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  Eda was shocked to see the person in front of her—it was the same Slytherin senior who had delivered the o her earlier that evening!

  Her immediate rea of casting a spell was somewhat rash, but if given another ce, she might still do the same.

  Ag first was often the best approach.

  The uling enviro around the dungeon had prompted her to strike first.

  Why was she here? Why had she lured Eda here? Eda silently pohese questions while gripping her wand tightly, prepared for any move the seniht make.

  Eda didn't know this senior. This evening was the first time they had spoken. The only previous enter Eda had with her was in Fawley's supproup. On the day Fawley left Hogwarts, this girl had been the one g the hardest, and those around her had called her Eirene.

  Eda had no idea how she might have offended Eirehe only e between them seemed to be that they both bid farewell to Fawley.

  Eirene didn't respond to Eda. As she stepped closer, the mockery on her face grew more pronounced. She waved her wand, and a blue spell shot towards Eda.

  Eda quickly dodged, and the spell hit the wall, bsting a rge hole into it. The flying debris left Eda a bit disheveled, but she didn't have time to worry about that. She raised her wand, aiming at the doorway.

  As Eireepped out of the , Eda cast another spell, "Stupefy!" The spell shot quickly towards Eirene.

  The distaween them was short, and the spell reached Eirene in an instant. Eirene, however, blocked the spell with a wave of her wand. After defleg Eda's attack, Eirene unleashed four secutive spells at Eda, beginning her terattack.

  Eda dodged frantically, using defensive spells like the Shield Charm to block the attacks she couldn't evade.

  As Eda successfully blocked those spells, Eirene's expression finally ged, revealing a mix of curiosity ament.

  Is Hogwarts' education really this good? A senior student who hasn't even graduated pull off a series of nonverbal spells? Eda thought to herself.

  "Expelliarmus!" Eda shouted, sending a bright red light straight toward Eirene.

  The Disarming Charm—a seemingly simple yet the most powerful spell. At least this was how the system described it.

  Eda had always believed this as well, so she had diligently practiced it ever since she lear.

  If your oppo loses their wand, they're as good as defeated. Not many perform wandless magid those who wouldn't be hit by your Disarming Charm in the first pce.

  The exact in of this spell is unclear. Some cim it was ied by Merlin; others say it opur in Madagascar during the eleventh tury, though it wasn't widely used at the time.

  A more credible theory suggests that the spell was created by Elizabeth Smudgelin, who won a dueling championship using the Disarming Charm.

  It was after that duel that this spell, known for disarming and sometimes even repelling oppos, truly gained popurity.

  Eda didn't care much about who ied the spell. Right now, she just hoped her powerful strike would knock the wand out of Eirene's hand. The four secutive nonverbal spells had put a lot of pressure on her.

  But Eirehe Slytherin, merely flicked her wand, easily defleg the powerful Disarming Charm. It was a disappointing oute, sidering the high praise the system had given the spell.

  The two had already exged several spells, causing quite a otio no one came to iigate the corridor. It felt like a gdiatorial arena, where only one of them would walk out standing.

  Eirene silently cast another spell, a faint red light shooting toward Eda.

  "Protego!" Eda quickly raised her wand to block it. The spell struck the invisible shield, but her wa like it might fly out of her hand, f her to grip it even tighter.

  "Imperio!" Eirene finally spoke, casting the only verbal spell she had used so far—the Imperius Curse, one of the Unfivable Curses.

  Eirene, who had inally been standing in front of Eda, suddenly appeared behihe Disarming Charm she had cast earlier was just a decoy; her true iion was to cast the Imperius Curse from behind.

  Hogwarts had protes ihat prohibited Apparition, so Eda never expected Eireo suddenly appear behind her.

  The curse struck Eda from behind. If it had been the Killing Curse, she'd be nothing more than a pretty corpse right now.

  At that moment, Eda's mi bnk. Being attacked by Eirene wasn't even a anymore. Hogwarts' restris on Apparition? Who cared? All she felt now was happiness, overwhelming happiness, making everything else seem insignifit.

