Chapter 42: Twins' Birthday Request

On April 1, 1978, a pair of twins were born into the world.

Born on April Fool's Day, pranks seemed to be an innate talent for them, as if their birth was meant to bring joy to the world.

Their names were Fred Weasley and George Weasley.

Today is April 1, 1990, and on this April Fool's Day, Fred and George are celebrating their twelfth birthday.

Charlie and Percy both prepared gifts for the twins, and Mrs. Weasley not only gave them gifts but also baked a birthday cake.

Even Bill, whom Eda had never met, sent a gift from Egypt.

Everyone who knew the twins would wish them a "Happy Birthday."

These twins, who brought joy to everyone, had arguably the best popularity in Gryffindor, despite constantly losing points. Everyone still adored them.

This time, Eda did not go to Zonko's Joke Shop to buy products but instead carefully prepared a Quidditch-related gift. Eda collected many classic Beater tactics from Quidditch matches and some insights and opinions from famous Beaters about the position.

This booklet was a perfect fit for the twins, who had always aspired to be Gryffindor's Beaters. They loved the booklet so much they couldn't put it down.

In the evening, Charlie and his friend Rupert went to the Hogwarts kitchen, where the hospitable house-elves gave them lots of food and drinks.

The food from the kitchen, combined with the cake made by Mrs. Weasley, formed a small birthday party for the twins.

Eda and Angelina sat together, eating cake bite by bite, and even Alicia, who was always talking about dieting, was enjoying a large piece of cake.

Eda loved Mrs. Weasley's cooking. It might not be as refined as the house-elves', but her food had the taste of home, the taste of a mother's love.

"Alicia, stop eating already! The broomstick won't be able to carry you!" Lee Jordan, the cheeky boy, remarked. He was worried that if Alicia kept eating, there wouldn't be enough left for Angelina, but he didn't dare say the same to Eda, who was also continuously eating.

Alicia raised her fist menacingly, "What does it have to do with you!" Somehow, Eda's roommates had all developed the habit of raising their fists at the slightest provocation.

Ignoring Alicia's retort, Lee Jordan cut a piece of cake and offered it to Angelina with red cheeks, "Angelina, have some more."

Angelina, who had no interest in Lee Jordan, felt awkward, unsure whether to accept or decline. However, the awkward atmosphere didn't spread. Eda intercepted the cake.

"Thank you, Lee. I'll enjoy it," Eda said, relieving Angelina's embarrassment, sparing Lee Jordan from feeling awkward, and satisfying her own craving—a triple win.

Actually, Eda needn't have worried. The fact that Lee Jordan could hang out with the twins also indirectly proved that he wasn't easily embarrassed. It had been a long time since he'd felt awkward.

After the party had been underway for a while, the twins finally rejoined their friends.

"I saw you offering cake to Angelina," George said with a mischievous grin, sitting next to Lee Jordan.

"But Angelina was too shy to refuse you," Fred added.

Lee Jordan felt slightly offended, and in his mock anger, he joined the twins in some playful roughhousing.

Even the slightly embarrassed Angelina began to laugh.

They didn't stay up too late, considering it was a private celebration and shouldn't disrupt everyone's time too much.

After the birthday party ended, Eda and the twins didn't leave.

"So, what are you two planning now?" Eda asked, having received hints from the twins to stay behind.

"It's our birthday today, right?" Fred said.

"Yeah, what else were we just celebrating? Professor Fawles's re-admission to the hospital wing?" Eda retorted.

"We have a tiny bit of special privilege today, don't we?" George said.

Not quite sure what the twins were up to, Eda instinctively wanted to refuse but didn't say so directly. "Just tell me, what exactly do you want to do?"

"We want to go to the Forbidden Forest," the twins whispered.

Eda raised an eyebrow. "Then go, I'm not stopping you, am I?"

"Don't dodge the issue!" Fred said. "You know what we mean."

"Well..." Eda was reluctant to go. April nights weren't very warm, but it was their birthday.

"We want to explore the Forbidden Forest, so we need a bodyguard!" George directly revealed their intention.

Eda stood up abruptly and turned to leave, saying, "Goodbye! Not interested!"

"Aren't you even a little curious about the Forbidden Forest?"

"Are you really content with following Snape's orders and staying cooped up in the dormitory?"

"We need you!" The twins grabbed Eda, preventing her from leaving. As close friends, the twins knew Eda very well and knew exactly how to influence her.

