The first Saturday after Sirius Black once again broke into the Gryffindor common room also happened to be the first Saturday of March.
That morning, after breakfast, the students all headed out of the castle. Hermione and Ron were among the crowd as well, though the two of them stood far apart. Ron even pretended to wave goodbye to Harry, who was standing in the entrance hall.
It looked convincing enough, but Eda would bet her own head that before long, Harry would be wandering around Hogsmeade under his Invisibility Cloak.
Eda left the castle with Fred and George as well, but instead of going to Hogsmeade, they crossed the grounds toward Hagrid's hut by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Today, Hagrid was taking Buckbeak to London for the hearing.
After being delayed for so long, the case of the hippogriff injuring a human was finally going to trial. From the very name of the case, one could already tell how the committee had framed it.
Outside the hut, Hagrid was brushing Buckbeak's feathers over and over again, hoping to leave a good impression on the committee members.
Hagrid himself had also dressed up carefully. His clothes were very formal, his hair neatly groomed, and he even wore cologne. He looked energetic, and when he spoke, his voice was very loud, as if he were full of confidence about the trial.
He was very grateful for all the help everyone had given him and Buckbeak—grateful to Eda for inviting a professional defense lawyer, to Hermione for providing past case examples, and to Newt Scamander for his support.
But Eda could see Hagrid's nervousness. His words were somewhat disjointed, and he kept blinking due to his anxiety. All of this showed just how uncertain he felt, even pessimistic about the outcome of the trial.
After Hagrid left with Buckbeak, Eda and the twins sighed in unison. The early spring sunlight of March did not bring them even the slightest warmth.
"Is there really no chance at all?" George asked softly. He deeply sympathized with Buckbeak's situation.
"No," Eda said. "You've seen the contents of the letter—Hagrid has almost no chance of winning this trial."
The defense lawyer had sent Eda a letter earlier, thoroughly analyzing the case. Eda had also shown this letter to the twins.
What the case itself was about didn't really matter, nor would whether Draco Malfoy had brought it upon himself affect the direction of the trial. The key lay in Lucius Malfoy's attitude.
Lucius Malfoy used threats and inducements, constantly pressuring the members of the committee and influencing their judgment of the case.
Distant help cannot quench an immediate need; the English Channel is not just for show. The defense lawyer's influence over the committee was far inferior to Malfoy's. Between choosing the local Malfoy and the outsider Rosier, there was no doubt Malfoy held the advantage.
After all, Evan Rosier had insisted on following Voldemort, even personally bringing about the downfall of the Rosiers in Britain.
Lucius Malfoy's intentions were obvious—he wanted to vent his anger and make Hogwarts look bad, while the Ministry of Magic also intended to test Dumbledore's limits. The two sides hit it off, and from the very beginning, the case had already been defined. Hagrid and Buckbeak were merely the targets they had chosen to achieve their goals.
"Disgusting! The Ministry is disgusting, Fudge is disgusting, Malfoy is disgusting!" Fred cursed. "They don't have the guts to go after Dumbledore directly, so they take it out on Hagrid—how impressive!"
The plight of Hagrid and Buckbeak weighed heavily on their hearts. None of the three felt like continuing the conversation, and in silence, they slipped into the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow.
There are many things in this world like this—no matter how much effort you put in, you may get nothing in return. Being able to separate Hagrid from the incident and prevent the punishment from falling on him would already be the best possible outcome.
...
Inside the Twilight Cottage, the slow-burning fire in the hearth brought a comforting warmth, and the sweet hot cocoa helped restore their mood.
Eda sat with Fred and George in front of the fireplace, and on the carpet before them lay a brand-new piece of parchment.
On this piece of parchment, fine ink lines crisscrossed and connected, presenting everything within Hogwarts. There were also tiny black dots moving across the parchment, each labeled with an extremely small cursive name—these were the students who hadn't gone to Hogsmeade.
