As Eda's friends tried to make sense of her thinking, other students in the begaering the s. Not wanting to miss out on something both fun and safe, they started urging the students ahead of them to hurry up.

  The fog in the thied and thinned as students emerged from the s. Those who mao make it through on their own were eagerly sharing the illusions they'd seen and how they had resisted them. Students who hadn't made it looked downcast, listening to their cssmates' stories.

  Cecil was merciful, allowing the students who hadn't succeeded another ce, though they had to go to the back of the line.

  Enced by Fred and Gee, Lee Jordan also returo the lih renewed determination. The twins reassured him that as the first to face the Hinkypunk, he had nothing to reference; failing was natural. Now, he repared and would surely succeed on his sed try!

  Fueled by their pep talk, Lee Jordan joihe lih fierce resolve, ready to charge into the s and take on the Hinkypunk.

  But just as Lee, brimming with fidence, was about to get his turn, the bell rang, signaling the end of css.

  With a frustrated sigh, Lee followed everyo of the . The twins couldn't hide their mischievous smiles, and soon, a thhly embarrassed Lee Jordan was wrestling with them in the hallway. By the time they were chasing each other around, he'd already shrugged off the embarrassing memory.

  Ba the Gryffindor on room, the sed-year students were still buzzing with excitement over the css, and some of the older students even joined in, sharing tales from their own Defense csses.

  In the higher years, Defense Against the Dark Arts covered even more formidable dark creatures—Kappas, Grindylows, Boggarts, and so on. Hearing about these creatures excited the youudents, who loo sit in on the advanced csses.

  Cecil's reputation as a professor was excellent, especially among the fifth ah years, who faced their OWLs as at the end of the term. Having such a skilled Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was sidered a stroke of luck.

  As October rolled around, the twins became busier. Though Fred and Gee still got into trouble occasionally, their pranks were fewer than in their first year, as if they were "maturing" with age.

  Besides their usual antics, Fred and Gee also attended Quidditch practice regurly. While Charlie seemed easygoing, he had his ways of keeping the twins in line, and there was also the team's fiery Oliver Wood, who added to the discipline.

  The twins didn't want to miss practice either, eager to settle scores with Slytherin and even give Hufflepuff's Cedric Diggory a tough time ohe Quidditch season began.

  Eda noticed that in their spare time, the twins were w on some "small experiments." They had retly bought a lot of items from magical joke shops. However, the twins were secretive about it, so she couldn't figure out what exactly they were iing—likely somethied to their love of pranks.

  As October tinued, Eda became busy as well, not only with her regur csses but also with extra tut sessions.

  Starting on the first, Snape had begun calling her for additional lessons. This time, there were no cauldrons or jars of potions; they had even moved to a small room near Snape's office.

  Under Snape's supervision, Eda began brewing a potion she had never learned before. This particur potion had a long brewing process, requirio che almost every evening to add ingredients, observe its progress, and make necessary adjustments.

  Besides this, Eda was busy with her own affairs. Between studying and sparring against the doll in the underground room, her days were packed.

  Though life was hectic, Eda felt grateful. These days, the school had been calm, with no ued is. Even Glover Cecil, who had orapped" her, was unusually quiet. His only difference from other professors was his habit of frequently questioning Eda in css and generously awarding her points.

  Eda was a little anxious, w if anything would happen on Halloween, as the misfortunes of st year had started on Halloween night. But her worries were unfounded—nothing unusual occurred, and everyone enjoyed a pleasant Hallowee in the Great Hall.

  As November arrived, the weather turned bitterly cold. The mountains surrounding the school were gray with id snow, and the surface of the Bck Lake looked as cold and hard as tempered steel.

  On Saturday m, Eda woke up, holding a mug as she looked out the window. She spotted Hagrid's enormous figure—Hogwarts' gamekeeper, dressed in a leather coat and gloves, clearing snow from the Quidditch field.

  The long-awaited Quidditch season had begun, and today's match was Gryffindainst Slytherin.

  After weeks of training, the new pyers were about to face their first test, and Eda felt nervous for the twins and her dorm mates.

  Eda and her roommates left the warmth of the on room, stepping into the bright, chilly weather. Frost g to the ground, and the Great Hall was filled with the entig aroma of sausages and fried eggs. Everyone was abuzz with excitement, eagerly chatting about the uping match.

  When Charlie left, Angelina and Alicia seemed to have rexed. They started stuffing food into their mouths like the twins, their cheeks puffed out like two little hamsters.

  Around ten, a rge crowd of students poured out of the castle. Eda and Lee Jordan apahe twins and the rest of the team to the Gryffindor locker room. After giving each pyer an encing hug, Eda left.

  Eda and Lee Jordan headed toward the stands around the pitch, where it seemed the entire school had gathered, filling the air with hat reached the sky. Eda couldn't even hear what Lee Jordan was saying.

  "What did you say?" Eda shouted, "Where are you going?"

  "I said… I'm not going to the stands… go on by yourself!" Lee Jordan yelled back.

  "You're not watg the match?" Eda grabbed him to stop him from leaving, thinking he was still upset about not making the team. "Aren't you going to cheer felina?"

  Lee Jordan pulled free from Eda and said, "I really have something to do—you'll see soon enough!"

  "What the..."

  With that, he ran off, leaving Eda baffled in the cold November wind.

  ______

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