If the bald old man from before was used as a criterion, that group of people was really dangerous to the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Of course, based on the information Mundungus has collected so far, nothing can be said.
"First keep an eye on the general movements of those people, but don't try to get too close - again, give priority to ensuring your own safety."
Having said this, Maka drank all the remaining butterbeer in the cup and then placed the cup on the bar behind her.
"Oh, I almost forgot! If it were you, you probably wouldn't take the initiative to get close to me, no matter whether it's safe or not, right?"
Maka smiled at Mundungus, then took out a gold galleon and placed it next to the cup, apparently ready to leave.
"Are you going to be busy again?"
At the bar, Aberforth, who was collecting cups, took the initiative to ask a rare question, and Maka shook her head.
"I guess... I've never really had any leisure time..."
Seeing that he seemed to be leaving, Mundungus couldn't help but raise his head and wondered: "Are you... are you going to investigate it yourself tonight?"
"Investigation is definitely necessary. After all, this matter also involves some minor issues that I am paying attention to," Maka paused and said, "But before that, I have to meet someone first."
Remembering that the bald man had repeatedly mentioned the "Successor of Sin" and the "Dagger of Pain", Maka wanted to dig something out of the other person's mind.
Unfortunately, apart from the astrological prediction, he did not get any more practical and useful information.
However, since the other party mentioned the dagger, it means that the matter is more or less related to what he is studying. In other words, he may be able to obtain some information that can be written into the new version of the "Book of Sin".
Whenever there is even the slightest possibility, Maka will not let it go easily. Because as long as he still wants to figure out Rowena Ravenclaw's true purpose, he must find a way to have equal or even more actual intelligence than the other party.
Otherwise, he would be trapped in Rowena's control forever - even though the "great" witch seemed to have been dead for nearly a thousand years.
"I have to go, see you next time!"
After Maka said hello to the two of them, she straightened her collar and walked out of the Pig Head Bar quickly.
Now, it is already night.
It was always cold at night in Hogsmeade, and there was thick snow piled up outside the roads. He stepped on the snow and took two crunching steps towards an uninhabited place. As the space expanded and contracted, a cloud of snowflakes was brought up, and he disappeared completely.
…
There are still classes scheduled for tomorrow morning, so Maka had better finish this trip in the evening. Fortunately, this time he really just wanted to find someone to understand the situation again. In theory, he would definitely be able to go back and have a good sleep in time.
"Bang!"
It is no longer the tense period when Voldemort was still active, and most of the floo network lines connected to the Ministry of Magic have been restored to smooth operation.
Of course, Maka himself knew very well that when he used the fireplace to move, there would always be some inevitable noise.
"Yes, yes, don't stare at me. Isn't it just that the fire is a little bit louder?"
With Maka's current popularity in the magical world, even if the floo powder's magic flames react excessively, it will only make the wizards more surprised.
But to be honest, at this point when most of the staff had gone home from get off work, it was quite surprising that there was still a lot of traffic in the Magic Department Hall.
Just compared with the scene during the day, it is obviously much better.
When passing the security checkpoint in front, the person on duty behind the counter glanced back and forth at Maka a few more times. But it is conceivable that as long as Maka has no intention of stopping, they may be in trouble.
"Don't worry, this is your job, I will try my best to cooperate," Maka walked up to a security inspector and smiled at her, "But before that - I wonder if Mr. Scrimgeour is off work? "
"Uh..." The uniformed female security inspector behind the counter said hesitantly, "No, I don't think so yet. On normal working days, Mr. Minister usually -"
As she was speaking, she looked up at the huge wall clock in the square, and then continued: "Yes, I won't get off work until more than two hours."
When Maka heard this, she couldn't help but shrugged.
"Oh, that's very conscientious -" he continued, "send a message to the Assistant Secretary's Office! Just say that Maca McClane at Hogwarts needs to see Mr. Scrimgeour..."
Halfway through the words, Maka suddenly seemed to remember something, and specifically added: "Ah, I won't let you check my wand. I think it doesn't make sense."
"Magic wand... this... is it..."
The female security inspector touched the hat on her head rather uneasily, and looked back at another colleague with a slightly different uniform.
