“…… Yes, old Barty is fine, I'm afraid the child is the problem. ”

In the Leaky Cauldron, Maca and Sirius sat at a table near the wall, while Hermione and the others sat around them.

Maybe it's because of Hermione's words today, or maybe everyone's strength has really improved dramatically, and Maca finally stopped hiding everything from them.

Of course, if there is something directly related to Helbo, or even a very likely encounter with that guy, it is impossible for Maca to let them participate casually.

After hearing that Maca had sat down with Sirius, she mentioned Old Barty again, and Hermione couldn't help but be a little curious.

"What's okay, there's a problem?" She wondered, "What did Mr. Crouch do?" ”

When Maca heard this, she couldn't help but shrug her shoulders and said:

"No, Mr. Crouch has done almost nothing. It was just that with a nostalgia for his son and an unbroken ambition in life, he went to the Muggle world to adopt two orphans. ”

After saying this sentence with a little emotion, he turned to explain:

"As you heard in the library, Mr. Crouch intends to use the matter of raising Muggle children in the wizarding world to explore the future of Muggle-wizarding coexistence...... And, perhaps, by the way, he can also make his own old age less painful. ”

So far, in fact, it's all the content that Maca talked to Old Barty before. But then, he pointed to Sirius again, and said a little seriously:

"Originally, Mr. Crouch had opened the library in Diagon Alley...... No, to be precise, when Mr. Crouch arrived in Diagon Alley with his two children, there were several murders in a row. In this regard, Sirius and they managed to eliminate the impact of the case for the time being, in order to ensure that there were no bad rumors......"

However, he and Lupin also speculated that it was most likely Barty Crouch who suddenly came to Diagon Alley to open a shop.

Hermione heard him say this, and then nodded, which was a preliminary understanding of the current situation.

It turned out that Maca took her to Diagon Alley to play today, and she actually came with a mission. And she, Hermione, and Ron, the other four, became the best cover when testing each other.

Thinking about it this way, if she hadn't expressed her thoughts in advance today, maybe Maca would have done it herself again.

After thinking about it so secretly, Hermione understood:

"So, you've just confirmed that Mr. Crouch didn't kill the man?"

"Yes," Maka whispered, recalling the situation again, "I didn't really think he would commit a murder, after all, he didn't do many illegal things in his life...... Well, except for the fact that back then, he couldn't resist the plea of his seriously ill wife, and went to Azkaban to replace his son Barty Jr. ”

At this, he paused slightly, and then shook his head.

"But for some reason, I can't guarantee that he won't change his temperament...... Therefore, today's temptation is still very necessary. ”

"For some reason?"

Ron, who had never spoken, finally couldn't help but repeat it after hearing that Maca seemed to have deliberately skipped something.

"Hmm."

Seeing that the others were also puzzled or curious, Maca didn't hide it anymore, nodded and said calmly:

"His son, Barty Crouch Jr., was killed by my own hands."

No matter how much Maca understands human nature, it is impossible to easily see through people's hearts. Because of his son's death, he couldn't guess whether old Barty would hold a grudge.

Because he understands that little Barty's death is equivalent to a seed buried in old Barty's heart, and no one knows whether that seed will sprout or rot.

Maybe one day, Barty Sr. suddenly blames all the pain of losing his son on his Maca McLean, then it is very likely that the other party will take the initiative to help Helpo.

However, in the surprised expressions of Hermione and the others, Maca quickly said:

"Thankfully, I don't think Old Barty killed anyone, because ...... I've probably guessed who the real killer is. ”

When Hermione heard this, she immediately frowned, but then, as if she couldn't accept her conjecture, she shook her head lightly and put aside the number one candidate in her heart.

"Yes...... Was it some guest in the library at the time? She said hesitantly.

On the contrary, Neville next to him was slightly stunned and subconsciously asked:

"Is that the little girl? Oh no...... No way? ”

Neville's almost blurted out words were actually the answer Hermione had in mind in the first place. After all, the people that Maca had the most contact with in the library at that time seemed to be old Barty and the little girl.

