"This smell-"
"It's gordigroot, I added gordigroot..."
When Hermione smelled the very familiar smell and was about to ask something, Miriam immediately guessed what she wanted to say and answered quickly.
"Is it a very special scent?" Miriam continued, "To be honest, I was not used to this strong grassy smell at first, but after pairing it with cocoa powder and licorice, I immediately liked it. It has this wonderful taste.”
"Oh, is it so… "
Hermione nodded slightly, looking a little distracted. After she came to her senses after a while, she held the cup in both hands and asked blankly:
"Did Maka tell you how to drink Gagordigroot?"
"Ah, that's right." Miriam suddenly smiled when she heard this, "I drank it once in his office, and I thought it was very delicious, so I asked him to tell me."
It was obvious that she really seemed to like this new way of drinking hot cocoa.
In fact, after Hermione smelled the very distinctive smell of Gordigan grass, she had already thought that it was probably related to Maka.
After knowing that Miriam and Maka knew each other, she immediately felt at ease, because the sense of trust that Maka brought to people could even be directly placed on the friends around Maka.
But at the same time, Hermione began to want to know what happened between Miriam, a woman, and Maka.
"I see." Hermione thought for a while and suddenly said, "Did Maka bring you to Hogwarts?"
When Hermione asked this question, Miriam had already sat across the table with her own cup. She was seen taking another sip of hot cocoa, and her red lips seemed to be plumper under the firelight of the fireplace.
"So to speak!" she replied quickly, "but in fact it was me who begged Mr. MacLean to bring me here. I needed his protection and help."
"'Shelter and help'?" Hermione was immediately surprised. "You mean, what terrible dangers did you encounter before this?"
"Yes, a very terrible danger..." Miriam was saying, but suddenly paused, "Oh, I'm sorry... I shouldn't say these things, so please forget everything I said!"
Although she seemed to have remained calm after meeting Hermione on the top of the astronomy tower, don't forget the scene of her standing silently in the cold wind and snow outside.
In fact, her heart was far more chaotic than the calmness shown on her face, so that she, who had always been very measured, inadvertently followed Hermione's words.
Normally, how could she be tricked by Hermione? After all, the fact that she was hiding in Hogwarts was her only secret now.
However, now that Hermione had heard the beginning, how could she not ask further
"Miss Miriam...?" She thought about it for a moment, then tried to explain, "I am Maka's friend. We used to be classmates, but now he is my-"
Just as she said this, a problem loomed in front of Hermione - after leaving Hogwarts, what else could Maka be to her now
"... Well, it's my professor," she hesitated for two seconds, then her tone became a little more stubborn, "So, you can tell me, it's okay... He himself told me a lot of things. For example... uh, was that 'despicable Herbo' the reason why you had to come to Hogwarts temporarily?"
Miriam was immediately a little surprised when she heard Hermione clearly calling out this name.
"You know?" she asked in surprise, "How could it be... Mr. MacLean told you personally? How could he do this?"
In Miriam's opinion, people like Maka would not easily tell ordinary wizards about this kind of thing. After all, it is too dangerous.
For civilian wizards in the magic world, just knowing Helbo's name may be fatal.
But Hermione herself had exactly the opposite idea from Miriam - she was eager to know more about Helbo! Because this is undoubtedly a path that can lead to Maka.
It's a pity that because her strength is always limited, she also understands that she can't rush it.
"Maka told me because of his trust in me."
Hermione said this first, her tone rising slightly, and she looked a little happy. But then, she pursed her lips and said:
"But I know that there are many things that I really don't know much about yet - Maka just told me everything he thought he could tell me."
"So, can you also tell me something you think you can tell? Just tell me a story while we can't seem to sleep today?"
Miriam listened, took another sip of hot cocoa, and then suddenly looked at Hermione carefully. It wasn't until Hermione turned her face to the side uncomfortably that a knowing smile appeared on her face.
