"'Possibly revenge'...?"
At the top of the astronomy tower, Maka looked back and forth at the letter paper and envelope she handed over while listening to Pansy's own opinions.
Due to the need for confidentiality, the content of the letter was still very simple - nothing more than saying that he wanted to meet again and renegotiate the matter of saving people.
And the key to this letter seems to be what exactly does that guy Martin think
"Well, I can't rule out the possibility you mentioned," Maka nodded after checking the letter, "Of course, it can't be ruled out that Martin is really concerned about Muriel's safety. As for those who are sick and seek medical treatment urgently, they want to take a gamble."
As he spoke, he placed the letter in front of Pansy, shook it, and gestured:
"Look at this content, it seems to be very sane, without leaving any key information. But in fact, his handwriting is much more sloppy than last time... This shows that he was in a bad mood when he wrote this thing It’s very unsettling.”
However, Maka also understood that Martin's unstable mood might also be due to anger, so no one could tell what the actual situation would be.
Afterwards, with a moment of silence, Maka thought about it for a moment. During this period, Pansy could only keep quiet and pursed her lips without saying a word.
For a while, only the owl Mafa stood on the railing on the observatory. From time to time, it fluttered twice in the strong west wind, and made a "flutter" sound with the swaying robes of the two people.
After a while, Maka shook her head and said:
"It's really not very safe if I just let you go, but because of the magic ritual, it's hard for me to deceive that Martin even if I want to go for you. Let's do this! I'll leave the matter of meeting him to you, but this time I will also follow you in the dark, just go to the appointment with peace of mind."
Her decision undoubtedly relieved Pansy.
Just like the reason Maka said - in fact, Pansy also understood that if she really wanted to meet Martin, she would definitely have to go in person. But as long as she knew that Maka was always with her, she seemed to have nothing to fear.
"Okay! I'll go!"
Seeing Pansy's serious face, as if she was about to rush to the execution ground in the next moment, Maka could only wave her hand slightly and said:
"Don't be so nervous, relax! All you have to do today is to 'pretend you don't know anything' - you don't know that Martin is very likely to have doubts about you, and you don't know that I already know these things well; you even It’s possible that they are not even aware of the martial law situation in the Ministry of Magic because they are afraid that their rescue mission will be exposed!”
"What you need to know is that after rescuing Ilulie, you fled back to Hogwarts in embarrassment. And yesterday, after the young master of the Flint family came to Hogwarts for help, you I've been worried all day because of my suspicion of you."
"Do you doubt me?" Pansy was stunned when he heard this, but soon he said, "Ah! I understand... Mosel came to Hogwarts to find me because of Iluli's words, so I If it is indeed just Martin's spy..."
If she is indeed a spy on Martin's side, Maka has no reason not to be suspicious of her. After all, by now, it is no longer a secret that Iluli is the suspect who escaped from the Ministry of Magic.
"As long as you understand!" Maka nodded and said, "So, if Martin is still doubtful until now, this is the last chance for us to reverse the failure. After seeing him, you can take me first Tell him anything he has doubts about you - maybe this will help you regain some of his trust in you."
At the end of the sentence, Maka suddenly chuckled and said rather helplessly:
"According to my original idea, these things should have been taught to you by Professor Snape, so I specially asked him for this. Unexpectedly, I ended up doing it myself."
After saying this, Maka waved her hand again and said:
"Anyway, that's it! If this time is just a trap, then what I just said will probably be useless. Go back to class. If you are absent again, be careful and you will repeat the same grade as Malfoy-"
While speaking, Maka suddenly raised her eyebrows.
"Oh! I almost forgot, maybe you want to go back to the same grade as him! Right?"
"Who said that!"
When Pansy heard this, she couldn't help but murmured in a low voice:
"If I really repeat the grade, Draco will look down on me even more with his character!"
As soon as Draco Malfoy was involved, she couldn't control her emotions, and even the fear of Maka in her heart suddenly eased a lot.
But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt a little regretful, said goodbye quickly, and then left in a hurry.
…
The place Martin agreed on in his letter was "the smelly house."
Obviously, it was still referring to Muriel's old house whose downstairs had been converted into a shop—but as for the smelly indoor environment, just using the word "bad smell" was probably too beautifying.
