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  As the voice faded, three figures emerged from the forest, approag steadily.

  Leading them was Dumbledore, who had just returo Hogwarts from London. He hadn't even had time to settle in his office before heading straight here.

  His expression was unreadable, her joyful nry, as he walked forward, wand in hand.

  Professonagall and Professor Snape fnked Dumbledore oher side.

  It had been Magall who had spoken just now. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, fury etched into her face. She gripped her wand so tightly that the veins in her hand were visibly bulging.

  If Eda weren't so close to Fawley, Professonagall wouldn't hesitate to show him what a lion's wrath truly meant for daring to harm one of her own cubs.

  Snape followed behind them with his usual deadpan expression, moviher too fast nor too slow. Uhe others, he hadn't drawn his wand. However, the look he gave Fawley was filled with disgust, as though he were gazing at a repulsive i.

  "D-Dumbledore, what are you doing here? You actually came back from London!" Fawley excimed, frustration evident in his voice. "You're as annoying as ever!"

  "My colleagues informed me that someone had snuto the school, so I returned," Dumbledore expined calmly. "I always thought I was rather popur among the students."

  "I'm not one of those brats who py your childish games. Those brats are as irritating as you are."

  "Be, you shouldn't be here, and you certainly shouldn't be treating my students this way," Dumbledore said. With a flick of his wand, Eda, who was sitting on the ground, was lifted into the air.

  Professonagall quickly stepped forward to catch her.

  Supp Eda with her right hand, Magall let the girl lean against her while her free left hand carefully checked Eda for any injuries.

  Apart from the Cruciatus Curse, Eda hadn't suffered any serious injuries. Her hair was singed from the fire, and most of her wounds were just scrapes. Even her delicate faly had a few minor scratches.

  Seeing that Eda was mostly unharmed, Professonagall, still angry, gave Eda's ass two light smacks. She already knew why Eda had ended up in this situation, and she set with her faging in such reckless behavior of wandering around the castle trailing Fawly and being his target.

  Some time ago, after spotting Eda in the map, the twins had immediately rushed out of the on room to find help. They went to Professonagall's offid expihe situation to her as best they could.

  Worried for Eda's safety, Magall had takewins directly to the Headmaster's office from the seventh floor, where she had just returned from.

  In the Headmaster's office, the three of them found Dumbledore and She twins reted the situation to the retly returned Headmaster, and so Dumbledore, along with Magall and Snape, hurried to the Forbidden Forest.

  That's how they had mao save the exausted Eda just in time.

  Eda didn't make a sound after being smacked. She was feeling exhausted.

  When she had been fag Fawley alone, Eda hadn't feared anything, doing everything she could to fend him off. But now that Magall had arrived, Eda no longer had to face the danger on her own.

  She could lean on the professor who had always treated her with such kindness, even if only for a moment.

  As for being smacked, it wasn't a big deal. Who hadn't been spanked by their mother at some point?

  Though Magall wasn't her mother, this kind of g reprimand still felt warm and f...

  Looking down at Eda led in her arms, Professonagall's anger faded. She held Eda tightly, determined not to let her e to any more harm.

  Snape was also watg Eda.

  Her current vulnerable state was a stark trast to her usual boldness, and for a moment, even Snape's heart, which should have been as hard as iron, ached slightly.

  But more than anything, Snape was angry. He had thought Eda was different from the ryffindors, but her as today had shown him that she was every bit the reckless Gryffindor he had expected.

  A young lion cub recklessly stepping into a hunter's not-so-clever trap—what else could this be but foolishness?

  Dumbledore took two steps forward, positioning himself between Professonagall and Eda. He said, "I've always given you ces, Be."

  "ces? Haha..." Fawley ughed loudly. "You've always been watg me, sending your pdog to gather information. Is that what you call giving me ces?"

  Snape, called a pdog, didn't even g Fawley. Instead, he pulled out a small vial of potion from his robe and ha to Eda.

  The liquid ihe vial was a siing color, something that made Eda feel nauseous just looking at it. She had no iion of accepting it and instinctively shrank further into Professonagall's embrace.

  Snape was never oo coddle students. He grabbed Eda's , f her mouth open, and unceremoniously poured the potion dowhroat.

