As Halloween drew closer, the temperature at Hogwarts grew steadily colder, and students no longer heatedly discussed how long Lupin would be able to endure Snape's torment.
It wasn't that the rumors had been disproven, nor that the two professors had done anything intimate to put an end to them. The rumors faded simply because, on Halloween, students would be allowed to go to Hogsmeade—this was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the term.
The appeal of Hogsmeade was no exaggeration, especially for third- and fourth-year students.
Some of them had never been to Hogsmeade even once, while others had only gone a few times and still hadn't had their fill.
Only people like Eda and the twins, who went back and forth so often, felt that Hogsmeade was just so-so, nothing special.
The students were happily and loudly discussing what they would do first upon arriving in Hogsmeade Village. Honeydukes Sweetshop, Zonko's Joke Shop, and the Shrieking Shack were the three place names mentioned most frequently.
The reason for such excitement among the students, aside from the chance to go to Hogsmeade, was that the Halloween feast would also be held that day.
Rushing off to Hogsmeade to play to their hearts' content for a whole carefree day, then coming back in the evening to enjoy a sumptuous feast—what a perfect day that would be!
While everyone was eagerly talking, there was one person who seemed completely out of place. Harry had been gloomy for the past few days. Because he had run away from the Dursleys, he hadn't obtained a guardian's signature, and so he wasn't permitted to go to Hogsmeade.
In previous years, Professor McGonagall would have simply raised her hand and let Harry go, allowing him to relax in Hogsmeade. But this year was different—Sirius Black was very likely targeting Harry, and letting him leave the school at a time like this was unwise.
On Halloween morning, the students could clearly have slept in, yet the Great Hall was already full early on. Everyone wanted to get to Hogsmeade as soon as possible; not a single minute did they want to waste.
Just as everyone was wolfing down their food, six owls carrying a long, slender package flew into the Great Hall. The owls swooped down, placed the package in front of Eda, and dropped a letter as well.
As soon as the owls finished flapping their wings and flew away, Eda pushed the long, slender package toward the twins, while she herself opened the letter and took a look. It was full of stock phrases like "Thank you for your purchase, we wish you a pleasant life," with no sincerity at all—and they didn't even bother to include any free gift.
The twins' eyes widened. At a moment like this, with a package of such a long, narrow shape, there was no need to open it to guess what was inside. Fred said, "You didn't really buy—"
"No. What are you thinking? I already promised Mrs. Weasley," Eda said, casually tossing the letter aside and picking up her bowl of porridge to keep eating. On a cold morning, a bowl of steaming hot porridge going down was pure comfort.
George pointed at the package and asked, "Then what's inside here?" They had agreed not to buy anything, yet she'd secretly placed an order behind everyone's backs—this move of openly repairing the road while secretly crossing the river was executed flawlessly.
The long, slender package had already caught the attention of the Gryffindor students. Angelina picked up the letter that had been tossed onto the table.
After reading it, she answered George's question on behalf of the porridge-busy Eda. "A thank-you letter from the Nimbus Company, thanking Miss Twist for her fondness for the Nimbus series."
Urged on by everyone around them, Fred and George opened the package. Two brand-new Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones, gleaming in gold and red, were laid out before everyone.
On the smooth wooden handles of the brooms, besides the Nimbus Company logo, the name "Weasley" was engraved.
"You're really going back on your word—breaking your promise!" Fred said. Though he wasn't exactly complaining after benefiting from it, he still felt Eda shouldn't have spent the money.
He and George were both Beaters, and comparatively speaking, they didn't have such high demands for flying brooms.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team members all crowded over as well. They didn't make a big fuss over the twins receiving such gifts, nor did they feel any dissatisfaction that Eda had only ordered two brooms.
If they had known that Eda had originally planned to buy two Firebolts, they might have shown a bit of surprise—and just a tiny bit of envy.
"Say something," George said as he snatched the porridge bowl out of Eda's hands. "Don't play dumb."
Eda took out a silk handkerchief and wiped her mouth. The unhurried way she did it made George anxious to the point that he almost wanted to snatch the handkerchief and wipe her mouth for her. Eda said at a leisurely pace, "Mind your wording, Fred Weasley. Don't ruin my reputation for no reason."
The Gryffindor team members who had formed a circle all rolled their eyes in unison. Even Hermione, who had come over just to watch the fun, struggled to roll her eyes.
They seemed to be saying: Big sister, do you really not know what kind of reputation you have? Did something that happened at the end of last term give you some illusion you shouldn't have?
"I only promised Mrs. Weasley that I wouldn't buy Firebolts, that's all. I did what I promised!" Eda said, full of righteous confidence.
She had agreed not to buy Firebolts, and she really hadn't bought Firebolts. Who told the Weasleys they couldn't buy other brands of flying brooms? No problem at all—this reasoning was airtight. If anyone was to blame, it could only be blamed on the Weasleys for not wording it precisely enough.
After hearing that Eda had originally planned to buy Firebolts, the Gryffindor team members finally couldn't sit still. If Eda had really ordered two Firebolts, Oliver Wood might already have bounced over to kiss Eda by now.
Captain Wood was a man who played Quidditch with his life. He was the player who had been injured and forced off the pitch the most times on the team, bar none. He would very likely express his excitement in such a life-risking way, thanking Eda for her help to the team.
No one asked a stupid question like why Eda hadn't ordered seven Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. Eda and the twins shared a bond where they could entrust each other with their lives—what did two flying brooms amount to?
From first year on, the three of them had gone through so much together, things no one else had experienced. There was no such thing as favoritism here. The relationship among the trio had long since gone beyond what something as external as Galleons could measure.
Even if Eda really had ordered seven flying brooms, everyone wouldn't—and couldn't—accept them. If they accepted that kind of "sponsorship," the nature of their relationship with Eda would change, and they wouldn't even be able to remain friends.
The crowd that had gathered to watch gradually dispersed. Fred and George played with the Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones in their hands. Saying they didn't like them would be a lie, but that didn't stop the brothers from going over the same old refrain.
"You shouldn't have done this. What you did is like throwing money around," George nagged.
The two brothers were worried that Eda might pick up the habit of spending money recklessly, and also worried that one day she might be kicked out. It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality.
Eda pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "It really did leave a bad impression."
"See? What did I tell you!" Fred put on an expression of "just as I expected." "Being spoiled and arrogant is not a compliment."
Eda nodded like a little chick pecking at grain, then continued, "Grandmother thinks I'm being too stingy. If you're going to give a gift, you should give the best—what's a little extra money? But I already promised Mrs. Weasley…"
The twins didn't listen to Eda ramble on. They picked up their brooms and headed back to the common room. After a trip to Paris, they hadn't learned anything else—just brought back a whole lot of Versailles-style talk.
Eda puffed out her cheeks and walked outside by herself. When Fred and George came back, the three of them would go to Hogsmeade together. After all, idle time was still idle time.
There was also someone standing alone at the castle entrance, cut off from the crowd and feeling sorry for himself. Harry Potter was standing outside all by himself, staring longingly in the direction of Hogsmeade, looking exactly like a husband-watching stone.
Students passed the professors' inspections laughing and chatting, with wonderful Hogsmeade waiting for them.
But no one knew what kind of surprise this Halloween would bring to Hogwarts. The day had only just begun.
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