Since the afternoon of Christmas Day, the originally bright sunshine seemed to have forgotten its responsibilities and failed to shine on the ground again for several days in a row.
Snowflakes once again occupied everyone's field of vision, and also occupied everyone's time playing outdoors.
But Maka didn't plan to stay long, there were still many things to do next. Now that you've enjoyed a joyful friendship, it's time to take action.
In a week's time, Dumbledore's funeral will be public. Whether they were friends with Dumbledore or not, large numbers of wizards were arriving one after another to commemorate the first white wizard in the modern era and began to observe silence in advance.
The village of Hogsmeade was suddenly filled with these people. Not only was the upstairs of the Three Broomsticks full of tenants, but there was not even a single room left in a place as dirty as the Pig's Head pub. Room.
No matter it was day or night, the streets in the village were full of people, making it difficult to even walk normally.
Hogsmeade Village has become like this, and Hogwarts Castle is naturally nowhere to be seen. Because the funeral was so public, more people came than Professor McGonagall expected, and there were quite a few people who were not to be looked down upon.
Every professor in the school got into action, and Maka, a particularly young professor of ancient magical literature, was not immune and joined in entertaining the guests.
He thought that with his appearance, he would always have to spend some time when receiving guests. But he soon discovered that his fame seemed to be much greater than expected, and many people already knew him.
But think about it, he hasn't done many small things in the past few years, but he has never stopped doing big things. Coupled with the wave of publicity when he received the Order of Merlin last time, most people who should know him will never forget him.
Soon, as the wind and snow outside became heavier and heavier, a few days passed in a hurry.
In the past few days, Maka has met countless people...
There are representatives of various pure-blood families at home and abroad, as well as outstanding wizards who are mixed-blood or Muggle-born. Of course, there are also many ordinary wizards who are not famous and have never even heard of them.
There are professors and even principals from major magic schools, representatives from various organizations, large and small, and naturally members of the International Federation of Wizards.
They all come from different industries, different families and even different countries, but each of them will say "condolences", and each of them will express emotion for Dumbledore's life, and they will also be grateful for Dumbledore's existence.
Each of them interprets everything Dumbledore has done, and they also show Dumbledore's magnificent life that is difficult to describe in words.
Even if the body is dead, some people are more dazzling than those who are still alive. This is Albus Dumbledore.
Maka didn't know how many people felt this, at least he himself felt it truly. Although he has never pursued this kind of turbulent life among the crowd, he can't help but sigh for it.
And just in the evening before the funeral, another huge carriage flew across the sky toward Hogwarts Castle. Dragging it were a dozen huge rune horses, which spread their silver wings and landed lightly on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Immediately, Mrs. Maxim, whom she had not seen for a long time, walked out of the carriage and hugged Hagrid intimately.
Almost at the same time, a delegation from the British Ministry of Magic arrived, including the current Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour. And traveling with their group was the incoming speaker of the International Federation of Wizards, the famous African wizard Babajide Akinbad.
There is nothing surprising about these two guests coming. But if they come together hand in hand, this will inevitably make people suspicious.
Several members of the International Federation of Wizards had obviously arrived a few days ago. They thought that the incoming Akinbad would choose to avoid suspicion, but they did not expect that he would come again, and he would come with Scrimgeour.
After the death of Fudge, the previous Minister of the British Ministry of Magic, anyone with a discerning eye could see something was wrong.
But Maka felt somewhat confident.
Most of these two people were not suspicious - Dumbledore had told him personally before and after the awarding ceremony of the Order of Merlin that day. Therefore, even if they come together, it may not be a bad thing.
Compared to these two "official" figures, Maka is more concerned about another thing...
"Why are you still coming here? Didn't I tell you before when I left the Burrow? This funeral ceremony is more for outsiders to see, and it is destined to be unstable, so you'd better not come over!"
Outside the auditorium filled with people, Maka looked at Harry and others with a frown and felt a headache.
Fortunately, Luna was more obedient and stayed at home after he told her not to come. Hermione, on the other hand, was relatively more sensible. She knew it would be useless to come, so she did not show up at school today.
