At Hogwarts, those who need help will always receive it—even non-human creatures.
Last year, with Harry Potter's help, the house-elf Dobby was freed. This year, with the help of the Rosiers and Eda, the hippogriff Buckbeak was also freed.
The incident began when Malfoy ignored the animal's nature and provoked the hippogriff, leading to an attack. However, young master Malfoy's injuries were not serious at all—far from what he and his father had claimed.
In the end, it was still an "injury case," except this time it was a fabricated one—an injury that never actually happened. This had all been Henry Rosier's idea, and it was also Henry who had pushed Vincent to take the lead.
Having grown up beside the old fox Thierry Rosier, Henry might not have learned everything, but he had certainly picked up a fair share of cunning and calculation. Among the younger generation of the Rosier family, Henry was one of the best.
If Eda had never appeared, Henry might have inherited his grandfather's legacy in the future, continuing as a minor official in the Ministry of Magic, perhaps even climbing higher. All of that would have depended on his own choices.
But with Eda, a half-blood, returning to the family, conflict was inevitable. This situation pointed Henry toward another path—a path not of his choosing: becoming the head of the family.
Henry's direct rival was the pampered young master Vincent, who excelled at eating, drinking, and развлечения. Behind Henry stood Vinda and Thierry, while Vincent was backed by his father, the current head of the family, Alain.
But as incompetent as Vincent was, Henry was equally capable. If anything were to happen to the current head, Alain, Henry would, under the support and influence of Vinda and Thierry, become the new head of the family.
It was the kind of life many might envy—a future path already laid out. Yet it was also a path Henry had no choice in deciding. A kind of bittersweet fate.
After settling the matter of Buckbeak, Henry and his colleagues returned to France, while Eda would remain at Hogwarts for a few more days, enjoying the most relaxed period of the school year.
No exams, no classes, no schemes or intrigues—just fully relaxing and enjoying the sunshine of the Scottish Highlands.
But where there is sunlight, there are always shadows. And the world has never been gentle to those who are gentle by nature.
Sirius had proven his innocence and regained his freedom, but Remus Lupin was not as fortunate as his old friend. From the first day he was bitten by Greyback, misfortune had followed Professor Lupin and never left his side.
In the final days of the school year, rumors suddenly spread through Hogwarts that there was a werewolf in the school. In those rumors, all clues pointing to a werewolf's identity led to Professor Lupin—just short of sticking a note on his forehead saying "I am a werewolf."
At first, the whispers circulated privately among students, but soon they turned into disdain, avoidance, and fear toward Lupin. Whenever Professor Lupin walked down the corridors, he was met with countless cold stares.
These students had completely forgotten how much they had liked this Defense Against the Dark Arts professor just a few days earlier. They only dared to treat him this way because they knew Lupin was different from other werewolves—he wouldn't harm them.
But gentle Lupin suffered more because of his gentleness. He knew it was time for him to leave again, just like so many times before.
No matter how kind Remus Lupin was at heart, no matter how gentle he was with others, the fact that he was a werewolf would not change, nor would the wizarding world's prejudice against werewolves.
Before letters of complaint from parents could flood Dumbledore's office like snowflakes, Remus Lupin had already left the school. He failed to outlast the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position and didn't even stay for the end-of-year feast.
Until the very end, Lupin didn't want to cause trouble for Dumbledore—just as he had lived in poverty for years without ever seeking Dumbledore's help.
But this time, Remus Lupin would probably not remain destitute. He could travel the world together with Sirius. Fortunately, this time, it wasn't only Harry Potter who felt sad about his departure.
The students didn't know the source of the rumors, but it couldn't be hidden from those paying attention—the professors all knew it had been Snape who had let it slip.
"By accident"? Eda wouldn't believe for a second that Snape had revealed it unintentionally.
Eda had already learned about Snape's unpleasant past with the Marauders. The two sides had insulted and hurt each other, and the side with fewer people naturally suffered more—Snape had nearly lost his life.
It was precisely that experience that led Snape to discover the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow and learn the truth about Lupin being a werewolf.
All these years had passed, and Snape could have revealed Lupin's secret at any time—but he never did. Throughout this school year, although Snape had hinted at certain things while substituting classes, he had never directly exposed Lupin's secret.
And yet now, after Sirius had been cleared, Snape had "accidentally" told the Slytherins the truth, directly revealing Lupin's secret. That "accidentally" sounded an awful lot like "deliberately."
Although Lupin's departure—the loss of an excellent professor—made Eda feel upset, she did not storm into Snape's office to demand an explanation. The only person who had the right to demand one was Remus Lupin himself.
Eda tried to understand the Potions professor from his perspective. Perhaps it was revenge—she couldn't think of any other reason. She felt somewhat disappointed in Snape's actions this year, and perhaps Snape felt equally disappointed in her.
On the last day of the term, the Great Hall was still decorated in Gryffindor's red and gold. Thanks largely to their outstanding performance in the Quidditch Cup, Gryffindor had once again won the House Cup.
Professor McGonagall was beaming with joy, smiling from ear to ear. The little lions were celebrating wildly, pounding on their house table with thunderous noise—a nearly perfect school year, with just a hint of regret.
At the end of every school year, reviewing the system was an essential routine, and Eda opened it as usual.
~~✨~~
Name: Esmeralda Jessica Twist
Also known as: Esmeralda Jessica Rosier
Age: Sixteen
Height: 5 feet 7 inches (about 170 cm; Henry would probably like this height—it's perfect for playing whack-a-mole)
Weight: 110 pounds (about 49.89 kg; under a sack of potatoes—either something's off or your bones are made of cheap plastic, Ah, got it, you lack fat on your chest.)
Wand: Yew wood, phoenix feather, 14¾ inches (decisive and ruthless, understand? eliminate the root, understand?)
Occupation: Hogwarts student (fifth year), Gryffindor prefect, probationary member of the Grindelwald faction (Nurmengard-limited title), Dumbledore's successor (personally designated in a certain old bee's mind)
~~✨~~
After reading the basic information, the newly added title this year—"Dumbledore's successor"—made Eda momentarily lose focus. And this was Dumbledore's genuine inner thought.
"So, Grandma, I've made something of myself!"
Of course, that was just Eda joking. Dumbledore's recognition made her very happy, but not to the point of getting carried away. Recognition from others is a reward along life's journey, but it's not something one absolutely needs.
This year, the system seemed particularly stingy. After completing system tasks, the reward was Animagus—something Eda wasn't interested in. After achieving a three-star rating by defeating the trial dummy, the reward was a blood-red gem that would turn her from a damage dealer into a healer.
At the end of each school year, Eda always looked forward to new talents, but this year the system was miserly, giving only one talent called "Insight." Just as the name suggested, it allowed her to see through things, helping her better perceive an opponent's weaknesses and flaws.
In combat, Eda would find it easier to detect weaknesses in an opponent's defense and recognize their attack intentions, allowing her to bring the fight into her own rhythm.
However, seeing a weakness and actually exploiting it were two different things. The saying "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" had existed for a long time for a reason.
Closing the system, Eda didn't join the celebration. She felt a bit empty inside. Unlike her celebrating classmates, Eda had the sense that this might be the last peaceful year at Hogwarts.
The undercurrents beneath the calm had been building for far too long, ready at any moment to erupt into towering waves.
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