The atmosphere in the carriage was growing more and more tense. When Malfoy saw Flint arrive, he felt reinvigorated. Flint's fighting ability far surpassed that of Crabbe and Goyle—and he hadn't come alone.
The crowd of onlookers also grew steadily larger, fully embodying the "the more chaos, the better" attitude. They were now practically hoping the two groups would start a fight. Gryffindor versus Slytherin—two forces head-to-head—what an exhilarating scene!
And everyone from the upper years was also curious to see if Esmeralda Twist was really as terrifying as the lower-year students claimed. Hearing is believing, but seeing is truth. Many hadn't quite understood what Eda had just done. They had no idea how those two henchmen had ended up falling over.
The murmurs from the other students naturally reached Malfoy's ears, and the fire that had just ignited in his heart was quickly doused. From their chatter, Malfoy learned that the blonde girl facing him was named Twist—and he also realized that provoking her today had been a grave mistake.
To be fair, Malfoy was a bit wronged. He had only come over to introduce himself to Harry Potter, not to pick a fight. He'd come with good intentions, yet not only had he failed to make Harry's acquaintance, a conflict had erupted instead. He hadn't expected Twist to stand up for that unremarkable Weasley boy.
Eda pulled her wand from her pocket. She felt that Flint, being a repeating student, deserved a little respect—so she wouldn't go empty-handed.
Ron was a little worried this might get Eda into trouble. He tugged at her sleeve, but Eda just gave both him and Harry a reassuring look.
When Marcus Flint saw Eda draw her wand, his pupils shrank and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly held back the eager Slytherins behind him and said humbly,
"Miss Twist, Draco and I come from old family ties. Please give me three minutes to figure out the situation."
Why don't you just ask me for the time it takes to sing a song?
"Mhm." Eda thought to herself, but she still nodded in agreement and put away her wand. She figured there wasn't going to be a fight after all.
With a casual wave toward the snacks on the compartment seat, three Chocolate Frogs flew into Eda's hand. She tossed one to each of the twins and kept one for herself.
Not everyone had seen clearly how Eda had taken down Crabbe and Goyle earlier, but this time, they all saw her summon the Chocolate Frogs without a wand.
"Wandless magic!" Among the onlookers, there were still some who recognized what they were seeing, and their exclamations quickly spread the word of what had happened.
But as the story made its rounds, it started to grow—from Eda performing wandless magic, to Eda being able to crush a grown man with her bare hands. Who knew how exaggerated it would become next?
Flint whispered a few words to Malfoy. He didn't even need the full three minutes to understand the situation.
What he really wanted to ask Malfoy was: You little peacock, what were you thinking trying to befriend Harry Potter? Have you forgotten what kind of jobs the adults in your family have? And even if you wanted to meet Harry Potter, fine—but why in Merlin's name would you go and offend that little great Twist?
Last year, after being put in his place by Eda, Flint had been unwilling to let it go. He wrote home hoping for some backup. But instead of support, his family told him to hold his temper—his parents had just been warned by someone.
"Miss Twist, could we let this matter go? It's just a minor quarrel between kids," Flint said persuasively. He still had to protect Draco—support from the Malfoy family was important to the Flints.
"I'm only asking for an apology. Is saying 'I'm sorry' really that difficult?" Eda said. "I already apologized for my brother's rude behavior earlier."
It really was just a small matter. She had already shown humility—if Malfoy would just lower his head a little, it would all be over. But unfortunately, Malfoy was too obsessed with saving face, and that's why things had gotten to this point.
Flint still wanted to try, so he continued to persuade her, "Miss Twist, it's really not such a big deal. Draco's father—"
Of all things to bring up, he picked the worst one. The last thing Eda wanted was someone trying to play the "my dad is stronger than your dad" game. She slipped her hand back into her pocket and asked with a smile, "Is Mr. Malfoy's father Voldemort?"
As soon as those words left her mouth, the entire crowd around them froze. The sounds of shivering and people knocking things over filled the corridor. Flint, Malfoy, and the Slytherins behind them all trembled and showed obvious fear.
Fear of Voldemort was rooted deep in every wizard's heart. It wasn't just the magical taboo attached to the name—it was the name itself. Even though he'd been defeated by Harry Potter, people were still terrified.
"N-no, he's not," Flint stammered.
"Then what reason does he have not to apologize?" Eda asked. "Is Malfoy's pride real pride, while mine is just something to be stepped on?"
Her hand remained in her pocket, and that same smile still hung on her face. Flint vividly remembered that this was exactly the expression Eda wore last year—right before she beat him up. He worried she'd draw her wand and hex Draco any second now.