"Maka, we can't just sit at home and do nothing!" Harry said stubbornly, "I know a lot of things will definitely happen today, but when I think of the professors and you, who are all working hard for Hogwarts, we How can I sit and play cards and chess in the Burrow with peace of mind while killing time?"
"...Yeah." Ron hummed.
He didn't seem as determined as Harry, but since he was here, it meant that he actually agreed to this action from the bottom of his heart.
"Alas..." Maka said helplessly, "Where is Hermione? Since you are here, she is probably here too, right?"
But what surprised Maka was that Harry immediately shook his head.
"Hermione will not agree to Ron and I coming here this time." He said softly, "She sent us a letter two days ago to tell us not to come over on impulse... So today, we didn't tell her. "
Maka was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Ron.
"She won't come, and we don't want her to come -" Ron's tone was much more decisive this time, "It's enough for the two of us to be stupid. There is no need for her to be forced to take risks with us."
"Have you made up your mind to exchange your own lives for psychological comfort today?" Maka said unceremoniously, then waved her hand and said, "Go back quickly! Hogwarts will definitely need you in the future. Yes, but definitely not now—don’t you understand this?”
"We won't go back!" Harry insisted, "Didn't you say that in the orchard that day? Written knowledge is far less important than practical practice - I think this principle is also applicable to fighting black magic!"
"Usual training is far less important than actual confrontation." Ron also added.
"That's right," Harry nodded, and continued, "Moreover, Professor Dumbledore once said something - death is just another great adventure - isn't this what you conveyed to us on behalf of the professor? ?”
At this point, he paused, then looked directly at Maka and said: "I know, with the abilities of the two of us, it's still too early to understand what Dumbledore said! But if we don't face it, it will be too late when we really When we need to face death, how can we understand the truth behind it?"
I have to say that Harry's words really hit the point.
Maka has always been careful to protect these friends and does not want them to encounter too many crises. But letting them hide in shelter every time will not usher in real growth.
It's not that he doesn't know this, but it's hard to let go.
Not to mention boys like Harry and Ron, at least girls like Luna, Hermione, Willie, etc., he couldn't help but protect them from the wind and rain.
In some aspects, he may be a ruthless person; but in other aspects, he is actually very easy to be ruthless. That's why he always laughs at himself, saying that he is just an ordinary person.
Like Dumbledore, he also loved Harry, a courageous young lion, just like he loved other little wizards. But when necessary, he could even let Harry die once to ensure that he could live more safely in the future.
If it were Maka, he wouldn't be able to do this at all.
Faced with Harry's argument and Ron's silent support, Maka rarely hesitated.
Although these two former classmates and current friends were indeed not capable enough to deal with most difficulties, he could feel their courage and responsibility.
As they grew older over the years, their bodies gradually became taller and taller than his own, and Ron was even half a head taller than him.
And probably because of his own guidance and encouragement, the red-haired boy's character and temperament have gradually become far away from the occasionally shadowed appearance in his impression, and his courage and persistence have slowly begun to appear.
On the contrary, Harry's growth has obviously slowed down under the influence of his series of actions. It was rare that he showed courage this time, and he really shouldn't have obstructed him more.
But danger is danger after all. Not only is Voldemort far from the Voldemort in his distant memory, but Grindelwald is also involved. In addition, there are so-called "evils" that even he is confused about. The situation has already changed. It becomes even more chaotic.
Under this situation, Harry and Ron's courage seemed too small, and their existence could only be described as a wisp of fire in the snowstorm.
Can this spark of fire ignite the plain? Even if this is possible, Maka is not an abusive gambler who can bet anything.
"… follow me."
You can't be an abusive gambler, but you can still be a banker. No matter whether they win or lose, if they can find a way to keep their chips, then it's not impossible to fulfill their wishes.
"There's still a whole night until tomorrow. Whether you can stay or not depends entirely on you." Maka said softly as she walked away, "I know you want to do your best, but if this force doesn't work, then what's the point? What’s the difference if you don’t come out?”