Chapter 1285: Age Gap

The corridor was quiet, with only the occasional snoring coming from the portrait paintings.

From outside the window came the distant sound of loud commotion—as if all the students in the school had rushed to the Maze by the Forbidden Forest, celebrating a “victory” with games.

Even from such a distance, Vid could vaguely hear cheers, laughter, and fireworks set off by someone, repeatedly bursting in the sky.

Hurried footsteps sounded on the nearby staircase, and two lower-year students dashed by like the wind.

The one running ahead shouted loudly, “Just wait, my points will surpass yours today!”

“No way!” the other hurriedly shouted, “Agreed, no one is allowed to get help from seniors, that would be cheating!”

—Points?

Vid paused for a moment, then suddenly understood.

He had mimicked a video game he once played and created a simple version of a points leaderboard for the Maze. At the time, it was just a whim, and after finishing it, he put it aside and never managed it again.

But it seemed that over the years, that list still attracted students constantly striving for higher rankings.

As for Vid himself, he never paid attention to the points, nor did he spend time increasing his score.

He didn’t even know how many points he had accumulated on that list.

If there was a list including everyone, Vid suspected that his name might be at the very bottom.

Even those first-year students who had only been at the school for half a year likely surpassed him through diligent efforts.

Vid shook his head with a chuckle, feeling that the sight of those students sweating for a few points and desperately striving for a game was inexplicably amusing.

He suddenly understood what it felt like for Dumbledore, standing by the Headmaster’s Office window, watching the students running on the grass.

Not an overlooking feeling, but something… softer…

As this thought crossed his mind, his smile froze on his face.

[Is this thought… a bit overly nostalgic?]

Perhaps it was just now at the Umbrella House, seeing the enthusiasm and vigor of everyone as opposed to Vid himself… Even if his tone carried excitement, in truth, more was a calm weighing of pros and cons.

This distinction was most evident to Vid himself, and only he could acutely discern the age difference in thought and emotional expression compared to others.

Vid softly exhaled, his breath forming a cloud of white mist before him.

He rubbed his cold fingertips, not using Magic to warm up his surroundings, and slowly turned a corner, knocked on the door, then pushed it open.

The air filled with the scent of Magic Potions greeted him, the fire was blazing, and Madam Pomfrey turned to Vid with a smile, saying:

“Oh, Vid is here… Seems early today compared to usual?”

“Yeah, the event ended a bit early, everyone has other things to attend to.” Vid closed the door, walked towards the bed, and asked, “Hughes, how are you feeling today?”

The little boy on the bed had grown a bit since their last meeting, appearing seven or eight years old now.

Seeing Vid, his face lit up with joy, and he cheered “Vid,” trying to leap off the bed.

But Madam Pomfrey held him down.

With a gentle smile, she said authoritatively, “Come, Hughes, first drink your Magic Potion… There’s a reward after you finish!”

Hughes glanced at her expression, sighed deeply, took the bottle, and with a grimace, drank it all at once, immediately sticking out his tongue, his face scrunched up.

“Good boy.” Madam Pomfrey patted his head with satisfaction, praising, “You did great!”

She then took out a honey candy from her pocket, placing it in Hughes’s hand.

The boy’s frown eased instantly, he quickly peeled the candy wrapper and popped it into his mouth, his cheek bulging with a small lump.

Then he hopped off the bed and ran over to take Vid’s hand, turning to ask:

“Madam Pomfrey, would you take a photo of us too?”

“Of course.”

Madam Pomfrey placed the empty bottle on the tray and picked up the camera, saying, “Let’s, you two stand by the window, the lighting is good there… Yes, just like that, smile…”

Hughes wore a bashful smile, while Vid’s lips curved softly.

The orange-red light from outside shone on them, cloaking their faces and eyes in a layer of warm color.

Madam Pomfrey called out, “Ready… Three, two, one!”

“Click!”

The shutter sound was distinctly crisp, capturing the scene on film.

Once the photo was taken, Hughes immediately ran over, cradling the camera in his arms lovingly.

Madam Pomfrey said to Vid, “Look, ever since you lent this little guy the camera, he takes a few photos every day and can’t bear to leave it by when sleeping.”

Hughes stuck out his tongue, saying, “I just want to capture all these precious moments!”

“Alright, alright, capture them all.”

Madam Pomfrey gazed at him with extreme warmth. She reached out and patted the boy’s head, then picked up the tray, heading to another room.

“Enjoy your chat!” Madam Pomfrey said, “I need to prepare some healing potions—every time those students go into the Maze, there are always a few who have to be carried out!”

At this, she wanted to glare at Vid with reproach, but couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Upon reflection—wouldn’t the students get injured even without the Maze game?

Of course not, they would just change locations to the corridors, common rooms, spiral staircases, or even the classrooms in the middle of the night.

Persuading herself this way, Madam Pomfrey let go of her slight resentment towards Vid, quietly closing the door behind her.

“I brought you some books—promised last time.” Vid took out a set of colorful picture books from his backpack, placing them on the small cabinet by the bed.

Hughes climbed back onto the bed, carefully examining the covers, clearly liking them, though he did not eagerly open them to read.

He looked up and asked, “What happened at school today? Everyone seems very happy.”

He did not ask Madam Pomfrey because she always treated him as if he were a child who understood nothing, but Vid wouldn’t.

Vid leaned against the cabinet and said, “It’s nothing much, just an annoying person temporarily leaving.”

Hughes tilted his head slightly, “Temporarily?”

Vid’s lips showed a slight smile, nodding, “Yes, temporarily.”

“So they are…” Hughes pointed at the students outside the window, “celebrating an award halfway through the competition, is that it?”

“Yes,” Vid also touched Hughes’s head, saying, “You see things more clearly than most people.”

Hughes sighed like a small adult and asked, “Who is that annoying person?”

“A Ministry of Magic member,” Vid said, “a guy who holds a feather and thinks he can give orders.”

—Why can someone give orders with a feather?

Hughes didn’t quite understand, but it didn’t hinder his understanding of Vid’s meaning.

He was silent for a while, contemplating, then asked, “If… if he finds me here, will it cause you trouble?”

Vid paused.

Without saying anything, Hughes nodded knowingly, saying, “Don’t worry, I will hide carefully.”