Ever since Maka smashed the mirror back that day, the day seemed to have calmed down. Even though he knew that this peace was definitely temporary, taking advantage of this time to breathe a little bit would help him heal the roughness and ravines in his heart.
Oh, and it's worth mentioning that snowflakes are finally starting to fall at Hogwarts again.
The rough outer walls of the castle were smeared with a soft white color by the new snow. This makes Hogwarts, which originally looked very tough, become surprisingly softer.
Maka walked on the grass in the front yard, surrounded by crystal snowflakes falling from the sky. Occasionally, one or two pieces slide across the cheeks, and the body temperature makes them melt quietly, turning into a leisurely coolness.
When he stepped on the thin snow and looked back, the Hogwarts Castle wrapped in the sky seemed to have been lifted out of a fairy tale. This exquisite picture reminded him of some childhood memories that had become blurry over time.
"Speaking of which, there was a time when I longed for this magical world..." He smiled softly to himself, and thought to himself, "So, can I be considered 'happy' now?"
When dreams suddenly become life, some people may be very happy. But unfortunately, at least, Maka probably does not belong to that category of people.
Shaking his head slightly, he turned around and walked towards Hagrid's hunting hut.
"Bang bang."
A sudden knock on the door woke up Fang Ya, a dozing dog who had just had lunch. After it heard it, it immediately tucked its tail and shrank into the corner, and then started barking loudly as always.
"Woof woof woof, woof woof... woof woof!"
"shut up!"
Hagrid, who was sitting on the sofa and fiddling with a book, suddenly scolded him, then stood up and walked towards the door.
With the creaking sound of the door opening, Maka, who was waiting outside, quickly walked in - Hagrid had been here countless times, and it was as familiar as entering his own office.
"Oh, Maka, you just happened to be here. I'm really worried about the task assigned to me by Professor McGonagall! Come over quickly and help me come up with an idea..."
As soon as Maka got past Hagrid, he was hugged by the shoulders and forced him to sit on the only single sofa in the small room.
Immediately afterwards, Hagrid opened the book in his hand again and spread it in front of Maka.
"Look, I plan to hide the Bowtruckle in the mistletoe circle. Those cute little guys might be able to bring you a little surprise... Or, I'm still thinking about getting some Moon-Crazy Beasts. , I think they can always please girls... "
Maka looked at the illustrations on the page and nodded.
"Well, Yue Chimon is pretty good. It has big, round eyes, which really gives people a very cute impression... It should be good to dress them up."
"Oh, that's it, I feel relieved if you say that," Hagrid said happily, "Well, by the way, can you take a look at this again..."
As he spoke, he turned the book back again, until it reached a later part.
"Poison sac leopards, look at their venom sacs, do they look like lots of white beards if they have some white on them?"
As Hagrid was speaking, he subconsciously touched his beard, which was like an extra-large steel ball, and then nodded slightly with some satisfaction.
"Well, the more you think about it, the more interesting it becomes, isn't it? And the Poison Sac Leopard is very interesting..."
"No, no, no," Maka shook her head quickly, "Poison-sac leopards can't do it, they are too dangerous... Aren't you worried that the students will be poisoned to death?"
The poison sac leopard has a retractable bag-like poison sac on its neck that looks like a toad's chin and expands and contracts with breathing. And if the Poison Sac Leopard had that idea, even if he took a breath, he would be able to mix deadly toxins into the air he exhaled, which would be almost equivalent to an invisible death curse.
However, Hagrid seemed a little reluctant.
"Well, actually we can ask everyone to wear gas masks..." He scratched his scalp and said rather depressedly, "You know, their addition will definitely make the atmosphere more lively!"
But after muttering a few words, Hagrid put this bad idea aside out of trust in Maka.
"Okay! By the way, how about you help me take a look at this..."
Seeing that he was still turning the pages back while saying this, Maka hurriedly reached out and held down the book. After all, there are more dangerous magical creatures ahead, and Maka doesn't want to cause trouble.
"Okay, okay -" he said hurriedly, "I will help you think about it again. In fact, I already have a good idea. I will tell you when I think about it again!"
