"Dinner has probably begun, so go back first! Once I've got Hagrid back to bed and settled, I'll have to go to the office first—" Maka said as she sat down at her desk, "and we'll have to get something ready for our first meeting after dinner." ”

After Hagrid was drunk and unconscious, the three of them chatted for a while. The flames in the fireplace baked the small cabin warmly, and the atmosphere gradually became much warmer.

At least when Hagrid was completely drunk, the expression on his face was truly relaxed.

At dinner time, after Luna and the others had gone to the auditorium first, Maca gently placed Hagrid on the bed with a levitation charm, pulled the bulging quilt over him, and then returned to the round table to clean up.

“…… It's really a man with giant blood, and the three barrels are almost empty? He shook the small oak barrels on the table in turn, but only in the last one he heard a very clear sound of water.

"Well, I hope he can feel better." Maca shook her head and whispered to herself, "If I have to say it, I also have an unshirkable responsibility for this incident - go back to the forest and take care of the remaining ordinary eight-eyed giant spiders!" ”

Although this is not atonement at all, it is at best an act of self-satisfaction in disguise. But if she didn't do anything, Maca always felt that she would leave some pimples in her heart because of it.

For Maca, who has a heart set on the path of magic, the fewer such bumps, the better. In this world, magic is closely related to the spiritual side of man; Whether it is good or evil, it is very important to maintain a clear heart.

After tidying up the hut where everyone had been happy a little, Maca left quietly.

Dinner time at Hogwarts has always been about taste and atmosphere, and this will not change much after Dumbledore's death.

Perhaps some of the little wizards still have a nostalgia for the kind old headmaster, for he will never hear his inexplicable little jokes again.

But for most students, the past fades with time. In a few years' time, the greatest white wizard of our time will probably be a fairly vivid symbol on many pieces of paper, just like other famous wizards of the past.

It may sound a little sad, and some people may even feel unworthy of Dumbledore's efforts, but it is undoubtedly a kind of "reality".

It has been said that when everyone forgets a being, that existence ceases to exist; But some people will say that it is precisely because it can be forgotten that it proves that existence once existed.

Maka, who had just arrived in the auditorium from her office, nodded calmly to the students as she passed their long tables, and then sat down in the seat that belonged to him on the faculty chair.

When he slowly glanced at the chattering students in the hall, he felt a little emotion in his heart.

"Probably, Dumbledore figured this out, right?" Maca couldn't help but secretly savor this hazy awakening, "Whether it's a Muggle or a wizard, it's small after all. Dumbledore, like me, was in search of the true meaning of magic, but the path he and I traveled was completely different......"

“…… When I first opened the Scroll of Truth, I thought I had found a shortcut. Compared to the path Dumbledore chose, my path may seem short, but it is clearly not a wise path! ”

To be honest, Maca has gradually understood that he has always looked down on modern magic in the past, but now he finds that although the "power" of magic is gradually declining, in the pursuit of the essence of magic, the road of modern magic is smoother than that of ancient magic.

Ancient magic that directly exploits the rules of the world is naturally amazing, but it is not conducive to understanding and comprehension. Even if they are talented, every attempt to study a rule rune will cost the wizard a lot of energy and time, and even a lifetime of being trapped by it.

As a result, each generation of wizards tried to improve it in a clearer form, and various ancient scripts gradually appeared.

Thinking of this, Maca couldn't help but feel sincere admiration for the unknown wizard who created the modern spell, after all, he could clearly see the broken rule runes that flashed quickly during the spell casting.

Wizards who can do this are undoubtedly extremely intelligent.

And Dumbledore walked all the way down this smooth road paved by his predecessors, and finally understood the direction of life in his own way.

"That's true wisdom, and I'm just lucky and a little self-righteous ......"

Because the next step is to take on the task of guiding the defense team, unlike teaching the ancient magic class, it can already be regarded as really guiding the magic path of others. Therefore, Maca involuntarily began to re-examine the journey she had taken.