  After making Eda drink the potion, Snape wiped his hands disdainfully on her robe.

  The moment the potion hit her stomach, its effects kicked in. Eda felt a wave of warmth spread through her body, and the pain she had been feeling began to ease.

  The potions from Snape's boratory were always of top quality.

  However, if only he could improve the color ime, '..and maybe the taste too.'

  It was truly awful—terribly awful.

  Relying on Professonagall's support, Eda shot a "sful" look at Snape. Her slightly disheveled face was full of distaste and disgust from the potion's terrible fvor.

  Snape couldn't care less about her rea. After f the potion dowhroat, he didn't look at Eda again. He had done his part; now it to Dumbledore to hahe situation.

  Eda fished out a piece of chocote from her pocket. This was her go-to snaething that could both stave off hunger and boost her mood. She always kept some with her.

  However, due to the ret battle, the chocote was now misshapen. First, it had been crushed, theed by the intense fmes. Soon, it would meet its final fate as Eda po eat it, ending its "tragic" existence.

  She offered the chocote to Professonagall, intending to ask if she wanted some. But Magall misinterpreted the gesture, thinking Eda was too weak to open the er.

  Being as thoughtful as ever, Professonagall deftly uned the chocote with one hand and thely fed it to Eda.

  "I still remember you as a well-behaved and sensible student during your school days. How did you bee like this?" Dumbledore reminisced. "Sihe start of the term, I've been waiting for you to e to me, but instead, you've chosen to tinue down the wrong path."

  Fawley had already desded into madness. He didn't care about Dumbledore's words ret. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing an inplete Dark Mark etched into his forearm.

  The mark was faint, its color hard to dis.

  "The Dark Lord has givehe meaning of life! I will follow in his footsteps and asd to the pinnacle of the world!" Fawley shouted loudly. Then, turning his gaze to Snape, he added, "When the Dark Lord returns, he will surely punish those who have betrayed him!"

  "The Dark Lord may return, but you surely won't live to see that day," Snape finally spoke, breaking his silence for the first time that night.

  "You think I'm a coward like you and Malfoy? All you do is grovel before the Ministry of Magid Dumbledore, begging for your lives. You both are just waiting, biding your time, hoping the Dark Lord never returns to settle ats with you!" Fawley spat out, his words ced with venom.

  Snape had no i in engaging with Fawley, who had clearly lost his mind. People like Fawley try t you down to their level and the you with their sheer experien being unreasonable. Snape, however, was more ined to end this with a swift Killing Curse, sending Fawley straight to meet Merlin himself.

  "Unlike you, I have remained loyal to our master. My devotion will be rewarded, bringing honor to me and glory to the entire Fawley family!" Fawley tinued, mistaking Snape's silence for fear, pletely unaware that Snape simply couldn't be bothered tue with him.

  "The boy you once were is gone forever," Dumbledore sighed. It was unclear if he was menting for Fawley or for Voldemort.

  Fawley raised his wand, shouting defiantly, "e! Tonight, the loyal servant of the Dark Lord will face the great Dumbledore!"

  "Let me hahis, Albus. He has hurt my student," Professonagall said furiously, ready to hex Fawley into something disgusting.

  "Easy there let this old man stretch his legs," Dumbledore replied calmly. "You have more important matters to attend to. I believe our Miss Twist needs some rest now."

  Whatever Snape had put in that potion, it was making Eda increasingly drowsy. Her eyelids were growing heavier by the sed.

  Though Eda was only thirteen, it would be best if Professonagall personally took her back to the castle. She could als the Weasley twins, who were likely waiting just outside the Forbidden Forest.

  Looking down at the drowsy Eda in her arms, Professonagall nodded in agreement with Dumbledore's suggestion. She jured a stretcher with a flick of her wand and made it float in the air. With Snape's help, they carefully pced Eda onto it.

  Magall pointed her wand at the stretcher, which began to follow her as she walked away, as if it were being carried by invisible hands. Snape also departed, casting a pitying g Fawley before he left.

  "Now, it's just the two of us," Dumbledore said quietly.

  "Avada Kedavra!" Fawley didn't waste words, responding with a fsh of deadly green light.

  "Haah~" Dumbledore sighed softly, "Such a vile curse."

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