Chapter 72: Useful Owls and Useless Garlon

September 2nd was a Sunday, so Hogwarts didn't start classes right away.

Instead, the students were given a day to adjust back to their routines, as it was hard for everyone to jump straight into the busy school life after a lazy summer break.

In the morning, the students sat sluggishly in the Great Hall, and yawns filled the air. Even Eda, who had walked into the hall full of energy, found herself catching the yawning bug, letting out several yawns in a row along with the crowd.

Professor McGonagall walked along the long tables, distributing new schedules. When she reached Eda, Eda reached out to take hers, but McGonagall pulled it back.

"Miss Esmeralda Twist, you've certainly made a name for yourself!" McGonagall's tone was not friendly; she was there to give Eda a bit of a scolding.

When your mother uses your full name, it usually means you're in trouble. McGonagall seemed to follow the same rule.

"Yeah, yeah! Professor, you should definitely give her a good talking to," Fred chimed in from the side, stirring the pot.

"It's absolutely outrageous," George added. "If it were me, I wouldn't stand for it."

Eda turned to glare at the twins, but instead of backing off, they went further, tattling directly: "Professor, look! She's even threatening us!"

"Are the two of you hungry, Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall asked.

"Very..."

"Then why aren't you eating breakfast? Does it not suit your taste?"

The twins immediately picked up on Professor McGonagall's meaning.

They quickly turned back around and focused on their food, heads down. Though they didn't dare say anything more, their eyes kept darting toward McGonagall and Eda.

"Professor, I can explain..." Eda had been preparing her excuses, hoping to lessen McGonagall's anger.

"Go ahead and make something up."

Eda waved her hands, quickly trying to explain, "Make something up? No, no, it's the truth... I didn't—"

"You're trying to say you don't have an owl?" McGonagall asked, glancing at the many owls flying around the Great Hall. "So, did Tom at the Leaky Cauldron write me a letter himself and fly it over?"

Eda had been about to nod in agreement with the earlier part of the statement, but McGonagall's follow-up left her stuck, unsure whether to nod or not.

"I hear you have a dog. Should I help you turn it into an owl?" McGonagall continued, now looking at the twins. "Or perhaps I should turn one of the Weasley brothers into an owl instead?"

"Professor, you can't use Transfiguration to punish students!" Fred protested, standing his ground now that the situation had dragged him in. He could no longer just watch from the sidelines, right!?

"The term's just begun, and we haven't done anything wrong yet!" George chimed in, nudging Eda, urging her to think of something to calm down Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall said, "I didn't realize that the Weasley brothers were so familiar with the school rules. But when you break them, where does all that knowledge go?"

"Next time anything happens, I'll be sure to seek your guidance immediately!" Eda said, quickly admitting fault. If she owned up to it, surely McGonagall would go easy on her.

McGonagall seemed satisfied, nodding in approval. She handed Eda her schedule and turned to the twins. "It seems the two of you know the rules well. So the next time you break them, you'll be knowingly committing an offense. Then, you can pack up your things and move to the owlery!"

Having sorted out Eda, who had acted on her own, and given the twins a warning, Professor McGonagall left, pleased. She figured if she could keep Eda and the twins in check, Gryffindor might have a real chance at winning the House Cup this year—she was tired of seeing Snape's smug expression.

"Is she going through menopause or something?" Fred muttered as he watched McGonagall walk away.

"She's probably long past that," George speculated after a moment.

"Whether it's Mum or Professor McGonagall," the twins said in unison, looking at Eda, "and Eda, too—women are definitely terrifying creatures no one can predict."

At noon, Eda headed to the library to catch up on her studies. She had fallen behind over the summer and knew she'd have to work even harder this year.

The twins, along with Lee Jordan, left the common room with Garlon.

They planned to explore the castle with the dog in tow. Their ultimate goal was to raise Garlon and, when he was big enough, take him to challenge Mrs. Norris and give that nasty cat a lesson she'd never forget.

Garlon, a Labrador, was gentle and not aggressive at all. The twins even had him on a leash, so there wasn't really any danger. Still, Eda had made a muzzle for him, just in case he accidentally bit someone.

The twins took Garlon to Hagrid's hut, where Hagrid was very fond of the little dog, and Fang liked him even more. Fang kept nudging up to Garlon, and if the twins hadn't stopped him in time, Fang would have likely given the little puppy a thorough bath from his tongue.

As they were leaving, Hagrid packed a large bag of snacks and toys for Garlon—items that originally belonged to Fang. However, Fang didn't complain at all; in fact, his tail wagged even faster, like a three-speed electric fan.

Around 4 p.m., Eda returned to the Gryffindor common room with a stack of books. The twins and Lee Jordan were sitting around Garlon, who lay motionless on the floor, just like when he was in the pet shop.

As soon as Eda set down her books, Garlon sprang into her arms, whimpering pitifully.

Eda noticed a pattern: Garlon usually ignored her, as if she had some strange scent, but the moment he felt frightened or upset, he would run straight to her, clinging to her for comfort.

Holding Garlon, Eda looked at the twins with a puzzled expression, waiting for their explanation.

The twins exchanged a glance before Fred began, "Well, this afternoon, we took Garong out for a little walk..."

"And we stopped by Hagrid's, where he gave us loads of stuff," George added.

Eda continued to stare at them, waiting to see how far they would go with their story.

"On our way back, we happened to run into Mrs. Norris."

"It was basically a head-on encounter, and... well, that's what happened," Fred finished.

Garlon, still whimpering in Eda's arms, clearly hadn't fared well against the battle-hardened Mrs. Norris. The twins had been eager to have Garlon teach Mrs. Norris a lesson one day, but they hadn't expected her to strike first. No wonder the poor puppy had run to her for comfort—his first fight ended in failure.

Eda lifted Garlon to inspect him.

He wasn't hurt, just seemed to have taken a bit of a beating.

Pfft~

Relieved, she sat down in an armchair and began petting him, soothing his wounded spirit. Meanwhile, the twins and Lee Jordan were already plotting revenge—not against Mrs. Norris, but against Filch. After all, they couldn't exactly take revenge on a cat, could they?

The three boys huddled together, whispering and occasionally letting out a mischievous chuckle, clearly having devised a plan to deal with Filch.

Tomorrow marked the first day of classes, and Eda was full of curiosity about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Glover Cecil. She hoped he would take his position seriously, unlike his predecessors.

All she wanted was a stable and productive school year after all.

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