"It is indeed impossible for us to be friends, because from the beginning, the relationship between us is destined to be only enemies!"
Hermione's words were basically an open declaration of war.
It stands to reason that the moment of formal showdown with the opponent should have come much later—at least, it should have waited until the moment Harry arrived with Maka.
However, at this moment, when Hermione said these words, she didn't even know whether Harry had found Maka...
This is not something that Miss Hermione Granger, who is always known for her rationality, would do!
After all, doing so was completely inconsistent with her previous plan.
but…
but.
But when Hermione returned here again to face the witch Kern, and when she saw unexpected new changes, she suddenly realized that she might no longer be able to delay time according to the original plan.
Maybe Harry will eventually be unable to arrive before the first attrition occurs here, and maybe there will be more injured... or dead than expected.
Maybe even no one will be able to leave Hogwarts alive in the end!
But every "maybe" is unimportant now.
Because Hermione has figured out that since she has to face an unequal bet, she should no longer think about the safest strategy - that kind of thinking is the most irrational behavior. What's waiting for her will probably be the ending she least wants to see.
So now, all she can do is actually only one thing, and that is, even if everyone will eventually die here, she must maximize the possibility of ending this disaster!
If you want to defeat the "god of death" in front of you, you can't do it without fighting hard.
"Luna, set up the formation!"
There is no sure-win strategy or perfect plan in this world.
"Everyone else—"
Although the initial stage could not be implemented according to the plan, although the entire plan had an unstable foundation and appeared to be shaky.
But in fact, what everyone here has to do remains the same...
"Call the gods to protect you!"
So after Hermione shouted, Ron and others around them took out their wands at the same time and cast the Patronus Charm.
For a moment, headed by Neville's lion, the most eye-catching patron saint, a group of silver-white animals with light strips flew out from the tip of the family wand, falling to each other while flying in the sky with silver light. He surrounded Luna who was retreating and concealed her in the center.
"Neville, I'll leave this to you."
While saying this, Hermione, who had just summoned the Patronus, had already taken steps. With the blessing of the gravity rune card, she instantly accelerated and rushed out in the direction of Kern.
At the same time, everyone naturally had nothing to hesitate about. Except for Luna and Neville, everyone else immediately followed.
This battle, which had been postponed repeatedly, finally kicked off.
…
If the hands of the clock were turned back to the moment when Maca and Willie talked, then at least the facts proved that Harry's eagerness was undoubtedly correct.
If he knew what was happening in the Hogwarts auditorium at this moment, I believe his mood would be ten times more anxious than now!
However, no matter what, as long as he has not actually stepped through the wall of black mist that isolates everything at the entrance of the castle, it is impossible for him to know the true situation inside.
"Maka!"
Looking at Maka who was talking to the white-haired girl not far away, Harry couldn't help but call him again.
Maka then turned her head slightly and smiled at him again.
"Wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."
"Then... hurry up." Harry said, turning his head and glancing in the direction of the castle again, his whole person felt anxious.
But Maka remained calm and calm.
"... Where did you just say that?" He turned back to look at Willy in front of him, paused and said, "Oh, it's Enns and Alexander. These two teenagers are both young wizards with great prospects - one of them is Gang The last descendant of the special family, and the other is a descendant of the famous wand maker Shecobar Wolfe. They can be considered to be from a poor family. Especially Enns, this kid won the Salazar Award. ·The inheritance of Slytherin, the future achievements are limitless... Willy, since you want to completely inherit the Blois family, don't miss these two potential talents! Recruit them to your Blois family, They will definitely become your two biggest helpers in the future..."
Listening to Maka's somewhat unfocused chatter, Willie was quite calm. Just like when Harry and Maka met her just now, at this moment, she was just quietly maintaining the identity of a listener.
As a girl whose intuition may be no less than that of Luna, it was natural for her not to feel the urgency that Harry could feel.
But she just listened silently, and occasionally pursed her small and delicate lips gently, which showed in a subtle way that she might not be as calm as she appeared on the surface.
"... Well, if we keep talking, Harry will be anxious to death." After rambling for no apparent length of time, Maka finally stopped and looked at Harry and said, "We should get down to business."
And it was only at this moment that Willy, who had always looked calm since the beginning, had a faint flash of panic in her eyes.
She saw her leave the tree trunk she had been holding on to, suddenly stretched out her little hand, took a step forward and grabbed Maka's sleeve in front of her.
"…Maka."
The girl called softly, with unprecedented emotion.
It seemed to be a kind of worry about gain and loss... Or, it was a clearer emotion than that, clear but intense.
The little hand holding the sleeve was clenched extremely tightly. Maka patted the back of her hand gently, but she did not let go.
"Oh, yes, there is one more thing." But Maka just smiled at this, and suddenly raised her head as if she remembered something again, "If you meet Delphi anytime, remember to..."
In the middle of his words, he stopped inexplicably and shook his head after thinking about it.
"Forget it, that's enough."
As Maka said this, she gently touched the girl's hand that was holding her sleeve. This time he used a little more force, and the girl seemed to feel his determination, and finally let go of his fingers.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine, I promise." Maka looked directly into the girl's eyes and said softly, "But remember, don't tell anyone else what I just said to you. Just treat it as nothing. Some little secrets between you and me... Well, it’s really time to go this time.”