Hogwarts Emerald

Since the new term started, Benedict Fawley had been going out every night, searching for something he had yet to find. As Snape had said, he was like a headless chicken, aimlessly wandering. Fawley had no choice; if he could avoid it, he wouldn't be doing this.

Everyone in the magical world knew that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was cursed. No one could teach there for a full year, and all the previous professors had met with various mishaps, with several losing their lives.

Fawley took the job out of necessity, hoping to stay at Hogwarts just long enough to find what he was looking for. He believed it wouldn't take him a year.

But fate often has a way of mocking humans. Fawley had wasted a lot of time and still had no progress in his search. Becoming increasingly desperate, he resorted to nightly excursions, turning Hogwarts upside down in his quest.

Lack of rest and mounting anxiety affected his teaching. Since January, he had been making frequent, elementary mistakes in his classes, which never happened in the first semester.

His continuous poor performance greatly disappointed his admirers, who began to abandon him, and their opinions of him plummeted.

In his frantic state, Fawley didn't realize that someone had been monitoring him through the Marauder's Map.

Eda, like a bully, "occupied" the Marauder's Map hardly giving it to the Twins, noting down all the places Fawley had been and the routes he had taken.

To facilitate her surveillance, she even adjusted her rest schedule. Every night, after Angelina and Alicia fell asleep, she would sneak out of bed to watch the Marauder's Map. During the day, she would secretly check out those places.

Of course, Eda didn't follow Fawley's route exactly. She mixed everything up, reorganizing and planning her own route. Places Fawley visited the night before might not be checked by Eda until three or four days later.

Fawley hadn't found anything after searching for so long, so Eda knew she wouldn't find anything within a few days either.

Thus, the two people of different identities and purposes began their late-night "immortal cultivation" journey. One searched by night, the other by day, both conducting a thorough search of the castle.

This routine continued until mid-February. The seemingly mad search by Fawley finally ceased. Perhaps he realized how pointless his aimless searching had been.

Eda, having lost her target, no longer had to stay up all night. Although she wasn't sure what Fawley was planning next, at least she could finally get some proper sleep.

February at Hogwarts remained cold, but with Valentine's Day approaching, the students' enthusiasm melted away the damp chill of the school.

Full of youthful energy, students began exchanging tokens of affection, and the Great Hall once again became a bombing zone for owls.

February 14, 1990, Wednesday, Valentine's Day.

In the morning, Eda woke up to see Angelina holding a letter. Yawning, Eda said, "Looks like you got a confession, Angelina."

"You mean this?" Angelina waved the letter in her hand. "I guess you could say that..."

"Who wrote it? Is he handsome?" Aaliyah asked, curious.

Angelina tossed the letter to Aaliyah, who caught it and quickly scanned through it. She exclaimed, "Lee Jordan moves fast, doesn't he?"

"What are you going to reply?" Eda asked. The six of them had always gotten along well, and she hadn't expected Lee Jordan to make a move on Angelina in their first year.

"I don't know," Angelina shook her head, unsure how to face Lee Jordan now. "What do you guys think? Give me some advice..."

Aaliyah said, "If you don't know what to do, how are we supposed to know?"

Angelina put the letter away, deciding to carefully think about how to handle her relationship with Lee Jordan. She didn't want things to become awkward.

"By the way, Eda, someone also wanted to write you a love letter," Aaliyah said.

"Yeah, a few people asked me about what you like," Angelina remembered some details.

While putting on her clothes, Eda replied, "Have I been too kind to people?"

Is my wand too heavy to lift?

Or have they grown too bold?

Eda thought to herself. She truly didn't know that someone had the guts to make a move on her.

"Did I hear that right? Being kind to people? You?" Angelina asked, puzzled.

Aaliyah, who had recently learned the art of sarcasm, chimed in, "That statement shocked me for a whole year!"

"If you smiled more often and were a bit gentler, your bed would be overflowing with love letters instead of having none at all," Angelina said.

"Looks like they didn't muster up the courage today!" Aaliyah remarked, looking at Eda's empty bedside.

Eda glared at the two with a "murderous" look, but Angelina and Aaliyah ignored her, not taking it seriously at all.

Having lived together for so long, they knew what kind of person Eda was.

Although she had a bit of a temper, she was actually very easy to get along with. Unlike some girls who had all sorts of little schemes, Eda was straightforward.

Of course, you had to be mindful of Eda's boundaries. If you crossed them, she would definitely make sure you found out what the school's hospital bed felt like.

After getting dressed, Eda said, "Should I make them remember their fear of me today?"

"I suggest you do it discreetly. If you're caught, we might lose points again," Aaliyah said.

"Even though we probably won't win the House Cup, we shouldn't come in last, right?" Angelina finished getting dressed as well. "Think about Professor McGonagall."

With the tireless efforts of the twins and Eda, Gryffindor had successfully become "Gryffinless," causing much distress for Professor McGonagall.

Eda, feeling guilty, thought, We can't keep troubling poor Professor McGonagall like this. Forget about intimidating anyone.

Once Aaliyah was also dressed, the three of them left the common room together.

The corridors of the castle were filled with a pinkish atmosphere. While spring hadn't yet arrived at Hogwarts, spring had certainly sprung for the students today. On a day like this, the school was filled with the sweet scent of love, and those who admired each other were joyfully spreading their affection, making those around them feel somewhat envious.

Well...

Where there was joy, there was naturally sorrow.

Many faced rejection on this day or were left anxiously awaiting a response.

While having breakfast in the Great Hall, Fred cheekily approached and asked, "I heard you didn't receive a single love letter? Aren't you a bit disappointed?"

Eda shook her head and said, "Not at all. In fact, I'm quite relieved. Didn't you two also not receive anything? If you want, Angelina, Aaliyah, and I can each write you a letter. I guarantee they'll be eloquent and free of charge."

"Actually, as far as I know, someone did want to write to you, but we stopped them," George said. "So don't be disheartened; you're still quite charming."

"I'm very pleased with your actions," Eda said. "In the future, if similar situations arise, I'll count on you to take care of them."

"Steel-hearted!" Fred commented.

"Unfeeling!" George added, clicking his tongue.

"What crazy idea have you two come up with today?" She looked at the brothers, puzzled by their odd behavior.

"We could actually help you receive the letters and reply to them..." Fred flashed a wicked grin.

George continued, "...ensuring they're eloquent and free of charge!"

The twins had concocted a full-fledged, brilliant plan. They knew that if someone sent Eda a love letter, she would undoubtedly reject it without hesitation. What a waste, they thought.

So, the twins devised a plan to "put waste to good use" and save themselves the trouble of finding new prank targets. But this time, they didn't act immediately; they needed Eda's approval.

"I never expected you two to harbor such 'vicious' thoughts," Eda said, having a fair idea of what the twins intended.

Their plan was to reply to the letter in Eda's tone, making the sender think she had agreed to their proposal. Then, they would arrange for the person to meet at a pre-prepared location where a prank awaited them...

Of course, the twins' design might be more elaborate. Pranking was their natural talent, and there was a vast difference between Eda and them—about a hundred Filches' worth.

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