"Ahem... Damn, it was just a little bit... Ahem, cough, ho..."
On the second floor of the stinking shop in Knockturn Alley, the room that was originally a bedroom has been converted into an empty room. Not only was there no furniture, there were no windows, and the dim light emitted by an oil lamp became the only lighting here.
If Maka was here, he would definitely sense some abnormalities on the four walls of this empty room—because they all exuded extremely weak magic fluctuations.
It was obvious that this room was under a spell, and neither sound nor vibration could be transmitted out.
At the moment, Martin was sitting near the door of this empty room, covering his chest and coughing, while whispering curses from time to time.
Yes, after the battle with Kingsley in the empty house that was also located in Knockturn Alley, the two of them, who were more or less losing, didn't say anything more and hurriedly left there.
Kingsley went back to the Ministry of Magic, while Martin, following the principle that "the most dangerous place is the safest place", still chose to return to Muriel's shop.
But to be honest, in his fight with Kingsley, he was actually slightly inferior.
After all, he originally planned to capture the latter alive, but he used the trick. Although Kingsley did fall into the "trap" he set temporarily, he was eventually run away by the other party.
As for the injuries the two of them have suffered so far, they are pretty much the same - he feels like he has two broken ribs and some damaged organs; while Kingsley's side has a broken left forearm and probably some injuries. A piece of flesh and blood the size of a fist is missing.
All in all, although both of them withstood the other's fatal blow at the last moment, no one gained anything in the end.
"call-"
After resting for a while on the wooden floor, Martin endured the severe pain in his ribs and went to the corner of the room, opened the suitcase there and rummaged through his things.
Not long after, Martin, who had taken a bottle of magic potion, lay down on the floor and gasped for breath.
"Kingsley... ahem, Shacklebolt..."
Martin had firmly remembered the other party this time.
In fact, he clearly had some contempt for Kingsley at first. Because he felt that although he had not learned ancient magic from Haierbo, he was still considered a leader among wizards in this era. Even though he knew that he could not be compared with a "monster" like McClane, other than that But it doesn’t mean anything to anyone else.
That's right, even if Dumbledore was still alive, he would dare to go up and try his own skills... Of course, that would only work if Dumbledore wasn't holding the Elder Wand!
However, today, Kingsley used his strength to tell Martin one thing personally - let alone facing Dumbledore, even he, the head of the Auror Office who had not been in office for a long time, could show Martin how powerful he was.
I don't know how long it took, but Martin, whose pain gradually eased after taking the medicine, finally looked a little more relaxed. But after lying there for so long, I heard him finally couldn't help but whisper to himself:
"Power... I need power!"
…
As for Martin's current situation, Pansy, who was in the Ministry of Magic but had almost passed by Kingsley, definitely had no way of knowing. But for Maka, who was currently busy in the guest room of Hogwarts, she got a rough idea before her.
What let him know about this was a cipher message sent by an owl personally sent by Kingsley.
"Go!"
After giving the gray owl some food, Maka handed the simple reply he wrote to its mouth and asked it to help him carry it back.
Watching the owl flapping its wings and flying out of the window, Maka watched it go away safely while leaning against the window to reorganize her thoughts.
After a while, he couldn't help but shook his head and said secretly in his heart:
"It's not surprising that he can think of using people to exchange with the Ministry of Magic, but... that guy is really confident enough to actually set his target on Kingsley? Is he planning to take advantage of it? Protest?"
Thinking of this, Maka couldn't help but feel a little speechless towards Martin, and soon she didn't want to think about it anymore.
Because in his opinion, this would be more beneficial to Pansy's actions - at least after Martin suffered such a defeat, Pansy's rescue plan for Muriel would naturally become more valuable.
Although it seems a bit sorry to let Kingsley's injury be exchanged for the progress of Pansy's spy mission, Maka thinks it is still worth it.
As for Kingsley's injury...
"I don't know how much of the potions assigned to him were used up last time," Maka thought for a moment, then nodded, "Well, he has worked hard this time. I will ask Sirius to bring him some more supplies later." On."
It's obvious that he's in a good mood right now, which seems to be a good thing for him after all.
