Chapter 131: What Happened That Day

Dumbledore watched Eda as she pondered, neither urging her for an answer nor using Legilimency to invade her mind. He simply waited patiently for her response. 

As the wizard hailed as the greatest of his time, Dumbledore was, of course, a master of Legilimency. However, he never invaded others' minds, nor would he secretly slip Veritaserum into their drinks. He found such actions beneath him.

Instead, he relied on his own keen observations to determine whether someone was lying to him. This ability came from both his extraordinary intelligence and the wisdom granted by time. 

Professor McGonagall was also aware of this matter.

Two years ago, in a private conversation, Dumbledore had shared his suspicions with her. Over the past two years, Eda had not displayed anything suspicious—her only peculiarity, if one could call it that, was her seemingly incredible talent. 

"Professor, I've heard about that explosion, but I have no memory of it myself," Eda finally said after some thought. She seemed to come to a decision, then continued, "The explosion happened on the same day as my accident. My magical outburst saved me, but I lost all memory of what happened after that." 

Eda had ultimately decided to be as honest as possible.

She was still wary of the unknown, uncontrollable power within her and didn't want to disappear inexplicably one day in the future. Besides, if Dumbledore was asking her about this now, it meant he had already gathered some information and formed a hypothesis. 

Trust was always a two-way street.

For now, Eda still needed Dumbledore's protection, as well as his trust. If she wanted to maintain that trust, she had to safeguard it herself.

Even if she chose to stay silent, Dumbledore would eventually uncover the truth if he continued investigating. Rather than waiting to be found out, it was better to come forward herself—at least that way, she could leave a good impression.

"I remember Lady Mary once mentioned that when you were ten, your temper became much more restrained. Was that after this incident?" Professor McGonagall asked, recalling her past conversation with Lady Mary. 

"Yes, it was from that point on, as if I had grown up overnight," Eda replied.

"People always mature after experiencing certain things." She was well aware of what she could say and what she would never reveal under any circumstances. 

The incident itself was something Eda could talk about—many children in the orphanage knew about it, after all. She couldn't possibly silence all of them, could she?

Even if she wanted to, which she didn't, she didn't have the power to do so. 

However, how she had come to this world and the fact that she possessed a system—those were secrets she would take to the grave. "An innocent man gets into trouble because he carries a treasure"—she had no intention of becoming a research subject for a bunch of lunatics. 

Dumbledore could tell at a glance that Eda wasn't lying. To him, she was still raw and unpolished—a young, untamed talent. 

Before bringing up this topic, Dumbledore had indeed conducted extensive investigations, just as Eda had suspected. His findings mostly aligned with what she had just said, and he wasn't surprised by her memory loss. 

"So, is it possible that the explosion was unintentionally caused by Eda's magical outburst?" Professor McGonagall asked uncertainly. The Eda she knew was not someone inherently evil, and since she had been in danger herself, McGonagall was more inclined to believe it had been an accident.

Dumbledore nodded, agreeing with Professor McGonagall's assessment.

He said, "I think so as well. Eda encountered a life-threatening danger, and in that critical moment, her magic surged to protect her. However, the energy from the magical outburst was too powerful—so much so that Eda immediately lost consciousness. The uncontrolled magic unintentionally triggered the explosion. This also explains why Eda has gaps in her memory—because she never actually retained those moments in the first place." 

Losing consciousness, being uncontrollable—Eda disliked these words immensely. They meant danger was always lurking around her. If what Dumbledore suspected was true, then even if that incident had nothing to do with the current her, she still felt like a butcher with bloodstained hands. 

"Doesn't that mean the people around me are in danger?" Eda asked. This was her greatest concern. She feared even more that those close to her would be put at risk because of her. 

"No need to worry. Situations like this often happen to young witches and wizards before they start school—just that they don't usually have enough power to blow up half a street," Professor McGonagall said gently, patting Eda's right hand in comfort. "With systematic learning, young witches and wizards gain control over their magic, and these occurrences stop happening. Otherwise, the Forbidden Forest would have been reduced to ashes by now." 

Professor McGonagall was referring to the time in Eda's first year when she had been taken into the Forbidden Forest by Fawley. That time, she had also been in life-threatening danger—if Dumbledore and McGonagall hadn't arrived in time, Eda might have met her end at the age of thirteen. 

"Exactly. And this is just our speculation—we still can't be sure whether the explosion was really related to you. A young witch's magical outbursts rarely reach such destructive levels," Dumbledore added. "Would you like a Chocolate Frog to calm your nerves?"

"I once had another suspicion—Obscurial," Dumbledore said as he set down the Chocolate Frog. He stood up, walked over to the window, and spoke with his back to McGonagall and Eda. 

An Obscurial was a dark magical force that existed in the wizarding world, usually manifesting in young witches and wizards.

Obscurials formed under very specific conditions: a traumatic experience related to magic, a deep hatred for one's own magic, and a conscious effort to suppress it. Without guidance, young witches and wizards who lacked the ability to control their powers could develop this dark parasite. 

In ancient times, when wizards did not live in hiding, Obscurials were much more common. However, as the Statute of Secrecy became more strictly enforced, Obscurials had nearly disappeared. 

Eda's childhood experiences did align with the conditions for the formation of an Obscurial. She had been abandoned twice because of magic, and the original owner of this body had spent her years in the orphanage hating and suppressing her powers. 

"That's impossible! Eda is already fourteen years old. Her talent is indeed exceptional, but the way she uses magic is entirely different from that of an Obscurial!" McGonagall protested. 

In most cases, Obscurials did not survive past the age of ten.

Only those with immense magical potential and extraordinary talent could live longer, but such cases were even rarer than Obscurials themselves. 

Dumbledore gazed into the dark night sky and slowly said, "Yes, Eda is already fourteen. And I have never once sensed that ..sinister power within her." His tone carried a hint of sorrow, as if he were remembering someone from the past. 

Dumbledore continued to stare outside in silence. Neither McGonagall nor Eda spoke to comfort him—giving him space was the most appropriate form of consolation.

Although Dumbledore had made various guesses, ultimately arriving at nothing, Eda knew her own situation best. She felt that she had already gotten quite close to the truth! 

The original owner of this body was very likely an Obscurial, which would explain how she had managed to blow up half a street in an instant. Dumbledore had failed to sense any trace of that dark power within her because the original Eda had died at the age of ten, and with her demise, the parasitic Obscurus had naturally dissipated as well. 

Although there was still no concrete evidence to support her theory, the actual truth didn't matter much to Eda.

What was important was that she no longer had to worry about an uncontrollable force lurking within her.

She didn't have to be afraid that she might one day bring harm to those around her. With that weight off her shoulders, she felt much lighter. 

After gazing out the window for a long moment, Dumbledore finally turned back to face McGonagall and Eda. "Although we haven't fully uncovered the truth," he said, "I believe we are getting closer to it. Ah~ It's getting late—I should take my leave." 

With that, Dumbledore lifted the magic he had cast, allowing the sounds of the hospital wing to once again fill Eda's ears. Just before stepping out of the room, he turned back to Eda and added, "If the opportunity arises, I believe I should take you to meet an old friend of mine..."

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