As for the specific meeting time, there was nothing special about it. He set it on the eve of sunset when the number of people in Diagon Alley was second only to the afternoon.
The sunset in England was somewhat early. That afternoon, Pansy left Hogwarts under the setting sun immediately after class, and went to the Leaky Cauldron with some lingering nervousness.
Yes, McClain said that he would always be with him, even if he might not be able to see that reassuring figure from beginning to end.
Unlike the last time I came to the Leaky Cauldron late at night, it was still in the evening, which was another peak period for the flow of customers in and out. When Pansy came to the backyard of the bar, she didn't even need to take out her wand and tap on the enchanted wall.
Not far behind her, Maka disappeared and followed lightly, entering the familiar wizard street behind the courtyard wall with her.
"Still a little scared?"
Maka accurately avoided the passing pedestrians while looking at Pansy's back in front of her. It can be seen that Pansy's walking posture becomes more and more stiff as she gets closer to Knockturn Alley.
"If you really go to see Martin with this feeling, I'm afraid she won't even be suspicious... It won't work like this. Do you want to remind her?"
Just when he thought of this, he saw Pansy suddenly stop and stop where she was, not knowing what she was thinking. When Maka saw this, he was about to lean in and whisper a few words, but then he noticed that Pansy took a deep breath and started to move forward again.
But this time, Pansy's steps were obviously much lighter than before.
"oh?"
A trace of surprise flashed across Maka's face, but it soon turned into a happy smile again.
"Yes, she can adjust herself back... It seems that the 'failure' last time made her a lot stronger inside. This can be regarded as a kind of gain."
To be honest, although Maka gave her a chance, she didn't actually expect her to make such a big change. Obviously, no matter how powerful Legilimency is, it cannot truly see through a person's true nature.
And this Miss Parkinson, who was once arrogant and unreasonable, is obviously not as "completely bad" as her classmates have seen.
When passing Old Barty's bookstore, Maka only had time to glance inside, and soon he followed Pansy, who was quickening his pace, and plunged into Knockturn Alley.
"right here?"
No matter how many people there are in Diagon Alley outside, Knockturn Alley is still not very lively. When Maka followed Pansy through several familiar shops, she saw Pansy walking in front and suddenly stopped at the entrance of a narrow store.
From this facade alone, it can be seen that Muriel didn't pay much attention to converting the downstairs into a shop, because it still looks like a house for living.
"Bang bang—"
Pansy paused, then reached out and knocked on the slightly flimsy door, making a louder noise than expected.
However, she waited at the door for a long time and no one came to open the door for her.
Maka, who was waiting against the wall on the other side of the street, nodded slightly when she saw him - Martin was either lying in wait inside, or secretly peeping outside somewhere where he could see the door.
Because the other party would definitely be worried that Pansy did not come alone.
Thinking of this, Maka simply closed her eyes slightly and took a closer look at the surrounding area.
"Huh? Did I think wrong?" He didn't seem to find anything suspicious. "But the room on the second floor of this house is a bit interesting. It's actually equipped with so many protective spells... So, this is it. Is it his most commonly used hiding place?"
As far as Maka could tell, Martin didn't seem to be nearby.
However, although Pansy also has similar speculations as Maka, she does not have the ability to sense the magic around her like Maka. After waiting for a long time with no response from the room, she finally couldn't help but become nervous again.
After a moment of hesitation, Pansy subconsciously reached out and pulled the door. Unexpectedly, the wooden door was opened by her!
"What?"
Maka watched from behind. Although he could almost clearly feel Pansy's confusion, he still didn't open his mouth to give any hints.
Once here, it's all up to Pansy. At least until the other party's life is in danger, he will not show the slightest sign to prove his existence.
In fact, Maka warned her before setting off in the evening that she would probably suffer a lot today.
Seeing Pansy hesitate at the door for a long time, it took a lot of fighting between heaven and man in her heart before she finally opened the door completely and walked into the house with heavy steps.
As soon as he entered the door, the thick stench that had been blocked by the curse hit his face immediately, causing Pansy to retching several times at the door.
Immediately, she covered her mouth and nose and thought to herself:
"This smell... is stronger than the last time I came here!"