บท 41: CH41 - Final Warning
Edmund bit down on the part of his tongue sticking out of his mouth subconsciously; his mind wholly concentrated on the task at hand. A gramophone behind him played the soft notes of Claire de Lune, providing Edmund with melodious background noise to work to.
'Insert the needle into the stitch. Wrap the yarn around the needle. Draw the loop through the stitch. Slide the new stitch off the left needle...' Edmund repeated to himself mentally.
"And... done!" he said with relief.
Holding the repaired demiguise cloak up into the air for inspection, Edmund cringed internally. The knitting had already looked like it was done by a five-year-old back when it was in perfect condition. Now it looked like the cheapest hand-me-down item at a yard sale that was given away for free by anyone willing to take it.
But the truth was, it did not need to be flawless. The cloak's aesthetics were secondary in importance, far below its capability to obscure the wearer. Although Edmund could feel where the new patch was with his fingers, he felt confident that it would not catch anywhere in the forest as long as he wrapped it tightly around himself. In the end, that was all that mattered.
The cloak might not hide Edmund from Moros' vision, but it did protect his identity. The manticore was scarily intelligent, and Edmund was unsure what havoc it could cause knowing more about him. Regardless of whether the cloak was destroyed in his next encounter with Moros, Edmund refused to go without it.
He would waste 50 galleons worth of demiguise hair every day if it meant mitigating the risk of harm to him in any way.
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- (Scene Break) -
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A number of members of the student population were crowded into the central courtyard of Hogwarts. Spring was still far away, but early February had managed to bring forth the first day in months with a clear sky and direct sunlight. Many were eager to take advantage of the opportunity, which meant the area was packed.
Edmund, Cecilia, Ben, and Jeremy sat fairly close to one another, all working on an Astrology star chart they had been assigned to fill in. They had each completed a rough drawing the night before using their telescopes and were now cross-referencing their sketches with the content within their schoolbooks and making edits accordingly.
Edmund sat leaning against a tree, a transfigured pillow providing his back with further support. Cecilia had her knees bent upwards, with her elbows resting atop them for comfort. Ben was sitting cross-legged, the hardcover textbook in his lap acting as a desk for him to write on the worksheet they had been given. Jeremy was completely uncaring about the state of his clothes, instead lying stomach-down on the grass. His tie was loosened around his neck, and his shoes were off. His feet were swinging back and forth in the air lazily.
Taking a break, Edmund stretched his arms above his head as he yawned. Catching sight of Jeremy, he snickered. "If you were lying on a bed with that pose, I'd say you were trying to cosplay as a stereotypical little schoolgirl."
"Eh?" Jeremy jolted. "Nah, man, you'd better take that back."
Cecilia wolf-whistled in mock appreciation.
"I always knew you had a more feminine side to you," she teased before turning to look at Edmund. "But I didn't know you were into that kind of thing, Edmund."
Jeremy spluttered in protest as Edmund scowled, barely holding back a smile.
"Hey!" Edmund exclaimed with a shove. "Don't you dare go spreading unfounded rumours about me."
Ben looked up and grinned at their tomfoolery before returning to his work diligently.
Their peace would not last long.
Weaving around the other students lying about, Kevin and Miles Bletchley approached their spot slowly. Behind them was someone Edmund had not interacted with as of yet.
Draco Malfoy.
The blonde was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle on either side, the two larger boys dwarfing him in comparison. His strut was confident, and his gait was unhurried.
Arriving at a stop in front of them, the group of five halted in unison. Kevin and Miles stepped to the side, allowing Malfoy to move forward.
Edmund's wand had reached his hands long ago, but other than that, he remained motionless. The other three had also stopped working, something Edmund knew from the abrupt ceasing of the scratching of their quills. However, they too remained silent.
Nearby, Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched on. Edmund had seen Hermione nudging Harry as Malfoy drew closer to him, and the boy's green eyes were trained on the scene unfolding in front of him.
Eventually, Malfoy grew tired of the uncomfortable lull and cleared his throat imperiously.
They all looked up, but Cecilia was the first to speak.
"Yes," she asked in a bored tone. "Can I help you?"
Malfoy scrunched his face, physically reeling back the words that had been about to spew from his mouth. Miles Bletchley opened his mouth to speak, but Malfoy silenced him with a quick gesture of his hand. The blonde's look of superiority morphed into one of insincere politeness.
"Ms. Burke," he nodded cordially, "My business is not with you, but with your—"
He paused, swallowing audibly during the gap in the conversation.
"—friend," he finally settled on with disgust.
Cecilia made to retort, but Edmund beat her to the punch.
"And how can I help you?" Edmund echoed Cecilia's words.
