It was Harry's first time in Hogsmeade, and he felt a little excited.

Duke Honey is a popular shop among young wizards, and it's full of people. Harry looked around as he squeezed through the crowd.

Then, Harry was delighted to see Ron and Hermione standing under a sign—they were scrutinizing a plate of bloody lollipops.

Harry sneaked up behind them.

“…… Well, no, Harry wouldn't want it, I think it's for vampires. Hermione was talking to Ron.

"What about this?" Ron said, shoving a clumped can of cockroaches under Hermione's nose.

"Definitely not." Harry couldn't help but ask.

Ron heard Harry's voice and almost dropped the jar in his hand.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed, "What are you doing here?" How did you - how did you get here? ”

"Wow!" Ron's eyes lit up, and he said in surprise, "You've learned to stealth!" ”

"Of course I didn't." Harry lowered his voice so that the other students wouldn't hear it.

Then he told them in detail about the map of the living spots.

"Why didn't Fred and George ever give it to me!" Ron was furious, "I'm their own brother! ”

"But Harry won't be in possession for long!" Hermione hesitated, "I think it's better to give it to Professor McGonagall......"

Hermione's brain-wrenching mistake had apparently returned.

"No, I won't pay it!" Harry said.

"Are you crazy?" Ron said, glaring at Hermione, "Handing over such a good thing?" ”

"If I pay it, I'll have to say where I got it from! Filch would have known that Fred and George had taken it! ”

"But what about Blake?" Hermione was worried, "He might have used some of the secret passages to get into the castle!" If Professor McGonagall had this map—"

"There's no way he's going to come in through the passage!" Harry immediately retorted, "There are seven secret passages on the map, right?" Fred and George estimated that Filch might have known four of them. ”

"Of the other three, one has collapsed, and no one can come in through that passage; The entrance of one was planted with the beating willow, and you can't get out if you go in. And the one I just walked through...... Not...... It's really hard to see where its entrance is in the cellar...... So、Unless...... He knew there was a secret passage......"

As he spoke, Harry began to hesitate.

What if Blake did know there was such a passage?

However, Ron cleared his throat in all seriousness and pointed to a notice posted on the inside of the candy store's door.

——————

By order of the Ministry of Magic, please note:

Until further notice, the Dementors will patrol the streets of Hogsmeade every day after sunset. This was purely for the safety of the inhabitants of Hogsmeade, and was to be canceled once Sirius Black was recaptured. It is best for customers to complete the purchase before the evening.

Merry Christmas!

——————

"See?" Ron spread his hands and said, "There are Dementors everywhere here, and I'd like to see how Blake can break into the candy store in this situation." Anyway, Hermione, the candy store owner always hears someone break in, right? They live upstairs from the candy store! ”

"Yes, but ...... But......" Hermione seemed to be trying to find a place to pick a thorn, "Look, Harry shouldn't have come to Hogsmeade, he hasn't handed in a signed application!" If anyone finds out that Harry is here, Harry will be in big trouble! And it's still bright—what if Sirius Black appears today, now? ”

"Actually, I'm more concerned about the open-air party that Maca is doing tonight - look at the announcement, there are Dementors patrolling at night!" Ron's heart seems to have gotten better, at least he can take the initiative to bring up Maca.

Harry and the three argued with each other, but they didn't realize that Maca was watching them from an alley not far away!

At that moment, a scruffy-dressed wizard turned around seemingly casually and slipped headlong into the alley where Maca was from the crowd on the street.

"Tallino, how's it going?" Maca said calmly.

"It's really time, my old guy is following over there, don't worry!"

This sloppy wizard was the same Tarino that Maca had met last time at the Three Broomsticks Bar, and he was still the same unscrupulous and unorthodox look.

"Didn't find out, did you?" Maca asked again.

"Impossible, if you don't have this ability, how dare you mix in the underground world?" Tarino smiled and said.

"That's fine...... "Marka nodded, "it's almost time, I'll go over there and take over, and tomorrow you go to the Tyrande store to get the other half of the gratuity, and the deal will be done." ”

"Thank you for your patronage, and you can always come to me next time you need it - you already know the place."

Maca waved her hand and turned back to go deeper into the alley. Although Tarino was walking in the same direction, after turning a corner, he found that there was no more Maka in front of him.

