Chapter 113: Battle to Protect the Buttocks
As soon as the Easter holiday ended, Eda submitted her elective course selection.
Professor McGonagall didn't comment on the fact that she had only chosen three electives. She even considered crossing out Eda's Divination class, as she had no fondness for that vague and hazy subject.
Many of the top students at Hogwarts had chosen more electives than Eda. For instance, Cedric Diggory, and even more impressively, Bill and Percy Weasley, had taken every elective available.
Bill wasn't just the Head Boy—he had also earned twelve O.W.L.s, a feat beyond mere excellence. Very few students in Hogwarts' history had managed such an achievement.
Eda, who was also regarded as a "top student," had only picked three electives, which seemed rather unambitious. Even if she eventually passed all her exams, she would only have ten O.W.L.s. Compared to those who achieved twelve, it was hardly impressive.
With elective selections finalized, Hogwarts became busier than ever. Professors wasted no time in class, cutting down on idle chatter and cramming as much knowledge as possible into their students.
Even during break times, Filch hardly needed to keep order—there were barely any students running around or playing in the corridors. With only a little over a month until final exams, no one wanted to bring home a report card marked with a "P."
Even Fred and George had toned down their usual antics. After how smug they had been last summer, they knew that if their grades were too poor this year, Mrs. Weasley would surely punish them for both this year's failures and last year's arrogance. Their buttocks would not be spared.
Considering how little effort the twins had put into studying this year, it was easy to imagine how bad their grades would be. A low score wasn't the worst thing in the world, but losing their ability to sit comfortably certainly was.
Left with no choice, the twins turned to Eda for help, begging her to start her exam-cram tutoring sessions ahead of schedule.
The twins ran up to Eda, dramatically wailing about their impending doom. She had no choice but to take pity on them and, that very night, put together a one-month study plan. She named it the "Operation Save Our Butts" campaign, aiming to at least help them keep half of their dignity intact.
This year's cram session had fewer participants than last year. Angelina and Alicia hadn't joined in yet—they weren't as careless as Fred and George. Since they were diligent students throughout the year, all they needed was regular revision.
Truthfully, Fred and George were both quite intelligent. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to come up with so many creative pranks. If they put even half of that energy into studying, they might not match Percy, but at least they wouldn't have to panic about their exams.
Then again, if Fred and George were anything like Percy, they wouldn't be the mischief-making, laughter-spreading Weasley twins.
Since they had come to Eda voluntarily this time, things were much easier for her. At least she didn't have to constantly keep an eye on them to prevent them from slacking off or coming up with schemes.
It wasn't just the twins who were nervous about exams—the library was practically taken over by fifth and seventh-year students. O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s were the two most critical exams for any young witch or wizard.
Charlie Weasley had also become noticeably more anxious. With his N.E.W.T.s approaching, he had barely attended Quidditch practice since April, leaving all team matters in Oliver Wood's hands. By May, he had disappeared from the pitch entirely.
Some students facing their wizarding exams even started showing signs of pre-exam breakdowns, whether mental or physical. Many broke down into tears, and their distress only heightened the anxiety of the younger students who had yet to face such trials.
The twins' emotions were surprisingly stable. After all, they had never been afraid of exams themselves. If anything, it was the subjects that should feel honored to have them in attendance. The only thing they truly feared was their dear, sweet mother—Molly Weasley.
When it came to handling exams, the combined efforts of Fred and George still couldn't match up to Eda. Even if they stacked themselves on top of each other, they wouldn't reach her knees in terms of ability.
Their study plan had been in motion for half a month now. To avoid angering Mrs. Weasley—and, more importantly, to protect their own butts—the twins had completely lost all free time.
During the day, they attended review sessions with their professors. At night, they had to go to Twilight Cottage for another round of revision under Eda's guidance. And when they finally made it back to the castle at curfew, a mountain of assignments awaited them—double the workload! One set consisted of essays and assignments from their professors, while the other was a series of exam papers Eda had meticulously crafted based on key topics.
For the past two weeks, the twins had been drowning in textbooks and parchment, living in pure academic misery. Their only moment of respite came on Wednesday mornings—during Professor Binns' History of Magic class.
History of Magic was universally recognized as nap time. Staying awake in that class was a nearly impossible feat. Even Eda had to cast spells on herself just to make it through.
She didn't expect Fred and George to go to such lengths.
That would simply be too inhumane. And so, History of Magic became the twins' only chance to relax. Whether they chose to nap on their desks or do something else entirely, Eda didn't care. As long as they were happy, that was all that mattered.
If the twins hadn't fallen so far behind in their coursework, Eda wouldn't have been so hard on them. She just hoped they would learn their lesson—so that in their third year, they could balance both their studies and their business, rather than exhausting themselves like this.
Professor Binns still hovered behind the lectern, droning on as always, repeating the same lecture he had given countless times before.
Most of the students in the classroom had already succumbed to deep sleep, while the few who remained awake were mentally wandering the cosmos, exploring the mysteries of the universe in their half-asleep state.
If Hogwarts ever awarded a "Model Worker" title, Eda would nominate Professor Binns first. And if he didn't win, then something was definitely wrong—Dumbledore must have rigged the results.
"…After the signing and enforcement of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1689, wizards retreated into the shadows, choosing to hide from the Muggle world…"
A knock on the door interrupted Professor Binns' lecture, forcing him to pause his hypnotic spell.
With the monotonous droning silenced, students snapped out of their deep slumber and daydreams one by one, rubbing their sleepy eyes—only to see Professor McGonagall standing at the classroom door.
The twins had also woken up. George nudged Eda, who had been buried in her stack of "mock exam papers." As she lifted her head, she found McGonagall looking right at her. Quickly, she dispelled her own Silencing Charm so she could hear what the professor was saying.
"...Professor Binns, my apologies for interrupting your class," McGonagall said from the doorway. "May I borrow Twist for a moment?"
Fred and George exchanged puzzled looks, staring at Eda. They were trying to figure out what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into for Professor McGonagall to come fetch her in the middle of class.
Had she set fire to Snape's private storeroom or something?
Of course, setting fire to Snape's private storeroom was pure fantasy, something that only existed in the twins' imagination. Until Eda could at least hold her own against a training dummy, she didn't have the guts for something like that.
It wasn't just the twins who were confused—Eda herself was completely baffled. She had no idea why Professor McGonagall was looking for her.
Her seat wasn't far from the classroom door, and in the few steps it took to reach it, she quickly reviewed everything she had done recently in her mind.
But no matter how she searched her memory, she couldn't figure out what trouble she had caused this time. She had been keeping a low profile this year—she really hadn't broken too many school rules!
"Professor, what's the matter?"
Eda asked after stepping out of the classroom, still utterly confused and unable to guess the reason for McGonagall's summons.
McGonagall gently placed a hand on Eda's shoulder, looking at her with an expression full of concern. In a soft voice, she said, "My dear, Mr. Weasley has sent a letter…"
The moment Eda heard "Mr. Weasley," she knew why McGonagall had come looking for her. She had already guessed…
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