In the middle carriage of the Hogwarts Express, Lee Jordan sat slumped in the corner of the compartment, completely dejected. Across from him, Angelina and Alicia were chatting away enthusiastically, not sparing him a single glance.
Lee Jordan sat there, despondent and lifeless, so out of it that he didn't even react when the twins opened the door and came in. Eda greeted Angelina and Alicia warmly and exchanged a few quiet words with them. As expected, the brainless Lee Jordan had really shown off his tarantula to Angelina.
The result, of course, was obvious. It couldn't have been clearer—neither the tarantula nor its owner received any of Angelina's affection.
If he'd brought a puppy or a kitten instead, maybe Lee Jordan would've had a sliver of a chance. After all, girls who like spiders are few and far between—unless the spider's name is Peter Parker.
The five people in the compartment started chatting (Lee Jordan still hadn't recovered), sharing amusing stories from the holidays. They brought up Harry Potter too, but no one suggested going to see him—Harry Potter was a person, not a monkey in the zoo.
Outside the window, the scenery flew by. Lee Jordan finally perked up again, but just as he was about to join the conversation, someone knocked on the compartment door.
A round-faced, teary-eyed boy stepped inside.
"S-Sorry," he said, "I just wanted to ask—have you seen my toad?" He sniffled as he spoke, eyes full of tears. He looked absolutely pitiful.
Everyone in the compartment shook their heads—none of them had seen a toad. But Eda recognized who the little crybaby was. This round-faced boy was Neville Longbottom. They had met once at St. Mungo's, though it seemed Neville didn't recognize Eda.
"I lost it again! It keeps trying to run away from me!" Neville Longbottom sobbed as he walked out of the compartment, shutting the door behind him as he left.
"Even though boys shouldn't cry like that," Alicia said, "he looks so pitiful and cute when he does!"
Before Alicia's blossoming maternal instinct could fully unfold, Angelina interrupted her with a puzzled expression and asked, "Do all you boys like these weird pets?"
Lee Jordan had his spider, Neville had his toad, and some boys were even into bugs. These were things girls just couldn't understand—just like boys couldn't understand why girls always went to the bathroom in pairs, arms linked.
Eda, on the other hand, cared less about whether the animals were weird and more about whether they were edible—and how best to prepare them. After all, as the saying goes, "Appetite and desire are both part of human nature." In this case, "appetite" means liking something, and "desire" refers to the pursuit of beauty and pleasure. So it could also be said that a love for good food is just human nature.
The six of them started a discussion about the things boys and girls just couldn't seem to understand about each other.
But no matter how much they talked, they couldn't come to any conclusion. The differences in physiology and psychology naturally led to differences between boys and girls.
It's enough to accept those differences and coexist—there's no need to dissect everything down to the last detail.
There was another knock on the door.
Neville came in again, this time accompanied by a girl.
She was wearing Hogwarts robes, had a head of thick brown hair, and two prominent front teeth. Her tone was a little arrogant, which made her somewhat unpleasant to listen to.
"Has anyone seen a toad?" the girl asked. "Neville's lost a toad."
"No one here has seen a toad," Eda said bluntly. "But there's a bag spider—if you like it, you can totally take it." She didn't care for the girl's tone. If she'd spoken a little more gently, Eda might have helped look for the toad—if only for Professor McGonagall's sake.
Eda thought arrogant people usually fell into two categories: those who actually had the skills and brains to back it up, and those who were just plain stupid. The latter kind usually didn't survive more than one episode in a drama series.
"You're not seriously going to help look for that toad, are you?" Angelina asked, watching Eda get up.
"Of course not. I'm just tired of sitting. Going for a walk, and I might as well check on Ron while I'm at it," Eda replied as she stepped out of the compartment. The twins followed her out. The three of them strolled leisurely down the corridor until they noticed a commotion up ahead.
A pale boy with light blond hair was standing at the door of a compartment. Behind him were two lackeys, who honestly looked like they hadn't fully evolved yet.
"You think my name's funny, do you?" the pale boy sneered. "No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more kids than they can afford—"
Before he could finish his next sentence, he felt a hand patting his shoulder.
"Wanna play with the big kids?" Fred said with a grin—though there wasn't a hint of warmth in it.
Right now, the only Weasleys still attending Hogwarts were from this family, so it was obvious who was in the compartment. The twins had only intended to enjoy the spectacle—until they suddenly found themselves part of it.
"Red hair, hand-me-down robes, and two more stinking Weasleys!" the pale-faced boy spat. But while his mouth was aggressive, his body told the truth—he stepped back behind his two lackeys.
