Chapter 66: Chapter 66: St Catchpole Night

The fat chickens pecking in the yard had already returned to their coop, and the night at the Burrow was peaceful.

In the dead of night, the only people not sleeping soundly and instead taking a walk were Eda and the twins.

The night sky was filled with stars, and as the three of them strolled through the garden, it felt like it had been ages since they had last gathered together, even though it had only been a little over a week.

The Weasley brothers walked lazily ahead, with Eda following behind them. The garden was large and overgrown with weeds, long overdue for trimming. Though it appeared somewhat chaotic, it didn't give off an unpleasant vibe.

The garden's walls were lined with twisted, gnarled trees, and there was a large green pond where frogs croaked loudly—a quintessential summer night scene.

"We're very angry!" Fred said, puffing up with indignation.

"Extremely angry!" George added, his temper flaring at the mention of the topic.

Initially, Eda had considered writing a letter to the twins to inform them of her situation at the time. However, knowing the Weasleys were a large family, Eda didn't want to burden Mrs. Weasley. After much hesitation, she ultimately abandoned the idea.

There was another option—Eda could have written directly to Professor McGonagall. If McGonagall received her letter, she might have taken Eda into her home immediately.

The pros and cons of this method were obvious. Staying with Professor McGonagall would mean one-on-one tutoring, with little cat lessons resuming once more. But given McGonagall's strict nature, Eda's summer vacation would likely become much less enjoyable, and her plans for working to earn some money would be out of the question.

This is why Eda decided to bite the bullet and move into the Leaky Cauldron without telling anyone. If it hadn't been for old Tom meddling, Eda figured she probably wouldn't have been discovered until right before the start of term.

Eda had thought carefully about what Ollivander had said in his wand shop. She was also afraid that she might lose herself to the temptation of power. Having the twins' company and the Weasley couple's attentive care made Eda's journey in pursuit of power feel less lonely.

With a smile on her face, Eda walked through the garden, her best friends ahead of her, and the Burrow just behind. Not even the sweetest butterbeer could give her this feeling.

This was truly wonderful, all thanks to Tom. It was because of him that she could walk peacefully on a summer night in Ottery St. Catchpole.

"We wish we could live out there too," the twins said longingly.

"Out there must be full of the air of freedom," they added, faces full of yearning. The outside world seemed exciting and attractive to them, and the hardships of that world didn't even cross their minds.

"HeheI even secretly drank sherry and Firewhisky," Eda said mischievously, not willing to let the twins indulge in their fantasies too comfortably.

"We should tell Mrs. Weasley about this…" Fred said.

"Exactly, let her know about the fine deeds Miss Twist has done," George echoed.

"She doesn't even let us drink butterbeer!" the twins exclaimed together. "She thinks if we drink too much, we'll cause trouble!"

The twins were filled with resentment, and if it didn't snow soon, they'd consider it an insult from Merlin himself, rigging things against them.

"I think Mrs. Weasley is right," Eda said. "You two cause trouble even without alcohol. If you drank too much, I can't even imagine the chaos. If Dumbledore were in front of you, you'd probably pull out his beard completely!"

To be honest, Eda was quite curious about what Dumbledore would look like without a beard. Maybe they should try it one day?

"You just don't understand us well enough," Fred said, patting Eda on the shoulder.

"If you did understand us, you'd know that we'd leave not a single hair on his head either. Anything less would be a failure," George said proudly.

Just imagine Dumbledore showing up at the start-of-term feast looking like a bald egg—it would cement his reputation as a mad old man among the new students.

Hmm, it was kind of thrilling to think about...

"So, what do those drinks taste like?" Fred asked eagerly. Being able to drink alcohol was one of the marks of growing up, after all.

"They're just so-so. Nothing special. I still prefer chilled pear juice."

"Juice can't compare to whisky!" George said indignantly. "Real men drink whisky!"

"Have you ever heard of vodka?" Eda asked nonchalantly. "Real men in those masculine stories love that stuff, and they drink it straight, without mixing it with anything!"

"Maybe we'll pass on that. Butterbeer is just fine," Fred responded quickly.

"Are we the only ones living around here?" Eda asked. The Burrow was protected by magic, so even though it looked strange, no Muggles could see it—not even the postman could find the place.

"Of course not, there are Muggles. They live in the village," Fred answered cheekily, fully aware that Eda was asking about other wizards living nearby, but choosing to give this answer anyway.

"A few miles away, there's a wizarding family. Their son is in our year—Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff," George said, pointing in a direction.

"Hmm.. oh! Isn't he the handsome boy from Hufflepuff?" Eda vaguely remembered him, a good-looking, sunny boy.

"Handsome? What are you talking about?" Fred asked incredulously. "He's just a pretty boy! Only brainless girls like you would think that."

"Hey!"

Fred easily blocked Eda's playful punch. As they grew, Eda was finding it harder to keep up with the twins in terms of physical strength.

"The Fawcett family also lives nearby," Fred continued.

"The Lovegoods live on a hill. Their house is really odd, and so are they," George said, pointing to a mountain in another direction.

Eda didn't recognize either of these families and had never even heard of them. She said, "Should we find some time to visit the Diggorys? After all, we're classmates."

"No way. We're not interested in model students like Cedric, humph!" the twins said, crossing their arms as they walked ahead, ignoring Eda trailing behind.

"Fine, forget it. I wasn't that keen anyway. Working is exhausting," Eda said, quickening her pace to barely keep up with the twins.

George stopped and asked, "You're still going to work? Just stay here with us. We can play during the day; why bother with a job?"

"To support myself, of course. Why else?" Eda replied.

Fred added, "Don't you get some financial aid? That should be enough to buy your school supplies."

"I still need to buy other things. Hogwarts requires boarding, so I can't work during the school year. If I don't earn some money during the holidays, what will I do after graduation?" Eda explained.

"You're always thinking so far ahead. Doesn't that tire you out?"

"Thinking that much will make you sick."

Since the twins had stopped, Eda ended up walking in front of them.

She turned back and said, "I just want to live a bit better, and both Flourish and Blotts and the Leaky Cauldron are pretty interesting places."

"Ok! Let's go back," George said as he led the way toward the house. "You should get some sleep early so you'll have energy for tomorrow."

"I was thinking of taking you to catch gnomes tomorrow, but we can do that some other time. Let's go!" Fred added as he turned back.

Eda followed them, saying, "I'll buy you guys a gift when I get paid!"

"A broomstick?" George asked.

"Not a Nimbus, but maybe a Cleansweep or a Comet would do," Fred replied, as if he was considering Eda's situation.

"Do I look like I can afford a broomstick? Cleansweep, Comet... All you'll get is butterbeer, take it or leave it!"

"We'll take it! Why not? And we'll drink until we get our fill." they said in unison.

When Eda returned to Ginny's room, Ginny was already asleep, with the pink rose lying next to her pillow. Whatever the young girl was dreaming about, it brought a sweet smile to her face.

The moonlight poured gently into the room as Eda lay comfortably in bed. She didn't tuck her wand under her pillow this time but tossed it onto the table instead. The Burrow gave her a strong sense of security, allowing her to sleep soundly.

"Goodnight, Ginny. Goodnight, Weasleys. Goodnight, Burrow," Eda murmured as she lay on her back. "And... goodnight, Esmeralda..."