"... It can amplify and control the specific desires of living beings. It has been observed that the basic manifestations of the affected person are 'self-affirmation', 'ridicule of others', and 'chasing strength and power'... "
Still in Maka's own office, he was writing at his desk with a quill in hand, every word and sentence seemed to be written without thinking at all.
This is because what he wants to write down has actually been reviewed in his head several times.
But this time, when he wrote "Chasing strength and power," his hand holding the quill suddenly paused slightly, and a flash of hesitation flashed across his face.
"No, that's not right."
After thinking about it for a while, he suddenly reached out and brushed it gently over the sentence, and the original handwriting immediately disappeared as if it had been absorbed by the paper.
"Chasing is just a process, not a cause or a result... So, what will Draco do after gaining enough power... Be superior to others? Be arrogant? Have fun?"
After thinking for a moment, Maka threw the quill back into the ink bottle, and then turned forward a few pages of the book in front of her. There, written in larger font, was one word - Monument of Bewitchment.
In fact, in the past few years, no matter what he was busy with, he had never stopped studying magic. As for which piece of research he is most concerned about, it must be what is in this book.
"The Book of Sin" - since he first obtained it from his "future self", he has rarely read the "original" book again. Those stories are so real and heavy that it is difficult for people to have the desire to read them again and again.
But now he still named the notebook spread out on the table "The Book of Sin" without changing even a single word.
This is undoubtedly a way for him to remind himself that there are some things that he must always keep in mind.
As for this second edition of the "Book of Sin", it records the unfinished research and records in the "original version", that is, it focuses on the "roots of evil" that are full of the possibility of disaster.
The text he was writing just now was a small part of the research on the "Monument of Bewilderment".
"call-"
After hesitating for a moment, Maka closed the book again and then stuffed it into the pocket on her waist.
Immediately afterwards, he suddenly pulled the curtains behind him with his backhand, and the afternoon sunlight outside the window immediately filled the entire office. The room that seemed quite dark just now suddenly became brighter.
Leaning slightly lazily on the back of the chair, Maka stared at the extremely fine dust particles in the light, emptied her mind and silently felt the hard-won silence, and then stretched hard.
"It's still early for dinner! How about going to Hogsmeade to relax?" He bathed in the gentle sunlight shining on his back, gently rubbed his swollen temples with his right hand, and thought to himself He said, "Although some things must be decided as soon as possible so that there will be more room for maneuver, if you are too anxious, it will actually affect efficiency..."
There are many things in this world that cannot be shared with others, and here in Maka, there are obviously more things that he cannot share with others than ordinary people.
If he didn't know how to regulate himself, he would have been completely overwhelmed by the many bad things.
After thinking about it, Maka put away her legs that she had kicked under the desk when she was stretching, and stood up gently holding on to the edge of the desk.
The dust floating in the air suddenly collided chaotically with the airflow as he stood up. Some of them followed Maka as he left and disappeared into the shadows erected by the pile of information.
"Oh, by the way," Maka said casually while pushing open the office door, "at times like this, you should go have a drink with someone who thinks about things straightforwardly..."
As he spoke, he walked out, and the door behind him closed automatically.
"... I hope he won't have any classes next."
"boom!"
With a soft sound, the door closed.
…
Affected by topography and air currents, the UK is plagued by intermittent rain all year round. However, due to the altitude and location of Hogwarts Castle, the weather here is usually not bad.
It was the same today. The mountain breeze was blowing gently on the front lawn, and the grass blades were swaying in the breeze. If we think of the Alchemy Competition Arena that was just demolished not long ago, the sense of emptiness will be even more fascinating.
Maka remembered that Dumbledore also liked to take a walk on the grass in front of the castle as a small break from his busy schedule.
However, the thought that he only left this land to the last moment of his life makes people a little unhappy.
Maka strolled out of the castle's foyer and walked forward slowly.
The first thing he thought of was naturally Hagrid. If someone invited him to visit the Three Broomsticks, he would definitely be more than happy to go along.
It's a pity that when Maka ran to the hunting lodge and knocked on the door, the only person who responded to him was the hound Yaya who was locked in the house to amuse himself.
