"Squeak-"

With a soft thud, Maca pushed open the door to the Great Hall of Hogwarts with her own hands.

As soon as you see it, you can see four long tables stretching into the depths of the auditorium, with a large number of chairs lined neatly on either side of the table. The daylight from the fence window fell silently on the tabletop, leaving a trail of light.

Since there has been no house-elf cleaning and wiping in recent days, a little dust has fallen on the tables and chairs, on the windowsills, and on the frames of those empty oil paintings, making it look somewhat old at a glance.

Of course, given the castle's history, it seems a little old.

"Hogg...... Woz. ”

Maca, who had just returned from Calais, France, wanted to take advantage of the time he still had some time to come over and take a good look at this castle that he had experienced a lot with him. However, Hogwarts looks lifeless without people, and is not what a school should be.

Maca wondered if this was what the four founders of the school had seen when they first came here.

“…… Never mind. ”

Maka, who was about to walk in and take another look, paused at the door, suddenly retracted the foot she had just sold, and then turned and walked out.

"Bang."

The moment he left, the door of the auditorium closed automatically, as if it had been pulled down by two invisible hands.

This was obviously not the vibrant magical campus that Maca remembered, and no matter how much he looked at it, it couldn't make him feel better.

So, don't look at it for now, or wait until everything is back on track in the future, and then have a good memory in it!

Although, some people will never come back - like the old white-bearded man who always likes to eat strange sweets.

“…… Maca ...... McLean ......"

Just as Maca was standing on the lawn of the vestibule, using the full sunlight and greenery to temporarily dispel the depression in her heart, a voice suddenly sounded faintly from the main entrance of the castle, attracting Maca's attention.

"Huh?"

He looked back slightly, and saw a translucent figure floating through a window on the side of the closed door, half-drooping eyelids at Maca at the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Peeves?"

Yes, even the figure's brightly colored clothes had faded a lot, the bow tie looked baggy, the nightcap was crooked to the side, and even the magic reaction was much weaker. But Maca naturally recognized that it was the elf Peeves who used to be fooling around in the castle and taking mischief as his only hobby.

Slightly stunned, Maca immediately walked over with her legs raised, and stood still under the ledge that was more than a man high.

"Oh, McKellen...... You're here again? Peeves floated down listlessly, leaning on the windowsill and looking down at Maca, "When are those little silly hats going back to school?" ”

"Well," Maca shook her head when she heard this, "I can't say that either...... Anyway, at least we'll have to wait until it's completely safe here! ”

"Is that the dark wizard the last time?"

Peeves said, turning over and lying on his back on the windowsill, looking at the sky with a long stagger.

"Alright, alright! Peeves is here waiting for you to settle things...... Hurry up! There's not even a figure here, I'm bored to death......"

Before he could finish speaking, it suddenly threw it backhand and coldly smashed a thick book down. Maca subconsciously raised her hand, but in the next second, he still allowed the book to land precisely on his head.

"Hahahaha...... Got hit, right? Look at your...... Rest assured! There's no shame in this - Dumbledore was hit in the head by Peeves......"

As Peeves left the window with a strange smile and drifted deeper into the hallway, Maca looked down at Hogwarts, a school history, which had just been smashed on her head, and sighed silently.

It would have been easy for him to dodge or block Peeves' sneak attack just now, but he stopped on the way.

Because he knew that Peeves's phrase "I'm dying of boredom" was not as frivolous and casual as the other party's tone.

As a poltergeist born from the negative emotions leaked by previous teachers and students, his existence depends on the people who live in the castle.

In previous years, even during the holidays, there were still teachers, ghosts, and a few students who stayed in the castle. But now, there is really no one in the whole castle.

Maca knew that Peeves was visibly getting weaker and weaker, to the point of ...... It is possible that you may really "die of boredom" at any time.

It's a pity that even if it knows that it may cease to exist, it can't leave this castle and this land. There is nothing Maca can do about this, because the poltergeist is such a special kind of being.

"I'll remember 'hurry up'...... Just wait! ”

Peeves are also part of Hogwarts - I'm sure many people will agree with that, and that includes Maca.

Maca put the book in her hand on the windowsill, and then did not linger any longer, turning her head and walking across the lawn of the school yard to the school gate.

……

On the hillside not far from the school gate, a makeshift radar station that had already been set up was bathed in sunlight. The big iron pot looked up to the sky above it, waiting for the moment when it was needed.

Maca stopped in front of the door of a small room beneath the iron pot, reached out and pushed open the iron door and glanced inside.

Most of the Muggles who had been sent to work with the commissioning had been removed, leaving only a mess of tuned instruments to sit here waiting to be activated tonight.

"Anyway, let's go and get someone over first!"

Although most of them were evacuated, there were still a few operators left, and the few who were selected had been living in Hogsmeade for the time to adapt to wizarding and magic.

Maca closed the door again, then took a step back and disappeared from where she was. By the time he reappeared, he had already found himself on the streets of Hogsmeade.

In fact, many of the residents have moved out one after another, and only a few of the various magic shops are still open, and it seems that there is no business.

Even since the start of Hogwarts' study tours, Helmo has hardly been harassed in the vicinity of the school. But after all, it's a matter of life, and most people obviously prefer to leave here first and wait and see for a while.

Maca took a few steps down the street, then turned a corner and walked into the alley between the two storefronts.