NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Nightmare
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and Eda's heart was beating more and more violently as if it would jump out of her throat at any time. Sweat beads flowed down her forehead, but she didn't dare to reach out to wipe it.
Regret. Deep, profound regret. If she hadn't been tempted into this, she would be in her warm, comfortable bed, sleeping soundly instead of hiding here, eavesdropping on Snape and Foley's secret conversation.
This was much worse than getting caught by Filch! If Filch caught her, it would merely result in point deductions, some menial tasks, or at worst, a detention. But now, who knew what the consequences could be.
If they were merely discussing something trivial, the punishment wouldn't be a big deal. However, two professors having a private conversation in the dead of night in a deserted part of the castle was unlikely to be about something insignificant.
Eda desperately wanted to turn and run, but she couldn't. Doing so would expose her immediately, and presenting her back to two adult wizards was utterly foolish.
Forget about the idea that Hogwarts was safe and that Dumbledore's presence ensured protection. The castle had stood for over a thousand years, and many had met their end here. Even with Dumbledore around, the school wasn't incident-free.
Eda silently prepared herself. She knew she stood no chance against the two wizards, but if she could create a disturbance, draw attention, she might have a chance to be rescued.
She forced herself to stay calm, gripping her wand tightly in her right hand. This was her last resort; she had never been one to sit and wait for doom.
"What's… what's the matter, Severus?" Fowley asked, seemingly oblivious to any abnormality.
Eda's grip on her wand tightened even more. She could now smell the potion scent emanating from Snape.
"Nothing, I must have misheard," Snape said, halting his steps and no longer approaching.
"Misheard what?" Fowley asked, and Eda heard Fawley's footsteps moving in her direction.
"I said, it's nothing!" Snape replied, standing on a slightly higher step, looking down at Foley as he approached.
Fawley stopped, his suspicion evident as he said, "What's really going on…?" He didn't finish his sentence, eager to know what Snape had noticed, but restrained because he needed Snape's help and didn't want to confront him directly.
Snape stopped looking at Fawley and returned to the lower landing, saying, "I'm not very interested in this thing you mentioned. Now, I'm going back to rest."
Hearing this, Fawley quickly descended the stairs in a few steps to catch up with Snape, saying anxiously, "I need your help, Severus. If we join forces to find that thing, we can usher in…"
For Benedict Fawley, the most crucial thing now was to find that "thing." As long as he could find it, he believed he could change the world, bringing it back onto the right track. His curiosity about Snape's behavior could wait.
Eda didn't catch the rest of the conversation because she had already slipped away. As soon as Snape and Fawley moved away from her, she made her escape.
Eda moved very carefully, fearful that any sound might draw their attention back to her. It was only after she had put a considerable distance between herself and the two professors that she dared to walk quickly. Unconsciously, she increased the power of her Lumos spell, lighting up the corridor brightly.
"Hey kid, put out that light!"
"Disturbing people's sleep in the middle of the night, have you no decency?"
The portraits on the walls, awakened by the bright light, began to voice all sorts of complaints and grievances. Eda ignored the beautiful insults, focusing solely on getting back to the common room as quickly as possible.
Eda finally returned to the dormitory. Angelina and Elia were still sound asleep, unaware that Eda had left and oblivious to the fright she had experienced that night.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Eda collapsed onto her bed. Her pounding heart finally slowed down, and she let out a long sigh of relief, though she still clutched her wand tightly.
Eda closed her eyes, trying to convince herself to forget everything she had overheard tonight. For someone in her position, knowing too much was rarely a good thing.
The more you know, the quicker you die!
But the conversation between those two kept replaying in Eda's mind, and her brain kept trying to decipher the hidden meanings in their words. What was Foley looking for? Why did he need Snape's help? What was Snape's stance?
Eda had too many unanswered questions, and she couldn't tell anyone about what she had overheard. Telling the Weasley twins would only put them in danger as well. Telling Professor McGonagall was out of the question; between a twelve-year-old first-year student and two professors, it was obvious who would be believed.
She wasn't Harry Potter. She was just an ordinary first-year without any protagonist aura. Besides, Eda had no evidence and didn't even know what their goal was!
Severus Snape had been teaching at the school for a long time and was the head of Slytherin House, trusted deeply. Although he was sarcastic and biased, and not liked by the students, Eda had never heard of Snape doing anything out of line. If Snape really had ulterior motives, how had he managed to hide it from Dumbledore?
Snape must have noticed something unusual earlier, which was why he had come to investigate. The two were discussing such an "earth-shattering" matter; he clearly realized someone was eavesdropping. Why didn't he say anything or reveal it on the spot?
After that, Snape forcibly took Fawley away, which gave Eda the opportunity to escape.
When she was outside, Eda had been too preoccupied with the fear of getting caught to think about these things or find Snape's behavior odd. Now that she had calmed down and reviewed the situation in her mind, she realized Snape's actions were indeed unusual.
Was Snape covering for the eavesdropper? Was he protecting me? This thought surfaced in Eda's mind after some contemplation.
The unusually long night finally ended, and Eda had just fallen asleep when the dawn light touched her face. But her sleep was restless, filled with dreams of running away from a hooded figure who was chasing her. Spells shot from the figure's wand, each powerful enough to kill her...
When Angelina woke Eda from the nightmare, she looked as if she had just been pulled out of the Black Lake, completely drenched.
"Eda, are you okay? You look really unwell," Angelina asked with concern.
"It's nothing... just a nightmare," Eda replied, still shaken, forcing a weak smile.
"If you're not feeling well, I can get a sick note for you," Angelina said, placing a hand on Eda's forehead. "You don't look good."
"I was just frightened by the nightmare and didn't sleep well," Eda said.
"If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself. We have Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions today," Elia said. To her, Eda looked truly exhausted, like a broken doll. In this condition, getting picked on by Snape would be just too cruel.
Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions—classes taught by the two people involved in last night's incident. Eda couldn't afford to miss them.
Eda forced herself to get ready and even dug out a pair of glasses the system had rewarded her with to hide the redness in her eyes.
During breakfast in the Great Hall, the Weasley twins noticed something was off about Eda. She brushed it off with vague mentions of a nightmare and not sleeping well.
The Weasley twins were somewhat skeptical but didn't press further. They just assumed Eda wasn't feeling well.
Fred and George kept clowning around and telling jokes to cheer Eda up, which touched her deeply, even though she wasn't really in the mood to laugh.
By the time she reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, thanks to the Weasley brothers, Eda looked much better than she had that morning, and appeared more normal.
If Eda merely looked normal, Benedict Foley seemed perfectly fine. He conducted the class with his usual wit and humor, making the lesson lively and engaging for the students. His demeanor was that of an excellent professor, making his anxious behavior in the corridor last night seem like nothing more than a dream or a figment of Eda's imagination.
In the afternoon Potions class, Snape appeared just as normal. Dressed in his usual black robes, he prowled the dim dungeon classroom with his robes billowing behind him. Snape continued to spread his venom freely, distributing his scorn equally among the Gryffindor students.
The only difference today was that Snape didn't pick on Eda as he usually did. He lingered by her cauldron for less than ten seconds before moving on.
Everything seemed so normal, as if last night's events had never happened. However, the system's task completion status, showing a prominent [Night Patrol 1/10,] reminded Eda that last night had not been a nightmare but a real occurrence.
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