Anger, frustration, disappointment…
Eda couldn't even tell what she was feeling as she walked out of the headmaster's office, nor did she understand why she was reacting so intensely. All she knew was that a beast now lived inside her—it wanted to roar, to lash out, it even craved bloodshed…
The first time Eda killed a wizard in Little Whinging, she had foreseen that a day like this would come.
Watching an enemy die at her hands, seeing the light of life fade from their eyes, feeling a heart soaked in blood awaken to killing—that was the moment she learned to disregard life.
Perhaps she shouldn't blame it all on that act of killing. The real culprit was herself—she had been living too much of a lie, pretending to be a harmless little white rabbit. Over time, she had almost forgotten who she really was.
All kinds of negative emotions churned inside Eda, turning her thoughts into a complete mess.
That Dumbledore would think of her like that, see her as someone who could be a threat to Harry Potter—today he gave a veiled warning, but what about next time?
If that's how it was, then fine. Let everyone go their separate ways.
From now on, Dumbledore and Harry could walk their sunny road, and Eda would walk her lonely bridge. Neither needed to cross paths again!
If they didn't want to play with her anymore, then why should she keep forcing herself into their company?
Even if Voldemort came back and aimed an Avada Kedavra at her, Eda would fight her own way out through sheer effort. Why should she stay and keep swallowing this humiliation?
"Eda, Hey! Eda, wait for us!"
Fred and George finally caught up after chasing her out of the headmaster's office. She wasn't headed toward the common room—maybe she didn't even know where she was going herself.
Eda heard the twins calling her, but she didn't stop. She kept walking alone, down a path with no clear destination. Fred and George hurried a few steps forward and grabbed her, one on each side, stopping her from going any farther.
"Stop right there! Are you trying to exhaust the two of us so you can hog all the shares of the joke shop?" Fred said. "I'm telling you now, don't even think about it—we're both going to live long, healthy lives!"
Good people die young, while troublemakers live a thousand years—at least, that's what the twins believed. They were certain that mischief-makers like themselves were bound to live for a very long time.
"Alright now, quit sulking. Do you have any idea how ugly you look with that scowl on your face?" George said. "Come on, give us a smile—or better yet, I'll smile for you!"
With that, the twins bared their teeth in wide, exaggerated grins at Eda. The expressions were so hideous they looked worse than crying.
Eda couldn't help but laugh—really, they were just too ugly. Even Gilderoy Lockhart had a better-looking smile than the two of them.
"There, that's better. A smile makes everything better. We'll always stand by your side."
"Don't worry about Dumbledore, or Harry…"
"Shut up!" Eda shouted. She didn't want to hear those two names right now. But almost immediately, she realized she shouldn't have snapped at the twins. Her tone softened, and she said, "Sorry, George. I shouldn't have…"
"If you were really sorry, you wouldn't have gotten my name wrong. I'm Fred."
"Sorry, Fred."
Eda could generally tell Fred and George apart. George had a slightly more prominent nose, while Fred's face was rounder.
In their daily lives, Fred was usually the one who talked more. Typically, he would speak first, and then George would follow up with an explanation.
Between the two, Fred was the leader and the bolder one—because he knew George would always be there to step in and contain the damage. His brother was the calmer, more level-headed one.
Although Fred was technically the older twin, George often came across as more like the elder brother. On top of that, George was better at Quidditch than Fred.
"Just kidding. I'm actually George," George said, playing a little trick. It was a prank the two of them often pulled on Mrs. Weasley.
Just as the twins were comforting Eda, an unwelcome visitor appeared in the corridor—Argus Filch, the school caretaker, came striding toward them with his cat, Mrs. Norris.
Mrs. Norris let out a series of sharp "meow-meow" sounds, and Filch raised the lamp in his hand, casting light on the three of them standing in the corridor.
With a sinister grin, he said, "Ha! Out of bed and wandering the halls in the middle of the night—finally caught the three of you red-handed!"
