Hogwarts Emerald

In the days that followed, Eda still occasionally went to Cecil for his signature, but the two of them never discussed his health or dark magic again, as if that conversation had never happened.

Professor Cecil continued teaching his classes. His Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons remained as engaging as ever, blending theory with practice. Every class offered valuable knowledge on how to combat dangerous magical creatures or counter curses cast by wizards.

The students had long forgotten the so-called curse on Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, all hoping that Cecil could remain their teacher indefinitely.

Unfortunately, their wishes were destined to be unfulfilled. No one knew how gravely ill this professor was, nor did Eda know how much longer he could hold on.

On February 14, 1991, Valentine's Day.

The castle once again turned pink, and couples clung to each other, spreading their love.

Seeing an East Asian face at Hogwarts was rare, so Eda was naturally curious. She and the twins had snuck a peek at Cho Chang together. Cho had shiny, jet-black long hair, a gentle and friendly personality, and spoke in a kind and harmonious manner. She seemed to get along well with others.

However, Eda's interactions with Cho remained limited to that. The twins, on the other hand, thought little Cho Chang was quite pretty.

Eda had to agree on that point. Amid a sea of Western faces at Hogwarts, Cho Chang's distinctive East Asian appearance was certainly an appealing feature—exotic charm, after all.

Today, Gryffindor had a joint class with Hufflepuff, and Eda witnessed firsthand Cedric Diggory's talent for attracting attention.

It wasn't just his peers who flocked around him—quite a few upper-year girls, aiming to rob the cradle, sought him out as well. 

The classroom was packed tightly with these girls. When Eda passed by and casually greeted Cedric, she was immediately subjected to an undeserved barrage of glares from the jealous crowd. 

Aside from Snape, that old bat, who else would dare to treat Eda so unjustly?

Naturally, she returned each glare in kind.

But these girls, blinded by infatuation, didn't care in the slightest about Eda. Their entire focus was on the sunny and handsome Cedric. Who did Esmeralda Twist think she was, anyway? 

Outnumbered, Eda had no choice but to retreat, obediently taking her seat.

The crowd of admirers only dispersed reluctantly when class began. Thankfully, they didn't reappear after class, sparing Eda another round of hostile looks. 

That evening, Eda went alone to the underground room. She had originally planned to bring the twins along to teach them some practical spells to enhance their skills. 

However, plans could never keep up with changes—the twins had been caught and assigned detention by Professor McGonagall. 

Over the past year, the twins had broken countless school rules, enough to fill an entire cabinet in Filch's records. To them, this was just another minor scuffle. Professor McGonagall's detentions had little deterrent effect on the brothers. 

The story began on Valentine's Day when the twins intercepted several letters addressed to Eda. With their mischievous target set, they decided to prank the unsuspecting boys who had sent them. These innocent lads had no idea how treacherous society could be or how complicated people could get.

Hopefully, the twins didn't leave them with too much emotional trauma. 

However, even though the twins operated under their usual "good deeds done anonymously" motto, they still couldn't escape punishment under school rules.

When the situation was brought to Professor McGonagall, the sharp-eyed head of house quickly figured out what had happened. The masterminds, Fred and George, didn't receive forgiveness from their "victims" and were promptly disciplined by the ever-fair McGonagall. 

As for Eda, who was completely uninvolved, she received only a verbal warning from McGonagall. There was no actual punishment since the incident wasn't her fault.

In fact, had McGonagall not told her, Eda wouldn't have even known the twins had intercepted her letters. 

In the underground room, Eda stood face-to-face with a mannequin—a humanoid automaton.

The two were identical in appearance, right down to the wands they held. However, unlike the "true and false Monkey King" from the classic tale, they weren't too hard to tell apart: Eda had removed her robe, while the mannequin was still dressed in one. 

With the twins detained, Eda was left to face this trial alone. It was fitting, though, If she defeated the trial mannequin, she would earn her Valentine's gift. 

Eda and the mannequin raised their wands in front of them, bowing to each other, before stepping five paces back to their respective positions.

This was the etiquette of wizard dueling. Only after completing these formalities could the duel begin, with each side casting spells at the other until one lost their wand or the ability to retaliate. 

This was a standard wizard duel, much like the format in which Professor Flitwick claimed his championship title. It was akin to the "dueling" feature in online games: once one participant's "health" dropped to one, the match was decided. While dangerous, such duels weren't lethal.

Of course, where there were formal duels, there were also illegal ones. These duels often ended with one party completely incapacitated or dead. In such life-or-death confrontations, etiquette was unnecessary—anything goes, and any spell could be used without restriction.

Eda initiated the attack. Pieces of rubble from the ground floated into the air and, upon her incantation, shot toward the mannequin like a storm of projectiles.

The trial mannequin raised its wand horizontally, summoning a shimmering barrier. Every rock that struck the shield disintegrated into fine powder.

The flying rubble was just a prelude to gain the upper hand. Next came roaring flames, surging toward the mannequin. The scorching fire left charred trails in its wake, and the heat was so intense it singed the mannequin's hair.

Since starting her training with the trial mannequin, Eda had discovered her preference for offense over defense. She enjoyed pressing her opponent with relentless aggression, forcing them onto the backfoot. By creating overwhelming pressure, she could compel them to make a mistake. One opening in their defense was all she needed to secure victory.

Eda favored an unyielding, wave-like offensive strategy—relentless and unending. She relished the sense of domination it gave her. Ideally, she dreamed of ending fights in a single strike, overwhelming her opponent with one spell. The mere thought thrilled her.

As the roaring flames were neutralized by the mannequin, Eda followed up immediately with a Stunning Spell and a Blasting Curse. The mannequin had no choice but to continually cast Shield Charms and Protego to fend off her onslaught.

In the underground room, flashes of light streaked continuously as Eda maintained her relentless assault. The trial mannequin could only manage occasional counterattacks during brief openings in its defense. However, each of its counterattacks was deftly blocked by Eda, failing to disrupt her rhythm.

The trial mannequin was designed to mimic a person but wasn't a real human being. It lacked human emotions, which meant its actions in battle weren't swayed by feelings. Whether attacking or defending, it always executed the most rational choice.

This was one of the main reasons why Eda, despite all her practice, had yet to defeat it.

Eda transfigured some of the rubble on the ground into three hunting dogs, which lunged at the mannequin from different directions. She frequently used Transfiguration in her practice to create diversions, making it easier to spot flaws in her opponent's defenses.

Three streaks of silver light flashed, reducing the dogs back into rubble, but the maneuver finally forced the trial mannequin to expose a weakness.

Eda wouldn't let such an opportunity slip away. Alongside her usual Disarming Charm and Stunning Spell, she unleashed an array of spells, including Shattering Hexes, Explosion Curses, and Severing Charms.

Her magic coursed at high speed, sending a kaleidoscope of colored spells bursting from her wand. With the speed at which Eda was casting, one might think she had the makings of a wizarding rapper.

The barrage left the mannequin with no escape routes; it was forced to either block every spell or be knocked down.

As Eda anticipated, the mannequin managed to deflect only part of her onslaught.

The remaining spells struck it directly, sending it flying through the air.

Blood seeped from its form, staining its black robes a deep crimson.

"Is it over..?"

The mannequin lay prone on the ground, yet the system still didn't declare Eda the winner.

Confused, she cautiously stepped closer to investigate.

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