Maca couldn't have imagined that a casual remark of his could alter the course of history, a turn of events he should have considered, yet couldn't predict.
Neville remained unharmed due to him; Malfoy didn't pick up that memory ball as a result; and Harry, having not contended with Malfoy for it on his broom, was spotted by Professor McGonagall, revealing his innate talent as a Seeker.
To others, everything seemed ordinary, and even Harry, the one involved, didn't feel any discordance.
But Maca felt differently. He couldn't determine if this was a boon or bane. He understood that the world he inhabited was tangible and real, a truth he grasped during his time in Plymouth. Yet, it was only now that he truly comprehended its implications!
Should he maintain the world in his memory, or should he discard the past and experience it firsthand with his own senses?
Contemplating this, Maca shook his head involuntarily.
Perhaps, from the moment he found himself here, he shouldn't have dwelled on these vexing matters. The wings of a butterfly instinctively flap in ways beyond control, never foreseeing the consequences of these minute changes in the air. Rather than fret about the uncontrollable, it was better to face the unknown future calmly.
Maca never believed he was exceptional; he might have achieved a few minor things, but that was about it.
"Embracing life is the true path," Maca sighed.
"That sounds like an old man's wisdom," Hagrid chimed in, walking over – he was also watching the match from the Gryffindor side.
"Yes! Maca always speaks like those old blokes," Ron added with a laugh.
"That's wisdom! You wouldn't understand!" Hermione exclaimed, praising Maca highly after he rescued her from the troll's club.
"That's wisdom! You wouldn't understand!" Ron imitated Hermione's tone and turned to Harry, causing Harry to burst into laughter.
"Hmph!"
Blushing and slightly embarrassed, Hermione turned her head away from Ron. Maca was walking alongside her, and as Hermione turned, her gaze met Maca's.
"...," Hermione hesitated for a moment, then blushed even more and turned her head elsewhere.
After the troll incident, Hermione's relationship with the trio had become less strained. Perhaps this was because Harry and Ron were the first to arrive at the bathroom. Maca wasn't entirely sure of the specifics, but the fact that the trio of Gryffindors could continue to be friends was a positive outcome.
In a short while, they, along with Hagrid, returned to the hunting cabin on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The owner was preparing a strong tea for them. Maca had joined this time, seemingly wanting to continue practicing potion-making with Hagrid – he had visited Hagrid several times before.
"It's Snape," Ron explained to everyone, "Harry bumped into Snape at the Felch's place. Snape's leg was badly injured."
"Snape's hurt?" Hagrid asked curiously, "What did he do?"
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Maca exchanged glances, unsure of how to explain it to Hagrid. Eventually, Harry decided to tell the truth.
"I found out some things about him," he told Hagrid, "On the eve of Halloween, he tried to get past that three-headed dog. It bit him! We think he was trying to steal whatever the dog was guarding."
Hagrid put down the tea pot with a thud.
"How do you know about Fluffy?" he asked sternly.
"Fluffy?" Harry said.
"The three-headed dog we saw."
"Yeah, it's mine. I bought it from a Greek bloke I met at a pub last year. I lent it to Dumbledore to guard—"
"What?" Harry asked urgently.
"Alright, that's enough, don't ask any more," Hagrid said gruffly, "That's classified, got it?"
"But Snape wanted to steal it!"
"Nonsense," Hagrid continued, "Snape is a teacher at Hogwarts; he'd never do something like that."
"But why would he... yes, Fluffy—why would he get bitten by it?" Harry spoke loudly, "I heard him say it himself!"
"I'm telling you, you're wrong!" Hagrid snapped, "Listen to me, all three of you! Interfering in things that don't concern you is dangerous. Forget about that big dog, forget about what it's guarding. This is between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas—"
"Ah ha!" Harry exclaimed, "So this involves a person named Nicolas Flamel, right?"
Maca looked helplessly at Hagrid. He had only been involved in one aspect of this, but he had a general understanding of the situation.
Meanwhile, Hagrid stood there fuming, his anger palpable.
It might be best to shelve the original plan for now. With Hagrid's current mood, Maca didn't think staying to brew potions was a good choice.
...
Time passed, years turned, and though Hogwarts had not yet seen snow, the weather had grown bitterly cold.
