Bab 18: Chapter 18: Night Tour
Thus, under Professor McGonagall's careful guidance, Eda made great strides in her Transfiguration skills. With alternating theory and practical lessons, she had progressed beyond turning a matchstick into a needle.
Now, she could even transform a matchstick into an exquisite cup with ease.
Professor McGonagall believed that, in terms of Transfiguration alone, she herself couldn't match Eda's progress at that age.
Over the fifteen days, McGonagall had witnessed Eda's daily improvements, and Eda's talent even made her a bit envious.
However, all good things come to an end.
The half-month of "detention," which was essentially extra tutoring, concluded. McGonagall felt that Eda needed to consolidate what she had learned. Continuing the intensive lessons might become counterproductive, so she had no intention of continuing the sessions.
Eda, on the other hand, was eager for more private lessons. Having a great teacher guide her was invaluable, and she thought about committing a minor infraction to get another half-month of detention with Professor McGonagall.
Unfortunately, this idea was quickly seen through by the astute Professor McGonagall, and the plan was aborted before it could even begin.
Life returned to normal.
Eda spent her time honing her skills and abilities, often practicing diligently to increase her proficiency.
When she wasn't doing that, she was goofing around with the twins to balance her state of mind.
Cody Avery had also been behaving himself lately, as if the previously annoying brat was just a figment of everyone's imagination.
Whether he had come to his senses in the hospital wing or been frightened by Snape's detention, Avery was now very low-key.
In retrospect, aside from Draco Malfoy, there probably wasn't anyone else so stubborn and relentless. Someone who could keep provoking a person for seven years straight, despite constant failure, and still keep coming back for more. Such resilience, or rather, obstinacy, left no other fitting description than being hard-headed.
One evening in October, Eda lay on her bed, feeling bored after another day of grinding.
Her roommates, Angelina and Alicia, were having a heated debate about which Quidditch team was stronger: the Heidelberg Harriers or the Vratsa Vultures.
The two Quidditch enthusiasts started with the player list, the lineup, and then compared the team's historical honors and popularity. In the end, they didn't come up with any results and neither of them could convince the other.
Last weekend, Eda had accompanied her friends to watch a Gryffindor Quidditch match.
The game was exciting, but the outcome was disappointing as Gryffindor lost.
Gryffindor hadn't won the Quidditch Cup in several years.
The team that last won had long since graduated, and the new players were far from the same level. Gryffindor's hopes of winning the Quidditch Cup again seemed like a distant dream.
Angelina and Alicia's argument continued, switching to other teams, while Eda remained a silent observer, feeling left out.
Half-asleep, Eda heard Angelina and Alicia saying goodnight to each other as they settled into bed.
[Ding!]
[How can you attend Hogwarts without going on nighttime adventures? Complete ten successful nighttime excursions before the end of the Christmas holidays to receive the Disillusionment Charm as a reward!]
Eda sat up in an instant, and her sleepiness was driven away by the ding sound.
From the perspective of the reward, Eda was very tempted. The Disillusionment Charm is an advanced spell that can make someone invisible by altering their skin color and texture. The deeper the caster's understanding and the stronger their magic, the better the effect of the spell.
Although the Disillusionment Charm doesn't make a person truly invisible and there is a chance of being seen through, it is far superior to many invisibility cloaks available on the market, and Eda couldn't afford one anyway.
However, Eda was a bit resistant to the idea of nighttime excursions mentioned in the task. She had a lot to do each day and needed sufficient sleep to rest her tired brain, enabling her to be a better book grinder the next day.
Eda also worried that if she didn't get enough rest, she might suddenly collapse from exhaustion one day.
Another concern was that it might affect her growth. Eda was currently quite short and often had to look up at others. She wanted to grow taller as she didn't like the feeling of looking up to people.
Moreover, who knew what strange things might happen in a thousand-year-old castle at night? If you believed Hogwarts' claim that it's the safest place in the world, you'd be a fool—an absolute fool who couldn't be saved.
The exploration-spirited Weasley twins had already been on nighttime adventures and had invited Eda to join them multiple times, but she had always refused.
