The evening breeze was gentle, and the night was peaceful. The electric fan creaked as it turned, sending out a refreshing breeze.
Eda lay sprawled out in the shape of a starfish on a hard wooden bed, looking completely useless.
Hard wooden beds and electric fans were not things Rosier Manor had. The place Eda was staying in now was an orphanage, an orphanage located in Little Whinging, Surrey.
As for why Eda had appeared at this orphanage at this particular time, well, that was a long story.
It all started with Fred and George's letter. The letter said that Dumbledore wanted Eda to return to Britain as soon as possible.
After discussing it with her grandmother Vinda, Eda hurried back to Britain, just in time to experience Britain's scorching summer.
After meeting Dumbledore, Eda joined the Order of the Phoenix he had established after only a few words. Everything had gone smoothly until the two of them had a disagreement over something trivial when they parted.
Eda wanted to visit Welfare Village in Hampshire. She had wanted to go there for a long time. However, Dumbledore hoped she could put the matter aside for the time being and discuss it later.
So, feeling that she had been wronged, Eda ran off in a fit of pique and ended up all the way at an orphanage in Little Whinging.
The considerably thinner Mrs. Valente warmly welcomed her. Taking advantage of this stay, Eda also wanted to repay Mrs. Mary for raising her all those years, so she donated some money to the orphanage.
It was not a large amount, merely a token of her goodwill.
Tonight was Eda's third night staying here. Just as she was wondering whether to take a shower and go straight to sleep or wander around first and shower afterward, the phoenix Fawkes suddenly flew in and dropped a letter onto the table.
Before the lazy Eda could react, the phoenix Fawkes had already disappeared. Reluctantly turning over, Eda stretched out her arm and picked up the letter from the table.
She opened the envelope, and Dumbledore's long, crooked handwriting came into view. After only briefly scanning the contents on the parchment, Eda immediately sat bolt upright on the hard wooden bed.
She hurriedly changed into clothes suitable for going outside. While tying up her hair, she left her little room.
Under the astonished gazes of Mrs. Valente and Miss Nelson, Eda transformed into a woman of the wind, rushing out of the orphanage and disappearing into the night.
The reason for her urgency was simple. Harry Potter was in trouble. Tonight, right here in Little Whinging, Harry had been attacked by Dementors.
Dementors, the guards of the wizarding prison Azkaban.
They should have been staying in the cold waters of the North Sea, so why had they appeared in Little Whinging?
And why had they happened to encounter a wizard whose name just happened to be Harry Potter?
If there was no foul play here, if the Ministry of Magic had not been pulling strings behind the scenes, Eda would kneel down on the spot and kowtow to Fudge!
Using Apparition, Eda appeared on Privet Drive.
The neat, square houses on both sides of the street were shrouded in a drowsy silence. Only Number 4 was filled with the roar of its male owner.
"Owls! Owls again! No more owls are ever coming into my house!"
The voice was booming with such force that it was as if the owner had a loudspeaker built into him. Eda shook her head, dispelling the wild thoughts in her mind and refusing to wonder whether Vernon Dursley's enormous belly could fit a loudspeaker.
Yes, Eda knew Vernon Dursley. Though "knew" was perhaps too strong a word. She had merely seen the obese Vernon a few times.
The first time, of course, was the day Eda first met Harry, when she had seen him from a distance while taking Harry home.
The next few times had been at King's Cross Station.
Even though he was extremely disgusted with his nephew Harry, Vernon would go to the station to pick Harry up every summer holiday.
Eda walked up and rang the doorbell. No one answered, and only Vernon's furious questioning could be heard from inside. She rang it again, but the result was the same. No one came to open the door.
At that moment, a loud bang came from inside the house, followed by an endless echo. Then came a woman's frightened scream and a man's furious roar.
Eda could no longer worry about manners. Without waiting for anyone to open the door, she simply used her wand to force open the front door of Number 4 Privet Drive.
