him.
Such a burly build seemed unsuited for a position as agile as Seeker. But he looked relaxed, showing no fear of failure.
A whistle blew, and the match began.