Hogwarts Emerald

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Eda was shocked to see the person in front of her—it was the same Slytherin senior who had delivered the note to her earlier that evening!

Her immediate reaction of casting a spell was somewhat rash, but if given another chance, she might still do the same.

Acting first was often the best approach.

The unsettling environment around the dungeon classroom had prompted her to strike first.

Why was she here? Why had she lured Eda here? Eda silently pondered these questions while gripping her wand tightly, prepared for any move the senior might make.

Eda didn't know this senior. This evening was the first time they had spoken. The only previous encounter Eda had with her was in Fawley's support group. On the day Fawley left Hogwarts, this girl had been the one crying the hardest, and those around her had called her Eirene.

Eda had no idea how she might have offended Eirene. The only connection between them seemed to be that they both bid farewell to Fawley.

Eirene didn't respond to Eda. As she stepped closer, the mockery on her face grew more pronounced. She waved her wand, and a blue spell shot towards Eda.

Eda quickly dodged, and the spell hit the wall, blasting a large hole into it. The flying debris left Eda a bit disheveled, but she didn't have time to worry about that. She raised her wand, aiming at the doorway.

As Eirene stepped out of the classroom, Eda cast another spell, "Stupefy!" The spell shot quickly towards Eirene.

The distance between them was short, and the spell reached Eirene in an instant. Eirene, however, blocked the spell with a wave of her wand. After deflecting Eda's attack, Eirene unleashed four consecutive spells at Eda, beginning her counterattack.

Eda dodged frantically, using defensive spells like the Shield Charm to block the attacks she couldn't evade.

As Eda successfully blocked those spells, Eirene's expression finally changed, revealing a mix of curiosity and resentment.

Is Hogwarts' education really this good? A senior student who hasn't even graduated can pull off a series of nonverbal spells? Eda thought to herself.

"Expelliarmus!" Eda shouted, sending a bright red light straight toward Eirene.

The Disarming Charm—a seemingly simple yet the most powerful spell. At least this was how the system described it.

Eda had always believed this as well, so she had diligently practiced it ever since she learned it.

If your opponent loses their wand, they're as good as defeated. Not many can perform wandless magic, and those who can wouldn't be hit by your Disarming Charm in the first place.

The exact origin of this spell is unclear. Some claim it was invented by Merlin; others say it was popular in Madagascar during the eleventh century, though it wasn't widely used at the time.

A more credible theory suggests that the spell was created by Elizabeth Smudgelin, who won a dueling championship using the Disarming Charm.

It was after that duel that this spell, known for disarming and sometimes even repelling opponents, truly gained popularity.

Eda didn't care much about who invented the spell. Right now, she just hoped her powerful strike would knock the wand out of Eirene's hand. The four consecutive nonverbal spells had put a lot of pressure on her.

But Eirene, the Slytherin, merely flicked her wand, easily deflecting the powerful Disarming Charm. It was a disappointing outcome, considering the high praise the system had given the spell.

The two had already exchanged several spells, causing quite a commotion, yet no one came to investigate the corridor. It felt like a gladiatorial arena, where only one of them would walk out standing.

Eirene silently cast another spell, a faint red light shooting toward Eda.

"Protego!" Eda quickly raised her wand to block it. The spell struck the invisible shield, but her wand felt like it might fly out of her hand, forcing her to grip it even tighter.

"Imperio!" Eirene finally spoke, casting the only verbal spell she had used so far—the Imperius Curse, one of the Unforgivable Curses.

Eirene, who had originally been standing in front of Eda, suddenly appeared behind her. The Disarming Charm she had cast earlier was just a decoy; her true intention was to cast the Imperius Curse from behind.

Hogwarts had protections in place that prohibited Apparition, so Eda never expected Eirene to suddenly appear behind her.

The curse struck Eda from behind. If it had been the Killing Curse, she'd be nothing more than a pretty corpse right now.

