Hogwarts Emerald

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"Did they catch them?" Eda asked while eating. "I don't know how Hogwarts deals with thieves."

Fred snatched the cake from Eda's hand and said, "Get a grip, will you..."

"If they were caught, why would I mention it?" George said.

"Someone stole something and didn't get caught... So what exactly was stolen?" Eda asked.

"The problem is, nothing was stolen!" the twins said in unison.

Someone was stealing at Hogwarts but didn't take anything. They were discovered but not caught. This move was quite baffling. What was the point of this? Eda finally shook off Snape's shadow and started to think.

"Who discovered it this time? Was it Filch again?" Eda asked, lagging behind on the news.

"A Ravenclaw student found that their belongings in the dorm had been moved, but neither their classmates nor their roommates had touched them," George said.

"Then more Ravenclaw students found the same thing," Fred said.

"Ravenclaw?" Eda asked. "Only Ravenclaw?"

"Yes, only the Ravenclaw students were talking about it at dinner. They also reported it to Professor Flitwick," George confirmed.

"Isn't it strange? The thief went through so many students' things but didn't take anything," Fred said with a laugh.

Eda had a thought. "Maybe they didn't find what they were looking for!"

"What could they be looking for in Ravenclaw? Other than books, there's not much else," Fred joked.

Ravenclaw housed the wise and knowledge-seeking young wizards and witches. It's said they even have a private library with a vast collection of books. On average, Ravenclaw students own the most books among the four houses.

The way to enter the Ravenclaw common room is simple: answer the question posed by the bronze door knocker correctly. This applies to students from other houses as well; if you answer correctly, you can enter without any password, as long as you're smart enough.

If this "theft" wasn't an inside job, it at least proved the thief was quite intelligent.

"I would really love for this 'thief' to visit Gryffindor," George said, pouring Eda a glass of pumpkin juice, fearing she might choke on her food.

Eda took the pumpkin juice and sipped it, saying, "Hoping to be visited by a thief—there probably aren't many in Hogwarts who share that sentiment."

"You'd be surprised. I think there are plenty who feel the same as us."

"Even though 'Mr. Thief' doesn't steal anything, we could make him a scapegoat!"

The twins' perspective on things was indeed unique, always thinking differently from others.

"For example, when Gryffindor is visited, we'll tell Professor McGonagall that our homework is missing!" Fred and George said in unison.

Eda rubbed her temples with her fingers and said to the brothers, "You two never cease to amaze me. Professor McGonagall has really struck gold with you."

"Even though we know Professor McGonagall won't believe us..."

"...life should still be full of hope. What if, just what if..."

After finishing all the food the twins brought back, Eda also took out her homework. She needed to finish it quickly, as the twins were eagerly waiting for her.

The next day was Saturday, and students went about their business as usual, unaffected by recent events. The thief's presence was far less intimidating than the person who had attacked Daniel, especially since this was a "thief" who didn't take anything.

Some Gryffindor students were even eager to catch the thief themselves. Although they wouldn't get a special contribution award, they might earn some points! If Dumbledore was generous, they might even have a chance to compete for the House Cup again.

A large group of Gryffindor students, wearing their red and gold scarves, spread out across the school, setting up a tight-knit surveillance network to monitor the school around the clock.

No matter where students from the other three houses went, they could see pairs of Gryffindor students, making their presence felt everywhere.

Charlie Weasley and the other student leaders kept silent about the actions of the Gryffindors, even helping to organize them a bit. To everyone, this small-time thief was already considered Gryffindor's quarry.

Eda and her friends didn't participate in the operation. The older students didn't take the first and second-year kids with them, thinking they might not even be able to "keep watch" properly. They figured it was better to wait until they were older.

By dinner time, the large-scale Gryffindor manhunt hadn't yielded any results. As long as this thief wasn't foolish, he wouldn't conduct his thievery on a weekend, especially with a large group of Gryffindors lying in wait.