  The system in her mi ringing with a "ding... ding... ding" sound.

  Slowly, as Eda sank deeper into the bliss, she began to realize something was wrong. She started to muster all her strength to fight against the "happiness" that was clouding her mind, trying to resist its influence.

  The teiques to resist the Imperius Curse had some simirities with Occlumency. Eda knew Occlumency, but she wasn't profit. The only thing she had mastered reventing others from accessing her memories as.

  Occlumency was the first magic the system had taught Eda, but she had always lear passively.

  She could resist Legilimency, but when it came to the Imperius Curse, she found herself struggling. If Eda had practiced Occlumency more diligently, she wouldn't have been so easily affected by the Imperius Curse.

  Ultimately, it was her own ck of preparation that had led to this vulnerability.

  Eirene's wand was still poi Eda as she deepehe spell, tinuing to exert influence over Eda. In the end, the one who trols the mind is the one who wins.

  Seeing that the spell had taken effect, Eirene finally lowered her wand.

  She cast a spell to repair the damage they had caused, and the corridor was restored to its inal state, showing no signs that a battle had takehere.

  Eda heard a and in her mind: Follow me.

  She tile against it, but her body was no longer under her trol. She followed Eirene, her movements meical.

  As they left the corridor, Eda, uhe influence of the Imperius Curse, followed Eirene like a puppet. Although other students saw them, they didn't think much of it.

  They were simply puzzled to see a Gryffindor and a Slytherin together, never suspeg that the terrifying Imperius Curse y.

  The two left the castle, disappearing into the night without aig.

  Arou o'clock, the twins, having fiheir punishment, returo the on room. Arm in arm, they walked in, but when they didn't see Eda, they headed over to Angelina.

  "Hey, Angelina!" Fred greeted. "Where's Eda? We don't see her around."

  Angelied her on her hand and said gently, "Snape called her away. She left you this food and a note."

  The twins took the tray of food, happily mung on the sandwiches prepared by the house-elves. Gee asked, "When did she leave?"

  "Less than half an ho," Alicia replied, gesturing for them to look at the note Eda had left behind. "Snape asked her to go to the dungeons at eight."

  "Eight? Why would he choose such a time?" Gee said, puzzled.

  Fred unfolded the note, which simply read: Professor Snape asked me to go to the dungeons at eight. – Eda.

  The twins had beeing at a normal pace, but after seeing the hey began to devour their sandwiches rapidly, finishing them in just a few bites.

  Their speed was astonishing, leaving Angelina and Alicia wide-eyed. It was almost inhuman how fast they ate.

  The twins hurriedly climbed the stairs back to their dormitory.

  There was an ink blot oe, something they normally wouldn't have paid attention to if it had been anyone else's note. But with Eda, it was different.

  The twins had been copying Eda's homework for a long time, and they were well aware of her meticulous writing habits. They knew she would never leave an ink blot like that unless it was iional.

  Ba the dormitory, the twins quickly pulled out the Marauder's Map.

  They o see where Eda was—they believed that the ink blot was a deliberate mark, a sig to alert them to something.

  "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

  Ink lines spread across the part as the twins activated the Marauder's Map.

  They first looked at the dungeons, where Eda usually was when Snape called her. But this time, not only did they not see Eda, they couldn't even see Snape—only Mrs. Norris.

  The twins tiheir search. They spotted Snape on the fifth floor, and soon he moved up to the sixth floor, but there was no sign of Esmeralda Twist's name beside him.

  The twins grew increasingly anxious. To speed things up, they decided to split the task: Fred focused on searg ihe castle, while Gee checked outside.

  "I found her! Eda's in the Forbidden Forest!" Gee finally located Eda's name, represented by a small boving towards the Forbidden Forest.

  Fred also looked over, and as soon as they saw Eda's name, a sense of dread settled over the brothers.

  "Why is Eda with him? And why are they going to the Forbidden Forest?"

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