"Oh," she said as if she was enlightened, "Glen... Well, I mean, Hermione... I think I understand what you want to hear. But to be honest, Mr. MacLean and I met The process was not very pleasant, and I don’t think you will like to hear this story.”
Seeing that some of the thoughts in her heart were slightly revealed by the other party, Hermione couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, but she still shook her head decisively.
"If you don't mind, please—"
Under Hermione's gesture, Miriam was very generous and talked about some of the several interactions she had with Maka.
As the two of them talked and listened in this room, the night time passed quietly, but not only were they not sleepy at all, they were even more energetic for some different reasons.
Finally, Miriam said again:
"I am very grateful to Mr. MacLean for finally lending me a helping hand. If it hadn't been for him, I would have died of my stubbornness. I have always thought that if I had asked him for help earlier, even Asaph might have died." Nothing will happen."
"But for such a strong man who can help his former enemies, I have been following the orders of my elder to cause trouble for him..."
At this point, Miriam obviously felt truly ashamed. After speaking in silence for a short while, she picked up the cup and took a sip of cocoa, only to find that the cup was already empty without her realizing it.
However, when faced with the same story, everyone often has their own understanding and ideas.
Just like Maka, who also experienced the incident, he felt that he owed something to Miriam and Asaph.
Because at that time, he hesitantly agreed with Old Eun's plan, allowing the two of them to become "victims" of a job that was not actually necessary.
As for Miriam, who knew nothing about Maka's thoughts, she naturally felt that Maka obviously had no "obligation" to stop herself from going to the headquarters at that time.
But now that Hermione was here, as an "independent person" who was listening to the story, her focus did not fall on the "help or not" issue at all.
"So...your friend Asaph, he may have..."
Noticing that Hermione's eyes had turned red, Miriam couldn't help but chuckle.
"Well, I think he has left," she raised her head and looked at the tapestry on the wall and said faintly, "But it doesn't matter, if I have to say it... Thanks to that elder, in fact, we already have this I'm mentally prepared. I just... I just don't want that empty headquarters to be the last place I see him."
"Don't worry, Maka will help you find him..." Hermione was moved and sad at the same time, "Yes, Maka is so powerful, he will definitely be found sooner or later!"
"I believe," Miriam said with a smile, "Mr. McClain is really powerful, incredibly powerful... Just like the amazing beam of light I saw on the top of the tower just now, I think it must have been his handiwork!"
"What?"
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise when she heard Miriam mentioning such a sentence without warning.
"Light pillar? Just now? Where was it?"
Maka's regular power beam is no longer a secret at Hogwarts - or at least the appearance of the beam has been deeply imprinted in everyone's minds.
When Dumbledore died, it was his beam of light that broke through the thick clouds and dispelled the gloom in everyone's hearts.
As for Hermione, of course not to mention her relationship with Maka.
Seeing that she seemed a little anxious, Miriam couldn't help but be a little confused, but she quickly answered:
"That should be right at the school gate... Although it was difficult to see clearly due to the wind and snow, the light probably came from the direction of the school gate. A slanted blue-white light beam shot straight into the sky... "
"Oh, thank you - I have something to do, so I'll leave first!"
Hermione didn't even bother to find an excuse. She put down the cup after saying something casually and hurried to the door. It wasn't until she reached out and held the doorknob that she turned back slightly.
"By the way, thank you for the hot cocoa, it's very warm!"
After saying that, she immediately opened the door and rushed out. After running a few steps, she came back and closed the door.
Miriam looked at the direction Hermione was leaving and couldn't help but smile again - although she didn't know Maka's resignation or leaving without saying goodbye, she couldn't help but feel a little cute about Hermione's busy look.
However, after smiling dumbly, Miriam's smile gradually disappeared by half.
"What happened?" She couldn't help but whisper secretly, "That beam of light should be the magic cast by Mr. McClain - I have seen it several times, and since he would cast such magic at the school gate , does that mean..."