However, a child of that age will kill someone...... It's chilling to think about.

After Neville asked, Hermione couldn't help but stare at Maca's head, as if she was afraid that he would nod in agreement with Neville's terrible guess.

And when Maca shook her head again, she was unconsciously relieved.

"Sure enough...... Not really! ”

"Well, it's not her," Maka said, sighing again, "but it still has something to do with her." Remember? As I mentioned, Barty Sr. adopted two Muggle orphans - we've seen girls, but don't forget, there's a boy! ”

"But we haven't seen the boy, that doesn't mean he—" Hermione said halfway through her speech, "Marca, did you find anything in that little girl?" ”

It can be seen that Hermione has the kindness in her heart, so that she does not want to doubt even the boy she has never met. But with her understanding of Maca, she understands that the other party's words are never untargeted.

When you think about it, the conclusion seems obvious.

Sure enough, a complicated smile appeared on Maca's face.

"You guessed it right," he said, taking a sip of the juice and moistening his throat, which was a little dry from talking too much, "the child's body...... There were traces of dark magic remaining, and Old Barty didn't seem to know it. ”

"That'...... Isn't he dangerous? Ron said immediately.

This time, before Maca could answer, Hermione said to Ron first:

"No, on the contrary, maybe he's the safest one in Diagon Alley right now!"

"Huh?"

When Ron heard this, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Isn't it easy to understand?" Hermione said, "First, Maca has already said just now that there have been several murders in Diagon Alley recently, but if the murderer was really a child, would he kill the people around him?" No, even if the boy was smart enough to know that doing that would make people avoid suspicion. But without Old Barty, it would be even more inconvenient for him to move as a child! ”

As she spoke, she paused for a moment before continuing:

"Second, the fact that a child can kill someone is suspicious enough in itself, and I think there are probably other people behind him. And if that person is familiar with the wizarding world, he will inevitably leave Mr. Crouch - his son was a Death Eater in the first place, and will he himself not be a good man? ”

"You mean, once the murder is exposed, they'll use Old Barty as a substitute for the dead?"

When Ron was stunned again, Maca nodded as well.

"It makes sense," he said, "and I did think that the boy might be controlled, but not that they might use Old Barty as a shield." ”

After receiving Marca's admiring gaze, Hermione was visibly more confident, and she continued:

"And the third point—we all know that Mr. Crouch has been adopting those two children for some time. If that kid had wanted to do it, Mr. Crouch would have been dead, wouldn't he? ”

Although Hermione was ostensibly answering Ron's questions, she also took this opportunity to express some of her speculations.

To be honest, Hermione is worthy of the quick-witted Hermione, and there are some details that even Maca hasn't taken into account. After listening to her analysis, everyone, including Maca and Sirius, was silent for a moment.

At the end of the day, no matter how decent Hermione is, it's just an inference. What the facts are, and how the situation will develop next, will inevitably need to be further explored.

Not long after, Sirius suddenly spoke.

"Marka," he asked, reflecting on what Marca had said to Hermione, "you said you found 'traces of dark magic' on that little girl adopted by Barty Sr.?" Do you see what kind of black magic it is? ”

If they can know the details of the black magic, it will not only provide them with safety and security for them to investigate later, but they may also be able to learn more about the boy...... and even the secret of the person behind him.

It's a pity that Maca didn't hesitate to wave her hand casually and said:

"I don't know, the traces left on her body are quite sparse, and it has probably been several hours...... Seriously, it was luck to find out at the time! ”

Sirius listened to this, and rather regretfully, he lowered his head and pondered other doubts.

So, after a short while, he probably knew that he couldn't figure out more information, so he simply stood up neatly.

"Maca, there's nothing to say, are you?" "Then I'll go first—I'll have to watch the library with Dunger later, so he can come and have something to eat." ”

Maca glanced at Hermione, seeing that she didn't seem to have anything to say, before she bowed her head at Sirius:

"Okay, there you go! I've had dinner here with all of you, and then we'll be back at Hogwarts. If you have any new discoveries, please keep me informed. ”