Chapter 15 Meeting the Mysterious Girl Again

"Malfory tricked you," Hermione said to Harry, "Do you understand now? He never intended to meet you there—Filch knew someone was going to the Trophy Room, and it must have been Malfoy who told him!"

Harry thought Hermione might be right, but he clearly didn't want to agree with her.

"Let's go," Harry turned around and said.

However, things were not that simple.

They had only taken a few steps when they heard the doorknob of a nearby classroom rattling, and something dashed out from inside in front of them.

It was Peeves! As soon as he saw them, he happily let out a high-pitched screech.

"Shut up, Peeves! Please, you'll get us expelled," Ron said with a grimace on his face.

Peeves chuckled, not caring at all about what Ron said.

"Nasty newcomers, wandering around in the middle of the night. Tsk, tsk, tsk, mischievous, mischievous, you'll get caught." He imitated the Sorting Hat, speaking in a strange and peculiar tone.

"Peeves, do you want to know how Nearly Headless Nick got those silver bloodstains on him?" Maca looked at him for a moment, then suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?" Peeves was startled at the mention of that name, clearly showing a hint of fear. "H-h-how?"

"Hehe, I'll tell you. Nearly Headless Nick used to love eating poltergeists, even after he died..." Maca's face suddenly turned gloomy, and he dragged his words, sounding a bit eerie.

"I saw him passing by over there just now. Did you see him?"

"Oh! N-n-no—"

Peeves screamed and zoomed away, passing through the wall.

"Oh, Maca, you're so cool!" Ron exclaimed, and Harry and Neville nodded in agreement.

"Poltergeist?" Hermione was puzzled. "What does that have to do with Peeves? Isn't he a ghost?"

"I asked Nearly Headless Nick—Peeves is a poltergeist, not a ghost," Maca shook his head. "He can interact with the physical world, which ordinary ghosts cannot."

"You spoke to Nearly Headless Nick! He looks terrifying, doesn't he?" Ron asked in astonishment.

Maca shook his head again, greeting everyone to keep moving while casually explaining, "Nearly Headless Nick is a good guy. Don't let his appearance scare you. He has always been loyal to Hogwarts, in life and death. Alohomora!"

His sudden use of the wand to cast a spell grabbed everyone's attention. When they regained their focus, they realized they had reached the end of the corridor.

"Let's go inside and find a place to hide, at least until we can avoid Filch..." Maca said but then stopped.

"What's wrong? Why not go inside?" Ron asked in a low voice.

"...I think," Maca stepped back, smiling awkwardly, "it might be a better idea to go and meet Filch."

With a loud "bang," Maca closed the door again, and immediately, a deafening roar came from inside.

"That's a big dog." Harry seemed to have caught a glimpse of it before the door closed.

"Yes, a dog with three heads." Maca shrugged and then immediately said, "Run!"

As if in response to Maca's words, the door shook violently. That big dog was definitely banging against it from the inside.

They ran back into the corridor, sprinting as if they were flying. Filch must have been busy looking for them elsewhere; they didn't see any trace of him, and besides, they couldn't care less—they just wanted to escape from that monster as far as possible.

Harry and his friends kept running until they stopped in front of the Fat Lady's portrait on the eighth floor, only to find that Maca was no longer with them.

"I saw him running downstairs; he must have gone back to the Hufflepuff dormitory," Hermione gasped for breath.

In fact,

Maca didn't go straight to the dormitory. Instead, he made a detour to the Hogwarts kitchen and grabbed some food—he hadn't eaten much dinner, and now, after running back and forth, he was feeling a bit hungry.

...

For the present Maca, "rest" was a luxury because he always felt that time was running short.

After that night when he and Harry roamed Hogwarts, Maca threw himself back into studying and research. It wasn't just Potions; he couldn't afford to slow down in other subjects either. He had to reach a level where he could face any challenge without fear before he could relax.

After all, there was still a Voldemort lurking in the shadows! He didn't want to be caught defenseless when the Death Eaters attacked.

Once the Invisibility Potion was prepared, he would venture into the Restricted Section at night. If possible, he also wanted to study the so-called "Dark Magic" and see how it fundamentally differed from other types of magic.

Time always passed unnoticed, and you only realized the many changes that had taken place around you when you looked back.