"You know how!" Miles snarled out.
Edmund turned his head to the older boy quizzically.
"No," he replied tersely, "I assure you I do not."
Malfoy smiled nastily. "Know your place, mudblood. Be thankful that you are allowed to attend Hogwarts at all," he sneered. "Now, for the humiliation you have caused my friend here—"
"What humiliation?" Edmund interrupted, disregarding Malfoy's clenching hands. "I beat Kevin fair and square in a duel sanctioned by the professors of Hogwarts."
Miles scoffed. "As if a mudblood could beat my brother without trickery."
At this, Edmund looked into Kevin's eyes, wanting to discern what the boy was thinking. Kevin averted his gaze hastily, giving Edmund the answers he needed. There was no courage in him. Undoubtedly, the boy had complained to his brother, who had, in turn, sought Malfoy's help.
Edmund cut directly to the chase. "What is it you want?" he asked
By now, most of the chatter in the courtyard had ended, leading to a state of anticipatory silence. Harry's eyes were narrowed, while Ron, in particular, seemed eager to draw his wand. Hermione looked furious, a prevalent emotion on her face since she had heard the first blood slur.
"An apology," Miles demanded. "On your knees."
"I would see no shame in apologizing," Edmund commented, "if there were something I had done that warranted one."
"You will apologize, or else—" Malfoy threatened.
"Or else what?" Edmund replied boldly, cutting off Malfoy for the second time in a row.
The boy purpled with rage, pointing a finger in his direction.
"My fa—" Malfoy began instinctively before falling silent.
Cecilia grinned, all teeth.
"Daddy's not around anymore, Draco. What sort of power does the Malfoy heir hold without being able to throw around his money in the ministry," she taunted.
"My father is a good man!" Malfoy grit out.
"What's he doing in Azkaban then? It's not exactly a place that good people go for a visit," Ron mumbled in the background, inciting a wave of laughter.
Draco whirled around, puffing himself up in outrage. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to speak. It seemed Miles was done with diplomacy.
"Fuck this!" the Slytherin said, drawing his wand and loudly incanting the beginning of the knee-reversal hex.
"Expelliarmus," Edmund said softly, disarming him.
The other four Slytherins also made to withdraw their wands but to no effect.
Another singular Expelliarmus uttered by Edmund resulted in four red beams of light shooting out consecutively, each hitting their target in the center of their chest. A levitation charm quickly brought their wands to Edmund's hands, where he proceeded to hold them calmly.
The observers began whispering amongst themselves, but Edmund remained focused.
Suddenly, an airy note sounded in his mind, causing Edmund to roll to the side from his sitting position. A Relashio struck the area he had previously occupied, causing a small shower of bark to explode from the tree. As he twirled and jumped to his feet, Edmund cast an Incarcerous back to the attack's origin, yielding him a pained yelp.
Pansy Parkinson's wand was also relieved from her, leaving her defenseless to deal with the judging stares of the people she had been hiding behind.
Edmund whipped his head back to his assailants, glaring at them fiercely.
"Still think you can take me?" he asked.
Edmund took a large step forward, causing the Slytherins to unconsciously take a step back simultaneously. He undid Parkinson's restraints with a slash and banished the others' wands back to them, shocking them.
"I warned Kevin, but he didn't heed me," Edmund growled. "I have no quarrel with you. Stay away from me, and I will stay away from you. But ignore me, and next time your wands will be snapped, no matter the consequences."
Ron and Cecilia cackled loudly as Hermione, Ben, and Jeremy stifled vindictive grins of their own. Harry had a look of immense satisfaction on his face as he gazed at Edmund with curiosity.
Snape and McGonagall chose the exact moment to rush into the courtyard, hastily being escorted by several students who had run off at the start of the conflict.
Snape ignored Edmund entirely, targeting the Gryffindors instead. "What have you done?" he barked out.
McGonagall rolled her eyes exasperatedly at her colleague as the Gryffindors roared with protest.
"What has happened here?" she interrogated.
Silence.
Edmund did not look at the professors once, his eyes steadfastly locked on the Slytherins who had attacked him. Their features spoke of anger, loathing, and regret, but none demonstrated a sense of defeat.
They would come back for him again, and keep coming back until they won. But not this day.
"Nothing, professors," they muttered one after another.
The teachers looked around, hoping someone would speak up. They were bound for disappointment. Edmund was sure that the rumour mill would spread the story soon enough, but for now, everyone was quiet.
With no evidence, the two faculty members reluctantly left, dispersing the crowd as they went.
Edmund grimaced determinedly. 'I'm going to have to find a more permanent solution for this. Sooner rather than later.'
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