"Dinner has probably started, so you should go back first! After I put Hagrid back to bed and settled down, I have to go to the office first -" Maka sat at the table and said, "We will start our first dinner after dinner. For a party, you have to prepare something.”
After Hagrid was drunk and unconscious, the three of them, Maka and Luna, chatted for a while. The flames in the fireplace warmed the small wooden house, making the atmosphere gradually become warmer.
At least when Hagrid was completely drunk, the expression on his face was truly relaxed.
During dinner time, after Luna and the others went to the auditorium first, Maka used a floating spell to gently place Hagrid on the bed, then pulled the bulging quilt to cover him, and then returned to the round table to tidy up. .
"... He is indeed a man with giant blood. Are the three barrels almost empty?" He shook the small oak barrels on the table one by one, but only heard the very clear sound of water in the last one.
"Oh, I hope his mood will get better." Maka shook her head and whispered to herself, "If you must say it, I also have an unshirkable responsibility for this incident - go back to the forest to take care of the remaining ones. An ordinary Acromantula!"
Although this cannot be regarded as atonement at all, it is at best a disguised act of self-satisfaction. But if she didn't do anything, Maka always felt that it would leave some knots in her heart.
For Maka, who is committed to the path of magic, the fewer such knots, the better. In this world, magic is closely related to people's spiritual side; regardless of good or evil, it is very important to maintain a clear conscience.
After tidying up the cabin where everyone had fun together before, Maka quietly left.
Dinner time at Hogwarts has always valued both taste and atmosphere, and this will not change much after Dumbledore's death.
Maybe some little wizards will still be nostalgic for the kind old principal, because from now on, they will no longer hear his inexplicable little jokes.
But for most students, the past will fade away with the passage of time. A few years from now, the greatest white wizard of our time will probably be transformed into a fairly distinctive symbol on many pieces of paper, just like other famous wizards in the past.
This may sound a little sad, and some may even feel unworthy of Dumbledore's efforts, but this is undoubtedly a "truth."
Some people say that when everyone forgets an existence, that existence ceases to exist; but others will say that precisely because it can be forgotten, it proves that the existence once existed.
Maka, who had just arrived in the auditorium from the office, nodded calmly to the students as he passed by the long table, and then sat in the seat that belonged to him on the faculty bench.
When he slowly glanced at the chattering students in the hall, he felt a little emotional in his heart.
"Perhaps it is because Dumbledore wanted to understand this, right?" Maka couldn't help but secretly savor this hazy realization, "Whether you are a Muggle or a wizard, you are still small after all. Dumbledore is the same as me. He is pursuing the true meaning of magic, but the paths he and I have taken are completely different scenery... "
"... When I opened the Scroll of Truth for the first time, I thought I had found a shortcut. But compared with the path chosen by Dumbledore, although my path seemed short, it was obviously not a wise path. !”
To be honest, Maka has gradually understood - he had always looked down on modern magic in the past, but now he has discovered that although the "power" of magic is gradually declining, in the pursuit of the essence of magic, the path of modern magic has Smoother and smoother than ancient magic.
Ancient magic that directly uses the rules of the world is naturally amazingly powerful, but it is not conducive to understanding and comprehension. Even if they are extremely talented, every time they try to study a rule rune, the wizard will consume a lot of energy and time, and may even be trapped for his whole life.
Therefore, each generation of wizards is trying to improve it in clearer forms, and various ancient magic texts are gradually coming out.
Thinking of this, Maka couldn't help but feel sincere admiration for the unknown wizard who created the modern spell. After all, he could clearly see the broken rule runes that flashed quickly during the spell.
A wizard who can do this is undoubtedly extremely intelligent.
And Dumbledore walked along this smooth road paved by his predecessors, and finally understood the future direction of his life in his own way.
"This is true wisdom. In comparison, mine can only be regarded as luck plus some self-righteous cleverness..."
