While Eda was sound asleep in the hospital wing, Benedict Fawley received the punishment he deserved.
After escorting the twins back to their common room, Professor McGonagall sent a letter to the current Minister, Cornelius Fudge.
Upon receiving the letter in London, Fudge wasted no time and immediately traveled to Hogwarts, accompanied by a few Aurors.
Fudge and Professor McGonagall went straight to the Headmaster's office to meet with Dumbledore. The current Minister spoke with Dumbledore for less than half an hour before leaving.
The new Minister had no doubts about Dumbledore's words and even asked for his advice on how to handle the situation, almost as if Dumbledore was the Minister and he was merely a senior assistant.
However, Dumbledore offered no suggestions, leaving the decision to Fudge.
Dumbledore had no intention of usurping power. While he could help Fudge secure his position as Minister, he didn't want to make decisions for him.
Dumbledore's abilities far surpassed those of Fudge. If Dumbledore had wanted to be Minister, Fudge wouldn't have stood a chance. But Dumbledore had no desire to be Minister, nor did he want to turn the Minister into his puppet.
Power is a tempting thing, but it can easily consume a person.
Dumbledore had once been deeply entangled in it, and now he had no desire to repeat the mistakes of his youth. He couldn't afford the cost of making such errors ...again.
Fawley was held in his former office, his wand confiscated, and the magical vines still binding him tightly. Inside the office, Hagrid stood guard with his giant crossbow, assigned by Dumbledore to watch over the unconscious Fawley.
The Aurors sent by Fudge took custody of Fawley from Hagrid and, without any trial, sent him directly to Azkaban.
Awaiting Fawley were the fearsome Dementors and a long prison sentence.
In Azkaban, many prisoners lose their sanity due to the Dementors, and dying there isn't uncommon. It's a place that instills fear in everyone.
Benedict Fawley might wake up during the flight to the North Sea, or perhaps only after being locked up in his Azkaban cell. But regardless of when he wakes, the "hero's welcome" he hoped for will not come.
As a devoted follower of Voldemort and the attacker of two Hogwarts students, these charges alone would be enough to keep him in Azkaban for the rest of his life. If he had any other hidden crimes, he might as well pick out a grave plot within the prison.
While Eda was asleep, the twins stayed by her side whenever they weren't in class or sleeping.
Attending classes was by Professor McGonagall's order, and they didn't dare openly defy it. At night, when curfew came, Madam Pomfrey would firmly usher them out.
Their time in the hospital wing was limited. They skipped Quidditch practice and even gave up their beloved pranks just to stay close to Eda.
When Eda finally woke up, it was the evening of the third day. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the twins by her bedside.
"Good evening, brave Miss Twist," Fred greeted her with a smile, handing her a piece of apple pie from the small table next to the bed.
"Yeah! Brave but foolish Miss Twist, would you like some water?" George poured her a glass and set it on the table.
After sleeping for so long, Eda was naturally hungry; her stomach was already growling in protest. But what she wanted more than food was water. She downed the glass in one gulp before reaching for the apple pie.
"Good evening, Mr. Weasleyes," Eda said after finishing the pie, finally feeling like herself again.
Fred handed her a copy of the Daily Prophet, saying, "Take a look—you made the papers."
George handed Eda a sandwich and continued, "Though it's not very noticeable."
Even though she already knew about Fawley's identity, Eda opened the newspaper, eating as she read. However, after flipping through the entire paper, she couldn't find her name anywhere—not even her last name!
As if anticipating this, George pointed out a small section to her: *"A student from Hogwarts assisted in the capture of a Death Eater..."*
"Are you angry? You nearly died."
"It was Dumbledore who caught him with you, but they didn't even mention your names."
"That's The Daily Prophet for you. It's why we hate the Ministry of Magic," the twins said together.
But Eda didn't see it that way. Dumbledore didn't need something like this to bolster his reputation, and she certainly didn't want that kind of "honor" either. She would have preferred if that entire mention had been left out. She doesn't want to place a target on her back for the Voldy-supporters.
Compared to such hollow recognition, Eda would have preferred a more tangible reward, like a bag of Galleons. After all, Fawley was still a dangerous Death Eater, even if he was only an apprentice—surely he was worth some money?
"What are you looking for?" George asked, noticing her searching around.
"Galleons. I helped the Ministry catch a criminal; they really have nothing to offer as a reward?" Eda said, glancing around the small table.
"Don't bother looking; there's nothing on there except food," Fred said. "No mention, no reward."
"Even though the *Daily Prophet* didn't name you, everyone's pretty sure it was you," George added.
"Oh, well..." Eda murmured.
Fred explained, "After Fawley's crimes were reported, everyone started speculating who the student was, but no one at school admitted to it..."
"And since you were in the hospital wing and missed classes, they put two and two together," George continued.
"It's just assisting the Aurors, and the fact that it was a first-year student doesn't surprise anyone," the twins said together. "Now all that's left is for you and Dumbledore to confirm everyone's suspicions."
With no tangible reward and being figured out by everyone, Eda found herself in the spotlight. She felt a bit upset—definitely not because of the lack of Galleons, but because she didn't want to be a glaring target.
"Haah~"She wasn't sturdy enough to handle all the attention.
"Let them guess all they want; I'm not admitting to anything. This kind of empty fame is useless, and having that label would just be a hassle."
"If they really gave you Galleons, I bet you wouldn't be lying here so quietly," Fred said with a grin.
"I'd wager Eda would've run off to find Professor McGonagall by now," George agreed confidently.
Eda nodded in agreement with George's view and said, "Of course! Not just Professor McGonagall, I'd raise a fuss all the way to Professor Dumbledore. It's what I deserve, and I won't settle for even one Knut less!"
The twins' expressions were perfectly synchronized—they fully believed Eda's words. After all, she was a witch who valued Galleons as if they were her very life.
"Just after taking office, our dear Minister managed to catch a hidden Death Eater. He must be over the moon; his speech made today's headlines," Fred said, flipping through the newspaper.
George sneered, "And now all the newspapers and magazines have changed their tune, praising the new Minister, as if they weren't the ones questioning Fudge before."
Instead of joining the discussion about the *Daily Prophet's* inconsistency, Eda decided to make a joke, "What if I became Minister one day?"
Who hadn't dreamed of becoming Prime Minister as a kid, just like the childhood dilemma of whether to go to Cambridge or Oxford? It was the kind of boast you made when you were too young to know better.
"Then the Ministry of Magic would have the shortest-serving, most money-grubbing Minister in history," the twins quipped without mercy.
Eda, dissatisfied, asked, "So in your eyes, I'm just some greedy, stingy miser?"
"Should we put it another way?" Fred looked to his brother for input.
"Let's put it another way," George replied.
"The good-looking, money-grubbing miser!" The twins continued to tease Eda, not changing their tune at all.
Eda had a habit of meticulously recording every penny she spent, and the twins were poking fun at her for it.
"If I were Minister of Magic, I'd definitely give Mr. Weasley a promotion," Eda said. "How about Senior Deputy Minister of Magic?"
"If you did that, Percy would absolutely adore you!"
"He might even be so moved that he'd offer to marry you."
The thought of Percy's ambition gave Eda an involuntary shiver. Percy was so different from his brothers that if it weren't for his freckles and fiery red hair, Eda might have thought he was a child adopted by the kind-hearted Weasley couple.
"On second thought, let's not. I couldn't be Minister if it means dealing with Percy," Eda said, pretending to be horrified.
"I heard someone say they wanted to be Minister of Magic, is that right?"
As Eda and the twins were joking around, Dumbledore walked into the hospital wing.
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