[Where are you?]
[I... I don't know... I saw the ship pass by the Outer Hebrides and then continue west... to an island at sea...]
[Is your situation temporarily safe? You don't need to tell me the details.]
[For now, it's relatively safe.]
[What danger did you encounter?]
[It's... it's those people you asked me to investigate... I accidentally infiltrated their base on this island... I can't leave, people are constantly trying to kill me...]
[Protect yourself, we will find you.]
[Be very careful, there is something on this island that... will affect...]
The parchment had sections of blank spaces, as if the person writing was in a dying state and couldn't finish saying something important.
Vid used the Gemino Curse to preserve this conversation; Dumbledore looked at it for a while without speaking, then suddenly stood up and tapped the wall with his Magic Wand.
The several portraits hanging on the wall instantly slid to the sides, with the old headmaster in the portraits complaining, "Dumbledore, am I something in the way?"
"Sorry, Moore," Dumbledore said gently, "I need a bit more space."
The wall began to ripple like a lake, spreading out circles of waves, and then a clear world map appeared.
Dumbledore looked at this map, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Vid, what are your thoughts?"
"I checked this imitation Friendship Book and found that the spells on it are somewhat peculiar, and I remembered it was one of the plans I had given up on."
Vid laid the counterfeit Friendship Book flat on the table, gently shaking his Magic Wand, letting strands of silver and gold light fall upon it.
Ordinary Wizards would not understand what he was doing, but Dumbledore's eyebrows slightly lifted.
Even without special vision, he sensed the subtle differences within.
"Very interesting..." The headmaster seemed to mutter to himself: "Its associative magic appears to differ from what you used."
"Yes," Vid said, "Muggle mobile communication requires a base station as the communication exchange center; originally, I also wanted to set a similar base station for the Friendship Book, so it wouldn't be restricted by the number of associations. We could send messages to anyone merely by inputting a specific number."
"Sounds good," Dumbledore said, "So why was it abandoned later?"
"Because in this way, the Friendship Book's messages would first be sent to the base station, and then forwarded to the receiving end from there—thus, all information could be monitored and even modified to some extent by the base station—so this design was abandoned," Vid said.
Machioni is purely a businessman, unlike the United States Central Intelligence Agency, and has no interest in monitoring all Wizards.
Of course, the more important factor is that this type of magic cannot be concealed, as Alchemists with a certain skill level (for example, graduates who can get their Alchemy certification in NEWTs exams) or adept Wizards (for example, Dumbledore) can detect it.
Dumbledore said, "So, you think Ms. Skeeter's messages have been altered?"
Vid nodded, "It's possible that this is the enemy's bait."
"Indeed, being cautious is a good thing," Dumbledore praised, then continued, "But don't worry too much, Vid—I'm with you!"
Vid was initially silent, then smiled, "That's true."
"Then let's go, hoping not to delay your classes," Dumbledore said lightly, "Remember to bring that brave owl."
"Yes."
Vid returned to his dormitory, taking the cage with the accomplished owl inside; the poor raven that had been flying for a while was fast asleep.
He was about to head outside when suddenly his shoulder sank.
Vid turned to look and saw his Eva staring angrily at him, making a rumbling sound in its throat, as if accusing him of seeking out other owls, and its sharp claws dug into his clothes.
"Not sending mail today, good girl," Vid put Eva back on the perch and said, "I need it to take me to find someone."
Eva didn't know if she understood, but she turned around silently, showing her tail to Vid.
Vid chuckled, opened the door, and met up with Dumbledore, who was waiting in the green fields outside the castle, wearing a deep red traveler cloak. Together they left the school.
Behind them, Hagrid firmly shut the large gate.
"Screech—"
As the hinges twisted, the oak door rubbed against the ground, emitting a long sound.
Vid turned back to see the towering castle shrouded in mist, with vague silhouettes resembling distant and near scenes, like a painting.
The owl was startled awake, flapping its wings and looking around nervously; Vid quickly fed some owl food and softly reassured it, letting it calm down.
It bowed its head and gently pecked at Vid's fingers; its big eyes appeared exceedingly clear.
Dumbledore extended his arm and said, "Alright, let's go."
Vid grasped his arm and murmured, "I really need to learn Apparition as soon as possible."
He had this intention long ago but was always distracted by other matters.
Dumbledore said offhandedly, "After we return, I can teach you—if you don't mind adding another course, knowing how busy you already are."
Before he finished the sentence, they simultaneously apparated, seeming to pass through a very narrow pipe and then "bang" were squeezed out from it.
Vid hastily took a couple of breaths, then quickly asked, "Is it true, professor?"
Dumbledore couldn't help but laugh, "Of course, whenever you have time."