"..."
Edward pressed a hand to his forehead.
Alright, he couldn't really blame Mr. Lovegood—this one was on him.
Just then, Luna poked her head out of the window and waved. "Goodbye, Mr. Wrackspurt."
"Goodbye, Luna."
Edward waved back before his figure twisted and vanished into thin air.
Inside the house, Luna climbed down from the small table by the window and looked toward her father, who still wore a furious expression.
"Daddy, just now, Mr. Wrackspurt told me that he could see Mum standing behind me~"
"What?"
Xenophilius looked even angrier. "To get their hands on The Quibbler, they're resorting to manipulating children?"
"No, Daddy!"
Luna's little face was solemn. "He really seemed to see Mum." After a pause, she repeated, "He really could see Mum."
Lovegood froze for a moment, then suddenly strode toward the door and flung it open, looking for Edward—but all he saw was an empty field covered in a blanket of snow.
His lips moved, and he murmured, "Pandora…"
———
After leaving Luna's house, Edward arrived at the Burrow, the Weasley family's home. It was a four-story house, crooked and leaning in a way that defied logic.
At this hour, the Weasley family members who had jobs were off to work, and those in school had gone to classes. Only Molly and Ginny were at home.
Molly was delighted by Edward's visit. She immediately set about preparing a generous meal, not even waiting for her husband to return before enthusiastically inviting him to eat.
Ginny was very curious about this big brother who looked about the same age as her brother Charlie, but whom her mother addressed as "Professor." However, she was naturally shy and only dared to hide behind her mother, occasionally sneaking glances at Edward. If he happened to meet her gaze, she would quickly duck her head in fright.
"You know, Professor Edward,"
Molly said with a trace of helplessness in her voice, "Arthur has always loved tinkering with those Muggle 'technological' gadgets, trying to combine them with magic. I never supported it because the Ministry doesn't like that sort of thing. But starting last night, he finally has an excuse."
"He's decided to pursue the Savant path! Yes, the very one that studies machinery and alchemy, blending them together! Oh heavens, he was over the moon last night. He said this path was made just for him!"
"He claims that now I no longer have any reason to oppose his obsession with Muggle inventions."
Arthur Weasley's choice was hardly surprising. He was a laid-back wizard with no ambition. Aside from his fascination with Muggle technology, he had few other hobbies. The Savant path gave him the perfect justification to pursue his interests.
"And what about you, Madam? Have you thought about which path you'd like to choose?"
"To be honest, I'm still considering it,"
Molly said, holding her fork. "What about the Seer path? Then I'd be able to keep tabs on everyone's situation anytime, anywhere. And George and Fred would never be able to lie to me again."
"Well, that's something only you can decide. But with Voldemort still a threat, since Mr. Weasley has chosen a path without much combat power early on, perhaps you could pick something with stronger early abilities? It might help you protect your family better."
"You're right!"
Molly nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, good point. Now I have a direction! Thank you, Professor Edward!"
Ginny, meanwhile, didn't understand a word of the conversation between her mother and this big brother. She didn't ask either. At first, she obediently focused on eating, but once Lilith poked her head out from Edward's arms, drawn by the delicious aroma, her attention was instantly stolen.
They didn't continue discussing Beyonder paths—Edward hadn't forgotten the reason he came. He took out his notebook and began asking Molly all sorts of questions about the village.
Not long after, Arthur came through the door.
"Oh, Molly, you didn't wait for me to eat today…Hey! Edward—Professor!"
The moment he saw Edward, Arthur lit up and hurried over. He immediately launched into his story about choosing the Savant path and, upon learning Edward was writing a travelogue, enthusiastically joined in, pouring out everything he knew.
He wasn't satisfied with just talking about Ottery St. Catchpole; soon he moved on to other wizarding villages. But the conversation quickly went off-topic—after learning that Edward had always lived in the Muggle world, Arthur began bombarding him with questions about Muggles.
Though fascinated by Muggle technology, Arthur didn't understand a single bit of the underlying principles. He approached everything with a magical mindset. In the end, Edward simply gifted him some books on basic mechanics and electrical systems, which made Arthur utterly ecstatic.
———
While Edward was being entertained at the Burrow, the weekly Defence Against the Dark Arts practical class had begun at Hogwarts.
The moment Snape appeared, the young wizards immediately noticed something was off—his complexion was even paler than usual, and they began whispering guesses about what had happened.
"I bet Snape went back into that room and got bitten by the big dog again!" Ron declared confidently. "His face is so pale—it's got to be from blood loss!"
Harry stared closely at Snape. "But I don't see any injuries."
"That's because he's good at hiding them!"
