This answer was somewhat ambiguous, even seemingly unrelated to Hermione's question, but Eda believed Hermione would understand the meaning hidden within it.
If it weren't for not wanting to undermine the confidence Hermione had just rebuilt, Eda would have unhesitatingly denied her speculation outright and listed a pile of evidence to refute Miss Beaver.
But Eda couldn't do that. Right now, Hermione needed affirmation—she needed encouragement from others.
Then why not just tell Hermione directly?
Because Eda had promised Dumbledore to keep Professor Lupin's secret, to bury it deep in her heart.
During the Christmas holidays, although Eda had revealed some things to her grandmother Vinda Rosier, she hadn't mentioned any names or identifying details. And Vinda wouldn't go around spreading such matters.
So when giving her answer, Eda hesitated. She had to consider the possible consequences of revealing the secret. After weighing everything, she chose to give this ambiguous reply, indirectly affirming Hermione's suspicion.
As Eda said, Hermione was a smart person. Smart people know how to weigh things properly—they understand what should be said and what shouldn't.
Hermione understood Eda's answer. She also caught what Eda had left unsaid.
Her expression immediately brightened. Imitating Eda's earlier gesture, she placed her index finger by her lips, signaling that she would keep the secret as well.
After answering Sir Cadogan's ever-changing passwords, Eda and Hermione returned to the Gryffindor common room. The little lions always seemed full of energy—long past curfew, the common room was still noisy and lively.
Harry and Ron were there too, whispering in a corner, seemingly discussing something. Hermione steeled herself, then jogged over toward them, wanting to take the initiative to ease the tension between the three of them.
But before Hermione could explain herself or propose a reconciliation, the two big boys—Harry and Ron—ran back to the boys' dormitory, leaving Hermione standing there in a daze all by herself.
Not just Hermione—Eda, who was watching from the side, was stunned too.
What was wrong with those two? Were the rat and the Firebolt really that important—more important than a living, breathing girl?
Guys, that kind of thinking is dangerous!
Maybe she was just too people-oriented, or maybe her imagination was too limited to understand the importance of a broomstick and a rat—Eda thought to herself.
January quietly turned into February, yet the biting cold showed no sign of easing. Spring still hadn't arrived in this frigid land.
Ever since Slytherin narrowly defeated Ravenclaw and saw a chance to defend the title again, Wood had increased Quidditch training to five times a week. The training field was always filled with Gryffindor's red uniforms, along with Wood's "pleasant" shouting.
As a result, during this period, Eda had become a rather pitiful loner. Her roommates were at Quidditch practice, and her best friend was at practice too. Unless she went to the training field herself, she was alone wherever she went.
Except during corridor patrols—only when fulfilling her duties as a prefect was Eda not alone, as the other prefect, Clark Gerald, would accompany her.
Early one morning, when Eda woke up, the dormitory was already empty—everyone had gone off to training again. After lying in bed spacing out for a while, Eda finally remembered that she had a dog...
So she took Garlon with her and left the castle.
There were quite a few students on the grounds, chasing and playing, while others went to the training field to watch the team practice. Alone, Eda carried an air of quiet independence, almost as if she stood apart from the world.
Only after reaching the edge of the grounds, away from the crowd, did Eda plan to unclip the leash and let Garlon run around to burn off some energy. But before she could undo the leash, Garlon broke free from her control and dashed off like a wild dog set loose.
The cream-colored Labrador and the ginger, bow-legged big cat sprinted wildly across the field. Sometimes Garlon chased Crookshanks, and sometimes it turned into Crookshanks chasing Garlon.
The cat and dog chased each other back and forth, and before long they had run near the Whomping Willow.
Following behind them, Eda also arrived near the Whomping Willow—and then she saw a scene that left her both shocked and confused.
The ginger Crookshanks shot forward like a bolt of lightning, skillfully weaving through the thrashing branches of the Whomping Willow. With a swipe of its paw, it pressed the knot on the tree trunk, and then slipped straight into the secret passage leading to the Shrieking Shack.
At that moment, Eda felt like her mind had been struck blank. Crookshanks' series of highly practiced movements left her with a complete look of bewilderment.
Can someone tell me what just happened? It looked like a ginger ball of lightning just flew past.
And more importantly—why was Crookshanks so skilled at this?
Eda's head was now full of question marks. She felt like she had missed something. So she followed and climbed into the passage as well, wanting to find out what exactly had been happening that she didn't know about.
Passing through the tunnel, there was still a warning sign at the entrance of the shack that read, "Beware of dog." As soon as Eda stepped inside, she saw the "vicious dog" offering tribute to its boss—pushing forward its dog food with its paws.
Crookshanks showed complete disdain for Garlon's dog food. With a leap, it jumped onto the sofa and sprawled across the soft, comfortable cushions, as if this place were its home, completely ignoring the shack's true owner.
Perhaps because there was a large number of Dementors outside the school, this winter had been especially cold. Eda herself was sensitive to the cold, so she hadn't come to the shack much recently—she didn't want to brave the wind and snow across the grounds just to arrive at a cold, unheated hut.
Although Eda hadn't come here for many days, the shack was still very tidy. There was no dust on the floor or furniture, and a stack of firewood for daily use had been placed by the fireplace—all thanks to the house-elf Winnie.
Guiding the firewood to float into the fireplace and lighting it, Eda then sat down opposite Crookshanks, intending to observe Hermione's pet up close.
Crookshanks didn't look particularly clever or likable at first glance, but the skillful maneuvering it had just shown with the Whomping Willow—Garlon couldn't even manage something that smooth.
After all, Garlon had been with Eda for years, while Crookshanks had only been at Hogwarts for half a year.
In just half a year, it had relentlessly chased Scabbers, even subdued Garlon and gotten him to lead it to the Shrieking Shack, and it was so familiar with the knot on the Whomping Willow—Crookshanks' behavior was almost unnaturally impressive.
Even if this was Scotland, you couldn't just become a spirit like that, could you?
Crookshanks seemed to notice Eda observing it. First, it let out a couple of "meow" sounds to express its dissatisfaction, then fixed its gaze on Eda, silently protesting with its actions.
Eda stopped observing the big cat. Hermione had bought it from a pet shop—there was no way it had become some kind of spirit—but it was indeed very intelligent. Eda got up from the sofa, doing some stretching exercises to warm herself while strolling around the room.
As she wandered, Crookshanks on the sofa also got up on its bow legs, making a low "purr" sound as if trying to attract Eda's attention.
This unusual behavior made Eda curious. Just a moment ago, Crookshanks had been indifferent to her—so why was it now actively trying to get her attention?
What did Crookshanks want to do?
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Sorry for not posting for three days. My dog died bro... May his soul rest in peace.
I already knew his time was near, but it still took me three days to come back to my senses. I'll start uploading every day from tomorrow