The atmosphere at the Gryffindor table was slightly subdued, contrasting sharply with its usual rowdiness. The older students discussed their next steps and the measures needed to succeed. A small setback couldn't shake the determination of the Gryffindors.

Eda looked at the twins, whose eyes were red like rabbits, and asked, "What happened to you two? Did you have a big cry?"

"We've been watching the Marauder's Map all day," George said weakly as he sat beside Eda. "I feel like my eyes are going blind!"

"If we had discovered something, it would have been worth it. But now it feels like it was all for nothing," Fred added, looking just as miserable.

Eda, puzzled by the sudden enthusiasm of the twins, asked, "Weren't you two hoping 'Mr. Thief' would steal your homework yesterday? Why are you so eager to catch him today?"

"Of course, it's for the points. What else?"

"It's rare to have such an interesting way to earn points, so of course, we have to give it a try."

No need to sit quietly in class and answer questions or act cute, just catch the small-time thief—this kind of thing naturally attracted the twins. They didn't just love pranks; they also loved interesting activities.

"The common room is crowded on weekends. Who would choose this time to steal something and risk getting caught?" Eda said earnestly. "So, you should just give up. Besides, there are so many people on the map. Can you keep an eye on everyone?"

The twins had been staring at the map for so long, they probably hadn't blinked much. Watching all the common rooms would only make it harder; trying to distinguish all the names crammed into the small space was mentally exhausting.

"Do you think Dumbledore will compensate us for our eyes?" the twins asked in unison.

"You should go to Madam Pomfrey," Eda replied, silently adding in her mind, Don't worry, you won't go blind. I used to sit in front of a computer all day, and I didn't go blind. You're not even close.

As Eda was enjoying her dinner, a Slytherin student appeared behind her.

"Twist."

Eda turned around to see a Slytherin upperclassman standing behind her. The upperclassman handed Eda a note and said, "This is from our head of house."

After delivering the message, the Slytherin walked away. Eda looked at the note, which read: 7:30 PM, Potions classroom.

The "summons" she had worried about all day had finally come. She had hoped Snape had forgotten about her during dinner, but it seemed she had been too optimistic about Snape's kindness.

The twins wanted to give Eda a sympathetic look, but their red eyes conveyed less sympathy and more jealousy at how Eda could "enjoy Snape's exclusive attention."

Eda continued to eat her dinner without enthusiasm. While she was actually pleased to get extra practice in potion-making, having Snape standing over her turned the joy into a chore.

At 8 PM, Eda had already spent thirty minutes in the basement processing raw materials and another thirty minutes trying to learn from Snape's methods. It wasn't really eavesdropping, just a scholar's pursuit of knowledge.

Since entering the classroom, Snape had been sparing with his words, not saying a single thing to Eda. All his instructions were given through gestures and glances, as if speaking to Eda would be beneath him.

And so, these two people who found each other intolerable coexisted peacefully in the basement classroom. The only sounds were Eda's material processing and Snape's potion-making.

As her skills improved, Eda became more adept at handling the raw materials, allowing her to focus more on Snape. Observing a potion master at work up close was a dream for many potion students. Although she couldn't fully understand some of Snape's methods, she still learned a lot.

As curfew approached, Snape had Eda stop. While tidying up her tools, Eda suddenly felt a reckless impulse and decided to ask Snape a question. "Professor, do you know about the theft in Ravenclaw?"

Snape crossed his hands and, still sparing with words, replied, "Yes."

"Do you have any thoughts on it?" Eda carefully chose her words to avoid irritating the old bat.

Snape said, "What does it matter to you? You may go."

Eda wasn't disappointed by Snape's guarded response. Not getting any information was expected. After tidying up, Eda turned to leave the classroom. Just as she reached the door, Snape called her back.

"Miss Twist, if you don't want to face me every day from now on, just go back to the common room and don't go anywhere." Snape said the longest sentence of the night, "I really don't want to see you, so you'd better not let me catch you in the corridor or the second-floor girls' lavatory"

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