Vid's gaze swept over the jagged nails on all ten of his fingers—marks of repeated biting. Then he looked at the scratches on his arm, mostly covered by his sleeve.
Just then, a crisp sound, like a firework, echoed from outside the window.
The sound reached the room, not loud, yet Slughorn jumped instantly, trying to act as if nothing happened, like he merely had an itch on his back.
The Cheetah Poppet was still tightly held by his side, watching its owner with eyes clearly asking—When will you take me back? If I stay longer, I might get depressed too.
Vid reached out to pat the Cheetah's head, having a brief moment of eye contact, then turned to the Healer and said:
"Sorry, can I talk to him alone for a moment? I promise not to upset him."
The Healer hesitated slightly... On one hand, worried Vid might say something inappropriate and provoke the patient, on the other hand worried Slughorn's unstable emotions might harm these kind young people.
But remembering the last situation, she finally nodded and said, "Alright... but don't take too long. If he has any... extreme reactions, call me immediately."
The Healer's footsteps faded down the corridor, Slughorn's face quickly shed its empty smile like a tide receding, replaced by a deep, undisguisable wariness.
His gaze withdrew from the door and locked onto Vid like a frightened animal, his body subconsciously shrinking back more, clutching the Cheetah Poppet tighter, his knuckles white.
However, Vid didn't speak to him immediately, instead turning to Harry.
Harry asked blankly, "...Vid, what do you want to say to me?"
Vid sighed and straightforwardly said, "What I want to say is... I want to talk to Mr. Slughorn 'alone.'"
He deliberately emphasized the word "alone."
Vid didn't mind Harry being present, because Harry already knew enough. But only asking the Weasleys to leave would undoubtedly make them feel like outsiders, creating a divide among everyone.
Harry suddenly understood and didn't feel upset about being excluded, just thought Vid's talk involved Slughorn's privacy and nodded, saying:
"Of course, we'll head back to Mr. Weasley's side."
He looked at Slughorn, trying to make his voice sound warm and sincere: "You have a good rest, Mr. Slughorn, we'll visit you next time."
Slughorn's lips moved a few times, seemingly wanting to keep them, but no sound came out.
Ron and the others also said goodbye, leaving with Harry, with George gently closing the door last.
With a soft "click," the door locked shut.
The room was completely silent, Slughorn's breathing suddenly became heavy.
He seemed even more nervous, his eyes darting around, seemingly afraid to look at Vid, just licking his cracked lips and whispering:
"Th-thank you, Mr. Gray. Thank you for... rescuing me last time. And..."
He glanced down at the Cheetah Poppet in his arms, nervously stroking its ears with his fingers, saying, "Thank you for leaving Gardner with me... It's... it's good..."
Vid pulled over a chair, sat beside the bed, and looked directly into his evasive eyes, speaking calmly:
"Mr. Slughorn, I know what you're afraid of. What I want to tell you is—"
"You're right."
"He's still alive."