Snape leaned against the classroom door, speaking slowly as he delivered Towler's punishment. The look in his eyes as he glanced at Towler was the same as if he were looking at a pest.
If Towler hadn't burned a large hole in his cauldron during Potions class, Snape wouldn't have had any reason to deduct points from Eda. Towler's mistake gave Snape the perfect opportunity to shift the blame that should have fallen on Towler onto Eda instead.
Snape could do that, but Towler had no right to imply it was deserved, as his remarks outside the classroom seemed to suggest. Towler clearly had no self-awareness.
Without paying further attention to Towler, Snape left, clearly uninterested in remaining in the foul-smelling classroom any longer.
Towler stood there dumbfounded, his heart racing after losing twenty points. He knew he had done something wrong, but rather than blame himself, he felt it was Eda and the Weasley twins' fault for bumping into him, making him say those unfortunate words.
In the previous school year, many students had tried to gain Eda's favor, including Towler. However, Eda never showed any interest, and eventually, they gave up, setting their sights on other girls.
This wouldn't have been an issue, as it was only natural for young boys to admire pretty girls, but what bothered Towler was how Eda was always with the twins.
He thought she was acting superior, which irked him greatly.
From that point on, Towler harbored a strong dislike for Eda and the twins, often badmouthing her behind her back. On one occasion, the twins even caught him red-handed.
If not for other Gryffindors intervening, Towler would have ended up in the same situation as Avery had the previous year.
Meanwhile, the second-year girls from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff headed straight to the girls' bathroom after leaving the underground classroom.
They needed to wash off the terrible smell clinging to them.
The bathroom was made up of several small cubicles, each containing a basin and a showerhead, and for those who preferred, there was even the option to enjoy a bubble bath.
Eda walked to the cubicle she usually used, and as expected, Angelina and Alicia had already saved her spot and even prepared the water. Angelina was in the cubicle to Eda's left, while Alicia was in the one on her right.
After folding a towel into a horn shape and placing it on her head, Eda finally sank into the hot bath. The water was a bit warmer than usual, causing her fair skin to turn slightly red.
Though the twins had never mentioned Towler badmouthing her behind her back, Eda knew about it. A few of the boys who had once tried to court her still persisted, and it was through them that she learned of Towler's gossip. However, Eda had never bothered to confront him.
When she was leaving the classroom earlier, she had fully intended to curse Towler on the spot. However, Snape had been casually blocking her path, never letting her rush out of the room!
By the time she finally walked out of the classroom, she had calmed down. She knew she couldn't act rashly and attack a classmate in front of a professor. For now, she needed to bide her time, letting Towler enjoy his few remaining days of peace.
Still, Eda hadn't completely let go of her anger, which was why she bumped into Towler on her way out. If Towler had dared to fight back, she would have made him regret it.
After soaking in the bath for a long while, Eda finally cleaned herself up and left the cubicle. When she returned to the common area, Angelina and Alicia had been waiting for her for quite some time.
In the Great Hall, the atmosphere around the Gryffindor table was somewhat unusual.
As soon as they arrived, the students noticed that Gryffindor had lost a significant number of points. Initially, everyone assumed it was because the twins or Eda had done something big, causing the drastic drop.
But it didn't take long for them to realize they had wrongly blamed the "big three" of point deductions. Professor McGonagall had publicly called Towler away, and Lee Jordan dramatically retold what had happened in the hallway after class.
Everyone speculated how McGonagall would punish Towler. Losing twenty points all at once was something even the three notorious point-losers would have had to think twice about, but Towler had managed it with just one sentence and a single action.
At the same time, everyone was speculating about how Eda might retaliate.
It wasn't like her to be insulted without some form of response after all.
So, when Eda walked into the Great Hall, all the Gryffindors gave her their full attention, hoping to read something from her facial expression.
Eda sat down next to the twins. After soaking in the hot bath, her mood had improved significantly. Now, she needed a good meal to prepare for tonight's detention. Snape's detentions were always physically demanding, and if she didn't eat well, she wouldn't have the energy to endure it.
At seven o'clock that evening, Eda arrived at the underground classroom on time. Snape was already there, waiting for her. Somehow, he had managed to get rid of the rotten egg stench that had previously filled the room.
On the desk that Eda usually used, there weren't any unprepared ingredients like last year. Instead, there were three cauldrons set up.
"This is your task for tonight," Snape said, handing Eda a piece of parchment. Written on it were instructions for brewing three different potions: a Scouring Potion, a Forgetfulness Potion, and a Swelling Solution.
Following the parchment's instructions, Eda gathered the ingredients for the Swelling Solution first, which she was the least familiar with. She was just about to light the fire and start brewing when Snape interrupted her.
"Did you fail to notice that I set up three cauldrons? Or are you planning to stay here all night?"
Eda stared at Snape's face for about a full minute before realizing that he wasn't joking.
He actually expected her to brew all three potions simultaneously!
With no other choice, Eda fetched the materials for the remaining two potions and began working on all three cauldrons at once.
The three potions weren't particularly complicated to make, and Eda had already learned how to brew the Scouring Potion and the Forgetfulness Potion in her first year. That was why Snape chose these specific potions for her.
Brewing three potions at once was difficult, and Snape didn't expect Eda to succeed on her first try. His goal was to improve her skill, helping her get better at controlling the heat and perfecting the timing for adding and processing ingredients.
Snape stayed close by, standing near Eda. His proximity was for her safety—if she accidentally caused a cauldron to explode, he could rescue her in time.
He didn't say a word, and even his movements were subtle, to avoid distracting her or breaking her concentration.
Time ticked by, and Eda remained fully focused. She didn't even have time to wipe away the sweat trickling down her forehead. Large drops of sweat ran down her face, and her once-neat golden hair became a tangled mess.
She busily moved between the three cauldrons, wishing she could split herself in two. A duplication spell would have made things much easier. Now, she was frantic, worried that one mistake could ruin all three potions at once, and she definitely didn't want to end up covered in burns.
While Eda was working herself into a frenzy, Snape, on the other hand, stood relaxed, leaning against a desk. Watching the color of the potions in the cauldrons, he began to relax. Despite her chaotic appearance, Eda hadn't made any mistakes.
Snape even considered whether he should add a fourth cauldron to the mix!
If Eda knew he was having such inhumane thoughts, she'd probably dump the contents of all three scalding cauldrons over his head, giving his greasy hair a thorough cleansing.
At last, the three potions were complete. Three distinct fragrances wafted around Eda's nose, and she was finally able to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
After carefully bottling each potion, Eda handed the three glass vials to Snape, awaiting his evaluation.
Snape was internally quite satisfied with Eda's performance, but his expression revealed nothing. It was as if Eda had only completed a trivial task, one that any other student could have done better.
"Winnie!" he called out.
The female house-elf from last time appeared in the dungeon classroom, bowing to both Snape and Eda.
"Escort Twist back."
Winnie obediently followed Snape's command, and only after ensuring that Eda had entered the Gryffindor common room did she leave the tower.
Back in her dormitory, Eda collapsed onto her bed, completely drained of energy. Her exhaustion was overwhelming, and she even felt a headache coming on. To make matters worse, a system notification that hadn't appeared in a while suddenly popped up in her mind:
[The host has successfully passed Potions Master Snape's test. Special reward "Art of Duplication" has been granted. Please check your inventory!]
Eda's headache intensified.
What "Art of Duplication"?
"Ahh.. system.. just let me relax a little....zZ.."
She had no interest in it whatsoever at the moment.
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