"Lupin, it's me... I have something to investigate. I'll be waiting for you in the reception room downstairs."
Maka didn't wait for the door to open. She just left a word outside the door and then left with Lena. After the two of them arrived at the reception room across from the foyer, Maka sat down at the table.
"Is Leni asleep?"
Even for that little girl who keeps making noises all day long, she will always miss her a little after not seeing her for a long time.
The Black Mansion has never been very lively, and it has become even more deserted since the Weasley family returned. So even if you often feel bored after hearing too much noise, it is actually indispensable.
Especially for the few children who are still here, the long period of imprisonment has had a great psychological impact on them. And Leni's noisy bluffing is the nourishment they need now.
"Yes, Leni has fallen asleep." Lena never spoke much. She basically only answered a question, "I'm going to make some tea for everyone..."
"Oh, no." Maka waved her hand and said, "No... we should leave when Sirius comes back. After we go out, you can continue to go back to the room to rest! Or, in fact, you can—"
"No rush...just wait."
Lena shook her head slightly, and then also sat on the old armchair beside the long table.
Probably because she had just climbed out of bed, her hair was not tied up as usual. When she tilted her head, the tips of her hair fell slightly, causing her to raise her hand and tuck them back behind her ears.
This girl is very good at enjoying peace and quiet. Except for Leni's opposite sister, nothing matters to her. No matter how boring the life here is, she can accept it without boredom.
Rather than worrying about her getting bored, Leni's side was easier to worry about, but Maka really didn't have anything for them to do.
"How are you doing Leni recently? You're not messing around somewhere, right?"
As soon as Maka asked this question, there was a sound of footsteps at the door of the reception room. Lena opened her mouth, but quickly closed it.
The next moment, Lupine's fully dressed figure appeared in Maka's sight.
"Oh, Maka! Good evening!"
The first person to say hello was not Lupine, but another person who squeezed in half a body from behind him - Nymphadora Tonks.
"Well, good evening..." Maka said, showing an ambiguous smile, "It seems that I accidentally disturbed you... I hope it wasn't at the most critical moment?"
"Uh... hello!"
Tonks's face suddenly became a little flushed, and her fickle shoulder-length hair gradually turned a lot darker from the original pink. However, she had a more boyish and cheerful personality, and she soon became generous again, and even glared at Maka.
On the other hand, Lu Ping's expression looked quite embarrassed. After all, being teased by a junior who could be his son regardless of his age would always be a complicated emotion.
"Maka, you said there is something that needs to be investigated? What is it?" He waved his hand pretending to be calm, pulled out a chair and sat down, "Hmm... is it related to the upcoming alchemy competition?"
If anything big is about to happen recently, it is undoubtedly the International Alchemy Competition to be held at Hogwarts. In addition, this event was of great significance to Hogwarts. Lupine could guess the general direction of the matter just by thinking about it.
"Yeah!" Maka shrugged, "I got news that there seems to be some unrest in the Iranian wizarding community. Specifically, it involves the Indian delegation that has not arrived at Hogwarts this time, and..."
After briefly explaining the general situation, he tapped his knuckles on the table and paused for a short while. After Lupine and Tonks had digested his narrative, he spread his hands.
"The source of the intelligence may not be comprehensive and reliable. After all, the person who provided this information is not one of our own..." Maca said, "But if this matter is true, then it must be dealt with as soon as possible - to be honest, this matter has something to do with Nico Flamel. The possibility of the knowledge heritage is really not small. If nothing else, just the possible inventory of elixir of life is worth risking for many people... "
"Indeed..." Lupine couldn't help but frowned, "Except for a few people like Dumbledore... who doesn't want to live a few more years?"
As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at Tonks beside him, who gave him a cheerful smile in return.
There is an age gap between the two people that cannot be ignored. Although Lupine seems to have accepted Tonks's sincere feelings, he always hesitates when he thinks about the future.
"At least I think that the more than six hundred years that the Flamel couple lived were definitely not all happy..." Maka said with a smile, "Anyway, after Sirius comes back, let's set off to Iran to have a look!"