At that moment, Eda's mind went blank. Being attacked by Eirene wasn't even a concern anymore. Hogwarts' restrictions on Apparition? Who cared? All she felt now was happiness, overwhelming happiness, making everything else seem insignificant.

The system in her mind kept ringing with a "ding... ding... ding" sound.

Slowly, as Eda sank deeper into the bliss, she began to realize something was wrong. She started to muster all her strength to fight against the "happiness" that was clouding her mind, trying to resist its influence.

The techniques to resist the Imperius Curse had some similarities with Occlumency. Eda knew Occlumency, but she wasn't proficient. The only thing she had mastered was preventing others from accessing her memories and secrets.

Occlumency was the first magic the system had taught Eda, but she had always learned it passively.

She could resist Legilimency, but when it came to the Imperius Curse, she found herself struggling. If Eda had practiced Occlumency more diligently, she wouldn't have been so easily affected by the Imperius Curse.

Ultimately, it was her own lack of preparation that had led to this vulnerability.

Eirene's wand was still pointed at Eda as she deepened the spell, continuing to exert influence over Eda. In the end, the one who controls the mind is the one who wins.

Seeing that the spell had taken effect, Eirene finally lowered her wand.

She cast a spell to repair the damage they had caused, and the corridor was restored to its original state, showing no signs that a battle had taken place there.

Eda heard a command in her mind: Follow me.

She continued to struggle against it, but her body was no longer under her control. She followed Eirene, her movements mechanical.

As they left the corridor, Eda, under the influence of the Imperius Curse, followed Eirene like a puppet. Although other students saw them, they didn't think much of it.

They were simply puzzled to see a Gryffindor and a Slytherin together, never suspecting that the terrifying Imperius Curse was at play.

The two left the castle, disappearing into the night without anyone noticing.

Around eight o'clock, the twins, having finished their punishment, returned to the common room. Arm in arm, they walked in, but when they didn't see Eda, they headed over to Angelina.

"Hey, Angelina!" Fred greeted. "Where's Eda? We don't see her around."

Angelina rested her chin on her hand and said gently, "Snape called her away. She left you this food and a note."

The twins took the tray of food, happily munching on the sandwiches prepared by the house-elves. George asked, "When did she leave?"

"Less than half an hour ago," Alicia replied, gesturing for them to look at the note Eda had left behind. "Snape asked her to go to the dungeons at eight."

"Eight? Why would he choose such a time?" George said, puzzled.

Fred unfolded the note, which simply read: Professor Snape asked me to go to the dungeons at eight. – Eda.

The twins had been eating at a normal pace, but after seeing the note, they began to devour their sandwiches rapidly, finishing them in just a few bites.

Their speed was astonishing, leaving Angelina and Alicia wide-eyed. It was almost inhuman how fast they ate.

The twins hurriedly climbed the stairs back to their dormitory.

There was an ink blot on the note, something they normally wouldn't have paid attention to if it had been anyone else's note. But with Eda, it was different.

The twins had been copying Eda's homework for a long time, and they were well aware of her meticulous writing habits. They knew she would never leave an ink blot like that unless it was intentional.

Back in the dormitory, the twins quickly pulled out the Marauder's Map.

They needed to see where Eda was—they believed that the ink blot was a deliberate mark, a sign meant to alert them to something.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Ink lines spread across the parchment as the twins activated the Marauder's Map.

They first looked at the dungeons, where Eda usually was when Snape called her. But this time, not only did they not see Eda, they couldn't even see Snape—only Mrs. Norris.

The twins continued their search. They spotted Snape on the fifth floor, and soon he moved up to the sixth floor, but there was no sign of Esmeralda Twist's name beside him.

The twins grew increasingly anxious. To speed things up, they decided to split the task: Fred focused on searching inside the castle, while George checked outside.

"I found her! Eda's in the Forbidden Forest!" George finally located Eda's name, represented by a small black dot moving towards the Forbidden Forest.

Fred also looked over, and as soon as they saw Eda's name, a sense of dread settled over the brothers.

"Why is Eda with him? And why are they going to the Forbidden Forest?"

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