Because the next step is to take on the task of guiding the defense team. Unlike teaching ancient magic texts, it can be regarded as truly guiding others on the path of magic. Therefore, Maka couldn't help but begin to re-examine the journey she had taken.
People often say that when they impart knowledge to others, their own understanding of the knowledge will also deepen.
To be honest, this is the first time Maka has faced the modern curse.
After Extremely analyzed the cooling runes, his progress had actually stalled for a long time. But now, when he took a closer look, he finally found the direction he wanted to take next.
"So, what Dumbledore said to me at the end..."
Maka still remembered that in that foggy place, Dumbledore said something unclear to him at the last moment -
"...continue along...the road...see you soon..."
To continue along what path? At that time, Maka was not able to react in time, but now, he vaguely understood what Dumbledore wanted to tell him.
“Then let’s take a look along the path traveled by our predecessors!”
Maka breathed a sigh of relief, then picked up a fork, picked up a tender and juicy meatball, stuffed it into her mouth and chewed it. As the delicious and rich meat juice spread in his mouth, his mood seemed to become much stronger.
It was at this moment that Luna, who was sitting on the Ravenclaw table, glanced towards Maka, her clear eyes flickering slightly, with a hint of doubt in her eyes.
"...Dumbledore?" She looked at Maka and said to herself subconsciously.
…
After dinner, Maka, Hermione, Harry and Luna went to the empty stone wall on the eighth floor.
"I've already told you how to make the room appear, now you try it yourself!" Maka gestured to Hermione.
"Oh, Harry—" Hermione said immediately, "I've already checked it once, you come and try it this time!"
As Hermione spoke, the troll in the painting across the wall was beating up the wizard who was trying to teach him ballet. When Harry heard Hermione say this, he quickly looked away from the poor wizard.
"Ah, okay..." He repeated the whole process in his mind, and then he concentrated, "... Well, go through it three times, and think carefully about what is needed..."
Following this method, he paced back and forth in front of the wall, clenching his hands into fists and staring straight ahead.
"... We need a large room that can train us in defense skills. Because there are still a lot of people, it must be at least as big as two Potions classrooms... "
Just when he turned around again, a rather simple double door suddenly appeared on the originally empty wall.
Luna stepped forward, grasped the two door handles with both hands without hesitation, and opened the door at once.
This is a rather spacious room... No, it's more like a large, slightly dark underground warehouse than a room.
On the surrounding walls, there are some torches emitting blue light, making the place look a bit eerie.
"What were you thinking about just now?" Hermione asked Harry as soon as she walked in.
"Well, this is probably because I always feel that our current actions are a bit sneaky, so..."
"Don't worry about it," Maka waved her hand, and a bright light immediately lit up in front of him and floated lightly to the center of the ceiling. Suddenly, the soft yet bright light illuminated the entire room.
"Well, except for a little bit of darkness, everything else is complete." Maka looked around and said, "Especially those magic instruments—looking glasses, explorers, and dark magic detection probes—these are commonly used by Aurors. props."
On the other side, there is a row of bookshelves lined up with some books related to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Look at these!" Hermione excitedly let her fingertips pass over the books one by one, and said with great interest, "Ordinary Charms and Breaking Techniques", "Outsmarting the Dark Arts", "Self-Defense Charms" "Collection"... Oh!"
She looked back at Harry again, her eyes shining brightly and said: "Great, in this regard, you did a great job! In this way, everyone can check the books needed for practice in time! "
Soon, the students who had signed Hermione's list gradually gathered here, and when the last student arrived, Maka, who was standing at the door, closed the door lock with a click.
At the same moment, the door on the stone wall outside immediately merged into the wall, and the wall returned to its original state.
"Wow!" Most of the little wizards looked around and couldn't help but marvel. One of the students said, "Where is this? Oh... There are so many unknown places in this castle. I bet I won't even know it once. Been here."
"Okay," Maka clapped her hands and walked to the center of the room, "This is our training place from now on. At the same time, everyone will learn how to protect themselves... and our friends and family here!"