The Great Hall was once again decorated in silver and green. Even though this was only the second year Eda had seen it, she was already tired of the sight.
In truth, the students from the four houses weren't all that different. There was no real hierarchy, and each house had its own strengths. The competition for the House Cup should have been intense. However, with Snape's blatant favoritism, the House Cup had become nothing more than a one-man show for Slytherin.
It wasn't that Gryffindor didn't want to pull Slytherin down from their pedestal, nor that the other houses weren't trying hard enough.
The problem was their own teammates.
It was like watching two children fight, with one child's parent jumping in to help, while the other's parent stood by and did nothing. Under those circumstances, getting beaten up was inevitable.
Throughout the school year, Snape had spared no effort in deducting points from the other three houses. Gryffindor, with their impulsive tendencies, was naturally his favorite target.
Compared to Snape's relentless favoritism, Professor McGonagall appeared all the more fair. She treated the other houses equally and held Gryffindor to an even higher standard.
Her unwavering sense of justice only made matters worse for Gryffindor, leaving their points pitifully low and their chances of contending for the House Cup practically nonexistent.
After Dumbledore finished his speech and announced that the House Cup once again belonged to Slytherin, he sat down without making any further remarks. He still didn't step in to teach Snape a lesson about tactics or the harsh realities of the world.
Silver and green decorations? So be it. They had been there for so many years that everyone was used to them. Putting aside the matter of the House Cup's outcome, the students from all four houses turned their attention to the grand feast before them.
Tomorrow, they would board the train back to London, returning home for the summer and parting ways with their friends and classmates for a time.
Around this time every year, Hogwarts would bid farewell to a group of graduates and, come September, welcome a fresh wave of students. As people left, others would arrive. Hogwarts remained constant, its arms open wide to embrace every child who came through its doors.
Eda was also enjoying the feast, though unlike the twins, she wasn't chatting with the people around her. Instead, she was multitasking, checking the system's annual summary.
This year, Eda had grown a bit taller, reaching five feet three inches (a little over 1.6 meters, but not quite 1.61 meters). Her weight had increased slightly compared to the previous year, though she was still quite slim. Recently, she had lost some weight, and had that not been the case, she might have gained a little more.
Eda's list of strengths had also grown.
While last year she excelled in Potions and Charms, this year Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts had been added to the list. Of course, whether it was purely Defense Against the Dark Arts or something darker wasn't a question worth dwelling on... ehm..
After all, as the saying went, "Learn from the enemy to defeat the enemy." Without understanding dark magic, how could one effectively defend against it?
Among the remaining two core subjects, Eda's grasp of History of Magic depended entirely on her personal interpretation and rote memorization, making it hard to call it a strength.
Herbology, on the other hand, was entirely unpredictable — it depended on her luck on exam day and Professor Sprout's level of leniency. It was essentially a gamble.
At the end of last year, the system had rewarded Eda with a talent called Reckless, though throughout the entire year, she hadn't managed to succeed in dual-casting even once. This year, the system had granted her two additional talents: Blazing Soul and Flicker.
Blazing Soul ignited a fiery battle spirit, enhancing her casting speed for fire-based spells, increasing the damage and expanding the range of her fire magic. The effect could also be stacked for even greater impact.
With this fire-element mastery talent, Eda thought that maybe one day she could become like Grindelwald, capable of burning an entire city to the ground with a single blaze.
The other talent she gained was Flicker. Using it, Eda could silently and effortlessly teleport short distances to ambush her enemies or evade incoming attacks.
Although the teleportation range was limited and nowhere near as extensive as Apparition, Flicker had one major advantage — it ignored Anti-Apparition Charms.
Even in places like Hogwarts where Apparition was impossible, Eda could still use Flicker to teleport short distances.
As for the spells she had mastered, aside from adding a few dark magic spells to her repertoire, there hadn't been many other changes from the previous year.