After taking Hagrid's hand away from the book, Maka continued: "I think the two you just mentioned are very good. Well, the Moon-Crazy Beast is not difficult to get, but a sufficient number of Bowtruckles require more effort. Snacks... prepare these two kinds first, don't be too anxious, there's still a long time!"
He gave some instructions and asked Hagrid to take the time to contact the wizards who cultivated magical creatures, and then he stood up and prepared to leave.
"Are you leaving now? Won't you stay for a cup of tea?" Hager immediately tried to persuade him.
But Maka immediately waved her hand.
"No, I still have to go to Slughorn... He has his last class this afternoon, and I have to finish chatting with him before he goes to the classroom. As usual, after school, we can go together Broom and a drink.”
"Really? Oh -" Hagrid glanced at the iron frame of the fireplace. The tea was almost ready. "Okay, I'll see you later."
Maka, who had already reached the door, raised her hand and shook it without looking back, and then left quickly.
…
Potions class has always been relatively popular at Hogwarts, even when Snape taught it in the past.
Of course, the so-called "popular" definitely does not refer to the students, but to the parents behind the students.
And this is mostly because students who obtain NEWTs certificates in potions classes usually have higher actual income after graduation than wizards who are good at other subjects.
No matter where in the world you are, having money always makes life better, right
Perhaps it is this reality that reflects the importance of Potions in the wizarding world. The Potions class at Hogwarts is not only a required course, but also has a large number of classes. After Slughorn took over the teaching task of this course, he had to attend several classes almost every day.
Just like this afternoon, he had already taught a lesson to the fourth graders of Slytherin and Gryffindor, but later he had to teach another lesson to the fifth graders until school was over.
Maka calculated the time accurately, and he happened to meet Slughorn who had just finished class in the hall.
Seeing that the fat old man, who had been in class all day long, was still in high spirits, Maka also felt admiration from the bottom of her heart.
Although this old man is often a bit out of tune, he is indeed a guy who is very suitable for teaching and educating people.
"Professor Maclean—"
"Professor, good afternoon!"
Because get out of class had just ended, there were still many students passing by in the foyer, and they were all moving to the next classroom.
"Well, good afternoon."
Maka stood at the door, responding to the students passing by her, and saying hello to Slughorn on the other side of the crowd.
"Professor Slughorn, this way!"
In the somewhat noisy hall, the fat old man seemed to hear someone calling him from the noisy crowd, and he immediately turned his fat neck back and forth.
"Oh! MacLean—"
When Slughorn saw it was Maca, the smile on his face grew a little wider. But he looked around, then walked through the crowd with a shy belly and came to Maka's side.
"Do you have classes in the afternoon? If you're on your way, we can take a walk together..."
"No, I don't have class this afternoon." Maka shrugged, "You know, there aren't many students taking magic classes, but they can't compare to how busy you are every day!"
Saying this, he stretched out his hand again and said with a smile:
"But there's no problem in walking together. I happened to be going upstairs... Well, Professor McGonagall actually asked me to ask, how are your preparations over there? Is there anything you need help with?"
"There's nothing wrong with me here, don't worry!" Slughorn smiled heartily, "I like this kind of lively activities the most, and I think I'm very good at it!"
"Oh, that would be great." Maka nodded, "If possible, make it as delicate and clever as possible... I will invite some friends to come over and introduce you to you later."
Expanding his network—this is undoubtedly Slughorn's favorite thing to do. It can even be said that he lives to get to know more people in his life.
As soon as Maka talked about introducing new friends, the smile on the face of this slightly vain, fat old man immediately became a little brighter again, and he was smiling from ear to ear.
The two walked forward while chatting, and then went up the stairs to the second floor. Maka and Slughorn temporarily separated and turned a corner to go to a classroom on this floor.
Not long after, he stopped at the door of the classroom where some students were already sitting, watching the little eagles and little badgers, who were still only in second grade, walking in one after another.
Maka knew that he would have to wait here for a while before he could see the person he wanted to see.
After a while, when there were no more students in the corridor and the school bell would ring in a few minutes, a figure covered in pitch black quietly appeared from the stairs not far away.
"Professor Snape."
Seeing that the person she was waiting for finally appeared, Maka stepped forward to greet him.
"Can I take you a little longer? Professor McGonagall said..."
"Can't."