There was no other way. Since he could reach the school gate if he walked a little further, he wouldn't be stupid enough to run back.
In just a blink of an eye, Maka, who was slowly walking out of the school gate, disappeared silently. When he appeared again with a burst of space expansion, he had already arrived in the alley beside the Pig Head Bar.
If there was no one to accompany him, he would actually prefer to sit here for a while, because here is his favorite "Pig's Head Bar specializing in butterbeer."
"Danglang-"
The bell hanging behind the door rang suddenly, the sound was still muffled and somewhat disappointing. That seems to be the same character as the owner here - no matter what kind of guests come here, he will not welcome them.
"Boss," Maka smiled at the bar, "you know, the same old thing."
"sit down!"
Inside the bar, Aberforth's beard spreading across his chest trembled slightly, his tone as indifferent as ever. However, the movements of his hands were very nimble. After a while, he pulled out a dirty wine bottle from under the bar and opened it casually.
"Give."
The butterbeer bottle and a mug were left casually on the countertop. Because of the excessive force, some foam even splashed out, but Aberforth wiped it away immediately.
Yes, even Maka, who already had a long-term friendship with him, could only ask him to provide an additional "bottle opening service". Want to drink? Then fall down yourself!
Of course Maka didn't mind that much, he had known Dumbledore's younger brother's temper for a long time.
He picked up his fingers to make the bottle float by itself, poured the yellow liquid into the cup, and looked around the store as usual when he came here.
Ever since Charlotte started coming here to work from time to time, this bar filled with dirt has obviously seen a lot of changes in details.
For example, some small hangings above the bar, or a more detailed price list, there are scattered signs of improvement everywhere.
Of course, the tone here remains the same—the windows are still so dirty, and the accumulated dust makes it difficult for outside light to come in, making the bar look so groggy day or night.
"Pfft-"
There were still not many customers in the bar, so after just a casual glance around, Maka took in everything around her. He then turned his head again and touched the wall of the glass with his index finger.
A burst of invisible sparks circled around Zha Bei, and disappeared again in an instant.
"Ah, by the way -" he suddenly seemed to hear something, and looked up at Aberforth, "Is Dobby still here with you? Um... I mean the house elf from before?"
"He left a long time ago." Aberforth frowned, "Do you have anything to do with him?"
"Oh, no!" Maka shook her head gently and said, "It's just that I met his old master today, and I suddenly thought of him..."
"Really?" Aberforth glanced at Maca, "If you want to find him, you can try your luck in Germany."
Maka knew as soon as she heard that it was probably Aberforth who told the elf about his mistress. But after that, it didn't take long before Lucius went to find Narcissa - the little guy's efforts must have been in vain.
"I said, I'm just asking..." Maka shrugged, then turned around and said for some reason, "After Charlotte comes, your business will be much better, right?"
Aberforth seemed very unfazed by Maka's chatting mode. He immediately frowned again and looked at Maka from side to side, his eyes somewhat impatient.
Seeing that Aberforth didn't respond, Maka lowered her head and glanced again, as if looking for something.
"Hey, where's that sheep I gave you—"
"It's enough!"
Aberforth slapped the bar counter hard, causing the few customers in the store to turn around and look, but they shrank back in response to his glare.
"Boy, what are you here for today? If you want to talk to someone, go to the Three Broomsticks and talk to Rosmerta. Don't come here to mumble and make trouble-"
Seeing this, Maka shook her head helplessly, then picked up the wine glass and took a few sips.
"It's not like I'm looking for trouble," he put down his cup and chuckled, "I just want to find someone to talk to who doesn't care about anything... Just like you, you probably don't care about big things in your heart. Is it something?"
Aberforth stared at Maka who was smiling, and after a while he sighed helplessly.
"What's wrong with you kid?" He asked with some confusion, "What trouble have you encountered? Speaking of troubles, you have solved a lot of troubles, and I have never seen you as tired and crooked as you are now?"
Maka thought for a moment, put away her smile, and sighed.
"Maybe... you're just tired of it?"