First, they piqued Eda's interest, reviving her curiosity; then they stirred up her competitive spirit, getting her excited; and finally, the most crucial point, they made a request as friends.

This three-pronged approach usually broke down Eda's resistance.

"Alright, just make sure to bring the Marauder's Map. I don't want to get caught!" Eda said before heading back to the dormitory to rest for a bit.

Later, when all the Gryffindor students were asleep, Eda and the twins gathered in the common room.

Under the effects of the Disillusionment Charm, the three of them left the common room. The disturbed Fat Lady, who had been in the middle of a dream, didn't notice who had left and mumbled a bit before falling back into her slumber.

Guided by the Marauder's Map, the trio successfully avoided Filch and Mrs. Norris as they snuck out of the castle. As soon as they exited the castle, a chilling wind hit Eda, sending a shiver down her spine.

Feeling the cold but not the thrill she had expected, Eda hid behind the twins, using their bodies to shield herself from the nighttime chill. The twins, having persuaded Eda to come along, willingly took the lead.

There was no light in Hagrid's hut; he must have already gone to bed, and there was no barking from Fang either.

The Forbidden Forest at night was very quiet.

The branches of distant trees swayed wildly in the wind, resembling night spirits.

Led by the twins, Eda entered the Forbidden Forest, but the three of them did not venture too far in.

They liked adventure but were not willing to risk their lives for it.

The trio only wandered around the edge of the Forbidden Forest without encountering any dangerous animals, although the sounds of animals deep within the forest were quite eerie.

With three Lumos spells and the moonlight pouring down, the path ahead was brightly illuminated.

Fred, who was walking at the front, stopped and said, "This is as far as we've gone before."

"Heh, So you don't actually know what's further inside after all?"

"Not yet, but we won't stay here forever," George said.

The twins turned to Eda and said, "Since you're here today, let's go a bit further!"

The three began to explore further, with Eda focusing her mind to prepare for any possible unexpected situations.

The deeper they went, the thicker the trees became. The towering trees completely blocked out the moonlight, and everything outside the range of their Lumos spells was shrouded in darkness.

People often fear not the darkness itself, but the unknown lurking within it. As the three ventured deeper, the sounds of animal howls grew clearer, and the rustling of branches in the wind became chilling.

Eda stopped the twins. She had no intention of going any further; she noticed that the spiders on the ground were getting larger, some even as big as her hand.

"Let's stop here for today. We should head back," Eda said, her eyes fixed on the deeper part of the Forbidden Forest, feeling a strong sense of foreboding.

Eda's premonitions were usually more accurate when they were bad rather than good. The unease from the depths of the forest was intense, as if some creature with a gaping maw was waiting for them.

"Yeah, let's go back. It's too dark here," Fred agreed with Eda, feeling that today's exploration was enough.

"We've made significant progress today. Let's leave the rest for another time," George said, slowly backing away from the direction of the forest's depths.

They had only taken a few steps back when they heard a rustling sound nearby.

"Fred, George, be careful. Something is approaching us," Eda said, enlarging the light at the tip of her wand and aiming it towards the source of the sound.

Under the enhanced Lumos spell, Eda finally saw what was coming at them—a group of giant spiders!

These spiders were massive, with the smallest being the size of a large plate, let alone the bigger ones.

"Run!"

Eda shouted to the twins, knowing these spiders weren't out for a moonlit stroll.

The spiders surged towards them like a black tide, moving quickly. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with Eda and the twins, and these giant spiders could very well have a midnight snack tonight.

"Impedimenta! Impedimenta! Reducto..." Eda yelled, furiously casting spells towards the spiders.

She was even prepared to cast an overpowered Incendio if it came to a critical moment.

If it meant burning down the Forbidden Forest to survive, she didn't care at all.

Eda's spells flew like there was no tomorrow, and those spiders hit by the Impediment Jinx slammed into an invisible wall, only to be trampled by the spiders behind them.

The twins ran while frantically waving their wands, pushing fallen deadwood behind them to slow the advancing "spider army."

"I've never heard of such big spiders in the Forbidden Forest before!" Fred shouted.

"Could they be Hagrid's pets?" George said. "It sounds like something he'd do!"

Eda continued casting spells and remarked, "You know, that's actually very likely!"

Hagrid had a knack for keeping unusual creatures as pets, and Eda wouldn't be surprised by anything he might consider suitable for that role.

_______

Read 12 Chapters Ahead at

Patreon.com/Dragonel

spoiler* 

Eda Vs Fawley happening there!