The twins cursed inwardly in unison. But not because Filch had caught them sneaking around after hours—no, the real trouble was that Eda was in a highly unstable state of mind right now.
For Filch to show up at a time like this was like walking right into a trap. If Eda lost control, they weren't sure they'd be able to stop her.
"Filch, we've already been caught by Professor McGonagall. You're late. If you don't believe us, you can ask her in the morning," George said, stepping forward to shield Eda from Filch. He subtly waved his hand, signaling for Filch to go away quickly.
"I'm the one who caught you! Now come with me to see Professor Dumbledore. He must personally expel you all!" Filch had noticed George's hand gesture, but his mind was entirely occupied with the thrill of catching Eda and the twins. He didn't think of anything else.
Mrs. Norris suddenly arched her back at Filch's feet, her cat-eyes fixed intently on Eda as she stepped forward. She let out a sharp, piercing screech, warning her master.
"Wandering around at night isn't enough to get us expelled. How about I give you a better reason?" Eda said coldly. "What about attacking a staff member?"
Her wand was still tucked in her pocket. She hadn't intended to actually use it—she just didn't want to keep wasting time arguing with Filch and hoped he'd back off.
"Threatening a member of the school staff? That's even worse! Just wait—you're getting expelled for sure!" Filch dismissed her threat entirely, his desire to expel this insolent student only growing stronger.
Fred quickly wrapped his arms around Eda and spun her around, so that their backs were now to George and Filch. He held her tightly and whispered urgently in her ear, "Calm down, calm down—leave it to George. He'll handle it."
George gave Filch a pleading gesture, silently urging him to leave, to stop provoking Eda any further. One more word from Filch, and things would spiral out of control. He'd end up flat on the ground, and Eda would be expelled for sure.
Though the twins disliked Filch, no matter what, they couldn't let Eda get expelled. If she really hurt him, it would be the end of everything.
Knowing Eda, she wasn't the type to break her wand and then thank the school for the lesson. Filch would just be the beginning.
Next in line would be Avery, Toller, Flint, and Quirrell—everyone who had ever crossed her in this school wouldn't stand a chance.
And after that, the twins would either be running off with Eda, or watching her get carted off to Azkaban.
"What are you all still doing here? Didn't I tell you to go back and rest?" Professor McGonagall, unable to stop worrying, had quickly followed after them—only to find the four of them locked in a standoff.
Fred, who was holding Eda back, and George, who had been trying to reason with Filch, both breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her.
Professor McGonagall stepped in front of Eda and the twins and said to Filch, "They've already been punished. Now they can return to their dormitory."
"But, Professor—" Filch began.
"No buts!" McGonagall interrupted sharply. She then turned to the twins and ordered, "Take Eda back."
Fred and George quickly pulled Eda away and left the corridor. Professor McGonagall merely watched the three of them go—she didn't follow to comfort Eda. She felt that, in her position as a professor, any attempt at comfort might have the opposite effect and push Eda further away.
"Professor, just now Twist threatened to attack a staff member! This can't be ignored!" Filch complained incessantly at her side, not noticing the growing impatience on McGonagall's face.
"Did she actually lay a hand on you?"
"Well… no, but…"
"Then what are you, a grown man, still yelling about?!" The Gryffindor Lioness snapped, and with that, she turned and walked away. She was heading off to write a letter to a professional—hoping that Mrs. Weasley might be able to help her come up with a way to comfort Eda.
"..."
Left behind in the corridor, Filch considered whether he should go complain to Dumbledore.
But what he didn't know was that, even if he wanted to find Dumbledore, he wouldn't be able to—because at that very moment, Dumbledore was standing in front of the Mirror of Erised, a place Filch had no access to.
Dumbledore gently stroked the side of the Mirror of Erised and said, "It seems I've made another mistake… one much like the one I made with Tom all those years ago."
His voice was soft, as if speaking to himself—or perhaps to the figure within the mirror.
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