However, even Maka failed to realize that just because Pansy was not mentioned in Kingsley's secret message, this was already a question worthy of doubt.
…
"...Iluli?"
In the dungeon at the bottom of the Ministry of Magic, Pansy had no idea what was happening in the outside world. But to be honest, even if she knew the situation now, she actually had no time to think about it anymore.
Because right now, she has fallen into a vicious circle of self-contradiction.
Under the premise that Iluli would have very strong side effects when using goblin magic, Pansy, who had gradually regarded her as a true friend, obviously didn't want her to do this again.
Even if she could feel it to some extent, if she could plead a few more words, the other party might still agree to her inhumane request.
However, taking Muriel out of here was the main task assigned to her by Maka. In the face of Maka's promise, even if she doesn't think about herself, she still needs to think about the Parkinson family behind her.
So, should she ask Eluli again? Or should we simply give up on Muriel and leave directly with Iluli, who looks very painful
Iluli, who was covering her head, heard Pansy calling her softly, and couldn't help but slowly raised her head to look at her.
"What's wrong?"
Her voice sounded weak, but even so, she didn't forget to comfort Pansy in turn.
"I'm fine, really. You don't have to be like this... just let me take it easy... and... give me some time."
Because she could tell from Pansy's expression that her good friend seemed to be worried about something... Thinking about it this way, she thought that the other person was probably worried about her own situation.
Pansy was really touched when she saw that Eluli ignored her own pain and even tried to comfort her with words. At this moment, she almost began to feel disgusted with herself who was still hesitating just now.
"No... maybe I am really wrong. I have been wrong all along..."
Pansy couldn't help but subconsciously thought:
"I am indeed a Slytherin whose interests come first, but does Salazar Slytherin's 'interests come first' have to be selfish interests? For the sake of my friends, I don't care about my future. Isn't words also a kind of 'profit'?"
It can be said that Pansy really realized it at this moment. But unfortunately, the timing for her to understand these principles seemed to be somewhat inappropriate.
However, Pansy, who was unaware of this, would naturally not hesitate any longer. She squatted down and gently supported Iluli's petite and thin body, with a hint of concern on her face that she didn't usually have.
"Eluli, if you're like this, don't worry about me - take a good rest!" She said softly, "But it really can't be for too long, because I only got one portion of the polyjuice potion."
In this way, after about ten minutes, Iluli recovered to the point where she could barely get up and walk.
"I'm fine."
She nodded cautiously, and then frowned slightly. Obviously her physical condition was not as "fine" as she said.
But who knows, after she recovered somewhat, she suddenly slowly turned her head.
"Pansy...and Muriel, she-"
Although Iluli took the initiative to mention Muriel in the cell next door, even if she was kind-hearted and tried to be brave, she would inevitably have an instinctive resistance because of the pain just now.
However, even if Iluli didn't finish her words, Pansy on the side knew what she meant. However, Pansy, who just now was still debating whether to let her rescue Muriel, now shook her head decisively.
"No, you can't do it again."
"But-"
Yiluli pursed her lips and said softly:
"We were able to buy the wand thanks to her and Martin's help, right? You see, we can't just leave her here..."
"Oh, are you embarrassed about whether I will stay or leave?"
Suddenly, Muriel's leisurely voice came from next door, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.
After a pause, seeing that neither Eluli nor Pansy spoke, she continued:
"It doesn't matter, let's go! As for what I said... I think Martin will find a way to take me out, just like the elementary school girl who came to save your friend!"
Although God knows where she got her confidence from, since Muriel herself said so, Pansy naturally became more determined in her thoughts.
"Iluli, don't hesitate... Anyway, let's leave first this time! If possible, we will find another way to rescue her... there is no time."
It can be seen that even though Muriel herself has no objection, Iluli is still unwilling to let it go. But considering Pansy's Polyjuice Potion time limit, she seemed to have no choice.
"Well, then... let's go first."
After leaving her last words at the wall, Iluli couldn't let herself go to the next door to take a look, and finally left with Pansy.
"Crack-"
The voice that came from nowhere sounded again.