Hermione couldn't help but interject, "Stop making wild guesses, Ron. Audrey said Professor Snape has already been ruled out as a suspect."
"Hmph! You just believe whatever she says. Have you forgotten she's from Slytherin?"
"Slytherins aren't all bad people."
"This isn't about being good or bad—it's about sides and allegiances!"
"We're all Hogwarts students. What sides and allegiances?"
"There are sides!"
As the two of them began to bicker again, Harry looked back and forth between them, unsure what to do.
"Ron Weasley!"
Suddenly, Snape's voice rang out.
Ron froze. "Here!"
"You're up first," Snape said, then turned to Harry. "Potter, you're his opponent."
"Ah—yes, Professor."
Though neither of them wanted to, they had no choice but to step onto the duelling platform.
"We're doomed. The Durmstrang students are here today too…If I embarrass myself, Mum's definitely going to send me a Howler," Ron muttered.
Harry quickly said, "Don't worry, we'll just go through the motions. We'll fake a few spells and end it in a draw."
"Great idea!"
Unfortunately, Snape immediately added, "The loser will clean toilets for a week. If it's a draw—one month."
"!!!"
The two "best friends" instantly gave each other a look and took a step back at the same time, drawing their wands.
The classroom where the DADA practical class was held was steadily filling up, soon becoming quite crowded. Lee Jordan stood on top of a desk, holding a wand like a microphone:
"Alright, welcome to the seventh session of Hogwarts' Defence Against the Dark Arts Practical Duel Class, kicking off with a duel between best friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley!"
"As we all know, Harry and Ron are the kind of friends who even go to the loo together. But now, facing the dreadful punishment of toilet-scrubbing, they've drawn their wands and stand on opposite sides, ready to take each other down!"
"Is this a true clash between brothers? Or a grotesque distortion of human nature?!"
"Oh, and let's not forget—after a month-long disappearance, the Duel Goddess herself, Miss Audrey Hall, is also here tonight! Will we witness her dazzling return to the duelling platform? Stay tuned, folks!"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Audrey, including several of the Durmstrang students. Audrey felt a bit awkward. She knew all too well that the reason she'd been able to 'crush' her opponents before was largely because she knew more spells than they did, and also thanks to the high magic resistance granted by her spirituality.
But when it came to actual combat skill…she was still far from competent.
"Now then, I declare tonight's duel…officially begun!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
At the same time as they cast Expelliarmus, Harry and Ron turned and ran to dodge.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Locomotor Mortis!"
"Accio Broomstick!"
"Serpensortia!"
Compared to the earliest sessions, by the seventh class, even the first-years had gotten the hang of duelling. The only problem was—they still knew very few spells, so they kept repeating the same ones over and over.
This was partly made up for by Lee Jordan's passionate commentary:
"Nice! Harry uses his superb flying skills to summon his broomstick and attack from the skies! But Ron seemed to expect that—he dodged immediately and targeted the broom!"
"Brilliant move! Harry's advantage has now become his weakness!"
"Fantastic! Our Gryffindor Seeker has full control of the broom and uses his amazing flight skills to evade every attack!"
"…Excellent! Looks like the two have finished testing each other's strength. They've found each other's weaknesses and their own means of attack. A fierce battle is about to begin!"
"Harry uses Petrificus Totalus! And Ron also uses Petrificus Totalus!"
"Uh…"
Lee Jordan's voice faltered. "They hit each other at the same time…Both petrified. The duel is a draw!"
"I'm sure after this, their friendship will become even stronger—especially after they spend the next month scrubbing every toilet at Hogwarts together! Let's give them a round of applause!"
Snape's eye twitched.
Initially, he had absolutely forbidden anyone from talking nonsense in his class. But he quickly realised that when things were too serious, the students held back during their duels. With Lee Jordan's commentary, the excitement visibly increased.
Lee had made a very compelling case when applying to be the class commentator: "Without commentary, this is just a dull class. Win or lose, it doesn't feel like it matters. But with commentary—it's no longer just a lesson. It's a battle for honour!"
And he was right. Maybe not everyone craved victory, but absolutely no one wanted to have their name shouted out right as they got hexed into vomiting slugs—or worse, wet themselves in fear.
Snape imagined himself in their shoes and had to admit—he agreed.
Watching the two boys being helped off the stage after having the Petrificus Totalus curse lifted, Snape wore a look of disdain, but deep down, he was rather pleased: he hadn't expected Potter and Weasley—those two idiots who constantly caused trouble in class—to show such natural talent in practical combat.
Just like his damn father…
The satisfaction in his heart instantly turned to disgust.
Damn you, Potter!
———
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