It is often said that when you pass on your knowledge to others, you will deepen your understanding of it.

Truth be told, this is the first time Maca has faced up to modern spells.

As early as after analyzing the cooling rune at the limit, in fact, his pace of progress has been stagnant for a long time. And now, when he took such a closer look, he finally found the direction he was going to go next.

"So, what Dumbledore said to me at the end of the day......"

Maca remembered that in the midst of the mist, Dumbledore had spoken to him at the last minute with an unclear word—

“…… Continue along the ...... Road...... I'll see you soon......"

What path to continue on? At that time, Maca had not been able to react in time, but now, he vaguely understood what Dumbledore was trying to tell him.

"Then you might as well take a look along the path that the people have walked before!"

Maca breathed a sigh of relief, then picked up a juicy meatball from her fork, stuffed it into her mouth and chewed it heavily. As the delicious, rich gravy spread in his mouth, his mood seemed to become much stronger.

It was at this moment that Luna, who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, glanced at Maca's side, a pair of clear eyes flickering slightly, and a faint trace of doubt passed in them.

“…… Dumbledore? She looked at Maca's appearance and subconsciously muttered to herself.

……

After dinner, Maca, Hermione, Harry, and Luna made their way to the empty stone wall on the eighth floor.

"I've already told you how to make the room appear, now try it yourself!" Maca gestured to Hermione.

"Oh, Harry—" Hermione said immediately, "I've already checked it out once, and this time you'll try it!" ”

As Hermione spoke, the troll in the painting across the wall was beating the wizard who was trying to teach him ballet. When Harry heard Hermione say this, he hurriedly turned his gaze away from the poor wizard.

"Ah, okay......" he repeated the whole process in his mind, and then he gathered his mind, "...... Well, walk through it three times while thinking carefully about what is needed......"

In this way, he paced back and forth in front of the wall, his hands clenched into fists, his eyes fixed on the front.

“…… We need a big room where we can train our defenses, because there are still a lot of people, so at least two Potions classrooms will need to be ......"

Just as he turned around again, a rather simple double door suddenly appeared on the otherwise empty wall.

Luna stepped forward, grabbed both doorknobs with both hands without hesitation, and pulled the door open at once.

It was a large and fairly spacious room...... No, it's not so much a room as a large, slightly dimly lit underground warehouse.

On the surrounding walls, there are torches that glow blue, giving the place an eerie look.

"What did you just think?" As soon as Hermione walked in, she immediately questioned Harry.

"Well, that's probably because, I always feel like we're doing something sneaky right now, so ......"

"Don't worry," Maca waved her hand, and a bright light immediately lit up in front of him and floated lightly towards the center of the ceiling. Suddenly, the soft and bright light illuminated the whole room.

"Well, everything else is complete except for a little bit of darkness." Maca looked around and said, "Especially those magic instruments—speculums, explorers, dark magic detection probes—these are all common props used by the Aurors. ”

On the other side, there is a shelf of books related to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"Look at these!" Hermione excitedly let her fingertips run over the books, and said with great interest, "Common Spells and Cracks", "Outwitting the Dark Arts", "Self-Defense Spells...... Oh! ”

She looked back at Harry and said, "Great, you've done a great job for that!" This way, everyone can look up the books they need to practice in a timely manner! ”

It wasn't long before the students who had signed Hermione's list gathered here, and when the last student arrived, Maca, who was standing in the doorway, clicked the lock shut.

At the same moment, the door on the stone wall outside immediately merged into the wall, and the section of the wall changed back to its original state.

"Wow!" Most of the young wizards looked around and marveled, and one of the students said, "Where is this?" Oh...... There are so many unknowns in this castle that I bet I certainly haven't been here once. ”

"Alright," Maca clapped her hands as she walked towards the center of the room, "this is where we will train from now on, and where everyone will learn how to protect themselves...... And our friends and family! ”