"It's ......," Tarino pouted, "it's good that he doesn't take food from us." ”

Maca, of course, was already invisible, and after a few turns, he returned to the avenue from another alley. Immediately, he rushed in the direction of the post office.

Following the secret mark left by Tarino's companion, he soon spotted an ordinary-looking wizard at the mouth of a deep alley.

Maca threw a note at his feet, and the other man looked left and right without moving, and then a strange color flashed in his eyes.

He picked up the note and looked at it, then glanced out into the alley without saying a word. The next moment, he decisively blended in with the flow of people and soon disappeared.

"Mute."

After saying a silent sentence in her heart, Maca ran briskly into the depths of the alley, but his footsteps miraculously disappeared completely.

It has to be said that the Assassin's abilities are indeed very useful, although they are not very useful in a head-to-head battle, but in this situation, they can be very useful.

Soon, at the end of the alley, he spotted a slightly emaciated black dog, which was roaming in the shadows, but it did look a little nimble on its hind legs.

"It seems that the last blow did leave him with some injuries."

Black didn't have much to do to heal, and for some reason, Maca's wand seemed to refuse his use. So until now, he is still dragging his injuries in action.

"In terms of determination, there are probably few people who are stronger than him." Maca couldn't help but think.

At the same time, Maca's hands were not idle. He pointed Blake's wand at the corner of the wall beside him, and a broken plate that had been discarded by someone immediately began to deform, and in the blink of an eye, it became a big living mouse.

If you look closely, the mouse and Ron's spots look exactly the same.

Maca waved her wand again, and the big mouse scurried around a corner not far from the black dog, and after making a deliberate noise, it immediately ran into another alley, and the speed was simply amazing!

But Blake's alertness was always in Maca's judgment, and the black dog suddenly turned his head, and immediately saw the figure of the big mouse flashing by.

Blake's appearance of the mouse can no longer be described by the word "familiar", it is really only a strong impression of "hatred to the marrow".

At that moment, as if he had forgotten about the wound on his leg, Blake spread his leg and chased him down the alley. As he passed by Maka, who was in a state of invisibility, the dog's eyes that concealed anger and madness made a deep impression on Maca.

"Is it too much hatred?" Maca also quickly chased after him, and he calmly pondered as he ran, "I hope it doesn't affect the plan for a while." ”

Blake was fast, unharmed, and the distance between him and the rat that Maca had conjured was constantly shortening.

Luckily, our destination is just around the corner!

When they turned another corner, Maca controlled the rat and got headlong into the trash can by one of the windows. Just as Blake was about to knock over the trash can to catch the rats, he heard Harry's voice.

Although Blake was stunned for a moment, he didn't hesitate too much, but immediately overturned the trash can and scattered the garbage inside on the ground - but the mouse was long gone.

Of course he couldn't find it, because the mouse had already turned back into the broken plate the moment it got into the trash can.

Maca walked past the enraged Black and glanced out the alley, just in time to see Harry, along with Hermione and Ron, entering the door of the Three Broomsticks.

It turned out that where Blake was now was, under the side window of the three brooms.

Maca glanced at Blake and nodded reassuringly when he saw that he was standing up and leaning against the window to look at Harry's figure.

At this point, the plan is more than half successful.

……

The inside of the Three Broomsticks Bar is still so crowded and noisy.

There were a lot of guests, the room was warm and smoky, and a mature woman with a curvaceous figure and a pundit face was tending to a gang of noisy wizards at the bar.

"That's Ms. Rosmerta." Ron's face flushed as he added, "I'm going to order a drink, okay?" ”

Harry and Hermione walked to the back of the room, where there was a small table empty between the window and the beautiful Christmas tree, and it was also close to the fireplace.

But Harry didn't know that Sirius Black was secretly looking at him outside the window!

Five minutes later, Ron returned, with three large cups of bubbling hot butterbeer.

"Merry Christmas!" He said happily and raised his large cup.

Harry raised his glass, then took a big sip.

He felt that it was the best-tasting drink he had ever drunk, and that it seemed to warm him up from the inside out, and he immediately took another big sip.

Suddenly, a breeze blew through his hair, and the door of the three brooms opened again. Harry looked from the edge of the large cup to the door, and the sight almost choked him.