Did Eda have any irreconcilable conflict with the Rosier family?
No. Setting aside personal issues, Eda and the Rosier family as a whole had no irreconcilable conflict. They were not natural enemies.
Whether she was the daughter of a runaway romance or a half-blood witch, those were nothing more than the outdated prejudices of certain people, mere skin-deep problems. What truly stood between them was beneficial things, and only benefits could drive people mad.
Most of the family had long been eyeing Vinda Rosier's fortune, waiting for the old woman to breathe her last so they could swarm in and claim a share.
Now that Vinda had an heir, the duck that had practically reached their mouths had flown away. Naturally, they had no favorable opinion of this heir who had suddenly appeared.
If Vinda had not been strong enough, and if Eda had not possessed overwhelming strength, grass would already be growing three yards high over the graves of this grandmother and granddaughter.
Even now, there were still family members who couldn't see reality clearly. They planned to throw Eda out as soon as Vinda died so they could seize Vinda's property.
Money makes even ghosts push the millstone. How many relatives, living off the family's wealth without earning anything themselves, weren't jealous of such a fortune?
On the other hand, there was also the fear that Vinda might support Eda's rise to power, allowing her branch of the family to return to the forefront and turn the Rosier family back into a one-person rule. That was another concern weighing on the relatives' minds.
As for Vinda's promise to Alain, it had been nothing more than spoken words with no proof. No one had ever truly taken it seriously.
Back then, Vinda had made that compromise so Eda would be acknowledged. But times had changed. Would Vinda, or Eda, really be willing to spend the rest of their lives watching power that had once belonged to them remain in someone else's hands?
Power was the sweetest poison in the world. Countless people embraced it willingly, even knowing it would destroy them.
Hector's question had been foolish, and his answer even more so. Perhaps he had not yet entered society and been corrupted by it. Perhaps the old men of the family had not yet taught him their ways. For now, Hector was probably the Rosier with the purest heart.
The two of them walked back toward the judges' area near the stands in silence. By then, the second champion had already returned. Krum surfaced with Hermione, and cheers erupted from the stands once again.
Karkaroff leapt to his feet at the judges' table, pumping his fist into the air. The Durmstrang students joined him, chanting, "Krum! Krum!"
It looked like Krum truly cared about Hermione. He wrapped every blanket Karkaroff had draped over him around Hermione instead, and even insisted she drink the Warming Potion before he did.
Eda let out a long sigh. All of a sudden, she wasn't so sure she wanted to support Ron anymore. She was starting to jump ship.
She wanted to complain to someone, but when she turned around, Hector was already gone. Her cousin had once again gone off to fulfill his duties as a hopeless simp.
Fleur had been the third champion to enter the lake, but the first one to return.
She hadn't even reached the merpeople before the Grindylows beat her into retreat, forcing her to withdraw from the second task.
A Triwizard champion had been stopped by Grindylows. Eda honestly didn't know what to say.
Judging by Fleur's performance in the first task, she might not have been the strongest champion, but she shouldn't have performed this poorly. Could it really have been because she wasn't used to the local environment?
Turning her head, Eda saw two Beauxbatons girls comforting the teary-eyed Fleur. Her cousin Hector stood nearby in a panic, unable to get a single word in.
Hector shuffled his feet back and forth on the ground, looking as though he wanted to go over and comfort her, yet for some reason he remained rooted to the spot, not daring to approach.
Stop shuffling already. Keep that up any longer and you won't just scrape up sparks, you'll wear your hips away!
Watching Hector made Eda's head ache. Out of sight, out of mind. She turned back around, only to freeze at the unbelievable sight before her.
Krum was helping Hermione tidy her hair, carefully picking tiny water beetles out of it one by one.
Good grief! Beauty and the Beast, live edition!
Her mentality instantly exploded.
Wasn't this supposed to be the Triwizard Tournament? Wasn't this supposed to be the second task?
I just pulled off that amazing performance, and not one of you little darlings is going to compliment me?
Eda folded her arms and leaned against a pillar, glaring indignantly at everyone present.
After thinking it over for a while, she let it go. She simply wasn't the delicate, birdlike type. The only thing she knew how to do was spread her wings like a giant roc.
