The girls' dormitory was a mess on Christmas morning, with colorful wrapping paper scattered all over the floor. It wasn't until Eda had washed up and changed her clothes that she finally cleaned it up.
After half a semester of practice, Eda had become increasingly proficient at using nonverbal spells.
Many of the spells used in daily life, she could now cast silently.
She could also cast combat spells nonverbally, though the effectiveness was still a bit lacking—something that needed more practice.
Dressed and ready, Eda left the dormitory and followed the stairs down to the common room. Since it was the holiday break, not many students had stayed behind. In the common room, Eda saw only a few familiar Weasley figures horsing around.
Fred and George, both wearing matching blue sweaters, were forcibly trying to pull a sweater over Percy. The twins didn't care whether Percy agreed or not—they wrestled the sweater onto him anyway.
His glasses were knocked askew, and his hair looked like a bird's nest.
Ron, wearing a maroon sweater, and Harry, in a bright green one, were sitting nearby enjoying the show. As expected, Harry had also received a hand-knit Weasley sweater his very first year.
Eda sat down in an armchair as the twins finally gave Percy a break and came over to join her.
With his arms still trapped by the sweater, Percy had to turn to Ron for help. Ron helped him pull off the sweater marked with a large letter "P," which Percy then set aside.
"Does that 'P' stand for 'Prefect' or for 'Percy'?" Eda asked with a bright smile.
Seeing even Eda ask the question made Percy's already-red face turn even redder. He stammered, "Of course it… stands for Percy. Just like your 'E' stands for your name."
"Mum would never think you'd forget your own name," Fred said, pointing to the "G" on his own chest. "So this definitely stands for 'Prefect.'"
"Maybe I should suggest to Mrs. Weasley that she change the single 'P' to two. That way it could stand for both 'Prefect' and 'Percy,'" Eda said solemnly, as if she really would make such a suggestion to Mrs. Weasley.
"Why not three?" George held up three fingers. "Then it could mean 'Pitiful,' 'Prefect,' and 'Percy.' When Mum comes back from Romania, I'm writing her a letter!"
The three of them teased the blushing Percy as they sat together, all wearing blue sweaters. If Eda's hair were fiery red, the three of them could've passed for triplets.
"Eda, what's that in your hand?" Harry asked, noticing the magazine she'd been holding.
Fred snatched the magazine from Eda's hands and flipped it open to the bookmarked page. He read aloud: "Vanishing Spells and Conjuring Spells… Authors: Minerva McGonagall, Esmeralda Twist…"
"So you just wanted to show off that your name is in that Transfiguration magazine you always read?" George tilted his head. "We don't care whether you're published or not—we just want to know if you got paid."
"Compared to seeing my name in print, the payment is insignificant," Eda said, snatching the magazine back. "Who knows, maybe your future Transfiguration textbook will be written by me!"
Fred shook his head and said, "I don't think we'll make it that far. Right, George?"
"Exactly." George walked over to Ron, patted him on the shoulder, and said solemnly, "Ron, we're counting on you. If it comes to it, just repeat a few years—whatever it takes to still be around when Eda writes the textbook."
"Absolutely not, Mum would kill me!" Ron shook his head firmly. Between Mrs. Weasley and Eda, it was clear that Mrs. Weasley was far more terrifying.
The group sat together chatting idly about everyday things—no Philosopher's Stone, no Quirrell, no Snape. Sitting next to Ron, Harry quietly savored the moment. This was the kind of life he wanted.
Three red-haired boys came charging into the Great Hall, accompanied by a blonde girl and a black-haired boy. Behind them, another red-haired boy was being dragged in.
Naturally, the one being dragged in was Percy. The twins had taken him by each arm and hauled him along, while Percy kept shouting things like "Let me go!" and "No running or horsing around in the corridors!"
The professors at the staff table didn't scold the Weasley family's dramatic entrance—instead, they all looked on with smiles. Even the usually stern Professor McGonagall was laughing happily.
Just like the last time she stayed at school over Christmas, Eda made her way to the staff table before the Christmas feast began to "bribe" the professors.
Her robe pockets were bulging, stuffed with all sorts of candy. She had made a special trip back to her dorm before leaving the common room to fill them—grabbing a handful from each box.
Professor McGonagall looked at Eda with amusement as she handed out her candy bribes. She wore the gold-and-red scarf Eda had given her—it wasn't exactly well-made, but she genuinely liked it.
One glance and you could tell the scarf was the work of a beginner. Some sections had more gold, others more red.
As for the lion knitted into the scarf—well, it barely resembled anything. If Professor McGonagall weren't a Gryffindor, she swore she wouldn't have guessed what that pattern was supposed to be.
This, sadly, was Eda's most successful creation—the rest of the defective ones had all been handed off to the twins.
Eda had originally thought of giving one to Winnie, but house-elves wouldn't accept "clothing," so she had no choice but to give the rejects to the twins.
Though it couldn't compare to store-bought ones in appearance, Professor McGonagall valued the sentiment behind it more. That's why she wore the scarf to the feast.
At first, the other professors were puzzled—why would Professor McGonagall wear such an ugly scarf, and wear it out in public no less? But once they learned it had been hand-knitted by Eda, their puzzlement turned into envy.
Among the envious professors, two faces stood out with particularly strange expressions.
One was Snape—his sallow face visibly darkened. The other was Dumbledore, who suddenly felt that his wool socks were a bit scratchy on his feet.
Eda gave her candy bribes to every professor she had classes with.
Even Quirrell received a handful—truly equal distribution of resources, a model of fair and balanced "water-carrying."
Seeing Quirrell's "overwhelmed with honor" expression, Eda even told him to "keep it up."
Whether she meant to encourage him to teach properly or to hurry up and steal the Philosopher's Stone—that was entirely up to Quirrell to interpret.
When Eda stood in front of Snape with a look of disdain, his expression was even more disdainful than hers.
"...."
"....."
The two of them frowned at each other in mutual disgust.
Looking at that still-greasy hair, Eda mentally complained: I gave you an entire set of scented shampoos. With so many scents, is there really not one you like? Will washing your hair kill you?
Snape had his own complaints. He wasn't bothered by the gift-giving itself—he had actually been quite pleased when he first received the present. But the moment he opened the box, that happiness vanished instantly.
Snape wanted to ask Eda: What exactly are you trying to say by giving me a whole box of shampoo?
Especially after arriving at the Great Hall and catching sight of Professor McGonagall—just one glance, and Snape immediately understood what that scarf around the Deputy Headmistress's neck was all about. That only made him even more upset.
With a darkened face, Snape accepted the candy. But neither he nor Eda noticed that Quirrell was secretly observing them at that moment.
Only after seeing the mutual disgust on both their faces did Quirrell shift his gaze away, turning to look at Harry among the students.
Eda had just placed the candy in front of Dumbledore and was about to leave when she heard him mutter softly, "Maybe because it's store-bought, but these wool socks are a bit scratchy…"
It looked like Dumbledore was just talking to himself, but the words were clearly meant for Eda.
Even at over a hundred years old, Dumbledore was still quite the actor—unlike some people…
Yes, you—Quirinus Quirrell. Learn something!
The final stop at the staff table was, as always, Professor McGonagall. Just like before, Eda emptied the rest of the candy from her pockets in front of her.
Professor McGonagall pointed to the scarf around her neck and said, "I really like this scarf—especially after hearing how scratchy new wool socks can be."
The old and the young turned simultaneously to look at the overly serene Dumbledore, and their laughter made him feel particularly noisy…
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