The gamekeeper of Hogwarts now possessed a dragon of unknown origin—a matter that should have attracted serious attention at this point in time. However, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were focused only on getting rid of the troublesome dragon to protect their friend Hagrid.
The origin of the dragon, and the deeper meaning hidden behind it, failed to draw the attention of the young trio.
Perhaps Eda's reminder would make them take the matter more seriously, or perhaps it would go in one ear and out the other—but either way, it no longer mattered to Eda. She had no intention of getting further involved.
Who the person was that gave Hagrid the dragon egg, why he approached Hagrid, and when Quirrell might make his move—none of it had much to do with Eda anymore.
Protecting the Philosopher's Stone was a trial Dumbledore had arranged for Harry, not a game prepared for Eda. She couldn't just interfere however she liked.
After leaving the hospital wing, Eda headed to the Ancient Runes classroom. She stepped inside just as the bell rang. If she had lingered in the infirmary even a moment longer, she would've been late.
Professor Babbling picked up right where the last lesson had left off, continuing to translate an ancient manuscript.
This manuscript recorded a certain ancient wizard's discourse on the origin of magic. The runes used were relatively simple, making it an ideal reading for beginners in Ancient Runes.
Ancient Runes originated from the Nordic and Germanic peoples, once widely used across the Scandinavian Peninsula and the British Isles. In addition to being used to write magical manuscripts, the runes themselves were believed to possess mystical power.
The magical world generally believes that modern magic also originates from the Nordic region.
If one wants to unravel the mysteries of magic's origin, then Ancient Runes are something that cannot be avoided.
Eda was very interested in the origins of magic and hoped she could explore the powers of the ancients through these mysterious symbols, thereby improving her own magical mastery.
Professor Babbling had already explained the translated manuscript in full, and while the students were organizing their notes, she began to talk about Norse mythology related to Ancient Runes.
Freyr, the god of fertility, prosperity, love, and peace; Hagr, the god of obstacles and hardship; and Tyr, the god of war—these three gods were referred to in Ancient Runes as "Aetts," each Aett being a group within the runic alphabet.
Professor Babbling was still enthusiastically speaking from the lectern, but once again, she had gone off-topic.
From Ancient Runes, she had digressed into Norse mythology, and from Norse mythology, she had moved on to criticize the ineffectiveness of the Ministry of Magic.
If no one reminded her, the topic would likely shift again within the next five to ten minutes.
You could never quite grasp Professor Bathsheda Babbling's rhythm, so it was impossible to predict what her next wildly off-track topic might be. It could be the latest release from Twilfitt and Tatting's, or the current state of runic scholars, or perhaps she'd circle back to the actual course content.
Still, the students in the classroom had no complaints about Professor Babbling's habitual tangents. Her rants sounded amusing, often more like jokes, and they gave these not-yet-grown children a glimpse into the adult world.
Eda compared notes with Cedric sitting next to her, and once they had confirmed everything was accurate, she focused on listening to Professor Babbling's complaints.
Eda didn't need to understand the world of adults, but she did need to understand the world of adult wizards. If nothing unexpected happened, four years from today she'd have to start thinking seriously about her future career.
"Why does she have so much to say in every single class?" Cedric asked with confusion, then immediately answered his own question. "Must be because she doesn't see many people normally and bottles it all up."
While holding his quill and correcting the mistakes in his notes, Cedric continued, "You don't talk much either. Are you going to end up like her one day?"
"With comments like that, how do all those girls fawning over you even put up with you?" Eda retorted.
At this rate, Cedric was walking the path of eternal singledom even more determinedly than Fred and George. He had the looks, the brains, and a father who worked at the Ministry of Magic—everything going for him except that awfully blunt mouth of his.
"I'm just treating you like one of my own," Cedric said. "I'm being direct—asking what I want to ask. Don't change the subject. Just answer my question!"
"We're in class. Should I be talking, or should the professor?" Eda shot back. "Besides, I talk plenty. But even the chattiest person can't keep a conversation going when you keep killing it."
Was Cedric really a conversation killer? Of course not.
Besides his handsome face, it was his easygoing personality and friendliness that made him so popular. But in front of Eda, Cedric didn't want to try too hard to be charming or witty.
It was enough for them to talk honestly for a bit, maybe discuss schoolwork—no need to exhaust themselves.
Before class ended, Professor Babbling finally steered the topic back to the curriculum, but it was too late. The lesson couldn't be finished and would have to carry over to the next class.
As expected, no one could become a Hogwarts professor without being at least a little fucked up—Ehm—odd. If you weren't eccentric, you'd feel too out of place to even talk to the other staff.
After class, Eda and Cedric headed to the Great Hall together. As they passed the hourglasses used for House points, Cedric said, "Congratulations, Eda."
"Congratulations for what?" Eda was a bit confused—what was this sudden congratulation about?
"Your House points!" Cedric explained to Eda. "I didn't even notice, but you've already pulled way ahead of Slytherin. This year, you've got a real shot at winning the House Cup!"
This year, Gryffindor was living up to its name as "Pointfinder." The rubies in the hourglass had surpassed second-place Slytherin by nearly forty points. There was still more than a month left in the school year. As long as nothing unexpected happened, and with this momentum, Gryffindor had a solid chance at victory.
Not to mention, they still had one Quidditch match to play!
"Anything can happen. Don't forget, Slytherin still has Professor Snape," Eda said modestly. She wasn't accepting Cedric's jinx—especially not this early.
"Haha~ As long as you, Fred, and George keep yourselves in check, that forty-point lead will last quite a while," Cedric said.
Professors usually deducted points in ones or fives—ten points was already a big deal. Except for Snape, who docked points like it was nothing, most professors only deducted to help students learn from mistakes.
And with the end of term approaching, professors would be more cautious with point deductions. As long as nobody caused serious trouble, that forty-point advantage could indeed hold.
Looking at the hourglass filled to the brim with red gems, Eda also felt this really might be Gryffindor's year.
In the days ahead, as long as the young lions stayed cautious in both study and daily life—giving Snape no opportunity to deduct points—they could hold their lead. If they could also earn a few extra points from other professors to widen the gap, the House Cup would naturally be theirs.
As long as they managed to do those two things, no matter how biased Snape was, neither he nor his Slytherins would have any chance of making a comeback. The decorations in the Great Hall could finally get a long-overdue change.
That was what Eda thought, and it was what the other Gryffindors thought as well.
Around the Gryffindor table, the young lions were all eagerly discussing how to secure their lead in the House Cup.
But among all those talking, there were two people who sat with furrowed brows and worry written all over their faces.
Those two were Harry and Hermione (Ron was still in the hospital wing). Hagrid and his dragon had been weighing heavily on their minds.
Until Norbert was safely sent away, they wouldn't be able to relax.
What made things worse was that Draco Malfoy from Slytherin had found out about the dragon—and he also knew that they were planning to send Norbert away on Saturday.
Just thinking about it made the two of them sigh constantly, afraid that one careless mistake would ruin an entire year of hard work for everyone.
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