Chapter 127: Eda's Professor McGonagall
Although Cecil had died under the Killing Curse, the Chimera beast of flames remained. With his sudden death, the fiery beast lost control, as if it wanted to burn everything in the world to ashes. Even the air itself seemed to twist and distort under its searing heat.
The resentment in Eda's heart, momentarily replaced by emotion, surged once again. A short phrase consisting of two words beginning with "M" and "F" escaped her lips. How was she supposed to stop these raging flames?
Just as Eda was wondering whether Finite Incantatem would work, a group of wizards in robes suddenly appeared in the clearing—Professor McGonagall among them. The moment they arrived, they were met with the sight of the enraged Chimera beast spewing fire.
A young, unfortunate wizard was instantly consumed by the flames, perishing on the spot.
The group paid no attention to Eda, who was still alive.
Instead, every one of them plunged their wands into the ground, conjuring a shimmering barrier of light that surrounded the Chimera beast. The creature threw its head back in a silent, defiant roar, but under the combined effort of the wizards, it gradually dimmed and finally faded into nothingness.
While the others focused on containing the fire beast, Professor McGonagall rushed straight to Eda's side. She turned Eda over, inspecting her from head to toe. Only after confirming that Eda was unharmed did she let out a sigh of relief.
"That Merlin! You're all right, you're all right," McGonagall murmured. But then, with a trace of anger in her voice, she demanded, "Where is Cecil?"
Eda swore she had never seen Professor McGonagall so furious before. If Cecil were still alive at this moment, Eda was certain the enraged professor would have personally beaten him to death.
Eda raised a hand and pointed to the corpse on the ground. "Over there."
The range of the blazing Chimera beast's fire had not yet reached where Eda and Cecil had been, so Cecil's body remained intact. Unlike Isaac, who had been completely consumed by the flames, leaving not even ashes behind, Cecil's corpse was the only one still present at the scene.
"Are you hurt? Do you feel unwell anywhere?" Professor McGonagall asked with deep concern, her primary worry now being Eda's well-being.
"I'm not injured… but my left arm has this tearing sensation. It hurts a little," Eda replied. She hadn't really noticed any discomfort in her arm until McGonagall asked, but the moment she was prompted, her sensitivity to the pain kicked in, and she became more aware of the ache.
Professor McGonagall gently rolled up Eda's sleeve.
Her left arm was slightly swollen, and even the lightest touch made Eda wince in pain. However, it didn't seem to be anything too serious.
"Cecil left the school secretly. If Professor Dumbledore hadn't noticed, I probably wouldn't have even set out from Hogwarts yet," Professor McGonagall said after confirming Eda's injury wasn't severe. "What exactly happened here?"
After discovering that Cecil had sneaked out of the school, Dumbledore had instructed McGonagall to inform the Ministry of Magic. That was why she had arrived with the group of Aurors. Seeing the horrific scene before her, McGonagall already had her suspicions, but she needed Eda to confirm them.
Despite having taken lives, Eda did not hide the truth. She recounted everything to Professor McGonagall in full detail, starting from the events by the Black Lake and leading up to today. She explained everything, including how she had killed Joan, Peter, and Tenabu.
Call Eda naïve or call her foolish, but she stubbornly believed that Professor McGonagall would trust her and stand by her. Maybe killing three people was excessive, but it wasn't her fault—if Eda hadn't killed them, then the corpse lying on the ground right now would have been hers.
Cecil had always told her not to trust others, that she could only rely on herself. But Eda wanted to have someone she could trust—only then could she feel alive, only then could she believe that life still held hope. Now, she placed that hope in McGonagall's hands, in the hands of fate itself. How her future would unfold depended entirely on Minerva McGonagall's judgment.
"Eda, look into my eyes and tell me—are you speaking the truth?" Professor McGonagall, who was taller than Eda, bent down slightly to meet the girl's emerald-green gaze.
"It's all true, not a single word is a lie," Eda answered calmly, looking directly into McGonagall's eyes. She had spoken nothing but the truth, without embellishment or deception, so she had nothing to fear.
Professor McGonagall didn't say anything at first—she merely nodded before straightening up and standing by Eda's side. Outwardly, she remained composed, but inside, her mind was in turmoil.
