For sed-year Gryffindors, Wednesday was a day full of tradis. Their schedule included History of Magid Potions, two subjects that couldn't be more different in both tent and the professors who taught them.

  If the m History of Magic css was a blissful ce for everyoo catch up on sleep, bringing feelings of happiness, theernoon Potions css luo the depths of hell.

  In the History of Magic , Professor Binns hadn't arrived yet, so no one had witnessed his impressive skill of phasing through walls. Even if he did, no one would really notice, since most students would already be asleep by then.

  Eda hadn't even bothered to take out her History of Magic textbook from her bag yet, while Fred and Gee were already eagerly resting their heads on their desks, adjusting their sleeping positions.

  The textbook, written by Bathilda Bagshot, was now serving as a pillow for the twins.

  The was devoid of any energy, with nearly everyone preparing for a niap. The most eous of all was Lee Jordan, who had brought an actual pillow to css, looking the most fortable of everyone.

  The bell rang, but no student sat up straight or even lifted their head from their desks. Professor Cuthbert Binns floated through the bckboard into the , but unlike a year ago, it didn't elicit any gasps of surprise.

  Professor Binns, shimmering with a pearly ghostly glow, hovered behind the podium and began his lecture for the day.

  As his dry, monotone voice droned on, one by oudents drifted into sleep. If anyone had started sn rinding their teeth, it might have been enough t Professor Binns back to life out of sheer annoyance.

  Acc to Nearly Headless Nick, wizards could leave behind a mark on the world that allowed them to linger in the pces they had lived or walked, being ghosts, rejected by both the afterlife and the world of the living.

  It was a choie could make on the road to death, but very few wizards ever chose to walk that path.

  If Eda had the choice, she'd rather face death head-on than live in such a void—no blood, no flesh, just "existing" forever like that.

  Eda cast a Sileng Charm on herself, a spell that funed like Muggle earplugs, blog out most of the surrounding noise. She did this to shield herself from the hypnotic effects of Professor Binns' voice. His "magi putting people to sleep was unparalleled, and Eda simply couldn't resist it.

  She propped up her History of Magic textbook in front of her, hiding behind it as she worked on her Charms essay. Most of her assigs st year had been pleted during History of Magic css, a method that had worked very well for her. So, she tihis practice, making productive use of the css time.

  Eda focused ily on her essay. Not only did she plete the nine-inch Charms essay, but she also almost finished Professonagall's assig.

  Buried in her work, she didn't even notice when the bell rang to signal the end of css. It wasn't until the twins swiped her quill that she realized she'd been writing for so long, still engrossed in her essay titled The Dangers of Inplete Transfiguration.

  The twins had called out to her several times after css ended, but Eda, with her Sileng Charm in pce, didn't hear a thing and remained unresponsive. Finally, Fred took matters into his own hands and snatched her quill.

  From Eda, the twins had learned about the advantages of the Sileng Charm and were eager to master it themselves. They joked about using it whenever Mrs. Weasley scolded them, so they wouldn't have to ehe full brunt of her shouting.

  There are many ways to discipline children, ahought Mrs. Weasley could certainly choose a gentler approach. However, she suspected that Mrs. Weasley's scolding of the twins was more about venting her frustrations than anything else.

  During lunch, first-year Katie Bell joihem. Hanging out with older students had its perks, even though her "big sisters" were only a year or two older than her.

  On the night Katie Bell moved in, Eda gave her a prized possession: a map of Hogwarts. This was a hot odity. The map covered most areas of the castle, with special emphasis on s where lessons were held, making it incredibly ve.

  Eda had started making these maps ba August. By the sed day of the school term, the twins had begun selling them to first-year students or anyone who frequently got lost.

  Eda hahe produ, while the twins took charge of distribution. In just three or four days, they sold out of the maps. Initially, Eda's goal was to make a bit of pocket money, but she hadn't anticipated just how extehe twins' work was.

  They even mao sell maps to Slytherins.

  Almost every first-year student at Hogwarts ended up with one of these navigation maps. This not only signifitly reduced the number of students arrivio css, but also allowed Eda, as the CEO, and Fred and Gee, as the heads of sales, to rake in quite a profit.

  Some students who missed out on the first bataps even pced orders with the twins, to pay extra. For these VIP ers willing to pay more, Eda generously added a few features that weren't included iandard version.

  Eda's map was inspired by the Marauder's Map, though hers was far from the same level. The ts had different purposes.

  The Marauder's Map was great for monit the castle and ensuring the user could safely get away with mischief. Eda's map, oher hand, urely a navigation tool, without any hidden passageways or secret features.

  Of course, Eda wasn't the only one in school capable of making maps, so after her navigation map became popur, a wave of imitations started popping up.

  These knock-offs were cheaper, but they had various issues, such as poor quality or inaccurate dires, which led to a flood of ive reviews.

  This situation actually ended up boosting support for the inal product. It's true that in any business, petition often highlights the value of quality.

  Iy, you couldn't bme the imitators too much. They were copying Eda's map, which itself was a simplified version of the Marauder's Map. From the very beginning, they were at a disadvantage, so it was impossible for them to pete successfully.

  Eda even thought Dumbledore should award the three of them a Special tribution Award in reition of their noble efforts to help their fellow students.

  Iernoon, Professor Snape "warmly weled" every studeering the dungeon . Standing in the shadows, with his perpetually bck robes, he looked just like an old bat.

  As Eda passed him, she whispered a quick greeting, though it was unclear whether Snape heard her or not.

  Potion-making was actually quite difficult. Though it seemed like just a few simple steps, once you started preparing them, it became clear that it was much more plex.

  The order of ingredient addition, precise measurements, teique, and trol of heat were all essential skills.

  And Snape wasn't the kind of teacher who would walk you through each step. This css required students to rely more on their own talent, prehension, and intuition.

  For someone like Snape, a potions genius, it had probably never occurred to him that anyone would need instru piece by piece—he likely believed such people didn't eve.

  The subject was already tough enough on its own, but with an ever-present, sharp-tongued bat h over your shoulder, Potions css with Snape felt like double the agony.

  Take Patricia Stinsryffindor, for example. This pirl had been reduced to tears multiple times by Snape's sharp remarks, sobbing as she added ingredients to her cauldron, only for the potion to turn into a plete disaster.

  Once all the students had ehe , Sood at the podium.

  He sed the room, his hollow eyes betraying ion, leaving the students unsure of his move.

  'Would he start teag immediately or unto one of his scathing tirades?'

  "Once again, I see you all in this dungeon , though there are some among you I'd rather not have to y eyes on," Snape said.

  "I hope none of you let a troll feast on your brains over the summer break. If I discover that anyone here is ay-headed fool, don't expect to set foot in this for the rest of the term."

  ___________

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