Eda did not have the ability to enter and leave any residential area with nothing but a packet of instant noodles, but she did have "Alohomora."
Pushing the door open, she saw a puddle of foul-smelling vomit on the doormat.
Eda frowned and pinched her nose as she walked around the disgusting mess. Passing through the brightly lit living room, she arrived at the kitchen of Number 4 Privet Drive.
Inside the kitchen, Harry was clutching two letters in his hands, his neck stiff as he argued with Vernon. Petunia, meanwhile, was frantically tending to her son Dudley, a constantly trembling lump of fat.
"I'm sorry. I know barging in like this is very rude. I just thought you had been attacked again." Standing at the kitchen doorway, Eda spoke apologetically, awkwardly poking at her hair with her wand.
Most of the time, Eda was a polite and reasonable person.
"Who are you? Why are you in my house?" Vernon Dursley roared loudly. He suddenly grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter, a knife whose size was completely out of proportion with his own build.
Harry also turned around and saw Eda. The mixture of anger and fear on his face disappeared. The girl in front of him, wearing a white T-shirt and blue denim shorts, always had a kind of magic that made her friends feel reassured.
"Eda!" Harry said. "You came at just the right time!"
Eda playfully waved at Harry in response.
When she heard Vernon's bull-like roar from the doorway, Eda had already been mostly reassured. If he could still argue this loudly, it meant that although Harry had been attacked, he himself had not suffered any serious injuries.
She had opened the door herself and trespassed into someone's home simply because she was worried Harry might do something impulsive.
Harry was currently going through adolescence, impulsive and rebellious, and he had always had a complicated relationship with his aunt's family. After all, he had a precedent of inflating people.
"Who exactly are you?" Vernon continued to roar. In his fury, he did not recognize Eda.
"Esmeralda Twist, Harry's upperclassman. Mr. Dursley, I suggest you put down the knife, or at least stop your hand from shaking while you're holding it."
Eda pointed toward a sofa and asked, "May I sit down?"
Before Vernon could respond, Eda's fair legs had already moved. She walked straight over to the sofa and sat down.
"Eda, I was attacked by Dementors! I used the Patronus Charm!" Harry spoke extremely quickly. "Then I received a notice from the Ministry of Magic. They expelled me!"
As he spoke, Harry handed both letters in his hands to Eda. One was a disciplinary notice from the Ministry of Magic, which read:
Dear Mr. Potter:
We have received information that at 9:23 p.m. this evening, you performed a Patronus Charm in a Muggle residential area in the presence of a Muggle.
This action constitutes a serious violation of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, and you have therefore been expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Ministry of Magic will shortly send a representative to your residence to destroy your wand.
As you have previously received an official warning for violating Article Thirteen of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, we regret to inform you that you must appear before the Ministry of Magic for a hearing at nine o'clock on the morning of August 12.
The other letter had been sent by Mr. Weasley. The loud bang Eda had heard had been caused by the owl delivering the letter. The poor owl had flown headfirst into the impeccably clean window.
Harry,
Dumbledore has just arrived at the Ministry of Magic and is investigating the whole incident. Do not leave Number 4 Privet Drive. Do not use magic again. Do not surrender your wand. Eda is on her way there, and she will protect you.
Arthur Weasley
Eda casually placed the two letters on the table. She already had a rough understanding of what had happened tonight. There really was something wrong here.
It had to be Fudge, or someone under him, who had sent the Dementors to Little Whinging and authorized them to attack Harry, who was innocent.
If Harry did not resist, he could only let the Dementors drain him dry. If he resisted, Harry would be violating the laws established by the wizarding world.
The Ministry of Magic, which had never been known for having much sense, had actually figured out how to trap someone from both sides. Eda had never expected that.
Either kiss the Dementors until the end of time, or go to Azkaban and enjoy a big bowl of prison food. Pick one!
...
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