Dumbledore's appearance brought the morning commotion to an end. The students dispersed under the guidance of their respective house prefects.
Snape followed Dumbledore and disappeared at the end of the staircase, while Professor McGonagall held Eda tightly by the shoulder, giving her warmth and strength.
In the Gryffindor common room, the young lions had split into three groups, each standing or sitting in separate corners, clearly divided. But they were all discussing the same thing: speculating on the fate of Esmeralda Twist.
Attempting to attack a fellow student and refusing to heed a professor's warning—many believed Twist would undoubtedly be expelled by the furious headmaster. Soon, they thought, they'd see her return with her broken wand to pack her things.
Fred and George sat on an armchair, both clenching their fists so tightly their knuckles turned pale from the pressure. Breakfast provided by the house-elves was laid out on the coffee table, but no one around it reached for any food.
The twins stood up to head toward the dormitory, but Angelina quickly stopped them and asked, "Where are you two going?"
"To write to Dad. This whole thing isn't entirely Eda's fault," George said.
It was true Eda shouldn't have attempted to attack a student—that was her greatest mistake. But she hadn't started the incident. If Eda were really expelled while the true culprits got nothing more than a month's detention, it would be unbearably unfair.
"Get real. Do you really think Mr. Weasley alone could influence Dumbledore's decision?" Angelina asked.
"Then what? Just watch Eda get expelled? Or go to the Headmaster's office and beg Dumbledore for forgiveness?" Fred replied.
"Maybe... things aren't that bad," Alicia Spinnet said. "Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall have always liked Eda. Maybe she'll just get a harsh scolding, and not…"
Fred waved his hand to cut Alicia off, let out a mocking laugh, and said, "Don't be so naive, Alicia. Dumbledore? Right now he can't wait to throw Eda out, just to make room for his precious protégé!"
"No way. Gran says Professor McGonagall treats Eda like her own child. She won't let something like that happen," Neville mumbled softly, still looking down. He remembered the day they met Eda at St. Mungo's, and also his grandmother's praise of her.
Harry and Hermione, sitting nearby, were also very worried about Eda. But what the twins were saying left them completely confused—it was nothing like what Ron had told them.
According to Ron, Eda was Dumbledore's favorite student. He even went to the Burrow during the summer just to see her.
"What are you talking about—being thrown out and making room for his protégé? Isn't Eda Dumbledore's favorite student?" Harry finally voiced his confusion. But when he asked the question, the twins didn't even glance at him.
George remained silent, but Fred said outright, "It's all because of you! Because you…"
Fred didn't finish. George stopped him. Though George also believed it was Harry's arrival that caused Dumbledore to stop caring about Eda, he knew it wasn't Harry's fault. How Dumbledore felt wasn't something Harry could control.
Everyone gathered around the coffee table fell silent.
Each of them was thinking about that sentence—"It's all because of you."
Angelina and Alicia had already understood its meaning. Katie Bell was still a bit confused. Lee Jordan tried to calm Fred and George down, telling them not to get too worked up. Only by staying calm could they figure out a way to help Eda.
Hermione, too, understood what that sentence meant. Because of Harry's appearance, a rift had formed between Dumbledore and Eda. She just didn't know the exact reason behind that rift.
What happened today once again stemmed from Eda taking the blame for Harry—she was surrounded and insulted because of him, which led to her extreme reaction.
Only Harry still hadn't understood why it was because of him. It wasn't that he was stupid, he just hadn't fully realized how high his status was, or what kind of impact his presence could have on the people around him.
The entrance to the common room opened, and Professor McGonagall walked in. Every student in the room turned their eyes toward her. She headed in the direction of the girls' dormitory—it looked as though she had come to help pack Eda's things.
The twins stepped in to block Professor McGonagall's path. Fred asked, "Is Dumbledore really going to expel Eda?"
"This whole thing isn't entirely Eda's fault—if Dumbledore does this, it's just not fair!" George lost his composure. Professor McGonagall's appearance made his heart sink. It felt like Eda's expulsion was already a done deal.
Angelina, Alicia, and Lee Jordan also rushed over. They all pleaded with Professor McGonagall, hoping for a chance to see Dumbledore and beg him to take back the order to expel Eda.
"Mr. Weasley, mind your words. It's Professor Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall said firmly, pressing her hands downward to calm everyone. She continued, "I'm only here to help Eda pack her things."
Hearing the words "pack her things," Fred and George felt a ringing in their heads—buzzing—as if everything went blank.
Fred, losing control, shouted, "Just because Eda came from an orphanage, and not from someone important, she has to suffer like this? What did she do wrong? Was she not good enough?"
Ever since they got to know Eda, Fred and George understood how much she had to endure. In the wizarding world, Eda was like a rootless weed, a drifting water lily. If she didn't fight for herself, who else would ever fight for her?
But now, all they got in return was: "I'm just here to help Eda pack her things." That made the twins feel it was all so unfair to her.
If they had known it would end like this, maybe it would've been better for Eda to live more recklessly from the start—even following Glover Cecil to study dark magic would've been better than facing expulsion today.
Seeing the emotionally overwhelmed twins, Professor McGonagall felt deeply comforted. These two seemingly brash boys genuinely cared about Eda.
Behind them stood Angelina, Alicia, Lee Jordan, and even Katie Bell, who looked like she wanted to speak but didn't dare—every one of them cared about her.
How could Professor McGonagall not be moved?
"First of all, as Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor, I haven't received any notice of a student being expelled," Professor McGonagall said. "Second, I'm only here to help Eda pack because she's going on a trip. I can't very well let her leave in her school robes, can I?"
"That's still pretty much like being expelled…" Lee Jordan muttered under his breath.
"It's not," Professor McGonagall replied. "This trip is a punishment assigned to Eda by Professor Dumbledore, but I promise you—there will be a day when you see Eda return to school."
"Now then, can any of you tell me what Eda's been reading lately?"
...
On a narrow path in Hogsmeade, Eda, now dressed in a light blue robe, followed behind Dumbledore. Since stepping into the headmaster's office, she hadn't exchanged a single word with him.
Dumbledore had only spoken with Professor McGonagall and Snape—asking McGonagall to prepare Eda's travel bag and instructing Snape to keep an eye on Quirrell and Harry Potter.
Now, the handbag Eda carried—which had been magically expanded with an Undetectable Extension Charm—was the travel bag Professor McGonagall had prepared for her. In addition to clothes, it also contained a few books she hadn't finished reading.
Eda didn't know where Dumbledore was taking her—at least, not Azkaban, she figured. If that were the case, there'd be no need to pack clothes, and her wand wouldn't still be in her possession.
Still, Eda was ready to run at any moment.
If anything seemed off, she would Apparate away from Dumbledore immediately. Whether she succeeded or not, she had to try.
After passing the post office in Hogsmeade, Dumbledore and Eda turned down a side road and entered the dingy, dimly lit Hog's Head Inn.
Maybe it was still early, because there were no customers inside yet. The barman, wiping a glass that only got dirtier the more he rubbed it, looked up and cast a look of disgust at Dumbledore as he walked in.
"Could you prepare something to eat?" Dumbledore said. "Our young and beautiful lady hasn't had breakfast yet. Traveling a long way without breakfast is quite a cruel thing."
The barman shifted his gaze to Eda and stared at her for a full minute before finally setting down the glass and going to prepare food.
Dumbledore, familiar with the place, led Eda into a hidden back room.
The small room was surprisingly clean—completely unlike the filthy, chaotic atmosphere of the Hog's Head Inn.
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