"Is it just the three of us?" Lu Ping thought for a while, then nodded, "Well, if we just go to explore, it will not be good if there are too many people."
"Three?" When Tonks heard this, she immediately said dissatisfied, "What about me? Are you just going to keep me here? I am also a working Auror after all!"
"So!" Maka said matter-of-factly, "You're going to work early tomorrow morning, right? And... Hey, why do I remember that you barely passed the stealth and tracking tests?"
Lupine also teased: "If you don't wake up Mrs. Black when you go to the kitchen, then your stealth rating will be good."
After hearing this, Tonks finally leaned down on the table helplessly, and then sighed heavily.
"Alright alright… "
Just as Maka and Lupine looked at each other and smiled, there was a creaking sound of the door being opened in the foyer. Several people in the reception room immediately understood that Sirius must have returned.
"Sirius," Maka stood up and walked out, "Seeing as you can go to the Leaky Cauldron to kill time, you must have nothing to do, right? Get ready, let's go to the magical world of Iran together, and we'll discuss the details on the way - "
"Are you going out again? I just came back—"
Sirius still looked carefree. Although he was complaining, the look on his face was full of excitement. This guy is someone who can't take any time off, and Maka knows it all.
…
Iran is a typical earthy country.
Due to its geographical location, there are many extremely dry desert terrains, so that many areas are exposed to long periods of heat. And this has been the case since the time when this place was still called the "Persian Empire".
It was already late at night when Maka, Lupine, and Sirius arrived in Iran. But this is also the case in today's Muggle world. Even at night, abundant lights can still supplement the evening lighting. In the busiest places, people can even be unable to distinguish day and night more clearly.
Fortunately, according to the information provided by Rita Skeeter, they did not need to be too close to the streets where Muggles came and went. In this case, even the presumptuous visit of these foreigners would not make the local residents look back frequently.
"Maka?"
Under the night of this Iranian city, Maka looked at the earth-colored dome buildings far and near, as well as the patterns on the walls, and couldn't help but pause for a moment.
In a daze, he couldn't help but feel a familiar smell lingering in his heart, as if he had been to a similar place in the past.
"Huh?" Under Lupine's somewhat questioning eyes, Maka let out a sigh of relief, and then smiled, "It's okay, I just...remembered a small thing from the past."
As he spoke, his right hand subconsciously clenched it, and then slowly released it.
"Let's go. The place we want to go to should be the old city in the north. In order not to alert others, let's go around... There are many people on the street, and maybe we will fall into the trap of some 'intentional people' In my eyes…”
Although it was late at night, there were still a lot of people on the central streets. After Maka and the other three entered the city, they passed by the nearby residential area that had been shrouded in darkness and went straight to the old building area in the north of the city.
The earthy color here is thicker than in other urban areas, but it is still a gloomy night, and the moonlight makes the brown-yellow walls a bit white. Since most of the streets in the past were narrow and closed, walking among the rows of low-rise houses, you can even feel a bit of crowding and crampedness derived from ancient life.
To put it bluntly, this was Maka's first time coming to this city. Rita Skeeter clearly explained the specific location, but she still had to search hard when she got here.
"...Is this here?"
Between a very narrow gap between houses, Maka sensed some strange magic fluctuations. And as he walked inside, the fluctuation became more obvious.
Until he casually pushed aside a few broken baskets blocking the way, a door frame that had long been sealed with adobe bricks came into his sight.
"It should be right," Maka turned around and whispered, "We will go in after putting on the Disillusionment Charm. The back here should be a wizard street like Diagon Alley, but it is said that there are many alleys, so be careful when you walk through them. route."
After Lupine and Sirius nodded, Maka cast a disillusionment spell on the three of them, and then reached out to check the brick wall.
Not long after, I saw him drawing a small pattern on a few bricks, and then his whole hand disappeared into the wall.
"What a terrible experience—"
Feeling the sticky feeling like passing through mud, Maka muttered softly before diving in.