That night, Eda slept fitfully. Thoughts of the day turned into dreams, and she found herself moving from one dream to the .

  She didn't just dream about people as from her past but also about Fred and Gee. She dreamed of the three of them going out together, and even starting a joke shop.

  When Eda finally pulled herself out of the yers of dreams, it was already past noon. The sunlight outside her window was bright, and she had to squint to make out the details of her room.

  Reag for the water cup on her bedside table, she noticed it felt too light—she'd fotten to fill it the night before.

  Ugh!

  Kig off her b, she slipped into her slippers to pour herself some water. Not having a gss of water right after waking up was a cruel way to start the day.

  The dorm was empty. After the st Quidditch tryouts, Charlie had scheduled the first official team practice for Sunday afternoon, so Angelina and Alicia were either och or on their way there.

  Katie Bell had likely joihem, or maybe she ying with her friend, that girl named Leanne.

  Eda, now refreshed and with her tangled hair tamed, made her way slowly dowairs to the on room, fiapping lightly on the handrail, her pahurried and her mind elsewhere.

  The twins, in their Quidditch robes, were pying wizard chess, and the moment they saw her, they loudly called her name, afraid she might not hear. The other students in the on room gred at them in annoyance.

  Eda had woken up too te and missed lunch. If she didn't want to trek to the kits, she'd have to go hungry all afternoon.

  Luckily, though, the twins had brought some food from the Great Hall. They'd been waiting in the on room just to give it to her before heading to the pitch.

  Handing the pte of food to Eda, Fred and Gee hurried off, now te for their very first team practice because they'd stayed to wait for her.

  Before leaving, the twins gave Eda's shoulder a hearty pat, as if to say, No matter what happens, we're here for you!

  Holding the pie Fred had handed her, Eda stood there, dazed, for quite a while until her stomach grumbled, snapping her out of it. She finally sat down and started to eat.

  There were people who'd wait in the on room because she haden and people who'd go to great lengths to cheer her up when she was down.

  What more could she ask for?

  This was a blessing from Merlin himself—asking for more might tempt something dreadful.

  The wizard chess game left unfinished oable was a bit of a mess; the twins hadn't put much thought into it, and each side had lost quite a few pieces. Eda couldn't make out inning.

  She was det at regur chess, but wizard chess was her weakness.

  Pying with someone as inexperienced as her would only ruin a game, so the others usually let Eda watch from the sidelines and learn bit by bit—much like those who waten py chess outside shops.

  Of course, she could always study a strategy book or practice alone, but her focus had always been more oudies than on wizard chess.

  After finishing her meal, Eda decided to get some fresh air outside the castle to lift her spirits and prevent herself from dwelling on her memories.

  When she reached the Quidditch pitch, she saw the Gryffindor team practig tactider Charlie's direany of the pyers had just joihis year, and they weren't yet familiar with the team's usual strategies, making the session challenging for everyone.

  The Quidditch Cup was still over a month away, but the new pyers o get up to speed quickly. This was Charlie's st year at Hogwarts, and he hoped to lead the team to victory before he graduated.

  Fred and Gee swung their short bats to strike the Bludgers, testing for the ideal strength and rhythm. As twiers, they had an unmatched synergy on the field, making their position even more threatening.

  The Chasers formed an arroed formation, flying toward the goalposts. This was the Hawk Head attag formation, frequently used in matches to apply intense pressure on the opposing defense and force errors for sg opportunities.

  Charlie tried having Angelihe formation. He had high hopes for this sed-year girl, believing she could bee the team's primary scorer. Meanwhile, the Keeper, Oliver Wood, was cirg the goalposts at high speed. Apart from Charlie, Wood was the team's stro pyer and the most reliable defender of their goal.

  That is, as long as Oliver could py aire matscathed. In a game st year, he'd been knocked off his broom by a Bludger, costing Gryffindor the match.

  Sitting by the pitch, Eda watched the students flying bad forth. She was well-versed irategies Charlie had assigned; she'd studied them all and could expin them iail.

  To those who didn't know her, she might seem like a Quidditch professional—a coach, an analyst, or perhaps even a critic.

  Not only that, but Eda also khe Transylvanian Tackle, the Wronski Feint, and various other maneuvers. In fact, Eda might even know more tactics than Charlie at this point.

  But Eda could only strategize on paper, drawing up pys and discussing them, while Charlie not only strategized but also executed them effectively. That's why Charlie was the captain, and Eda was merely watg from the sidelines.

  'Hmm.. judging by the team's current state, both Charlie and Wood could probably make a living from Quiddite day,'

  ' Being professional pyers would be fun.'

  However, it seemed Charlie was more ied in studying dragons—truly a loss for British Quidditch.

  This year, with the addition of strong newers Angelina and Alicia, the two girls could bolster the team's offehe twins were like two live Bludgers on the field, and maybe, just maybe, the team had a real shot at winning the cup this year!

  If they actually won, Eda couldn't imagine how thrilled Professonagall would be. Though she always seemed so strict, there was a surprisingly endearing side to her that most people never got to see.

  Training was winding down, with Oliver Wood stepping in to give the team a pep talk. Charlie was gradually passing the captaincy reins to Wood so that by year, when Wood took over as captain, he'd be ready to mahe team seamlessly.

  As soon as Wood finished his talk, the twins rao the edge of the pitd shouted to Eda, "Did you see our performance? When we py Slytherin, we're going to use the Bludgers to send them all to the hospital wing!"

  "But I just saw Wood giving you two the biggest scolding of the day. Are you sure you'll eve och?" Eda teased, poking fun at how Wood had just taken them aside for a lecture.

  Wood was known for his high standards and strict discipline; he was hard on others and even harder on himself. Hoping for any kind of pliment from him was nearly impossible.

  "Wood's like a block of hard oak. We got used to him st year," Gee said nontly.

  "Getting him not to criticize is as impossible as making Filch stop doting on Mrs. Norris," Fred added, bringing Filto their jokes again.

  The twins could go on about Filch for days on end without ever running out of new material.

  The twi a bit more at ease seeing Eda like this. Although she hadn't fully returo her old self, at least she was joking with them again, a huge improvement from the gloomy expression she wore yesterday.

  In truth, by the time she got up this afternoon, Eda had already started adjusting her mi.

  She knew she couldn't keep going on like this. Fred and Gee had waited for her, even risking being te for practice.

  If she tinued dwelling on the past, she'd only let her best friends down.

  The lively energy on everyone's faces during practice, the loud calls and cheers, all influenced Eda, little by little, lifting her spirits and brightening her mood.

  Before, Eda was like a flower bud that had experiehe wind and frost, missing the past pead sunshine, but fetting to bloom more brilliantly after the wind and rain stopped. But after waking up, Eda has uood that the past pead sunshine were her nutrition, so that she bloom more beautiful flowers after the wind and rain.

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