On Saturday morning, the students, tired from a busy week, slept in, making Hogwarts seem unusually lazy and quiet.
Eda rolled around in bed before finally struggling to get up. She groggily got dressed, careful not to disturb Angelina and Alicia, who were still fast asleep, and quietly left the dormitory.
The Great Hall was rather empty, with small groups of people scattered around, eating breakfast. Eda greeted the passing Gryffindors, noticing how her interactions with classmates had increased since her talk with Professor McGonagall.
After finishing her breakfast, Eda wandered around the castle, still in search of a "safe house." Constantly taking two boys into the girls' bathroom wasn't a sustainable solution.
Unable to find a suitable place after her wandering, Eda headed to the library.
Inside, Madam Pince was patrolling with a feather duster in hand, and there weren't many students reading. Eda walked through the rows of bookshelves, stopping at the section on Defense Against the Dark Arts. She felt someone watching her and turned to meet Madam Pince's gaze.
"I won't go into the Restricted Section, Madam," Eda said with a smile.
Madam Pince didn't respond, merely giving Eda a glance before walking away. However, she still kept an eye on Eda from time to time.
Eda picked a book from the shelf and found a random spot to sit down. The library was mostly quiet, with occasional hushed discussions, but everyone was aware of the "power" of Madam Pince's feather duster, ensuring the overall silence.
Around ten o'clock, the twins arrived at the library. They went straight to Eda, each of them leaning on her from either side, continuing their unfinished sleep.
After a while, Eda's internal clock reminded her that it was time to eat. She looked up at the clock; it was already past eleven. Closing her book, she woke up the still-sleepy twins.
"Hmm... what's going on..." Fred mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"It's time for lunch. After eating, we need to practice spells in the bathroom," Eda said as she stood up and headed towards Madam Pince to check out her book.
"Oh... okay..." George replied, standing up and following Eda, bumping into several tables on the way out in his half-awake state.
By around two in the afternoon, the three left the castle to meet Hagrid, as planned earlier at the Quidditch pitch.
They arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Hagrid's hut stood. In front of the door was a giant crossbow and a pair of rubber boots. From their size, it was obvious they belonged to Hagrid.
The twins glanced towards the Forbidden Forest, filled with curiosity and longing. Since the start of the school year, they had wanted to explore it, but the vastness of the castle had kept them busy, delaying their adventure.
Fred, returning his gaze from the forest, knocked on the wooden door. A few low barks were heard from inside. Fred called out, "Hagrid, Hagrid, we're here."
Hagrid opened the door, revealing his massive frame. Behind him was a fierce-looking black hunting dog, eager to get out but restrained by a chain around its collar, limiting its freedom.
Hagrid welcomed the three into his small hut, which consisted of only one room that served as a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. A large bed in the corner suited Hagrid's size, and everything inside the hut was oversized as well.
A copper kettle was boiling on the hearth. Hagrid poured the hot water into a large teapot and then filled cups for Eda and the twins.
"Drink some hot water to ward off the chill," Hagrid said warmly. He then turned and brought out some rock cakes, placing them on a tray.
While Hagrid was busy, George whispered into Eda's ear, "If you don't want to lose your teeth, don't try it."
Hearing this, Eda suddenly became interested in the rock cakes. They looked rough and unappealing, dotted with what seemed like raisins. They certainly didn't look appetizing.
Eda picked up a rock cake from the tray, noticing it felt quite hard. It felt more like holding a brick than a piece of pastry.
"Try it, Eda. My baking isn't that bad," Hagrid said enthusiastically, encouraging Eda to try the rock cake. "If you like it, take some more with you when you leave. You study so hard, you should eat more to boost your brainpower..."
Feeling the rock-hard pastry in her hand, Eda cursed herself internally: Serves you right! Why did you have to be curious? When will you learn?
Finding herself in a tricky situation, Eda reluctantly put the rock cake into her mouth and tried to bite it lightly. As expected, it didn't budge.
Fred and George tried to suppress their laughter, holding their cups as they gestured for Eda to take a bigger bite. The twins exchanged a glance, silently agreeing that they'd need to prepare a grand funeral for Eda's front teeth.
Since the three had entered the hut, Hagrid's dog had been barking incessantly. Hagrid walked over to release its leash.
As soon as Hagrid's attention shifted away, Eda quickly slipped the rock cake into her robe pocket, pretending she had finished it. She thought to herself: Hagrid's cooking is as rough as his appearance, and the taste aligns perfectly with the blended taste of my orphanage.
"That dog's name is Fang. He's just like Hagrid, looks fierce but isn't," Fred said.
As soon as Fang was released, he bounded over to Eda, wagging his tail vigorously.
"Back off! Fang, back off!" Hagrid shouted at the dog lingering beside Eda. "Sorry about that, Eda. Don't be afraid, Fang is very gentle and won't bite."
"It's okay, Hagrid. I really like Fang," Eda said with a smile, petting Fang. She genuinely liked dogs.