From her conversations with the twins, Eda knew that the first danger she would face was the school caretaker, Filch. Filch patrolled the castle every night, looking to catch those who wandered the corridors instead of sleeping in their beds.
After a brief internal struggle, Eda, unable to resist the temptation of the Disillusionment Charm, climbed out of bed.
The night was deep, and the only sounds were the even breaths of her two sleeping roommates.
She put on a set of light clothes, a pair of soft-soled shoes, and finally donned her cloak before leaving the dormitory. The lightweight clothes made it easier to move, the dark cloak helped her blend into the night, and the soft shoes ensured she made as little noise as possible.
As she exited the common room, the Fat Lady, disturbed from her rest, gave Eda a harsh look.
Moonlight streamed through the glass windows, casting a silvery glow across Gryffindor Tower. For the first time, Eda saw Hogwarts' corridors at night.
The torch flames in the corridor were faint, illuminating only a small area around them, leaving most of the long corridor shrouded in darkness.
"Lumos," Eda whispered, and the tip of her wand emitted a soft light. She dared not make it too bright; a glaring light in the darkness would be like a beacon, essentially signaling Filch to come and catch her.
Using the weak glow of the Lumos charm, Eda carefully wandered the corridors, attentively discerning whether the distant sounds were just the soft whispers of the portraits or something more threatening, like Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris.
This skinny cat had played a significant role in Filch's efforts to catch students. It used its keen senses and agility to locate students often without them realizing it, then led Filch to them. It was almost impossible to evade her.
It could be said that a portion of the students' hatred for Filch was actually directed at Mrs. Norris.
Eda held her wand aloft, cautiously moving forward. She was witnessing a different side of Hogwarts from the daytime hustle and bustle. The corridors, now void of the usual throng of students, and the portraits, usually animated with chatter, were all asleep. Eda suddenly thought that perhaps an occasional nighttime stroll wasn't such a bad idea; it was rather intriguing.
In the distance, she heard a noise. Eda listened carefully; it wasn't the usual sounds from the portraits but rather seemed like two people having a conversation.
At first, Eda thought she had encountered two fellow "night wanderers" and assumed they were other students on a nighttime adventure. But as she got closer to the source of the voices, she realized she knew them both very well. One was Snape, with whom she had a mutual dislike, and the other was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Benedict Foley.
Eda should have fled. Getting caught by the professors was no different than being caught by Filch, especially falling into Snape's hands—it was a dreadful thought.
Even though she wanted to leave, curiosity drove Eda's steps closer and closer. Humans are always so contradictory. Everyone knows the saying "curiosity killed the cat," yet they still can't suppress their curiosity.
Extinguishing the Lumos spell and lowering her wand, Eda pressed herself tightly against the corridor wall, listening intently to the conversation between the two professors at the staircase landing.
"Severus, Severus…" This was Professor Foley's voice. Usually, he was graceful and elegant, like a nobleman from a story, but now his voice carried a hint of anxiety, like a child lost and helpless.
"What exactly do you want to do?" Snape's voice was the same as always, soft but carrying far in the silent night.
"I just… I just want to find something…"
"Find something? What exactly are you looking for, wandering around the castle like an idiot?"
There was a rustling sound, and Eda thought it sounded like Snape grabbing Foley by the collar. She believed Foley wouldn't dare grab Snape.
"Something very important, Severus. I can't be discovered... especially by Dumbledore..." Foley's usual composure was gone, replaced by panic, and his voice even trembled a bit.
"You've already been discovered, Professor Foley," Snape said, emphasizing "Professor Foley" to increase the pressure.
This must have had a significant impact on Foley, as Eda could feel his growing anxiety.
"Help me, Severus, please... This is very important..." His tone had a pleading quality.
"Why should I help you?"
"This world shouldn't be like this. The current Hogwarts, the current wizarding world, shouldn't be this way. This is something that can change the world..." Professor Foley's tone suddenly became reverent, like a missionary, but his preaching was abruptly cut off by Snape.
"Shh!"
Both of them fell silent, followed by the sound of soft footsteps coming toward Eda!
Eda held her breath and pressed her body even closer to the wall, feeling that any moment someone would appear around the corner, point a wand at her, and cast a curse!
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