Kapitel 47: Chapter 47: Prophecy Makes People Confused
Eda and the twins didn't stay at Hagrid's hut for long; they left after about an hour. Even while chatting with the three of them, Hagrid's hands remained busy, so Eda and the twins didn't want to intrude too much.
As Hogwarts' gamekeeper, Hagrid was responsible not only for managing keys but also for overseeing and handling matters in the Forbidden Forest. Recently, some animals in the Forbidden Forest had been injured, and Hagrid had been busy tending to their wounds.
From Hagrid's words, the three could sense his anger towards the intruders who harmed those "adorable" creatures. He thought it was utterly heinous for anyone to hurt them.
After leaving Hagrid's hut, Eda and the twins went to the Black Lake.
They wandered aimlessly along the shore, appreciating the unique beauty of the landscape, even though the lake's color wasn't exactly like the sky.
A giant squid surfaced, its tentacles slapping the water and creating waves. As Eda watched, she couldn't help but wonder how big a griddle would be needed to cook such a massive squid.
Perhaps because of the release of stress, Eda was particularly lively today.
She and the twins even had a competition to see who could skip stones the farthest and the most. She cheered when she made a good throw and pouted when she didn't do well. Such a childish side of her rarely showed.
They played by the Black Lake for a long time, only returning to the castle when it started getting dark.
The three walked back, laughing and chatting all the way.
The twins seemed to have an endless supply of jokes and funny stories, making it impossible not to feel happy around them, as if enchanted by a happiness spell.
With the threat from Fawley soon to be gone, all Eda had to do was wait and prepare for the final exams in a little over a month. She felt confident about securing first place.
Although Fawley's resignation had been accepted, he didn't leave immediately. Dumbledore wasn't heartless enough to kick out a former professor who was still injured.
For the following week, Fawley stayed in the hospital wing, resting. No longer burdened with the role of a professor, his luck seemed to have improved, and his health began to recover.
The girls from his fan club continued to visit the hospital wing frequently to check on him. Madam Pomfrey didn't stop them this time, but she did limit the visiting hours to prevent Fawley from being overwhelmed and worsening his condition.
A few days later, Fawley, now healthier, was discharged. He looked much better than before, more energetic and spirited. After returning to his office and quickly packing up his belongings, he left Hogwarts that very night.
It seemed he couldn't wait to leave the school, departing faster than the best broomstick on the market. As a result, the girls who wanted to see him off didn't even get a chance to say goodbye, merely watching his back disappear into the distance and silently wishing him well.
Eda was also among the crowd seeing him off. Being short and deliberately keeping a low profile, she wasn't noticeable among the group. However, she wasn't there to bid farewell to Fawley; she wanted to confirm with her own eyes that he was truly leaving and that she was safe again.
Even though Fawley had been hospitalized during this time, Eda couldn't relax until he was gone. There was always the fear that he might pull a last-minute "rise from the sickbed" act.
Now that Fawley was no longer a professor and had completely left Hogwarts, Eda could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
What exactly was hidden within Hogwarts?
Who attacked Daniel?
What was the unremarkable thief searching for when they entered the common rooms of the four houses?
And who sneaked into the Forbidden Forest?
With Fawley's departure, these matters suddenly had nothing to do with Eda, and she no longer had to worry about such troublesome issues.
After Fawley left, the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor became vacant. During this time, all students of every year were essentially on self-study during this class. In reality, everyone was already accustomed to this, as Fawley had often just read from the textbook in his later days without much difference from self-study.
Snape had personally hoped to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but not only did he fail to get the position, he didn't even manage to serve as a substitute teacher. His frustration from this failed transfer manifested in Potions class, where his words became more biting, and his caustic remarks more damaging.
The primary victims, of course, were the Gryffindors, with Eda bearing the brunt of it, maintaining her place as the primary target of his ire.
Snape continued to "speak harshly" to Eda, seizing any opportunity to deduct points from Gryffindor, though the irrational level of unfairness he once displayed had not reemerged.
Eda hadn't been kept after class for a long time, even though she and the twins had once again secretly ventured into the Forbidden Forest during this period, yet there was no "post-class invitation" from Snape.
The relationship between the two, which had previously seemed to improve, returned to its original state: mutually disliking each other, yet strangely coexisting peacefully.
This time, Eda and the twins were fortunate; they didn't encounter any large creatures that wanted to make them a midnight snack or any other bizarre dangerous creatures during their trip to the Forbidden Forest.
In the Forbidden Forest, they encountered a centaur. Although most centaurs were not very friendly toward wizards, they were fortunate to experience a rare exception.
Firenze, a centaur with a cream-colored lower body, was one of the few centaurs who did not reject wizards. He had a gentle demeanor and politely persuaded the three adventurers to leave the Forbidden Forest.
The friendly Firenze even escorted Eda and the twins to the edge of the forest, where it was safe before departing. Along the way, Firenze spoke many strange things. He would often look up at the stars in the night sky and say things that seemed convoluted and difficult to understand.
The twins were thoroughly confused by him; Firenze's obscure remarks made them question their understanding, as if they were speaking entirely different languages from the centaur.
Eda also couldn't grasp the meaning behind Firenze's words; she couldn't extract any useful information from what he said. Firenze, always unwilling to speak plainly, chose to communicate in a manner similar to riddles, attempting to convey something to them.
Unfortunately, Eda and the twins couldn't comprehend what he was trying to say. They didn't understand the constellations and other things Firenze mentioned, as they hadn't yet taken Divination classes, only Astronomy.
Eda had always found the thinking of seers difficult to grasp. Why couldn't they be straightforward? All the information seemed hidden, making it hard for people to understand. It seemed that everyone skilled in or making a living from divination spoke in a mysterious way, as if they were exchanging secret codes, as if that was the only way to prove they could see further than others.
Having arrived in a magical world in an incredible way, Eda naturally believed in divination. After all, if magic existed, why couldn't divination? However, these diviners, who enjoyed speaking in enigmatic terms, made it difficult for Eda to trust them. The way they foretold the future felt all too familiar to her. Firenze wasn't exactly a street fortune-teller, and Eda wasn't paying for a consultation, so why did he have to be so cryptic?
Hogwarts' Divination classes started in the third year, and according to upperclassmen, the course was taught by a somewhat eccentric witch named Sybill Trelawney. This seemingly odd, slightly crazy professor was said to be the great-great-granddaughter of the seer Cassandra Trelawney. However, most people agreed that she hadn't inherited her ancestor's gift.
Eda wasn't surprised to hear that the Divination professor was a quirky, alcohol-loving person.
Considering the other professors at the school, it made sense: the stern, older woman with a penchant for cats was the Transfiguration teacher, the greasy, sharp-tongued old bat was the Potions master, the ghostly, sleep-inducing presence was the History of Magic professor... the list went on.
The relatively normal Defense Against the Dark Arts professor turned out to be an ambitious but unlucky man who left Hogwarts before the end of the school year.
It seemed that being a normal person at Hogwarts meant you were out of place among the faculty.
Thus, Eda was no longer surprised by such things and didn't care what Trelawney was like.
Meanwhile, in her quarters, Sybill Trelawney, sipping on her drink, had no idea that a student, who had yet to attend a single Divination class, already had such a poor impression of her.
Eda and the twins left the Forbidden Forest feeling bewildered. They returned to the castle, confused, not even noticing the anomaly on the Marauder's Map—a person who had already left the school had come back!!
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