There's one thing that cannot be overlooked. Thanks to Maca's unwavering efforts, he had successfully developed a new form of invisibility potion. Not to mention the long hours of practical exercises, the potion's formula underwent numerous revisions, the details of which were too intricate to divulge.
Fortunately, despite the challenges, it was finally completed.
On that evening, Maca drank the potion and delved into the restricted section of the library. He was eager to explore those dangerous and mysterious dark magic books!
Previously, he had gained insights into dark magic and even learned a few incantations from magical books he had ordered at Flourish and Blotts. However, those had all been carefully screened by the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts professors. To truly understand the fundamental difference between dark and light magic, he needed to dive into the restricted section.
"Ugh..."
The first book Maca opened exhibited distinct characteristics of dark magic. As the reader turned its pages, a terrifying face would protrude from the pages, emitting a spine-chilling, soul-shattering scream.
He quickly tapped his wand to calm the magical turbulence on the pages, and the terrifying face reverted to the book's original appearance.
"The scream seems to be a soul's cry, not actual sound waves," Maca frowned as he recalled, then turned to the first page of the book.
"The Weight of the Soul, Light as the Inadmissible Guilt – Ragnar Bastos."
Under the word "Weight," someone had added a few small numbers and letters – "0.675oc m."
"Is that ounces?" Maca guessed, "Is this the weight of a soul? How was this measured?"
He skimmed through the table of contents, realizing it was a book that delved deep into the magic of the soul. Although it was purely theoretical and contained no practical applications, it was undeniably a quintessential dark magic book.
After a while, Maca felt something amiss – the book still emitted an obscure magical aura, making him uncomfortable. The discomfort only vanished when he closed the book.
Subsequently, he perused several other books, all of which explored dangerous and mysterious magical knowledge. Some of these books even resisted being opened, struggling to close themselves again.
"The more one tries to delve into the essence of magic, the more it becomes intertwined with one's personality and character. What does this actually mean?" Maca left the restricted section and sat by the library window, easing the tension that had built due to the dangerous dark magic.
Felch seemed to have come over to inspect due to the commotion earlier, but Maca didn't even spare him a glance. He simply stepped aside as Felch passed, avoiding a direct collision.
Madam Pince, on the other hand, looked puzzled as she gazed in the direction of Maca, who was under his invisibility cloak, but she didn't notice anything.
To Maca, the contents of those forbidden books interrogated the reader's character and true self. Some of the books even had enchantments that directly probed the reader's soul, generating constant introspection.
"No, a few of those books are currently off-limits for me to casually read." Maca wiped the fine beads of sweat off his forehead and headed back to the dormitory to rest. He needed to clear his mind and get a good night's sleep.
A few days later, Maca, having prepared half a dozen vials of the new invisibility potion, affixed small waterproof labels to the bottles. The labels clearly displayed the new names he had given them – "Fey Invisibility Elixir."
It looked quite impressive, but in reality, he had just rearranged the words "fey" and "invisibility." His lazy nature was evident.
Then, he secretly made his way to the territory of the Whomping Willow beyond the Forbidden Forest.
Since a while back, at Maca's request, Professor Sprout from Herbology class often brought him along to care for this unique plant that enjoyed swatting people.
Professor Sprout was the Head of Hufflepuff House. She was a rather kind and optimistic person who openly favored her house's students.
Maca, with his outstanding grades, had undoubtedly become her most favored student. Professor Sprout hadn't turned down any of Maca's requests for help so far!
This even included granting him permission for the "Second Greenhouse Restricted Area" and assisting in caring for this Whomping Willow, which was forbidden for other students to approach.
Of course, while a part of his interest was piqued by this plant's uniqueness, what Maca mainly valued was the hidden passage beneath its roots that led to Hogsmeade.
At this moment, standing just out of the Whomping Willow's reach, Maca didn't attempt to rush in and search for the so-called "scar" that could calm the tree. There were so many scars on its trunk; he had no idea which one it was, and he wasn't interested in trying them all out.
Instead, he pulled out a small metal whistle, placed it to his lips, and blew gently. Though silent, the sound waves shot straight towards the Whomping Willow, causing it to tremble and go still.
"Looks rather beautiful, all green and lush," Maca remarked, observing the tree. "As long as it doesn't move haphazardly."