Fred and George were not the type to talk big and do nothing. Since they had thought of a solution—no matter how unreliable—they were determined to carry it out. As they said themselves: treat a dead horse like a living one and give it a shot.
Without wasting any time, the twins dragged Eda out of the Twilight Shack. They half-pulled, half-dragged her all the way back to the castle. Every student who saw the three of them along the way looked stunned—broad daylight, skies clear and bright, and now even abducting girls was this brazen?
Eda was forcibly hauled back to the Gryffindor common room and pinned into an armchair.
George stayed behind to watch her while Fred ran off to the boys' dormitory to find Oliver Wood.
The common room was still bustling, as it usually was on weekends, but no one paid much attention to George and Eda. One was one of the school's reigning prank kings, and the other was the notoriously fierce Eda—not worth meddling with.
Besides, everyone's attention was still focused on Harry Potter. Most conversations still revolved around him.
Fred and Oliver hadn't come down yet, but the three Chasers arrived first. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie had only intended to stop by and say hello, but George made them stay.
Another meeting right after the last one? The three girls were completely confused—had the twins found some kind of "secret weapon"?
After a while, Fred finally dragged Oliver down too. His short hair stuck out in all directions—it was clear he'd been pulling at it himself. The guy was clearly stressed out of his mind.
"What exactly are you two trying to do? I still need to go through the sign-ups and figure out who's most suitable for Seeker," Oliver grumbled as he flopped down into an armchair, clearly annoyed. If the twins didn't give him a good reason for all this, he was going to work them to death on the pitch.
"Yeah, Fred, we just finished a meeting—why are we having another one?" Angelina asked, with Alicia chiming in as well.
Only Eda and little Katie stayed silent. Eda honestly didn't know what to say at this point, while Katie Bell, being the youngest and just recently guaranteed a spot, had nothing to add.
"Of course it's to solve the crisis the team is facing. What else could it be for?" George replied matter-of-factly. Do you guys even know how exhausting it was to drag Eda back here? Obviously, this was all for the good of the team.
The flames in the fireplace crackled on, casting dancing shadows. The Quidditch team members fell into silence. They all knew what the team needed most right now, but there really didn't seem to be a good solution to the current predicament.
"Let's hear your idea. If it's a terrible one, you two are dead. Not even Charlie could save you," said Captain Wood, rubbing his temples hard, trying to stave off the incoming headache sure to be caused by the twins.
"We've already found you a Seeker!" Fred said excitedly. "Okay, maybe not a perfect fit, but definitely enough to get us through this tough spot. And Oliver, you'll never be knocked off your broom again!"
"Who?" the four of them asked in unison, their eight eyes fixed on the twins.
"This person is someone you're all very familiar with... Miss Esmeralda Twist!" the twins said dramatically, stepping aside and pointing toward Eda like they were presenting some grand prize.
"Um.. hey.." Eda gave a tiny wave in response.
Oliver Wood's hands twitched in midair like he was having a spasm—he clearly wanted nothing more than to give each of the twins a good whack on the head.
Angelina paused to find the right words, then said, "Eda's improved a lot, no doubt, but compared to someone like Cedric... she's still not quite there, is she?" Her tone wasn't mocking or dismissive—Angelina was simply stating the facts.
If Quidditch had an award for "Most Improved Player," Eda would win it hands down—not because she had become that impressive, but because she had started out that bad.
"We spend time with her every day, and Cedric's our neighbor—don't you think we know the gap between them?" George said firmly. "We didn't pick Eda because she's great on a broom. We value something else—don't go getting the wrong idea!"
"Alright then, let's hear what you two geniuses are thinking," said Wood through gritted teeth. "And once I've heard it, I'll decide your punishment."
Fred, full of confidence, said, "Relax. Our idea might sound ridiculous at first, but the more you think about it, the more sense it'll make. Eda can absolutely cover the gap in the short term."
