Hogwarts Emerald

A new week had begun.

After two weeks back in school, students had finally returned to their regular routines, and the knowledge that had slipped away over the holiday was gradually being picked back up.

Professors in each subject looked a little less annoyed.

Professor McGonagall patrolled the classroom, observing her students. Although most of them hadn't succeeded in transforming caterpillars into chess pieces, they were consuming fewer caterpillars than before, and the students were no longer angrily smashing the poor bugs.

Some students were beginning to shape their caterpillars into something resembling chess pieces. With a bit more practice, they might soon complete a full transformation.

The first student to successfully create a complete chess piece was Eda. She transformed the caterpillar into a knight, then went on to create other pieces. Each piece was lively in appearance—the knight with its raised lance, the imposing king. Now, Eda was working on transforming a caterpillar into a queen.

In wizard's chess, the queen's movements were unrestricted: it could advance in any direction—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. In European history, queens were often symbols of powerful alliances, their families lending armies to defeat foes or secure the monarchy.

With a wave of her wand, the caterpillar transformed under the spell into a queen. This queen wore armor, standing tall with her sword, her expression fierce and commanding—less like a queen and more like a warrior king leading troops into battle.

Standing behind Eda, Professor McGonagall quietly observed her casting. Eda's skill in Transfiguration was certainly due in no small part to McGonagall's dedicated teaching.

Today, Eda gave Professor McGonagall a different feeling.

It was intense, though McGonagall couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly had changed about her. But Eda was moving in a positive direction, and that reassured McGonagall.

The afternoon was Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

The things Professor Glover Cecil had shared with Eda by the Black Lake on Saturday—who knew if he'd been helping her or leading her into a trap?

Logically, when someone shares a tragic story from their past, no matter how eloquent they are, it typically earns a bit of sympathy and perhaps some tears, leaving others sad for a moment.

But Cecil's story had a profound impact on Eda, nearly turning her into someone lost in memories, stuck in the past. It almost ruined her.

Yet, when Eda managed to pull herself out of those memories, she realized many things and gained clarity on how she wanted to live her life from now on. In that sense, Cecil seemed to have helped her.

Each time Eda interacted with these older wizards, she felt her own inexperience. She couldn't truly understand any of them, nor could she easily grasp what their actions meant, often needing to ponder over it for days.

In the classroom, the desks had been pushed to the sides, neatly arranged along the room's edges. A large empty space before the podium was draped in black cloth, concealing something beneath it.

By the window, Cecil sat smoking as usual, shrouded in pale blue smoke. There was no trace of sorrow on him now; it was as if the man who had silently wept by the Black Lake wasn't him at all.

Cecil had returned to the way he'd seemed on the first day of class—wise, knowledgeable, with a hint of humor.

Eda looked at Cecil, and through his thick lenses, he looked back at her. Watching her laugh and talk with her friends, Cecil wore a satisfied expression. He had expected Eda might take more time to move on, perhaps even a lifetime. Her quick recovery surprised even him.

The bell rang, and Cecil put away his pipe, stepping up to the podium.

He said, "Dark magic comes in many forms, countless and ever-changing. Fighting it is like battling a monster—you might cut off one head, but it can still see you from somewhere else. And it will only become fiercer and more cunning."

Cecil's words struck a bit of fear into the students, and they gripped their books more tightly.

"But, without a head, how would it see you?" Fred muttered quietly. "I'm genuinely curious."

"I'm curious too. Haha, it might be thinking from his lower head…" Lee Jordan's grin turned a bit mischievous, his mind clearly veering somewhere inappropriate.

Eda, on the other hand, knew of one such being, but that was a god, not some dark magic or creature. She replied, "Who knows? Maybe it exists, or maybe he's just making it up to scare us. Why don't you go and ask him?"

Lee Jordan shook his head vigorously. He had no desire to interact with someone like Glover Cecil, a wizard with a reputation in dark magic.

In the two weeks since term started, Professor Cecil had been a strange figure. Students enjoyed his classes, but few dared approach him after them—no one wanted any association with such a notorious figure.

As soon as class ended, the students scattered, rushing out as though the person teaching them wasn't a wizard but a giant swinging a massive club.

"Today, we'll be facing a cunning and vicious dark creature," Cecil said, pointing his wand at the black cloth. Instantly, the cloth vanished, revealing a small swamp. "They often reside in swamps, attacking passing travelers. Does anyone know what they are?"

The swamp before them looked incredibly real, like a miniature version of a large one. A narrow path snaked through it, leading from the students to where Cecil stood.

The students shook their heads, unable to guess what creature lurked within the swamp. Still, they instinctively felt a sense of dread.

Eda raised her hand, and Cecil nodded for her to answer. She said, "Is it a Hinkypunk? Many dark creatures live in swamps, but the Hinkypunk seems the most suitable for us to study now."

"Explain further," Professor Cecil encouraged.

"Hinkypunk—a creature that looks as if it's made of smoke, balancing on one leg, and appears frail and harmless," Eda recalled from her studies. "But it lures travelers into the marsh. When they drown, it devours them."

"Exactly, correct answer—five points to Gryffindor," Cecil said, clapping. "This creature sounds frightening, but it's easy to handle as long as you stay grounded and don't let it deceive you."

"Your task today is to resist the Hinkypunk's lure and make it safely across this swamp." Cecil stepped down from the podium. "Don't worry—you're safe. I'll protect you."

All the students took a synchronized step back, quick to avoid becoming the unlucky first choice.

"No one? No volunteers for the first try?" Cecil said with a smile. "Well, the lesson must go on, so I'll have to choose someone at random."

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