Hogwarts Emerald

For the next two days, Eda stayed at the orphanage, keeping watch by Mrs. Mary's bedside.

Just as Ms. Valente had said, Mrs. Mary didn't have much time awake each day—most of the time, she was in a deep sleep. And with each passing day, the periods she was conscious grew shorter. Sometimes, she would mutter nonsense, as if she were living in the past. 

During these two days, several people Eda had never met or didn't recognize came to visit Mrs. Mary.

They were all children who had once lived under her care. Some came and left in a hurry, only sitting with her for a brief moment before departing. Others stayed a little longer, hoping to say a few words of farewell. 

Mrs. Mary remembered every single visitor—she recalled their names, when and why they had come to the orphanage, and when they had left. 

Even when she was still in a deep sleep and couldn't see who had arrived, as long as Eda described their appearance, Mrs. Mary could name them instantly. She had never spoken about it to anyone, but she had truly kept every child who had ever lived with her in her heart. 

Eda had heard countless horror stories about orphanages. When she first arrived in this world, she had worried about what she would do if such things happened to her. Would she fight back with violence against a miserable fate? Or would she endure it all just to survive? 

Fortunately, Eda had been lucky—she had met Mrs. Mary, a woman who had done everything in her power to protect each and every child. Perhaps that was why Eda's luck was usually so terrible—because all of it had been spent on meeting people who truly cared for her. 

On Saturday afternoon, Mrs. Mary seemed unusually energetic. Suddenly, she expressed a desire to go outside for a walk and see the children. 

Ms. Valente and Eda exchanged glances. They both knew what this meant. The time was drawing near. 

Together, Ms. Valente and Eda helped Mrs. Mary dress, then supported her as she walked down the stairs. 

As the children playing in the yard greeted her, Mrs. Mary beamed with joy. She even reminded them to slow down and be careful not to trip.

Eda helped Mrs. Mary sit on a bench in the yard, letting her lean against her. She was so light that Eda barely felt any weight at all. 

"Do you remember? When you were little, you always liked to run after the older kids. Even when you fell, you never cried or made a fuss. You'd just pat off the dust and get up on your own, then keep running after them," Mrs. Mary reminisced. Over the past two days, the thing she spoke about most with Eda was the past. 

"After you came back from your adoptive paren... from the Greens, you stopped playing with the others. Instead, you shut yourself in your room, scribbling and drawing alone," Mrs. Mary continued. "Once, in order to force you to play with the others, I scolded you quite harshly..." 

"And then I ran after them, sniffling and wiping my nose, just like before," Eda added. That had been the first time Mrs. Mary ever got angry with her. Even though she had only been four years old at the time, she had never forgotten it. 

"It would be so nice if things could go back to the way they were. If I had another chance, I wouldn't let you meet the Greens and the Taylors. I wouldn't let them hurt you," Mrs. Mary said. This was the first time she had ever brought up the subject with Eda. She had once believed that Eda had deliberately distanced herself from her because she had agreed to the Greens' and Taylors' adoption request. 

Eda gently patted Mrs. Mary's shoulder, comforting her. "It was never your fault. The fault lies with this world..." 

If a wizarding family had adopted her back then, none of this would have happened, and Eda wouldn't have come depressed. But unfortunately, "what if" had never been part of this world. 

As the sky darkened, the children in the yard followed Miss Nelson back inside. Mrs. Mary's eyes grew cloudy, and her mind became unclear once more.

She said anxiously, "John, it's so late, and Eda still hasn't come back. Go out and look for her, bring her back! Dean, you go too! Hurry, hurry!" 

Mrs. Mary was reliving the night when ten-year-old Eda had gone missing. John and Dean were the oldest boys in the orphanage, but despite searching everywhere, they had found nothing. 

When they returned to the orphanage, they finally saw Eda standing at the entrance, looking like a walking corpse. 

"I'm here, right here. I've come back," Eda said. "You don't have to worry. I was just late coming home." 

The delirious Mrs. Mary stared at Eda for a long time. Then, seemingly drawing strength from nowhere, she suddenly shoved Eda to the ground and shouted, "No, you're not her! John, Dean, go find Eda! She must not suffer any more harm!" 

Mrs. Mary kept shouting, insisting that someone go find the "Eda" who hadn't come back. Seeing no other choice, Eda raised her left hand and waved it in front of Mrs. Mary's eyes, coaxing her, "Madam, Eda is already home. If you don't believe me, let me help you up so you can see for yourself." 

"Alright, alright, let's go quickly..." 

Eda once again supported Mrs. Mary, leading her step by step back into the building. At the entrance, they ran into Mrs. Valente, who had come over after hearing the commotion. Together, the two of them helped Mrs. Mary back to her room on the second floor. 

As soon as she lay down, Mrs. Mary fell into a deep sleep. But even in her sleep, she murmured, "Eda... where is Eda?"

Mrs. Mary never woke up again. In the early hours of the morning, just past four o'clock, she returned to the embrace of the Lord, leaving behind the children she had loved so dearly. 

The funeral was held on Monday. On Saturday afternoon, after witnessing Mrs. Mary's brief moment of clarity, Mrs. Valente had made all the necessary arrangements in advance. Until then, Mrs. Mary's body had been temporarily kept at the funeral home. 

At nine in the morning, the bells of the church in Little Whinging rang out in a solemn melody. The funeral procession followed the hearse at a slow pace, stopping at the entrance of the church. When Mrs. Mary's casket was carried inside, the mourners followed. 

An elderly priest, his hair completely white, recounted Mrs. Mary's life and led the congregation in prayer for her soul. Mrs. Valente then gave a speech, reminiscing about the time she had spent with Mrs. Mary and expressing gratitude for the countless small yet extraordinary things she had done for the children. 

As the hour approached ten, the procession followed the casket to a cemetery where the grave had already been prepared.

The casket was gently placed before the open grave, and as the priest's prayers filled the air, it was slowly lowered into the earth. Soft sobs could be heard among the crowd. 

Mrs. Valente was the first to place a flower into the grave. One by one, the mourners stepped forward, bowing toward the casket, dropping their flowers, and then quietly leaving the cemetery. The orphanage had prepared food to host those who had attended the funeral. 

Dressed in black, Eda did not leave with the others. She had not shed a single tear. Her mourning clothes had been prepared in advance, as if her heart were made of stone. 

Someone once asked: "Why do people grieve when someone dies? It's something that will happen to everyone sooner or later."

Eda had once had similar doubts, but as she grew older, those doubts faded away. The sorrow came from the fact that the world had lost someone who had truly cared for her. 

For Mrs. Mary, who had suffered so much from illness, death was a release. All the pain was left behind for the living to bear. Death had never been something to fear—it was simply another journey, another possibility. 

The gentle May breeze swept through the cemetery, and a fine drizzle began to fall from the sky.

There was no one else around.

This was Eda's final farewell to Mrs. Mary, and to her past. 

Holding up her wand as if it were an umbrella, magic flowed from its tip, forming an invisible barrier above her head. Not a single raindrop could pass through to touch her. 

Eda stood there in silence, unmoving, until the rain finally stopped.

Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, she traced her wand across Mrs. Mary's tombstone. As the wand moved, a wreath of flowers appeared, encircling the stone. 

Buried in the Little Whinging cemetery was not just Mrs. Mary's body—it was Eda's last remaining tie to the Muggle world. It was her past.

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