Bab 52: Chapter 52: Crisis
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Eda asked the question to distract Fawley while relentlessly casting spells—Stunning Spells, Blasting Curses, Binding Spells, and many more, all thrown at him without hesitation.
She strategically varied the angles from which she launched the spells, and by mixing up the order in which they were cast, she caused quite a bit of trouble for Fawley.
Some spells he could block directly, but others, due to their tricky angles, forced him to dodge with physical movements. He even had to roll on the ground to avoid the final spell.
Spell machine-gun fire had always been Eda's goal. If a single hit could take him down, that would be ideal. If not, then she would rely on overwhelming firepower. By bombarding him with a barrage of spells, one was bound to hit, aiming for sheer suppression.
Fawley now looked a bit disheveled. His robe was covered in fallen leaves, and his face bore a few scratches—far from the graceful and elegant professor he once was.
But that refined version of Fawley had long vanished. Ever since the curse had started taking its toll, Fawley had been miserable and sickly, with none of the charm he had displayed at the beginning of the school year.
After brushing the leaves off his robe, Fawley waved his wand again, summoning another burst of flames.
The fire surrounded Eda, and the scorching flames repeatedly attacked her. Eda had to frantically wave her wand to suppress the fire with her magic, preventing the flames from burning her.
"I initially just wanted to give Dumbledore and his lapdog Snape a hard time, but they dared to stand in my way. How could I let them watch me leave with a smile?" Fawley said. "They've been keeping an eye on me, even after I left, still on guard. So I decided to teach them a lesson."
Fawley watched Eda, who continued to resist with all her might, and an unconscious smile appeared on his face. "It would soon be over—very soon."
Isn't this just senseless killing?
Your decision is way too hasty!
You're only picking on me because I'm easy to bully, right? Eda mentally fired off three questions in a row.
"So you chose me? Because according to you, I happened to discover your secret and happened to be investigating you," Eda said, gathering her magical energy. This wasn't over yet. "Even if you kill me, it doesn't benefit you. You still won't find what you're looking for."
The flames, still burning under Fawley's control, showed no signs of spreading further. Eda's suppression was working.
Watching Eda struggling to survive in the fire, Fawley sneered, "Are you begging for mercy? You're Snape's prized student, aren't you? You look as weak as he does!"
"A student who likes sneaking around at night ventures into the Forbidden Forest, accidentally stumbles into a spider's lair, and is eaten alive by the spiders residing there. What does any of this have to do with poor Fawley, who has already left the school?" Fawley continued, his tone mocking.
"Don't forget, there's the note. And people know I left the common room," Eda retorted internally, feeling wronged. Was she really about to take the fall for Snape?
"There never was any note," Fawley replied. "That was just a Confundus Charm. I made you think it was real that Snape asked you to meet him in the dungeons at eight."
The roaring flames around Eda were extinguished by Fawley. There was no need to keep meaningless fire burning; it had already served its purpose by draining Eda's energy.
Fawley began approaching Eda again, but he stopped short of getting too close, wary from the lesson learned earlier.
"Even if they start suspecting me, so what? No one will care about the death of a filthy Mudblood. No one will investigate it thoroughly. This is your fate; you can't blame anyone else," Fawley said coldly.
"It's over, Twist. Get ready to say goodnight to this tiresome world," Fawley raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
As Fawley shouted his curse, Eda cast hers.
The two spells collided, and a beam of light connected them, crackling with energy. The ground around them exploded, sending shattered wood and stones flying.
Hogwarts' first-ever welding contest had officially begun!
Eda stood on the right side, both hands gripping her wand tightly, pouring all her magical energy into the connecting beam. Fawley, too, maintained his magical output.
They were locked in a stalemate. Eda, giving it her all, wasn't someone Fawley could easily overpower right away.
This wasn't what Fawley had planned. He grew increasingly alarmed by Eda.
Someone like her couldn't be allowed to survive, which only strengthened his resolve to kill her.
Suddenly, Fawley withdrew his magic. The green light of the Killing Curse vanished, and the red light of the Disarming Charm shot toward him.
But Fawley didn't panic. At the same moment he withdrew his magic, he cast the Cruciatus Curse, all while dodging the incoming Disarming Charm.
The Cruciatus Curse flew toward Eda, who was completely unprepared. Fawley's sudden move had left her stunned, and before she could react or even move, the curse struck her.
"Ugh!!Ahhhc..."
Intense pain consumed everything. The overwhelming agony made Eda forget where she was.
She felt as though countless knives were slicing every inch of her skin, and her bones were being gnawed at by thousands of insects.
"Ugh.. gh.. h.."
Eda bit down hard on her lip, refusing to let out a scream. Blood trickled from her bitten lip. No matter how much pain she was in, even if it meant death, she wouldn't allow her enemy the satisfaction of hearing her cries of anguish.
The Cruciatus Curse, one of the Unforgivable Curses, was a vile spell designed for torture. Beyond the physical pain, it also inflicted psychological torment, driving people to madness or even to death.
Fortunately, the curse didn't last long, and the excruciating pain gradually subsided. Yet, that pain had already been deeply etched into Eda's memory.
She slowly sat up, leaning against a fallen tree trunk, gasping for breath. Her hand, still gripping her wand, trembled uncontrollably from the pain she had just endured.
On the other side, Fawley hadn't completely dodged the Disarming Charm. The spell hit his left arm, and the bright red light of the charm knocked him back violently, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Mudblood, this filth little mudblood!" Fawley muttered furiously from where he lay on the ground.
If his initial decision to kill Eda had been somewhat hasty, the battle had only solidified his resolve. Now, he believed more than ever that his choice had been wise—someone like her couldn't be allowed to live.
As Eda watched Fawley approach, she tried to lift her hand, but the lingering effects of the pain hadn't fully worn off. She couldn't control her right hand accurately.
With a flick of his wand, Fawley sent Eda's wand spinning out of her grasp.
Memories of her past and present life flashed through Eda's mind like a whirlwind. It was a feeling she'd experienced once before.
Was she afraid of death?
Both yes and no.
Yes, because she had already died once, and the sensation of loss was hard to let go of.
No, because having died once, she knew that death was just another version of existence.
But it was the sense of unwillingness that was strongest.
Having been given a second chance at life, with a healthy body and a few close friends, it made life all the more precious.
Fawley was now only a few steps away, looking down at Eda from above.
"You lowly Mudbloods always like to resist so pointlessly," he said. "You're going to die by my hand anyway, so why bother? Why not just accept your fate?"
"H..eh.. You'd better hurry up.." Eda said, forcing a weak smile. "Villains al..ways die from talking too much." Every word she spoke required all her strength.
"No one will interrupt me," Fawley said with a twisted expression. "I have that much confidence. With Dumbledore out of the school, no one can break through the wards and protective spells I've set up." He sneered. "Esmeralda Twist, die now!"
"Avada—"
But the green light never flashed, and Eda's life didn't end. Fawley's Killing Curse was interrupted.
"Who? Who's there?" Fawley looked around in panic. Someone had intruded, but he hadn't noticed them at all.
Eda laughed loudly, her laughter echoing through the forest, sounding more like a villain than Fawley at that moment.
"Shut up!" Fawley shouted angrily, casting the Cruciatus Curse at Eda once more. But again, the spell was blocked, causing her no harm.
"Hehehe.. I-I told you, villains die because they talk too much, but you didn't believe me," Eda said. "Want to take a guess at who's stopping you? One Galleon says it's Professor McGonagall."
A stern female voice echoed through the Forbidden Forest, saying, "Gambling isn't a good habit, Miss Twist."
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