The hands of the clock continued to turn as the seconds ticked away. The allotted hour had long since passed, yet Harry still had not returned.
The people in the stands began to grow anxious.
And the one even more anxious than the spectators was Fleur.
Fleur broke free from her companions and rushed toward the water's edge, seemingly intending to dive back into the lake and bring her sister Gabrielle back. Her friends couldn't stop her in time, so they called for Madame Maxime, seeking help from their headmistress.
Despite standing over ten feet tall, Madame Maxime was surprisingly agile. She sprang out of the judges' area in a single stride and caught Fleur with one hand just as she was about to reenter the water, lifting her as easily as if she were grabbing a chick.
Eda raised her left hand, glanced at her watch, and began estimating the timing.
She herself had been the first to reach the merpeople's village. Harry had been the second. That meant Krum had been the third.
Eda had returned within the time limit. Logically, Harry should have been back long ago. Yet Krum had returned second, only slightly over the allotted time.
Two possibilities came to Eda's mind, and her heart sank.
The first was that Harry's noble character had kicked in. He had waited until everyone else rescued their hostages before beginning the return trip with Ron.
Harry didn't know Fleur had withdrawn from the task, so he might have waited underwater for quite a while. After realizing Fleur wasn't coming, he had no choice but to bring both Gabrielle and Ron back himself.
That would explain everything. He had wasted a lot of time waiting, then lost even more time swimming back with two people, which was why he still hadn't returned.
The second possibility was that Harry hadn't acted nobly at all. He had left with Ron shortly after Eda, but had run into trouble on the way back, causing the delay.
Either possibility was dangerous because Gillyweed, unlike Transfiguration or the Bubble-Head Charm, had a time limit. Depending on how much was consumed, the duration of underwater breathing varied.
Eda had no idea how long the Gillyweed Harry had eaten would last. She could only hope that enormous clump of "rat tails" would keep working until he returned.
Otherwise, tonight's Daily Prophet Evening Edition headline would read:
The Boy Who Lived, Whom the Dark Lord Could Not Kill, Drowns in the Black Lake.
Death Eaters Celebrate. Voldemort: Neahehehe...
Eda turned to look at Dumbledore, wanting to see the headmaster's reaction, only to find him standing quietly by the shore, completely calm.
It was as though the boy who might drown beneath the lake had nothing to do with him.
The minute hand moved forward again.
For the people on shore, only a few minutes had passed. For the person underwater, it could have felt like centuries.
Just as everyone's anxiety reached its peak, the lake finally stirred again.
First Ron and Gabrielle floated to the surface. Then Harry's head emerged. He gulped down great breaths of air while panting, dragging Ron and Gabrielle toward shore.
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the stands, louder than at any previous moment.
At the judges' table, Dumbledore smiled.
Percy, pale as a sheet, rushed forward impatiently to meet them.
The champions all reacted differently.
Eda applauded while laughing and muttering, "Idiot."
Fleur completely lost control, struggling desperately to throw herself into the water. Somehow, she even managed to break free from Madame Maxime's grip.
Krum was still trying to win Hermione over, even though Hermione had already rushed to Harry and Ron's side.
Dumbledore crouched by the water's edge, speaking closely with the chief merperson. The sounds they made were sharp and piercing.
After their conversation, Dumbledore gathered the judges for a brief discussion.
They quietly deliberated and decided to include everything that had happened underwater in their scoring.
In the end, Fleur received only twenty-five points because she had withdrawn from the task.
Eda, as the first champion to reach the merpeople's village and the first to return, received forty-eight points.
Krum exceeded the time limit, but since he rescued his hostage and returned successfully, he received forty points.
Harry received forty-five points for his noble character, exemplary morals, and humanitarian spirit.
Although Harry was the only one naive enough to take the merpeople's song literally and believe they would kill any hostage left unrescued, his spirit was certainly worthy of encouragement.
If Eda and Harry had switched places, she wouldn't have cared about Gabrielle's fate at all.
Eda would never put herself in danger for someone who had nothing to do with her.
Whether it was that fools had good fortune or that good people were rewarded, Harry, the champion everyone had considered the least likely to succeed, had now climbed into second place, just behind Eda.
...
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