Capítulo 34: Chapter 34: Secret Base
The next morning, Eda resisted the temptation to revisit the secret passage, despite a persistent inner voice urging her to check out the underground room again.
Instead, she chose to go to the library with the older Smith girl who had given her a hat.
This Smith girl planned to work at the Ministry of Magic after graduation, aiming to become a civil servant.
Eda inquired about the job prospects for Hogwarts graduates, and Smith's response painted a bleak picture.
Unemployment had long been a problem for Hogwarts graduates. Compared to Muggles, wizards and witches were vastly outnumbered, and the number of available jobs was limited.
Wizards generally lived longer, resulting in longer careers. Eda hadn't heard of retirement in the wizarding world, so there were few vacant positions each year.
After all, even Professor McGonagall was still working diligently despite her age.
Every year, Hogwarts supplied fresh graduates to the wizarding world, all of whom needed jobs.
However, it was clear that the wizarding world couldn't provide enough positions, leading to a low employment rate among Hogwarts graduates.
Eda thought to herself, "Can Hogwarts really claim to be the best magic school in the world if it can't ensure jobs for its graduates? It's far behind the elite M7/Ivy League schools in that regard."
During lunch in the Great Hall, Eda noticed that Benedict Fawley was present at the teachers' table.
It was clear that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had returned early. Perhaps he had a deep love for his teaching job, or maybe he was back to search for something.
Fawley's presence made Eda's lunch less enjoyable; she always felt that this mysterious professor exuded an aura of danger.
In the afternoon, Eda holed up in her dormitory again, forcing herself to ignore the persistent nagging of her inner voice. She held a book in her hands, but as she read, her attention kept drifting away from the pages, resulting in poor reading efficiency.
By evening, unable to withstand the temptation any longer, Eda decided to revisit the secret passage on the fourth floor.
In the dark underground room, Eda created another "little sun" with her wand. Using its light, she began to search the room thoroughly.
Though she didn't know who had built this secret room, Eda reasoned that there must be a significant purpose behind its creation. If it was merely meant to be a passage to Hogsmeade, there wouldn't have been a need for such an elaborate setup. The resources invested in this room were evidently much greater than those needed for a simple passage.
Believing that the room must hide undiscovered secrets, Eda couldn't calm herself throughout the day. She felt that the room's existence must be justified by something more than just a hidden passageway.
Eda held her torch high and observed the statues in the room. These giant statues stood on the stone floor with both feet, supporting the ceiling with their hands and shoulders.
The overall design of the statues reminded Eda of the mythological figure Atlas, the Titan who was condemned to stand on the earth goddess Gaia and hold up the sky god Uranus. Whether these statues were modeled after Atlas or were merely a coincidence, Eda couldn't say for sure.
Eda examined each statue closely. Although their designs were uniform, their expressions varied greatly, with no two statues sharing the same facial expression.
After circling the room several times, Eda found no additional passages or anything unusual beyond the two original entrances.
"Seems like overthinking isn't always a good thing," Eda muttered. Her voice echoed in the empty room, bouncing back from the walls as if affirming her thoughts.
Maybe this place was just built as a safe house to protect against enemies. I'm overthinking it, Eda thought.
Instead of feeling disappointed, Eda looked more relieved. Since the room held no shocking secrets, she could use it as a secret base. That was its purpose, after all, wasn't it?
The only thing to be cautious of was the falling stones. As for whether the room would collapse, Eda didn't worry about it for now. It had lasted so many years, a few more wouldn't hurt. She just hoped it could hold up a little longer.
In a few years, Eda would graduate. By then, whether the room collapsed or exploded wouldn't concern her at all.
Eda raised her wand, planning to practice her spells here. The room was spacious and very private.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" She first used the Levitation Charm to lift a stone from the floor. Once it reached a certain height, she canceled the spell. Without the magical support, the stone began to fall rapidly.
"Confringo!" She cast the Blasting Curse at the falling stone. The stone fell too quickly, and Eda's spell missed, hitting the wall behind instead.
Eda couldn't yet hit moving targets with 100% accuracy, so she deliberately reduced her magical power, making the spell less potent. The diminished version of the Blasting Curse only left a small crater in the wall without causing any severe damage.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Eda repeated her previous action, making the stone fly up again. This time, as the stone fell, Eda's spell hit the target, causing the stone to explode in mid-air.
There was no expression of joy after her success. Eda's face remained indifferent. To her, she had only accomplished a minor task and felt she hadn't done well enough.
Dumbledore could probably destroy this place with a single spell; Eda knew she was far from that level.
Although she had mastered many spells that could help her in daily life, that was about it.
"A domestic witch," Eda called herself, reflecting on her current abilities. This term applied to many in the magical world; they possessed magic but were essentially "ordinary people."
It's a simple truth: many Hogwarts students pass their wizarding exams, but few become Aurors or renowned wizards. Most lead unremarkable lives.
Being an "ordinary person" who could cast spells was not enough for Eda. Living a second life, she was determined not to be ordinary. Eda wanted to become a great wizard, either revered like Dumbledore or feared by many.
All of this was for the sake of that great goal!
Thus, for the past half-semester, the determined Eda had been engaging in similar practice sessions.
These practices were small steps on her journey to greatness. Her spell accuracy had significantly improved, and she could easily handle younger students. However, against skilled opponents, Eda feared she wouldn't stand much chance of surviving.
Most spells could be blocked or deflected using defensive spells. Excellent wizards could even reflect curses back at the caster, a skill Eda read about in dueling books and deeply admired.
However, for a spell to be blocked, it first had to hit the effective area, much like the strike zone in baseball. If the spell missed widely, the opponent wouldn't even need to block it; they could just stand there and watch you flail.
Then, when you were off guard, they could deliver a decisive blow, knocking you to the ground, leaving you feeling utterly humiliated.
This highlighted the difference in combat experience, a gap that Eda couldn't bridge at her current stage.
After warming up with some slightly larger stones, Eda began targeting smaller ones and increased the distance between herself and the stones.
Under Eda's Blasting Curse, the underground room was filled with more and more rubble; the demolition crew could certainly use her talents. After practicing for a long time, Eda felt tired and decided it was time to head back.
As she walked back, she kicked the rubble around, now appearing more like her usual self.
Returning from the underground room to the castle, Eda realized that curfew had already passed. More than worrying about the employment rate, she felt she probably needed a watch.
The perpetually dark underground room made it easy to lose track of time. If Eda continued to practice there, she might even miss class one day.
Covered by the Disillusionment Charm, Eda walked slowly back to Gryffindor, her wand-waving practice draining much of her energy.
"I wish I knew where the kitchen was!" Eda muttered, clutching her stomach as she quietly made her way back to the common room.
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