Chapter 110: March Full of Freedom
"Haah.. I can't believe I'm going to do it.."
Threading a red string through the ring and keeping it close to her body, Eda then summoned the trial dummy in hard mode. This would be her "opponent" for the foreseeable future—she wanted to see just how powerful a dummy on par with the two professors would be.
The dummy still looked the same, taking on Eda's own appearance. Although its form hadn't changed, it was essentially an old bottle filled with new wine—internally, it had undergone a complete upgrade. If Eda faced it with the same approach as before, she would suffer a serious loss.
After the upgrade, the trial dummy had truly been transformed, its attacks far sharper and more aggressive. Eda was completely on the defensive, forced to brush up on her defensive skills. The idea of counterattacking head-on was abandoned the moment their duel began.
In reality, the gap between Eda and the dummy wasn't as overwhelming as she had imagined—her attacks did cause it some trouble. However, the dummy's attack methods were so unpredictable that a single mistake could lead to getting hit by its spells. Eda had no choice but to face it cautiously, shelving any thoughts of an aggressive counterattack for now.
Throughout the battle, the trial dummy demonstrated exceptional skill in Transfiguration, leaving Eda—who only knew how to summon hounds—completely astonished.
"What the..."
So Transfiguration could be used like this?
The dummy's offensive and control abilities were far beyond what Eda could currently match. Seeing this firsthand, she accepted her loss with a clear mind.
Failure had never been something to fear.
What Eda needed to do was learn from it, refine her skills, and make sure that next time, she wouldn't lose as badly. After all, true mastery was forged through relentless trials.
By March, the weather was gradually warming up, and Hogwarts' Quidditch matches had resumed. The first game of the second half of the term was Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw—one team in yellow, the other in blue. If they weren't flying on broomsticks but riding electric scooters instead, Eda would have thought it was a battle between Meituan and Ele.me.
Hufflepuff claimed victory in this match. Their team had been performing exceptionally well this school year, temporarily holding the top spot. The usually easygoing and unambitious little badgers were now eyeing the Quidditch Cup with serious intent.
Eda watched this match with ease, but the Gryffindor team captain, Charlie, had his brows furrowed the entire time. He was worried about their upcoming game—Gryffindor's next opponent was Hufflepuff, and facing such a high-momentum team would be no easy task.
This was Charlie's last year at Hogwarts, and he hoped to leave behind one more Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor before he graduated.
After the match, Charlie initiated an intense "hell week" of training. Everyone on the team, except for Wood, was utterly exhausted. The twins, in particular, were constantly complaining.
Due to these grueling practices, they hadn't had time to visit Twilight Shack, and being forced to put their research on hold only made them more frustrated.
Fred and George had finally made some initial progress with their experiments, managing to create a few prank candies. However, these candies were far from perfected and still carried a certain level of risk—they weren't even half-finished products yet, let alone ready for use.
The twins were always thinking about ways to improve their creations, which led to them zoning out during practice. This, of course, earned them plenty of scolding from both Captain Charlie and Vice-Captain Wood. With the twins constantly drawing fire, the three Chasers actually ended up having a much easier time.
In late March, the twins were finally spared from constant scolding because Gryffindor's match against Hufflepuff was about to begin. Charlie had shifted his full focus to their opponents and no longer had time to keep picking on his two younger teammates.
To support the team, Eda even took the time to make a banner. She repurposed an old bedsheet, turning it into a massive sign featuring a crowned lion. The lion wasn't just vividly drawn—it could also let out mighty, majestic roars.
On the day of the match, the weather was terrible. The sky was overcast and gloomy, but the oppressive atmosphere did nothing to dampen the students' enthusiasm. The Gryffindor stands were filled with cheers that rose and fell in waves.
Amidst the resounding lion roars, chants of "Gryffindor will win!" and "Weasley is our King!" echoed throughout the stadium.
One side wore yellow robes, riding the momentum of their recent victories—Hufflepuff. The other side, clad in red, was determined to defend their title—Gryffindor. From the very start, the match was intense, with both teams fiercely vying for victory.
It was a battle between two equally matched teams, with relentless attacks from both sides keeping the spectators on the edge of their seats.
On one end, Angelina and Alicia executed a brilliant coordinated play; on the other, Hufflepuff responded in kind. The Quaffle was passed back and forth between the Chasers of both teams, while the Bludgers were constantly sent hurtling toward players on their broomsticks by the Beaters.
Fortunately for Gryffindor, they had Seeker Charlie anchoring the team. Compared to him, Cedric was still too young—both in skill and mentality, he was completely overshadowed by Charlie.
The final result of the match spoke for itself.
In the final moments of the match, the experienced Charlie outmaneuvered Cedric and caught the Golden Snitch, securing Gryffindor's "revenge" against Hufflepuff and clinching victory in this hard-fought battle.
When commentator Lee Jordan announced the results, Charlie—who had been stern and unsmiling for nearly half a month—finally revealed a long-overdue smile.
This also meant that the grueling training sessions could come to a temporary halt, and the team members were finally free from their suffering.
Luckily, they won the match; otherwise, the twins' thirteenth birthday would have been a miserable one. If they had lost, who knew how Charlie—now infected with Oliver Wood's obsession—would have tortured the two of them?
Compared to the suffering Fred and George endured, Eda had a much more relaxed March. She had no research projects to refine and no Quidditch training to attend. If she wanted to read, she read. If she wanted to play wizard's chess, she played wizard's chess (though, of course, she was only playing against herself).
As long as Eda didn't deliberately seek trouble and get herself into detention, she was a free spirit—the very embodiment of freedom at Hogwarts. She could do whatever she pleased, and life couldn't have been more comfortable.
As the poet Sándor Petőfi once said: Life is dear, love is dearer. If it is for freedom, both can be given up. His words highlight the immense value of freedom. Though this great Hungarian poet passed away in his twenties, his yearning for freedom has been forever remembered by the world.
Speaking of Hungary, the first thing Eda thought of was Budapest, and the first person that came to mind was Petőfi. But after being influenced by Charlie, who was determined to become a dragon tamer, Eda had now also begun to associate Hungary with the Hungarian Horntail.
After all, anything that could earn the title of "ferocious and dangerous" from a dragon enthusiast like Charlie could only be an even more terrifying creature, not some tame little pet—just like how Aragog was in Hagrid's eyes.
To the gamekeeper, Aragog the Acromantula was nothing more than a big, furry sweetheart. But to everyone else, Acromantulas were monstrous creatures from the island of Borneo—gigantic, vicious, and deadly.
However, in Eda's eyes, Aragog was far more lovable than a Hungarian Horntail. After all, Acromantula venom was extremely valuable!
Especially after learning that a pint of the stuff could sell for about a hundred Galleons, Aragog and its offspring suddenly looked less like terrifying creatures and more like walking, eight-legged sacks of gold.
If it weren't for Hagrid's feelings, Eda would have cleared out the spider nest in the Forbidden Forest ages ago. And of course, she wouldn't be doing it for the money—how could a student as righteous and full of justice as Eda possibly allow such highly dangerous carnivorous creatures to roam freely in a school?
Absolutely not for the Galleons. Eda would swear it on the honor of Professor Severus Snape himself!
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