Only then did he continue, "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you with that."
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, Malfoy," Harry said coldly. The twins had just helped him with his luggage before the train departed, and he'd spent the afternoon chatting with Ron in the compartment. As far as he was concerned, Malfoy was the real oddball here.
"If my little brother said anything disrespectful to you, I apologize on his behalf. I'm truly sorry, Mr. Malfoy," Eda said sincerely.
She and the twins had been watching from the side earlier, so she knew Ron might've mocked Malfoy's name. That had been wrong of Ron, so she was willing to apologize first.
"Mr. Malfoy also insulted the Weasleys. Now it's your turn to apologize to them," Eda added. She wasn't planning to bully Malfoy and his two goons—it wasn't worth the trouble for three kids. As long as he apologized, they could move on.
That's just how fair and reasonable she was.
Draco Malfoy didn't apologize. A faint blush appeared on his pale cheeks as he stubbornly held his ground. "Are you looking for a fight?" he said.
The two burly lackeys stood dutifully in front of Malfoy, cracking their knuckles loudly—crack, crack—trying to show off their strength to the twins.
What do kids rely on when they fight?
Development.
And besides development?
It depends on which kid hits dirtier.
The twins didn't look scared at all—in fact, they looked like they were about to burst out laughing. They didn't even take Marcus Flint seriously, so why would they be afraid of two blockheads who only had size but no brains?
And after spending so much time with Eda, their days hadn't gone to waste—they'd picked up some of her short temper, too.
The crowd of onlookers was growing by the minute, and Eda was starting to lose patience. With a casual wave of her hand toward the two "gorillas" blocking the way, it looked as if both of their faces were slapped hard by an invisible hand—they toppled to the floor in unison.
Those two months working as bartender and hostess hadn't been for nothing—Eda had become even more skilled at wandless magic. What she just did was a simple release of magical energy—a small demonstration of her power.
She couldn't handle a fully-grown wizard yet, but dealing with two first-years? Easy. This was pure dimensional suppression—bullying, really.
That single wave of Eda's hand would go on to shock Harry for the entire year. He'd just been thinking about what he should do if a fight broke out—should he join the twins in the brawl, or team up with Ron to protect Eda?
Unlike Harry's shock, Draco Malfoy was completely stunned. The girl had only waved her hand, and Crabbe and Goyle were already on the ground. What was he supposed to do next?
But Malfoy didn't have time to think further—Fred and George had already stepped up beside him, each draping an arm over his shoulders. George asked, "So, are you going to apologize on your own, or do you want us to 'help' you?"
"Do you know who my father is?" Malfoy said in a panic. "He won't let you get away with this!"
"No idea," Fred replied sincerely, "but I'm pretty sure he's not either of us. Otherwise, you'd be named Weasley."
"Bahah. I really think you'd be better off apologizing. Honestly," he added.
"Do you know who my father is?" Malfoy repeated, voice rising in desperation. "He won't let you off!"
Eda couldn't stand this kind of "my-dad-is-powerful" attitude—because she had no one to flex on others with. Jealousy, pure and simple.
But she didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled and said, "Mr. Malfoy, we truly don't know who your esteemed father is. I personally suggest asking your mother—maybe you'll get a surprising answer."
"Pfft~"
Now Draco Malfoy was really scared. He could tell that these three didn't care at all about his status, and Crabbe and Goyle still hadn't managed to get up from the floor.
But with so many people watching… if he apologized now, how would anyone ever respect the Malfoy name again?
"What are you doing? Let him go right now!"
An angry voice rang out. A burly boy strode over and shoved the twins aside without even looking.
He turned to Malfoy with a strangely gentle tone and said, "Draco, are you alright? Just wait—I'll get revenge for you!"
The softness in his voice was seriously at odds with his hulking frame.
"Long time no see, Marcus."
Eda was still smiling. She thought the whole situation was getting more and more entertaining. Since school hadn't officially started yet, it was the perfect time to stir things up a little.
The newcomer was indeed Marcus Flint. All his attention had been on his "beloved Draco," so he hadn't even looked at who was standing across from them—he didn't realize he had just shoved Fred and George aside.
Now Marcus Flint deeply regretted his actions.
In trying to suck up to Malfoy, he had unintentionally offended Esmeralda Twist. And he hadn't forgotten how he lost his teeth.
Fred plopped himself right down on top of Crabbe, while George did the same to Goyle. The two goons tried to get up, but were immediately pinned down again, completely unable to move.
"Marcus, we've missed you so much!"
The twins said cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear.
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