Hogwarts Emerald

The students all lowered their heads, not wanting to be the first to enter the swamp. Eda's description of the Hinkypunk had been clear—this creature could eat people. If something went wrong and Professor Cecil couldn't intervene in time, wouldn't they get hurt?

In the crowd, Fred and George were quite curious about this creature. They wanted to see what it looked like and if it could inspire them with any new ideas, as they had recently become interested in such things.

Professor Cecil scanned the students, and each time he looked at one, they instinctively avoided his gaze. But he didn't seem to mind; he smiled and said, "I've decided who I'll pick."

It can't be me, right?

Eda thought to herself.

As long as Cecil hadn't announced a name, the students couldn't relax. Their thoughts were simple: pick anyone, just not me.

"Lee Jordan!" Professor Cecil announced loudly. "Let's welcome our brave Gryffindor warrior."

"Fuu~"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, while Fred and George strained to keep straight faces to avoid bursting into laughter. Lee Jordan, his face pale, wore a look of dread.

Lee dragged himself out of the group, barely hearing Angelina's cheers of encouragement. His mind was filled with worries about whether Cecil could save him in time, whether he would drown in the swamp, or even be eaten.

Professor Cecil patted Lee Jordan on the shoulder and whispered, "Relax, young man. As long as you don't give in to the temptation, you'll be safe. And I'll be here to protect you the whole time."

As soon as the trembling Lee Jordan stepped into the swamp, a thick white mist rose, obscuring him entirely from the students' view.

The twins' expressions shifted from relaxed to slightly anxious, and Fred asked, "Eda, do you think Lee will be alright?"

If Professor Cecil dared to introduce Hinkypunks as a class topic, it meant he had the means to rescue any students from the creature's clutches. Failure to do so would result in a serious teaching accident, one no one could afford.

Besides, considering who Glover Cecil used to be—a former dark wizard—if he couldn't handle a Hinkypunk, he'd have no business teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"It'll be fine. Trust Cecil. Even if Lee Jordan does fall for the trick, Cecil can still save him," Eda reassured her friends, trying to ease their worry.

Despite the thick fog, the students kept their eyes glued to the swamp, some shorter ones even standing on tiptoes to get a better look.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air from within the swamp—it sounded like Lee Jordan's voice. Standing beside the swamp, Cecil waved his wand toward the fog, which immediately dispersed, revealing Lee Jordan.

Lee had one foot on the narrow path and the other deeply submerged in the swamp, his expression full of terror but with no immediate danger to his life.

"You two aren't planning to tease him about this forever, are you?" Seeing that Lee was safe, Eda joked with the twins.

"Absolutely!" the twins laughed, answering her question. They pushed through the crowd to help the frightened Lee Jordan back, and no fog rose around them as they stepped onto the swamp—clearly, Cecil was assisting them.

Once back with the group, Lee started to calm down, though his normally dark face had turned a vivid shade of red.

"What did you see? Or hear?" Fred asked, curious about what had tempted Lee Jordan.

At first, Lee was too embarrassed to answer, but with everyone urging him, he finally mumbled in a voice as soft as a mosquito's, "I heard Angelina's voice saying..., and then… I forgot I was in Defense Against the Dark Arts class…"

As soon as he finished, Lee's embarrassment deepened—if there was a crack in the ground, he would've gladly vanished into it.

Angelina, blushing too, quietly moved away from him to stand on Eda's other side.

Seeing that Lee was unharmed and that Professor Cecil could intervene promptly, the students relaxed and started enthusiastically volunteering to cross the swamp. They lined up in a long queue, taking turns to traverse the bog.

Some students made it through quickly, walking straight out the other side. Others moved slower, needing extra time to pass.

A few were tempted by the Hinkypunk and sank partially into the swamp, but it was shallow enough not to truly trap them, and Professor Cecil watched closely, so no one was harmed by the swamp or the Hinkypunk.

Fred and George safely crossed the swamp without being tempted, even feeling a bit disappointed they hadn't seen the Hinkypunk. When they returned, Lee looked even more dejected.

Soon it was Eda's turn.

As she was about to step into the swamp, Cecil approached her and said, "You're not allowed to use magic to forcefully clear the fog; today's task is simply to resist the Hinkypunk's temptation, remember?"

After Eda nodded in understanding, Cecil allowed her to proceed.

As soon as Eda stepped onto the swamp path, the thick fog rose once more. She didn't draw her wand but used her hand to push aside the mist in front of her, trying to get a clear view of the path underfoot.

From the outside, the swamp didn't look very large, but once inside, Eda realized it was far bigger than it appeared.

She wasn't sure if this was due to a Charm of Undetectable Extension, but she didn't have time to ponder it—soon, the Hinkypunk began its temptations.

In the swamp, Eda first saw a middle-aged couple waving her over, calling her to come home for dinner.

"Ugh.."

Ignoring them, she continued walking forward.

Then, she heard Mrs. Weasley's voice calling her home, but Eda still didn't respond.

As she walked through the swamp, Eda saw many familiar faces and heard voices she knew well. She even saw Lady Mary, looking ill and much thinner than usual.

Outside, the students were murmuring, wondering why Eda was taking so long to come out. Eda's performance in every class, except Herbology, was the best, so it seemed odd she was taking the longest time here.

The twins watched the swamp intently. It was too quiet inside—there were no sounds at all. Though they knew she'd be safe, they couldn't help but worry a little.

They hadn't forgotten Eda's distressed state on Saturday. Fred and George were anxious, fearing that in her current condition, she might succumb to the temptations and fall into the swamp.

As time passed and Eda still hadn't emerged, the murmurs in the classroom stopped, replaced by growing concern. Cecil stood by the swamp's edge, his wand ready in his hand, prepared to dispel the fog if necessary. But he didn't move.

"Interesting… such an interesting child," Cecil muttered to himself, though no one else heard him.

Cecil couldn't see the illusions the Hinkypunk was creating, but he could see through the fog and knew that Eda was perfectly safe. She wasn't lingering because she couldn't leave—she stayed because she didn't want to.

Inside the swamp, the Hinkypunk continued conjuring various illusions, but none of these visions or sounds affected Eda. She knew they were fake, designed to tempt her, and she was letting the Hinkypunk create them on purpose.

Eda wanted to use this moment to say farewell to her past and see them one last time.

Other than Lady Mary, all the illusions she saw were ones she'd wanted to see. But Eda wasn't sure why Lady Mary appeared in this particular way.

...

After what felt like ages to the other students waiting anxiously, Eda finally emerged. Her robes were neat, and not a hair was out of place, as though she hadn't been delayed at all.

Back by the twins' side, Eda stretched with a relaxed yawn, looking like she'd just woken from a nap.

"What took you so long?" Fred asked, not letting his worry show. "I thought you might be polishing shoes and washing socks today."

"When has she ever polished her shoes?" George chimed in. "She's always using the Cleaning Charm. Honestly, Eda's the one in most need of a house-elf around here!"

Eda rolled her eyes at the twins, then replied with a smile, "What's the rush? The Hinkypunk's illusions were pretty entertaining. Someday, if I have a courtyard, I'll get a swamp and keep a few for fun."

Her friends were stunned.

"Damn.. now I really wanna know what you saw there."

They hadn't expected her delay to be for that reason, and they couldn't help but marvel at just how much Eda enjoyed herself!

___________

Read 12 Chapters ahead:

Patreon.com/Dragonel