Hogwarts Emerald

At night, Eda was hunched over her desk, working on her History of Magic assignment. The professors at Hogwarts always gave students plenty of homework, especially during the holidays.

Whether it was the brief Halloween break, the slightly longer Christmas and Easter holidays, or the extended two-month summer vacation, students were always loaded with assignments.

Before Eda arrived at the Burrow, the twins used to struggle through their homework, pulling at their hair in frustration. But since Eda had come to stay, they were like hungry little birds, eagerly waiting for her help. Finally, they were relieved from the burden of their schoolwork and no longer had to waste hours of their time on it.

However, since Eda had to work during the day, she hadn't done as much homework as the twins. Fred and George didn't dare disturb Eda in the evenings, fearing that they might not have anything to copy and would be left pulling their hair out again.

While Eda was working on her assignment, Ginny sat at the side of the desk, reading Eda's first-year textbooks. Ginny didn't find the material boring at all—she was completely absorbed in it.

The textbooks were second-hand ones Eda had bought at the start of the school year. They were a little worn but had no missing pages or faded text. Eda was careful with her books, so they were still in good condition.

Eda had a habit of writing notes in her books.

Anything the professors mentioned in class, or her own thoughts, she would jot down in the margins.

This habit made her books even more valuable, turning them into a treasure trove of knowledge—notes accumulated by a "top student."

These notes were also helpful to Ginny, allowing her to better understand the material in the textbooks.

"What did you all do today?" Eda asked casually as she tried to recall details about the Goblin Wars.

Ginny, flipping through the book, replied, "The boys were playing Quidditch in the morning. They didn't let me join, so I had to watch from the sidelines."

Ginny's tone was a bit dejected.

The Weasley boys never let her play Quidditch with them, even though she loved the game. The walls of her room were adorned with posters of the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team.

"It's fine if they don't let me play. I've been secretly riding their brooms since I was six," Ginny whispered, "and none of them ever noticed."

Eda looked at Ginny with surprise. Sneaking off with a broom showed Ginny's determination, and the fact that she hadn't been caught demonstrated her stealth. Was this girl planning to work in secret and then amaze everyone?

"Then practice hard. When the house team tryouts come around, you'll slap your brothers' smug faces!" Eda joked with a smile. "Let's see if they dare to leave you out after that!"

"Exactly! That's what I've been thinking too!" Ginny nodded vigorously. Ever since her brothers first excluded her from their Quidditch games, she'd been preparing for this.

The Weasley family had seven children, and a Quidditch team required seven players. It seemed like the Weasleys had practically bred a Quidditch team!

If Ron and Ginny both made it into Gryffindor and joined the team, that would mean every position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team would have been held by a Weasley at some point!

"After the school year starts, Fred and George will be trying out for the Quidditch team. You'd better give it your all too, Ginny!"

"I will! One day, I'll definitely be on the team. My dream is to become a professional Quidditch player," Ginny declared once again, full of determination.

Eda returned to her homework, while Ginny continued reading. Whenever Ginny came across something she didn't understand, she asked Eda. The two of them chatted sporadically in the small room until late into the night, when they finally went to bed.

At the Burrow, Eda lived a very happy life. Every day she went to Diagon Alley for work, and after her shift, she would return to the Burrow. Evenings were spent doing homework, chatting with the twins, and playing with Ginny before bed. Her days were packed full, leaving little room for boredom.

Day after day, the whole of July passed in a blur.

Eda received her pay—thirty Galleons in total from both jobs.

The pay from Flourish and Blotts was the same as the one from the Leaky Cauldron, but she spent much more time at the bookstore.

By the end of July, Flourish and Blotts had hired a few new assistants and no longer needed extra help. Eda, feeling tired of her daily battles with the owls delivering orders, decided to quit the bookstore job.

In the first week of August, everyone was gathered in the kitchen. Now that Eda only had one job at the Leaky Cauldron, which started at 10 a.m., she didn't have to wake up early anymore. She could now join the family for breakfast.

It was during breakfast that the Hogwarts letters arrived, delivered by owls. The envelopes were made of yellowish parchment with green ink. Hogwarts seemed to have a fondness for green; both the acceptance letters and the school notices were written in green ink.

The start date was still September 1st, and as usual, the students were to take the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross Station.

The letter also included a list of new books and supplies required for the year.

Ron and Ginny, who hadn't received letters, could only look longingly at their siblings' letters, full of envy. Eda, noticing Ginny's expression, deliberately held her letter low so Ginny could see it too.

As for Ron, there was little she could do, and George certainly didn't have Eda's level of thoughtfulness.

"Eda, do you know who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is this year?" Fred asked from across the table.

Working at the Leaky Cauldron gave Eda access to a lot of information, and she often shared interesting tidbits from the bar with the family.

"I don't know," Eda replied. "I ran into Hagrid at the bar, but he doesn't know who Dumbledore has invited either. He only heard a rumor that the new professor is an old friend of Dumbledore's."

"Dumbledore's friend? Doesn't that mean they'll be really old?" George leaned back lazily and said, "Old professors tend to be strict and boring."

"You can't say that," Charlie disagreed. "Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall aren't exactly young, but their classes are still interesting."

"I've never found any class boring," Percy said seriously, lecturing his younger twin brothers. "If a course exists, it must be valuable. The professors at Hogwarts must have unique insights into their subjects if they're teaching there..."

The twins exchanged glances and shrugged, clearly ignoring Percy's words. Ron and Ginny didn't pay much attention either; in this family, Percy's words carried the least weight.

"If it really is an old professor, I just hope he can survive the year," Eda said as she handed her letter to Ginny, letting her play with it.

Eda's words made everyone worry about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Last year's disaster was still fresh in their minds, and the idea of a new "victim" taking the post wasn't something anyone was eager to see.

The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts seemed like a cursed arena, with each new challenger—whether young or old—being knocked down one after the other. The role seemed to brush itself off and wait for the next contender.

"At least our family doesn't have a lot to buy this year," Charlie shifted the topic, lightening the mood. No need for such heavy talk so early in the morning. He had just checked Percy's and Fred's letters and saw that aside from textbooks, there wasn't much on the list.

The twins hadn't grown much since last year, so their old robes could last a bit longer. Charlie didn't need new ones either, as he hadn't grown this year. The only person who needed new robes was Percy, who had grown quite a bit. This greatly eased the burden on Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Eda also needed new school robes. She had grown a lot over the year, and the length they'd allowed for last year's robes was no longer enough. While she was at it, she thought she might pick out a few nice outfits as well.

In fact, Eda wanted to buy things for the twins too. She still had plenty of Galleons left from the money she'd exchanged last year, not to mention her summer wages and the gold she had stashed away in her small pouch. She wasn't short on money for the time being.

However, the twins outright refused her offer.

If Mrs. Weasley hadn't forbidden them, they would've gone to work with Eda themselves. They couldn't take her money—friends didn't do that. As for the flying broomstick joke, no one took that seriously.

Though the twins were short on money, they had their own principles and boundaries. They had never befriended Eda with any ulterior motives.