"Oh, you finished it! How was it? How did it taste?" Hagrid asked excitedly, noticing that the rock cake had disappeared from Eda's hand.
As she petted Fang, Eda suddenly felt less enthusiastic about it after hearing Hagrid's question. His words hit her like a bolt of lightning. She managed to say, "It was... okay. Just a bit... hard."
Eda gave a polite but honest assessment.
"I prefer rock cakes with a crunchier texture; they feel better to eat that way." Hagrid didn't seem to catch Eda's subtle hint. "I'm glad you like it. I'll pack some for you to take back and share with your roommates."
I'm afraid they'll think I'm trying to kill them, Eda silently mused. She was now curious who gave Hagrid the courage to make such hard cakes—That guy would likely be stumped.
Eda didn't dare look at any other food in the hut, fearing that Hagrid might enthusiastically offer her another "Would you like to try some?"—the most terrifying sentence she had heard all year.
Fred and George mercilessly mocked Snape to Hagrid, who joined in criticizing Snape's cruel behavior.
"Snape's always been like that. Even when he was in school, no one really liked him. And after he started teaching, he's hardly liked any students." Hagrid comforted Eda, his beetle-black eyes shining with sincerity. "Maybe next year, when there are new students, he'll forget about you."
Eda hoped Hagrid's words would come true. It was the first time she realized that the saying "out with the old, in with the new" could be a blessing.
"Hagrid, can you tell us about the Forbidden Forest?" The twins finally revealed their true intentions.
Hagrid, unaware of their real motives, said, "There are many magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest…"
"We love magical creatures!" The twins' lie was so seamless, it sounded convincing.
"Really?" Hagrid's face lit up with excitement. "Your brother Charlie loves magical creatures too. I like him a lot; he's always so good with animals!"
"We were inspired by Charlie!" Fred exclaimed excitedly.
"Dragons are just amazing!" George stood up, shaking his robes and mimicking the flight of a dragon.
However, no matter how Eda looked at it, George resembled a foraging hen more than a dragon. Hagrid, thrilled by the twins' enthusiasm for dragons, began to describe the Forbidden Forest in great detail.
Watching the intense conversation among the three, Eda felt like an outsider—except she had Fang to keep her company.
"Fang! Sit! Sit!" Eda began to train Fang, but the Neapolitan Mastiff didn't seem very bright. "Sit! Fang! Sit!"
She pulled a cake "she had saved from the great hall" (That's what she told Hagrid) from her pocket, using the treat as motivation. With food as an incentive, Fang finally obeyed. The wrinkled dog sat obediently in front of Eda, drooling all over the floor.
"Good job, good boy." Eda broke off a small piece of the cake and fed it to Fang. Despite its small size, Fang devoured the treat eagerly, a testament to Hagrid's culinary skills... Poor Fang...
"Fang! Roll over!" Eda started the next training task, while the discussion about the Forbidden Forest finally hit a snag.
"No, you can't go. The Forbidden Forest is full of dangers for you," Hagrid said, waving his trash-can-lid-sized hands in refusal. "That won't do."
"With you around, how could there be any danger?" Fred coaxed.
"We promise to listen to you and not cause any trouble!" George began swearing directly.
"That won't work either. Every creature in the Forbidden Forest can pose a life-threatening danger to you!" Hagrid shook his head, unable to agree to such a thing.
"But you're here with us. We just want to take a look around the outskirts of the forest," the twins retreated slightly, knowing full well that Hagrid wouldn't take them into the forest. Exploring the outskirts would be enough for now; venturing deeper could wait for another time.
"No, Fred, George, Dumbledore wouldn't agree to it." Hagrid remained firm. "You have to wait until you're older, until you've grown up."
"Alright, Hagrid is just thinking about your safety. Stop giving him a hard time," Eda interjected, unable to watch any longer.
The twins had to give up. They sat for a while longer, chatting with Hagrid about the magical creatures he was raising. As night fell, the trio finally left Hagrid's hut.
"Once we prepare, we'll be ready to explore the Forbidden Forest!" Fred said excitedly on the way back to the castle.
"Hagrid said he wouldn't take you. He's a staff member and wouldn't lead you into the forest," Eda's thoughts were elsewhere. As they left, Hagrid had given her a small bag of rock cakes.
"We never expected him to agree," George said with a knowing look. "But no one understands the Forbidden Forest better than Hagrid!"
"We got firsthand information from him," Fred added. "That will help our plans for exploring the Forbidden Forest."
"Don't you two have a guilty conscience?" Eda said as she swung the bag of rock biscuits. She didn't expect that the twins would be so "inhuman" as to trick Hagrid in order to go to the Forbidden Forest.
"No, not at all." The twins, who were no longer human, gloated. "We think your teeth will really hurt!"
Looking at the rock cake in her hand, Eda felt her teeth aching. This is not a cake bag, it's a meteor hammer tied with a rope!
____
Read 12 Chapters ahead at
Patreon.com/Dragonel