This was a replica of the Marauder's Map made by Eda and the twins. To draw this map and ensure its accuracy, Fred and George had practically run through every inch of the castle. Even the grounds on the map were detailed enough to pinpoint the position of every single tree.
In addition, Eda had added information about the Chamber of Secrets, the Twilight Cottage, and the Room of Requirement. However, since the Room of Requirement couldn't be charted, she could only add a line on the 7th floor of the castle: a place where miracles happen.
In the vision of Eda and the twins, this new map was meant to be even more complete than the original.
Whatever the Marauder's Map had, the new map must have; whatever the Marauder's Map lacked, the new map must include. In short: 24-hour, all-around, no blind spots—that was the purpose of this new map. Clear enough!
But the problem lay precisely here. Greater precision and more powerful functions were certainly good, but they also brought enormous development difficulties. Even though Eda wasn't wearing a checkered war robe, she had recently felt as if her scalp was getting a bit cold.
And this was before the anti-intruder magic had even been implemented into the map. Once magic capable of seeing through disguises like Transfiguration spells and Polyjuice Potion was added, who knew how many bugs would be waiting for Eda to fix!
If Eda's work was mental labor, then the twins' was physical labor. When the time came, the brothers would probably have to hold Polyjuice Potion in one hand and cast Transfiguration with the other, running through every corner of the castle again to test the effectiveness of the anti-intruder magic.
If nothing unexpected happened, Snape's private stores would likely be looted clean. Snape's private storage was Eda's private storage—and Eda's storage was still Eda's!
Just as Eda was wondering whether she should order herself a wig, Fred suddenly spat out a mouthful of hot cocoa, nearly spraying it all over her.
Fred pointed at the map and said loudly, "This map isn't working either—another bug! How could Snape be together with Lupin and Harry?!"
"How is that possible!" George didn't quite believe his twin brother's discovery. He thought Fred teasing Eda was one thing, but now he was even trying to fool him.
Eda's reaction was more direct—she smacked Fred on the head, the meaning obvious: not only are you not allowed to question me, you're also not allowed to question the "program" I wrote!
It wasn't strange that Eda and George didn't believe him, because they had just seen Harry outside the Twilight Cottage.
At that time, Ron had appeared alone outside the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade, and Harry was right beside him under the Invisibility Cloak. Before long, Draco Malfoy arrived with his two lackeys.
With tempers flaring, Ron and Malfoy quickly began arguing.
Hidden under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry started playing tricks to scare Malfoy. The method did indeed frighten the young master quite a bit, but Harry's cloak accidentally slipped from his face, revealing his head.
Harry, who was supposed to be staying at Hogwarts, had his head appear in Hogsmeade instead. This absurd scene was witnessed entirely by Eda and the twins.
"Don't believe me? See for yourselves!" Fred said, rubbing his forehead aggrievedly.
Eda and George leaned in suspiciously. Following the direction of Fred's finger, the names Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, and Harry Potter were indeed clustered together in one spot.
"Could it be that little Malfoy came to his senses and went to Snape to snitch?" George said after thinking for a moment.
"That actually makes a lot of sense!" Eda nodded vigorously, putting all her strength into supporting George's idea.
Fred slapped a hand against Eda's bobbing forehead and said, "What nonsense! If Snape knew, he should go to Professor McGonagall—why would he go to Lupin?"
"That makes absolutely no sense!" Eda shook off Fred's hand, her head shaking like a rattle drum. She truly didn't want to fix any more bugs!
George suddenly stood up from the carpet and said, "Whether the map's markings are wrong or not, we'll know if we just go take a look. What's the point of arguing here!"
Fred also stood up. Just as the two brothers were about to head out, they noticed that Eda had no intention of moving at all. The twins had no choice but to turn back. Without a word, they each grabbed one of Eda's arms and dragged her toward the exit.
"I refuse!"
Eda struggled with all her strength against their tyranny, but she was still dragged all the way to the cottage entrance. However, at the doorway, Fred and George stopped at the same time.
A cat and a dog blocked the path of the three of them.
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