Watching Aglaia disappear on the other side, Hoffa leaned against the tree trunk, looked up at the sky, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clenching his slightly trembling hands.

The secretion of adrenaline put his brain in a state of extreme excitement and tension.

And the fear of facing death alone made him tremble uncontrollably.

Will she come back?

Still won't come back.

Hoffa didn't know.

If possible, he didn't want to put his life in Aglaia's hands. He didn't want to trust this person who had always been against him.

Even if she left him and ran away, Hoffa wouldn't be surprised. He could never guess what she would do.

All she did was hope that she would be fired.

Although he doesn't want to admit it, he and Aglaia are the same person, the same self-centered Ravenclaw. It's just that Aglaia is openly self-conscious, while Hoffa is secretly self-conscious.

Maybe that's why they hate each other so much.

Hoffa didn't know what Aglaia would choose.

But he didn't have a choice.

He has no other choice but to cooperate.

.......

At this moment, countless inexplicable and chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind. It seemed like hundreds of people were whispering to him.

"I am a poor Taoist but I am not a Taoist friend"

"Holy bitch"

"childish"

"brainless"

"I misjudged you"

“Really disgusting”

"There will be ghosts if she comes back."

...

He opened his eyes and sighed, the hot air in his lungs condensing into patches of mist in the late autumn and early winter air.

The numb fingers slowly regained consciousness.

The stars above are dazzling.

Those whispers gradually faded into nothingness.

That was the shadow in his heart. The strange thing was that after he made the decision, the shadow seemed to be gradually dispelled.

Some kind of strange power supported him, allowing him to face his inner fears and his own nature.

Is it love?

Is it hope?

yes.

It seems like neither.

He was simply freed from a life of insensitivity.

Try to understand yourself.

...

Behind him, the voice of that damn phantom monkey began to sound again. It jumped left and right on the tree canopy. Every time it jumped, it would get closer to where Hoffa was hiding.

Hoffa stood motionless, quietly running the meditation method. It was a little magic power that could restore a little bit of magic power.

Finally, the phantom monkey found Hoffa's position. It jumped onto the tree in front of Hoffa and tilted its head to look at him excitedly.

Hoffa only glanced at it coldly and used the meditation method with all his strength.

A few seconds later, footsteps came from behind.

Even though the phantom monkey pointed them in the direction, the two dark wizards were still very cautious.

"What else can you do besides hide? Face me."

Schmidt's soft but cold voice was unusually clear in the Forbidden Forest.

Hoffa didn't move, he was still recovering his magic power.

Schmidt walked slowly: "How come there are weak students like you in Hogwarts? Did Dippet create a new academy for cowards?"

Hoffa didn't take his insult seriously, but his voice was only ten meters away from him, and his opponent might attack at any time, so he could no longer hide.

Hoffa stopped his meditation and stepped out from behind the tree.

Schmidt immediately raised his palm and stopped the subordinate next to him.

The two stood face to face in the middle of the forest.

The night was extremely dark, and strange roars and bird calls could be faintly heard from the surrounding woods. At the foot of the trees on the ground were clusters of white fluorescent mushrooms. These luminous mushrooms were the only source of light in the Forbidden Forest at night.

Schmidt was standing in the woods ten meters away, while Hoffa was leaning against a fir tree.

The branches of this fir tree have been gradually covered with countless curled-winged demons. They look at Hoffa hungrily. As long as Schmidt gives an order, they will instantly tear Hoffa into pieces.

But Hoffa believes that the other party will not do this for the time being, at least he will let himself live for a few more minutes before he gets what he wants.

"The feeling of overdrafting magic power is unpleasant, little boy."

Schmidt asked softly.

"Run again and you might become an idiot."

Schmidt spoke softly but without emotion.

In fact, from the first time Hoffa saw this guy, he has maintained a state of facial paralysis, as if someone had cut off the emotion-sensing nerves in his brain, turning his face into a mask.

"You can try."

Hoffa held the wand in his hand and grinned.

Fighting was not an option, so he could only delay time by talking.

Schmidt: "I have killed many wizards, but I have to say that you are the second most difficult one I have ever seen. What magic secret do you have that allows you to escape the harm of the spell again and again?"

"Ashamed, ashamed, I'm not the first."

Hoffa said slowly, glancing into the depths of the Forbidden Forest from the corner of his eye.

(Two minutes passed, and he still didn’t know if Aglaia would come back.)

"May I have your name."

Schmidt came closer.

"Tom Riddle." Hoffa said honestly.

"Tom, I admire your talent and ability very much. Come with me, this place is not suitable for you and your development."

Following Schmidt's voice, Hoffa's mind swayed inexplicably, as if his language contained some strange power, making people unconsciously want to relax and get close...

Hoffa bit the tip of his tongue, and the smell of blood in his mouth made his eyes clear.

The meditation method he practiced for more than half a year worked here. His spirit was extremely high, and the bewitching spell had no effect on him.

Hoffa looked coldly at the gray eyes on the opponent's poker face.

"What's the benefit? What's the benefit?"

He won't agree, but he wants to delay.

Four minutes passed, and there was still no sign of Aglaia coming back.

"Benefits?" Schmidt tilted his head.

"I don't think you are a descendant of a pure-blood family. What do you think Hogwarts will teach you? They will only train you to be a soldier, and then send you to the battlefield to serve the Ministry of Magic and the British top brass.

"

Schmidt took another step forward.

"You will become a pawn of some ancient pure-blood family and a puppet controlled by Dippet. Is this kind of life what you want?"

He took another step forward, and the distance between the two shortened to five meters. Hoffa's heart was high, his instep was arched, and his fingers were tightly grasping the bark of the tree.

On the tree crown, the curled-winged demon's saliva fell drop by drop on Hoffa's shoulders and hair.

"A capable person will never succumb to others. Those high-ranking pure-blood families will inevitably disappear over time. This is a historical necessity."

Schmidt tilted his head and spoke calmly.

"The world of wizarding families will eventually be broken up and become the world of individuals, and the same is true for Hogwarts."
To be continued...