From the looks of it, that person's position seemed to be a little higher than hers... Even if not, that colleague's qualifications must be much more senior than hers.
When she saw the other party nodded to her, she turned around and looked at Maka again.
"I understand, Mr. McClain." She nodded first, and then continued, "Then... I'm sorry, have you ever... I want to say, have you made an appointment?"
"No no no no!"
The female security inspector was asking intermittently. Maka hadn't shown any impatience yet, but the middle-aged employee behind her seemed to be unable to bear it anymore.
He took two steps forward and squeezed in next to the female security inspector, with a big smile on his face.
"Mr. Maclean, you definitely don't need to make an appointment." He said loudly, "Just go in. On the top floor, on the right hand side, there is the minister's office at the end - I think Mr. Scrimgeour will be happy to talk to you. of!"
"Oh, thank you!" Maka smiled and said, "But I have to say that the security inspector did a good job. In fact, I'm not too anxious today, I just follow the process-"
"It's better to inform the assistant minister first! Whether additional appointments are needed is his job!"
As Maka said, he was in no hurry today. If he needed an urgent meeting, he wouldn't go to Scrimgeour through the normal means like now.
The Ministry of Magic is undoubtedly very important to a country's magical community, which was clearly highlighted at the time of Voldemort.
Considering that the despicable Haierbo would suddenly resurrect at some point, he also deliberately wanted to check the situation here, which could be regarded as making some preparations for the future.
If necessary, he could even help Scrimgeour add some more security to consolidate the relative stability of the British Ministry of Magic in the coming period.
Judging from the performance of the current Minister of Magic, Maka doesn't mind making some contributions to this place.
After a moment of waiting, the assistant minister ran down from upstairs in person and picked up Maka in full view of everyone.
Shortly after he left, the middle-aged security inspector muttered in confusion.
"...Don't you need to make an appointment at all?"
As for the female security inspector who had received Maka just now, she still stretched her neck and looked in the direction of the elevator until Maka's back was no longer visible, and then she looked away with bright eyes.
"Ana, McLean praised me just now! He praised me for doing a good job!"
"Hey, they just said it was 'not bad.'" Behind another counter, a female colleague immediately rolled her eyes at her, "Besides, are you so excited? For someone like you, are you still expecting something? Can’t do it?”
"Eh? No..." She whispered awkwardly, "He is five years younger than me... Five years old... Wait, it seems that the difference is not too big!"
The female security inspector muttered and looked up at the square again. Among the row of "Portraits of Outstanding Contributors to the Ministry of Magic" on the wall of the Fountain Square, there was a glorious image of Maka flashing on one of them.
…
When many people followed Maka's arrival and turned their attention to the portrait of holding the card, Maka herself had already followed Scrimgeour's third assistant onto the upward elevator.
Of course he also saw the portrait with his upper body, and he raised his eyebrows at him as a greeting.
However, this does not mean much to him, because if he has a bad relationship with Mr. Minister again in the future, his portrait may be secretly removed!
Vested interests are the most effective interests, and the rest rely on careful maintenance to become more permanent. Unfortunately, accidents are often unexpected and merciless.
"Mr. MacLean, please—"
Along the way, Maka could feel that the assistant minister walking in front was somewhat indifferent to him. This was probably out of the jealousy of being a "young man" as well.
As Scrimgeour's assistant, he knew very well that he had to be respectful to Maka, but he was just that much older than Maka, and he was still an "excellent talent."
To be honest, if you weren't outstanding, you wouldn't be able to win the most sought-after newcomer position like "Assistant to the Minister of Magic" among so many competitors.
"Take this one for example." Maka couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
If this "talent" can climb up again and again in the future, through the accumulation of qualifications in various positions, and finally rely on strength and luck to seize the position of Minister of Magic, then the relationship between Maka and him will usually not be much better. Yes.
Even if you are polite on the surface, it may be extremely difficult to communicate in depth.
"I have already said hello to Mr. Scrimgeour just now. He is waiting for you inside now. I have something to do here, so I will not accompany you any longer."
After sending Maka to the door of the minister's office, the third assistant left without looking back.