On the eve of Halloween, when Maca encountered the mysterious Slytherin girl again in the library, he realized it. Without realizing it, he had already spent almost two months at Hogwarts.

"Excuse me, do you know where the books about 'How to Brew Shrinking Solution' are located?"

It was the same flat tone, the same question as last time, and she was standing behind Maca again. He stared at the girl in silence for a moment before he pulled out a book from the pile in front of him and placed it on the seat nearby.

"I happen to have it here. You can sit down and read." Maca suggested softly.

To Maca's surprise, the girl obediently pulled out the chair's backrest and put down her notebook, sitting quietly next to Maca. He thought she never listened to anyone!

After a while, Maca watched as the girl flipped through the thick book, holding a pale green quill in her right hand, but she hadn't written a single word in her notebook.

"Do you have any difficulties?" Maca couldn't help but ask.

"There are too many steps and too many words. I don't know where to start taking notes," the girl raised her head and said earnestly.

Maca finally got a clear look at the appearance of this mysterious girl for the first time and every detail proclaimed her as a remarkably lovely girl.

Oh, and a few strands of hair faintly peeking out from under the brim of her hat. Her hair seemed to be white, an unhealthy-looking white.

She probably didn't like others seeing her hair, so she tucked it all inside her pointed hat.

"...Take notes: Shrinking Solution, deciduous plant, strong root system, can survive in winter. Requires little water, water every 1-2 weeks; moderate fertilizer needs, fertilize every 3-5 weeks, dragon manure is best..."

Maca glanced at the book and recalled its contents before gradually reciting them while organizing them. The girl seemed unworried that Maca would make a mistake and diligently recorded everything with her quill, without missing a single word.

As Maca watched the girl write down the last letter, he was about to say something when she suddenly closed her notebook, placed the book back on the pile in front of Maca, and silently got up, leaving the library.

"―She's here again?" Maca touched his nose and muttered to himself in a low voice amidst the crowded corridor, "Did I do something to annoy her? Or maybe she doesn't like being helped? Or is she just extremely introverted?"

The next morning, as soon as Maca woke up, he smelled the sweet and cloying scent of roasted pumpkin in the hallway. Honestly, Maca didn't like pumpkins. He didn't like any food made from pumpkins—the slippery texture of the pulp made him feel greasy all over.

After the first class in the morning, Maca walked with everyone through the crowded corridor. The next class was Professor Flitwick's Charms class, so they had to go upstairs.

"...No wonder everyone can't stand her," Maca suddenly heard Ron's voice in the bustling crowd, "Honestly, she's like a nightmare."

Then, he noticed a girl bumping into him and falling into his arms.

"Oh, Merlin! I think this is a bit too sudden. I haven't prepa... Hermione?" Maca took a closer look, and who else could it be with that messy, long hair but Miss Granger?

"I think she heard your words," Maca heard Harry's voice again but couldn't see where they were.

"Oh, sorry," Hermione seemed unaware of whom she had bumped into.

"Uh, it's fine. I mean, what happened, Hermione?" Maca lowered his head and looked at her, noticing her reddened eyes. "Who hurt you?"

"Ah! Maca, it's... it's nothing..."

Hermione glanced at him and then quickly ran off. Maca watched as Hermione disappeared into the crowd, feeling a bit puzzled—what had happened?

As they say, "Those who are involved can't see clearly." When you are immersed in an environment, you often overlook something due to the richness and diversity of things around you. It wasn't until dinnertime when Maca arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall that he unintentionally overheard a conversation between two Gryffindor girls.

"...Have you seen Hermione today?"

"I just found Hermione. She was crying in the girls' lavatory and wouldn't let anyone comfort her."

Maca suddenly snapped back to reality and looked at the vibrant Halloween decorations in the Great Hall before he realized—it should be around this time that Quirrell would be letting in the troll!

"The third floor? Is it the one with the bathroom that has a troll like Moaning Myrtle?"

Maca pondered while running back until he reached the second floor, realizing something was amiss.

"What was Quirrell's goal... Oh! The Philosopher's Stone!"

For the past two months, Maca had immersed himself wholeheartedly in the ocean of magical knowledge, almost completely forgetting about the Philosopher's Stone.

"So, where would be a convenient place to introduce a troll and allow him to escape the crowd?" Maca calmed down and quickly deduced a conclusion—Hermione is in the basement!