Jealousy is a normal psychological reaction—it's another way of expressing care and affection, a subconscious defense against the fear of losing something.
Eda was grateful for Professor McGonagall's affection and had gradually grown used to it. So when someone else received the same kind of care, it sparked a sense of fear in her.
If Eda had never received McGonagall's favoritism, or if she simply didn't care about the professor, then even if a hundred Harry Potters showed up, she wouldn't have behaved so childishly.
It was precisely because she once had it—and cared about it—that she became jealous, that she felt hurt. This was human nature, not a flaw in personality.
If Eda truly didn't care at all, then that would be the real shame for Professor McGonagall. It would mean Eda wasn't worthy of anyone's kindness—a thankless white-eyed wolf who couldn't be raised right.
Eda showing this girlish side of herself—whether it was being willful or throwing a tantrum—didn't hurt her friendship with the twins in the slightest. In fact, it made them find her even more interesting. This version of Eda felt more real.
She had her weak spots too. She could be vulnerable and sensitive, get angry, get jealous, and act a little petty.
This kind of Eda seemed more normal—much cuter than the previous version of her, who was always scheming and thinking ahead about the future.
This jealousy episode had made Eda a bit of a celebrity at school again—talking back to Snape, skipping class right to his face. Anyone who pulled either of those stunts would be famous, let alone doing both.
What astonished the students even more was how Snape dealt with her. Eda only had to pay the price of losing three house points and getting a detention—quite the small price to pay for gaining such notoriety.
This gave quite a few students who wanted to make a name for themselves at school a clear direction to strive toward. If Eda could pull it off, why couldn't they?
But Snape was still Snape.
He came down hard on those foolish enough to challenge his authority. The point totals of three different Houses all took a hit, and Filch suddenly found himself with a whole bunch of new helpers.
That was enough to remind everyone of their fear of Snape.
As the source of it all, Eda naturally took the blame. It had all started with her. In the Potions classes that followed, Snape's torment of her rose to a whole new level—enough to make anyone sigh with pity or even shed a tear.
The questions Snape posed weren't just above the curriculum—they had no relation to it at all. Even the top students might not understand them. In addition to questions, his usual weapons—verbal attacks and point deductions—were never spared.
But what astonished the students was that, ever since that face-to-face confrontation, Eda had grown bolder and bolder. She wasn't the least bit afraid of Snape's tyranny.
In fact, she occasionally quipped back at the Potions professor, completely unfazed by point deductions. If she wanted to talk back, she did.
After going through that episode of jealousy, Eda had come to terms with herself. There was no need to keep restraining who she was, no need to "grit her teeth and bear it" just to protect Gryffindor's score, and definitely no need to wrack her brain answering questions for a meager few points.
If love could truly vanish, then nothing she did would be able to hold it back anyway. After all, Professor McGonagall knew exactly what kind of person she was—there was no longer any reason to pretend to be the obedient little darling.
Let that position, along with the Seeker spot, go to Harry Potter!
Eda had fully let herself go. No more pretending. She laid her cards on the table: if anyone dared to try posturing or playing tough in front of her again, she'd snap them in half, stick and all!
Eda's transformation didn't stop at the classroom—she made changes in her daily life too. She stopped interacting much with others, reverting to how she was in her first year.
Gradually, the number of Eda's "friends" sharply decreased—those casual acquaintances all disappeared. Compared to her first year, Eda now had only two more friends: her roommate Katie Bell and Cedric Diggory from another house.
The paths taken by people like Dumbledore or Grindelwald were far too difficult for Eda. She didn't possess their exceptional charisma, nor did she have a silver tongue capable of winning over the masses. She couldn't gather that many people around her.
What Eda did have was a once-in-a-million talent. She believed that as long as her strength was great enough, followers would come in time. Even Voldemort had a whole horde of Death Eaters—why couldn't she?
Besides that, Eda also adjusted some of her habits. She temporarily removed Quidditch from her life; the sight of her fiery figure shouting on the training field was gone.
Fred and George didn't drag her to the pitch like they used to. They believed Eda hadn't stopped liking Quidditch—she just didn't want to see that particular broomstick right now, or the person riding it, soaring through the sky.
The twins figured it out, but Harry Potter and Ron, currently running on low emotional intelligence, hadn't. They truly had no idea what they'd done to upset Eda.
Lately, Eda had been subtly distancing herself from Harry Potter, and by extension, Ron was being distanced too.
The two young boys were confused. The only possible cause they could think of was Quidditch—but the twins repeatedly assured them it had nothing to do with that.
At the beginning of October, Eda didn't celebrate her birthday—there just didn't seem to be anything worth celebrating. But a few friends still prepared gifts for her, and she even received a large box of Fizzing Whizzbees.
Even though there was no name on the box, Eda knew exactly who it was from. Dumbledore had said back at St. Mungo's that he would send her Fizzing Whizzbees on her birthday, so she would know what the best candy in the world truly tasted like!
The candy was indeed very sweet, and it tasted quite good—but how come Eda had heard that Dumbledore had a new favorite recently, and that the password to the 7th floor had changed?
Though October had thirty-one days, it wasn't much different from any other thirty-day month—it passed just as quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the end of the month had arrived.
Hogwarts was once again decorated, for Halloween was here.
The school had fallen into a sea of pumpkins.
From early morning, the corridors were filled with the aroma of roasted pumpkin, and jack-o'-lanterns were hanging everywhere.
Even breakfast was full of pumpkin—pumpkin pie, pumpkin juice, and even the porridge had pumpkin in it.
After that meal, Eda felt she wouldn't want to eat pumpkin again for a long time—she simply couldn't take any more.
She still remembered their first Halloween in first year. Because of having no money, Eda and the twins could only scoop out one of Hagrid's pumpkins and make a simple jack-o'-lantern.
Even though it was a bit shabby, the three of them had a great time.
This year, the trio had more money to spare and could afford well-made ghost and monster costumes—but none of them were in the mood. They no longer enjoyed hiding around corners to scare passing students either.
In the evening, Eda and the twins went straight to the Great Hall to attend the Halloween feast. The twins were discussing the little prankster who had tried to scare them on the way—both brothers found the child's attempt amusing. Eda, on the other hand, was praying there would be more food besides pumpkin.
The Halloween feast was lavish.
Besides pumpkin, there were plenty of other delicious dishes, and Eda was finally free from pumpkin torment.
Just as everyone was enjoying their food and chatting happily, Quirrell burst into the hall in a panic—disrupting the pleasant night.
A flustered and frantic Quirrell charged into the Great Hall, his large turban askew atop his head, his face full of terror, staggering toward the chair next to Dumbledore.
He looked as wretched as could be—Quirrell was just one step away from wetting himself to show how frightened he was.
"One Galleon says it's bad news!" Fred held up a finger to Eda, completely certain.
"I'm not stupid. Anyone can see something's happened from the way Quirrell looks," Eda shot Fred a glare, annoyed by his attempt to profit off the situation. "Besides, don't you guys think this scene feels a bit familiar?"
"Just like Filch in our first year," George said. "Though Filch handled it better than Quirrell, honestly."
Back then, Filch had discovered the attacked Daniel Bell. In a panic, he had rushed to the Great Hall and blurted it out, causing a wave of fear among the students.
Speaking of first year, Eda also thought of Daniel Bell. Ever since he'd left school, no one had seen him again, and nobody knew when he might recover.
Quirrell's face was written with terror. He leaned against the table, panting, and said, "Troll… troll in the dungeons… thought you ought to know."
And with that, the frail and helpless Quirrell collapsed to the floor and fainted.
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