"That's right. If we had another Seeker like Charlie, we wouldn't even be considering Eda. We wouldn't need to get this desperate," George added.
Having gotten the small talk out of the way, the twins explained the idea they'd come up with at the Twilight Shack: having Eda temporarily serve as the team's Seeker—or more accurately, as an enforcer-style Seeker.
Of course, this was only a stopgap solution. Once they found a proper Seeker, they could switch Eda out. But who knows? Maybe after a few official matches, Eda would have a sudden breakthrough.
While the twins enthusiastically laid out their plan, Eda sat quietly in the armchair, pretending she didn't exist. She really didn't think this load of nonsense was going to convince the rest of the team.
As they explained their idea, Fred and George also painted vivid scenarios of future matches.
The way they played off each other so seamlessly—it was no wonder their map outsold Eda's projects. The two of them were born salesmen.
At first, when they heard the proposal, Wood and the other three players frowned in disbelief, thinking the twins had completely lost it. But gradually, they began to realize that, while unconventional, the plan might actually be somewhat feasible—desperate times called for desperate measures.
Other people might not fully grasp Eda's abilities, but everyone present knew her very well. Wood had met her back in her first year, and Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were her roommates.
They might not know just how powerful Eda was, but they knew this much: among the current students, there probably wasn't anyone who could take her on.
Slytherin had mostly steered clear of Gryffindor these past two years precisely because of Eda's intimidating presence.
At first, only the younger students were afraid of provoking Gryffindor. But after Eda taught Flint a lesson last year, even the older Slytherins began to tread carefully.
No one's that foolish—if you can't deal with Eda, you're just asking for a beating. Who would willingly do that? You'd have to be insane.
Both Avery and Flint had been on the receiving end of Eda's "punishment." The first-year Dobby incident was also widely rumored to be her doing. And then there was her performance in class—students from all four houses knew that Eda Twist was not someone you wanted to mess with.
If Eda really ended up on the Quidditch pitch, she'd be like a nuclear deterrent among the Big Five—a strategic weapon. She wouldn't even need to lift a finger; just standing there would weaken the opponent's morale by thirty percent.
It might sound exaggerated, but after all, the students playing these matches were all underage. Their mental toughness couldn't compare to professional Quidditch players.
Seeing the others' eyes gradually light up, Eda quickly put a stop to the twins' vivid storytelling. If she let them keep going, she feared they'd have her flying in the 1994 Quidditch World Cup next.
"Don't you think what we're doing here—resorting to all these underhanded tactics—is kind of a Slytherin thing?" Eda finally spoke up. Things were spiraling out of control, and if she didn't step in now, it might really be too late.
"Well, maybe a little," Angelina admitted. "But you wouldn't actually need to do anything. Just being there is enough of a deterrent." Last time Slytherin knocked her off her broom, she'd ended up in the hospital wing for days. With Eda on the field, let's see if those two big Slytherin boys still dared to charge her!
Good~!
Fred shot Angelina a "nice one" look, and Angelina returned it with an approving nod. Mission accomplished!
Watching the two of them exchange secret signals, Eda completely lost her cool. Angelina, even you? I thought you were one of the good ones!
"Oliver, calm down and listen to me," Eda said, turning to Wood, the one with decision-making power. "Just think—what if they're not afraid of me? That new Slytherin, Malfoy, doesn't even fear Harry Po—"
"Fred, George, you two focus on helping Eda train over the next few days. I'll speak with Professor McGonagall about this," Oliver Wood began issuing orders. "I'll also keep an eye out for a suitable Seeker. But if we don't find one, Eda will take on the position in the upcoming matches!"
Oliver Wood had made the decision, and it was an incredibly hasty one. Without another word, he left the common room—there was no doubt he was heading straight to see Professor McGonagall.
After giving Eda a few words of encouragement, the three roommates also left, leaving only Eda and the twins behind. Fred and George crouched down beside her and said:
"Welcome, welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"
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