Hogwarts Emerald

As Christmas break approached, the festive atmosphere in the castle grew increasingly vibrant. Under Angelina's direction, Eda joined in decorating their dormitory. According to Angelina, Eda's magical skills were the best, so if she didn't do the decorating, who would?

The dormitory was adorned with holly wreaths, and Eda hung colorful fairy lights that could transform into flying little fairies. These tiny creatures flitted around the room, fluttering their delicate wings.

Whether it was due to Professor Flitwick's exceptional charm skills or his love for Christmas, the holiday decorations throughout the school were once again under his charge this year. Even Eda's enchanting fairy lights were creations of Professor Flitwick.

Senior students also helped with the decorations, but everyone had to stay on guard against Peeves, who delighted in causing mischief. Peeves might shake the ladder as you climbed it, wrap garlands around your neck to startle you, or launch water balloons as part of his pranks.

The professors also decorated their classrooms, each style reflecting their unique personalities.

Before the holidays, they conducted term-end reviews, recapping the material covered in the first half of the academic year.

Of course, there were some exceptions—like Professor Snape.

His classroom remained as dim and somber as always, with no trace of decoration. If the underground classroom were ever filled with garlands, Eda thought she might suspect she had wandered into the wrong place and might even feel compelled to light an incense stick before leaving.

However, Snape surprised everyone with a rare joke.

He remarked that he would send a vial of poison as a Christmas gift to a certain student in the class, hoping they had been paying attention in lessons—otherwise, they might not survive.

The students were visibly unsettled, many turning to look at Eda, convinced there was a 99.99% chance she was the "lucky" recipient.

Another professor who refrained from decorating his classroom was Glover Cecil. Perhaps such holidays were simply too cruel for him.

Ever since discovering the anomaly by the Black Lake, Eda had been keeping a close eye on Cecil. She noticed that the professor's health had indeed deteriorated. Once inseparable from his cigarettes, he now rarely smoked by the window before class.

Aside from a few practical lessons, Cecil had also stopped using his wand altogether.

Amid the festive atmosphere, Filch was as busy as ever, determined to make the students' lives harder. He increased his patrols in the corridors, convinced that the approach of the holidays brought with it more mischief.

Filch also had to keep an eye on Peeves to prevent him from creating further chaos. Peeves, unwelcome on all sides, had reached a new level of being despised by everyone.

The prefects of each house, in addition to supervising the decoration of the castle and keeping an eye on the first- and second-years, also had to assist Filch in dealing with rule-breaking students.

Charlie complained endlessly about Filch's meddling.

Professor McGonagall collected the names of students staying at school for the holidays during breakfast. This time, Eda didn't choose to stay at Hogwarts; instead, she decided to spend the holidays at the Burrow with the twins.

This had been planned during the summer, and Eda had received a letter from Mrs. Weasley earlier this month. Mrs. Weasley worried that Eda, much like last year, would hesitate to visit the Burrow for fear of intruding on the Weasley family's celebration.

In her letter, Mrs. Weasley even instructed her four sons to bring Eda back by force if she refused to come.

As a result, poor Errol had to brave the wind and snow, flying all the way from St. Catchpole in Devon to Hogwarts in Scotland. It was a harsh journey for the elderly owl.

At long last, the term came to an end. Eda left the castle with the Weasley brothers.

Once the students had departed, silence fell over Hogwarts. While Eda wouldn't be able to practice magic during the holidays, she could at least look forward to enjoying a cozy and relaxing break.

The night in Ottery St. Catchpole was tranquil. In the village square, a Christmas tree adorned with golden bells stood proudly, surrounded by colorful lights that gave the place an enchanting beauty.

Along the little country road outside the village, illuminated by scattered starlight, Mr. Weasley and Charlie walked ahead, speaking quietly.

Eda suspected their conversation might have something to do with Charlie's work in Romania.

Behind them, Percy and Ron followed with their heads bowed.

The twins, carrying their luggage, cast mischievous looks at Percy, who likely wouldn't get much peace during this holiday. Eda, holding Ginny's hand, walked at the very back of the group.

Garlon, now grown, alternated between bounding to the front of the group to wag his tail at Mr. Weasley and racing back to Eda's side. The narrow country lane hardly seemed enough for his joyful frolicking.

The Burrow wasn't far, and it looked exactly the same as it had when they'd left—still that cozy, haphazardly built home.

Mrs. Weasley stood at the door, waiting for the children's return.

She had prepared a sumptuous meal and, despite spending the whole afternoon bustling about in the tiny kitchen, her face was filled with joy.

She greeted each child with a warm hug as they entered. When it was Eda's turn, Mrs. Weasley's smile grew even brighter. "My dear, I'm the happiest to see you back home," she said warmly.

"Even if you didn't let me come back, I'd have broken down the door to get in," Eda replied with a laugh.

"This is your home, and it always will be," Mrs. Weasley said, gently patting Eda's shoulder and arm. "Ah.. My dear, you've grown thinner since the summer."

Although nothing particularly terrifying happened during the first half of the semester, Eda still ended up losing weight. Spending nearly every day training in the underground room made it almost impossible not to.

Having become something of a self-taught expert in treating bruises and injuries through her own repeated mishaps, Eda had grown quite skilled in this area. If she took the time to study herbology properly, she might even have a shot at working at St. Mungo's one day.

"Do we have smoked pork?" Eda tilted her head and asked, already catching the aroma of food wafting through the air.

"Of course we do—it's your favorite!"

Mrs. Weasley said, playfully squeezing Eda's cheeks before adding, "Go on upstairs, put away your things, and we'll eat."

Eda's suitcase had already been delivered to Ginny's room by the twins, though it hadn't been unpacked yet.

Ever since the twins took over the chore of handling her luggage, Eda had grown accustomed to it. She'd been spoiled to the point where she often handed things over to them without a second thought.

Her suitcase didn't hold much—just a few changes of clothes, her holiday homework, and a stack of leisure books, which took up most of the space.

After putting her things in order, Eda headed back downstairs.

The living room, as always, was a hub of noise and chaos.

Fred and George had slipped a box into Percy's suitcase, but the "battle-hardened" Percy wasn't fooled. He carried the box downstairs and confronted the twins directly.

Although everyone present knew it was the twins' doing, Fred and George adamantly denied it. They insisted the box was a gift from Percy's girlfriend and urged him to open it.

As far as Eda knew, Percy didn't have a girlfriend at all.

Their claim was so implausible that it would have been more believable to say it came from someone admiring Percy from afar rather than an actual girlfriend.

Mr. Weasley, seated on the couch reading the newspaper, paid no mind to the noisy squabble among the three brothers. Instead, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the scene. Charlie, sitting nearby with Ron and Ginny, also watched the commotion with amusement.

Once all the dishes were set on the table, Mrs. Weasley finally stepped in to put an end to the brothers' antics. Everyone gathered around the dining table for their first dinner back at the Burrow.

On the large family clock that bore the names of every Weasley, all eight hands—except for Bill's—pointed to "home."

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