Some spells, like the Stunning Spell and the Disarming Charm, which Eda used frequently, had nearly reached their maximum proficiency. However, she had no idea if reaching the maximum proficiency would result in any significant upgrades.
Previously, the system had rewarded her with spell upgrades for successful kills. Since spell upgrades were possible through the system's rewards, Eda reasoned that once she maxed out her proficiency through consistent practice, she should be able to upgrade spells without relying on the system. That would be something to test in the upcoming school year.
Faced with the choice between senseless slaughter and diligent practice, Eda abandoned the shortcut and chose the path of hard work.
It was difficult, but at least she had peace of mind.
After all, magic wasn't like mathematics — it wasn't something you simply couldn't understand no matter how hard you tried. Eda firmly believed that as long as she put in the effort, she would see results.
With that, the system's annual summary was more or less complete.
The rest was just a series of petty, mocking remarks. Compared to Snape's sharp tongue, the system's comments were nothing. They couldn't hurt Eda in the slightest, not even breaking through her mental defenses.
Thanks to Snape's "generous" contributions, Eda had gained quite a lot. His sharp tongue had toughened her up to the point where she could brush off insults without a second thought.
His constant nitpicking had unknowingly fostered her passion for potions. And of course, she couldn't forget to thank his Galleons — after all, she was a girl, and she definitely needed some new clothes.
...
The next morning, in stark contrast to the lively atmosphere of the previous evening, the castle was eerily quiet. The students, with their luggage in tow, had left Hogwarts. The vast school grounds now felt empty and desolate.
At Hogsmeade Station, however, the scene was entirely different.
The platform was bustling with students, their heads bobbing like a sea of eager faces. Amidst the crowd, the towering figure of Hagrid stood out like a giant among children.
The students from all four houses were gathered there, waiting for the Hogwarts Express to take them home for a carefree summer break.
Finally, under the students' expectant gazes, the gleaming red train with the engine number 5972 opened its doors.
Cheers and excited chatter filled the air as the students surged forward, eager to board. Swept along by the tide of bodies, Eda and the twins were practically pushed onto the train.
After a bit of a struggle, they managed to find an empty compartment and immediately claimed it as their own. Other students who weren't as lucky could only look at them enviously before trudging on to find their own seats further down the train.
With a billow of white steam, the train gave a soft whistle and began to move. The journey home had officially begun.
Inside the compartment, it was just Eda and the twins. Lee Jordan, Angelina, and Alicia had gotten separated from them in the chaotic crowd, and there was no telling which carriage they had ended up in — or if they had even managed to find seats at all.
Fred, twirling a shiny Galleon between his fingers, shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe it. All this money — from Snape, the old bat?!"
"Could it be that he suddenly grew a conscience?" George shook his head. "No, that can't be right. He never had much of a conscience to begin with. Or maybe he just magically sprouted one at his age?"
Eda was shuffling a deck of Exploding Snap cards, the sharp crackling sound filling the compartment. Without looking up, she said, "I don't know. But those Galleons were definitely from him. I even confirmed it with Professor McGonagall."
"Maybe we've misjudged him," Fred said, glaring at the cards in his hand, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown. "But this is just for fun, mind you! I'm not spending a single Knut on this game."
George nodded in agreement. "It's just... the way Snape favors Slytherin is so infuriating. If only Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore would help us out a bit!"
The twins exchanged a glance, their eyes glinting mischievously. Whatever scheme was brewing in their heads, it didn't matter — not in front of Eda. She could see right through their tricks.
"Snape may have had a hand in it," Eda said, drawing a card calmly. "But I earned that money fair and square by brewing a shit ton lot of potions. It's honest pay for honest work, and I'll spend it without a second thought."
Then, a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "How about this — whoever loses the most today has to wash the winner's socks all summer. Deal?"
Fred and George immediately shook their heads in unison, their expressions filled with mock horror. Their eyes practically screamed, Do we look like idiots to you?
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