Flint had guessed right—Eda's hand in her pocket was indeed gripping her wand, ready for anything that might break out.
What he didn't guess, however, was that the spell she'd planned to use on him had been upgraded to the "Lightning-Five-Strike Combo"—more power, same price. A real bargain.
"I'm sorry," Flint said, having no other option. "I apologize to Mr. Weasley on behalf of Draco." Flint didn't want anything to happen to Draco Malfoy, and he certainly didn't want to get beaten up again himself. So he chose to resolve it with an apology—for now. They could deal with the rest later.
Having already taken a beating before, Flint had learned to be smart about it. Since Eda had apologized on Ron's behalf, he copied her and apologized on Draco's behalf. That way, Eda really couldn't press the matter further, unless she wanted to look completely unreasonable in front of everyone.
With her tacit approval, Flint led Malfoy away. Before leaving, Malfoy didn't glare at Eda—the one who'd really embarrassed him—but instead shot a fierce glare at Harry. That, perhaps, was the pull of destiny.
Back in their own compartment, Flint leaned in and said quietly to Malfoy, "I'll report this to Professor Snape. And you should tell Mr. Malfoy about it, too. That filthy Mudblood is getting way too full of herself!"
Now that the fight wasn't happening, the onlookers dispersed. But they still felt like they'd gotten plenty out of today—Eda's wandless magic alone would be something to talk about for a while.
At the compartment door, only Eda, the twins, Ron, Harry, and the previously sharp-tongued brown-haired girl remained. The girl seemed quite concerned about Harry and Ron, although her concern for Harry was clearly a notch higher.
Looking at Ron, Eda thought to herself, Little bro, your starting line in life is way behind Harry's, huh?
She'd originally planned to lecture Ron a little—mocking someone's name was impolite, after all. But then she thought, who was she to talk? She wasn't exactly a shining example of virtue either. So she held her tongue and left the compartment with the twins without another word.
After seeing Eda and the twins off, and also saying goodbye to Hermione Granger, Harry finally slid the compartment door shut. He turned to Ron, who was slumped in his seat, and asked, "Ron, is your family close with Esmeral— I mean, with Eda?"
Ron sat up straighter and replied, "Eda's in the same year as Fred and George, but Mum and Dad really like her. They treat her like a daughter. She moved in with us last year, and she'll probably keep living with us. Ginny and I see her as an older sister. The wand I'm using was actually a gift from her!"
"That way she cast spells just now—are there a lot of people in the wizarding world who can do that?" Harry continued asking. He still had so many questions.
Ron wasn't entirely sure about this one. He answered, "Probably not many. Mum and Dad can't do it, and even Bill and Charlie, who've already graduated, can't either. Eda's a genius. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall at school both really like her."
Eda was the first person who showed Harry that the world wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface, so he was full of curiosity about her. He wanted to become as powerful as she was.
The Hogwarts Express chugged northward, drawing ever closer to the school.
Finally, as the sky darkened, it pulled into Hogsmeade Station.
Usually, getting off the train was a crowded affair, but this year was completely different. The students all kept a wide berth around Eda, as if she gave off some kind of repelling odor.
Word of Eda's conduct on the train—and her astonishing wandless magic—had spread throughout the entire train. Everyone was afraid of offending her, and since they couldn't afford to provoke her, they figured it was better to just stay far away. That, at least, couldn't go wrong, right?
Thanks to Eda, the other five also got off the train with ease, without having to be swept along in the crush of the crowd.
On the platform stood Hagrid's towering figure, calling out his usual line: "Firs'-years, this way!" As soon as his deep voice rang out, a group of tiny first-years clustered around him. Harry and Ron were among them.
Watching the group of first-years, Eda suddenly thought of something and asked, "Fred, George, did either of you tell Ron how the Sorting works?"
"Of course not. Hahaha! We even made the Sorting Ceremony sound terrifying! Ron probably thinks he has to fight some kind of beast," Fred said, as if Eda were being ridiculous to even ask.
"When we started school, Charlie and Percy didn't tell us anything about the Sorting Ceremony either—we spent ages worrying for nothing. So why should we tell Ron?" George countered. This kind of suffering wasn't meant to be endured alone—Ron had to experience it too!
Keeping the Sorting Ceremony a secret really seemed to be a family tradition. A proper loving family indeed—one trap after another. Who knows how Ron will prank Ginny next year!
The six of them, stomachs growling with hunger, squeezed into the same carriage. The moment the door shut, the Thestrals pulling it set off toward the castle. The feast in the Great Hall was waiting for them. A new term was waiting for them.
Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel