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Eda kept tossing and turning in bed, replaying Snape's words in her mind.
Snape was highly displeased with her nighttime wandering and even her daytime roaming around the castle, and his displeasure went far beyond what was typical for a professor.
The first time she encountered the secret about Fluffy while wandering at night, it was Snape who had led her away from Fluffy.
Now that she thought about it, it seemed Snape was protecting her—protecting her as a student.
This realization suddenly made Snape appear much more admirable.
Despite his sharp tongue and unpleasant demeanor, Snape was indeed protecting her, and not just once.
As she reconstructed Snape's actions in her mind, Eda found her impression of him improving. She still disliked him, but it wasn't with the same intense irritation she had felt before.
On Sunday, Gryffindor continued their "hunt" for the thief, though they were much more discreet about it.
They no longer stood guard openly around the castle; their actions were much more covert, yet they still found no trace of the thief.
During dinner, the older students complained, believing the thief was too cowardly and certainly not a Gryffindor student or graduate.
True bravery meant facing a harsh reality head-on, pushing through despite the obstacles. Of course, if roles were reversed, they wouldn't be foolish enough to walk into a trap either; their complaints were just expressions of frustration at their futile efforts.
The following week, Eda heeded Snape's advice and stayed put in the dormitory. Whenever she left, it was with the twins or Angelina and Alicia—never alone.
This obedient behavior didn't result in another summons from Snape. Even during Potions class, Snape went easy on her. It was the most relaxed Potions class Eda had ever attended, with no harsh remarks and no one causing trouble for her.
It was the last week of February, a very ordinary week with no alarming attacks or mysterious thieves. Even the terrible weather had improved.
However, while it was an ordinary week for most at Hogwarts, it was an exceptionally unlucky week for Professor Fawley.
On Monday, a student accidentally set his robe on fire. Although he wasn't harmed, his expensive robe was ruined. Eda felt sorry for that robe for a long time after hearing about it.
On Tuesday, he was accidentally injured in the right leg by another student and had to be taken to the hospital wing by a group of students. On the way there, a careless student accidentally bumped his head, causing him to pass out. Thanks to Madam Pomfrey's meticulous care, Fawley left the hospital wing on Thursday, fully recovered.
Thinking the worst was over, Fawley hoped the rest of the week would be uneventful. But on his way downstairs, he slipped and fell, rolling down the steps. Just twenty minutes after leaving the hospital wing, Fawley found himself back under Madam Pomfrey's care.
Luckily, Fawley was young. If it had been last year's seventy-year-old Professor Gerard, such a fall might have been fatal. Professor Gerard had an accident in April of the previous year and was still bedridden at St. Mungo's, though fortunately, he survived.
Students whispered about Fawley's streak of bad luck, speculating that the rumored curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was taking effect. The curse seemed to be showing its power, and everyone wondered how long Fawley would last and what his ultimate fate would be.
Some sympathetic and soft-hearted girls began praying to Merlin day and night, hoping he would protect the ill-fated Fawley and help him through this rough patch.
Others, rather unkindly, started betting on when Woolley would leave Hogwarts and just how disastrous his departure would be.
The twins bet all their pocket money on the fact that Woolley would last until June. If Woolley managed to hold out until then, the Weasley brothers' pocket money would skyrocket.
Driven by financial greed, the Weasley twins joined the group praying for Fawley's health.
March arrived quickly, bringing a long-awaited spring to Hogwarts. Amid the chill of early spring, Professor Fawley was discharged from the hospital wing once again. This time, he did not suffer any new mishaps and returned healthy, to the cheers of many students and the disappointment of others.
While those at Hogwarts focused on how long Professor Fawley would last, the magical world outside was more concerned with who would be the next Minister of Magic. Millicent Bagnold had officially announced her resignation and would step down after the new minister was elected.
During this time, the Headmaster's chair in the Great Hall was often empty. Dumbledore, who held many titles besides being the school headmaster, frequently left Hogwarts to attend meetings.
While Dumbledore was away, another "thief" incident occurred at Hogwarts.
This time, the Slytherin house was the victim.
Despite being visited by the "thief," the Slytherin lake-view room lost nothing. The lake creatures and the Bloody Baron saw no sign of the "thief."
This "thief" overshadowed Professor Fawley, becoming the number one topic at Hogwarts. Eda wondered if there was a saying in the magical world about thieves never leaving empty-handed, but this "thief" clearly didn't know it.
Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were not spared either. The "thief" visited both common rooms using different methods.
In Hufflepuff's case, it was evident that the "thief" had improved. The intrusion went almost unnoticed. If not for a house-elf detecting a minor anomaly, the infiltration would have been a complete success.
The thwarted "thief" seemed to give up on stealth after that. Instead, they reverted to their previous rough tactics when dealing with the Gryffindor common room. When the students returned to find their common room in complete disarray, they immediately informed Professor McGonagall.
Upon arriving at the common room, Professor McGonagall first calmed the students down, preventing the riled-up Gryffindors from turning the entire castle upside down in search of the intruder.
She also questioned the portrait of the Fat Lady, who guarded the entrance, but learned nothing useful.
If the students hadn't informed the Fat Lady, she wouldn't have even known that the common room had been infiltrated!
Fred and George publicly claimed that their homework had been taken by the "thief," thus they couldn't turn it in.
An annoyed Professor McGonagall knew they were lying and punished them with detention, though the twins showed no remorse during their week of confinement.
All four houses had now been forcibly "visited" by the thief. This brazen behavior, as if mocking the four houses, incited universal anger. The thief hadn't stolen anything but had succeeded in uniting the four houses in their hostility.
The students took to setting up makeshift traps in their common rooms, hoping to catch the thief. Unfortunately, these traps didn't catch the thief but instead caused injuries to several students, leading to a crowded hospital wing. Even Professor Fawley, who usually enjoyed VIP treatment there, had to queue in the hallway.
The fact that this "thief" had managed to provoke such a unified response from the four houses was, in a way, quite an impressive feat.
Compared to Fred and George, Eda's ability to recognize and correct her mistakes was commendable. She hadn't gone on any nighttime excursions for quite a while. She even refrained from joining the twins when they went scouting around the Forbidden Forest.
However, she still frequently received summons from Snape to help process the materials needed for Potions classes. In fact, a significant portion of the materials used by Hogwarts students were prepared by Eda.
With her increasing interactions with Snape, Eda grew bolder. She even dared to ask Snape questions. Although his attitude was always poor when answering, he still responded to her inquiries.
Whenever she asked a question, Snape's expression seemed to say, "How can you be so dumb? This is so simple," or "Is your brain the size of a raisin? The answer is so obvious."
Facing such a demeanor repeatedly, Eda felt her resilience had been thoroughly tested. She had learned to endure Snape's sarcasm without letting it affect her.
Under Snape's "kind" guidance, Eda was making great strides toward becoming a better version of herself. This was something Snape had never anticipated. He had never expected Eda to be so "resilient" under his torment. It had been a long time since he used point deductions as a threat.
Days passed, mostly uneventful but occasionally interrupted by small disturbances. Before long, the twins' birthday was approaching.
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