McGonagall had always known Eda was extraordinarily talented. She had also suspected that the explosion four years ago was connected to her. But she had never imagined that Eda's abilities could reach such a level—a second-year student managing to kill three fully grown wizards!
If someone had told McGonagall such a story before, she would have dismissed it as pure fantasy. But today, that fantasy had become reality. And not only had this second-year child done it—she had walked away unscathed.
After the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic had dealt with the Chimera beast, they began to assess the scene.
They placed Tenab's corpse alongside Cecil's and found Peter Loren's (the lanky man's) remains crushed into pulp inside a massive crater. As for Isaac, there was no body—he had left nothing behind but his name.
A middle-aged Auror with a small mustache approached Professor McGonagall and Eda. He said, "Professor McGonagall, we've recovered the bodies of Cecil and the three other deceased. We also found a woman who was barely alive—we've already sent her to St. Mungo's."
The moment the Auror finished speaking, Eda's mind went blank. Well, this was awkward.
She had assumed Joan was already dead before she started her killing spree, but who would've thought she had actually survived?!
Eda carefully recalled the details—at the time, she had been focused on helping Cecil and hadn't stayed to watch Joan take her final breath, nor had she gone back to finish the job.
When she had killed the other two men afterward, the system had given her a notification both times. But there had been no such notification for Joan.
Back then, Cecil had still been locked in battle with Isaac, so Eda hadn't thought too much about it.
But now, looking back… it meant Joan had never actually died!
There was just one thing Eda couldn't figure out—given the extent of Joan's injuries at the time, how had she managed to stay alive until now?
"Mr. Hart, the group that came for Cecil should have consisted of four people," Professor McGonagall said. "The leader was named Isaac, but he was burned to ashes by the flames."
The middle-aged Auror, Hart, called over a young Auror and gave him a few instructions, telling him to take a few people to search the area and see if they could find any trace of Isaac. After the young Auror left, Hart pointed at Eda and said, "Professor McGonagall, I need to take Twist back to the Ministry for interrogation."
"Interrogation?" Professor McGonagall said, her voice sharp. "Mr. Hart, did I hear you correctly?"
"No, you didn't hear wrong. I need to take Twist back for questioning," Hart enunciated each word carefully. "My colleagues have informed me that Miss Twist is suspected of killing two adult wizards. And besides that, she has displayed violent tendencies even while at school. So, I must take her back to the Ministry!"
"My student is the victim here—she should not be subjected to questioning by the Ministry of Magic," Professor McGonagall said firmly. "Besides, she is injured. I need to take her to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. If the Ministry wants to question her about today's events, they can do so at St. Mungo's, but either I or Professor Dumbledore must be present during the questioning!"
Professor McGonagall believed in Eda's words. She still saw Eda as the diligent and studious child she had known—the one with a cold exterior but a warm heart.
She was convinced that with the right guidance, Eda would not stray down the wrong path. If nurtured properly, Eda would become a source of pride.
More importantly, Eda had just gone through a traumatic experience. This was the moment when her mindset was at its most unstable. If she were handed over to the Ministry now, it would only shatter whatever kindness remained in her heart and drive her into a corner with no way out.
"Professor McGonagall, I am an official of the Ministry of Magic. Step aside and do not obstruct my work!" Hart's tone was harsh, and he had already drawn his wand.
"Wands, Eda."
Professor McGonagall and Eda—one old, one young—raised their wands simultaneously. Their expressions and movements were perfectly synchronized, making them look less like teacher and student and more like equals standing side by side.
The other Aurors present quickly noticed the standoff and rushed over. Several of them even drew their wands, aiming at McGonagall and Eda, as if ready to arrest the two women on the spot.
"Are you trying to take Eda away because of what happened today, or is there some other reason? Do you want me to say it out loud?" Professor McGonagall demanded sharply, her voice carrying unmistakable authority. "If it weren't for the Ministry's endless delays and incompetence, my student wouldn't have had to go through any of this!"
Her eyes burned with fury as she declared, "Today, no one is taking my student from me!"
Without waiting for the Aurors to respond, she turned to Eda and said, "Eda, you claim you personally took down two Dark wizards. Frankly, I think you're exaggerating. You're going to have to prove it to me."
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