The Sorting Ceremony ended with Ginny Weasley being placed into Gryffindor. The little girl didn't go looking for Eda, nor did she go to her brothers; instead, she sat down with the new friends she had just made.
Professor McGonagall carried the Sorting Hat and the stool away, but she never returned to the staff table.
Dumbledore rose to give his speech for the new school year and introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart greeted the students with what he thought was elegance—though he likely never realized just how unbearably oily he appeared.
A smattering of applause went around the hall, but Lockhart still sat down looking utterly pleased with himself. He never realized that the clapping wasn't a true welcome, but rather laced with pity.
This, in fact, would be the most enthusiastic applause he would ever receive in his teaching career at Hogwarts.
After the start-of-term feast began, Dumbledore left the hall as well. About twenty minutes later, he returned together with Snape, while Professor McGonagall never came back at all—not even by the time the banquet ended.
The Gryffindor common room was abuzz with excitement. Harry and Ron were greeted with a warm welcome—their Gryffindor-style stunt had brought no punishment upon the House, and the students were left only with admiration. After all, who wouldn't want to soar across the skies?
But Harry and Ron's joy didn't last long. Percy and Hermione were glaring at them like hawks, and the next morning's Howler made poor Ron suffer complete social death.
While everyone was enjoying breakfast in the Great Hall, Errol dove in like a bomber plane, carrying with him the explosive payload—the dreaded Howler.
Although Errol was practically "wrecked and ruined," he still dutifully delivered the Howler straight into Ron's hands.
Sitting beside Eda, Fred and George quickly ducked their heads. Even though the scarlet envelope wasn't meant for them, the twins still felt an instinctive dread of it.
They kept their eyes down, silent and solemn, as if meditating. Percy too lowered his head, pretending he didn't exist at all, and even Ginny acted like she didn't know Ron. When Ron, trembling, opened the Howler, Mrs. Weasley's thunderous roar burst out and shook the entire Great Hall. Dust rained down from the enchanted ceiling above.
The voice was a hundred times louder than normal, rattling the plates and spoons on the tables. The echo against the four stone walls was deafening.
Eda felt as though the Hall had truly been bombed. Her ears rang painfully; even after the Howler ended, the echoes of Mrs. Weasley's furious shouting still lingered in her head.
The Hall was like it had been swept over by waves. Everyone unconsciously raised their voices when speaking, otherwise it was impossible to hear what the other person was saying.
Only after leaving the Hall did Eda feel her hearing return to normal. She and the twins hurried toward the Transfiguration classroom—their very first lesson of the new year was with Professor McGonagall.
By the time the three of them arrived, most of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students were already there. Professor McGonagall stood at the lectern, dressed in black robes, her sharp gaze following each student who entered the room.
The class bell rang, and Professor McGonagall began,
"It's wonderful to see you all seated here once again. I hope this hot summer hasn't made you forget what you've previously learned."
She stepped down from the lectern, walking slowly between the rows of students as she spoke.
"This year, we will continue studying more advanced transfiguration. We'll also cover more complex property changes, and in addition, we'll delve into the subject of Animagi."
An Animagus referred to a wizard capable of transforming into a specific animal while still retaining magical ability. However, an Animagus could not freely choose any creature to become—the form was linked to the wizard's own nature and personality.
It was an exceedingly advanced branch of transfiguration, one that carried risks. Because of this, the Ministry of Magic placed strict regulations on it, requiring all Animagi to be registered with the Improper Use of Magic Office, including their animal form and distinctive traits.
Professor McGonagall herself was one of only seven officially registered Animagi. Back in their first year, she had already given the class a glimpse of this intricate magic.
Though Eda had always been highly skilled in transfiguration, McGonagall had never permitted her to study Animagus magic on her own—and truthfully, Eda had little personal interest in it.
If Animagi could transform into magical creatures, she would have been fascinated, but unfortunately, that was not the case. This form of transformation was strictly limited to non-magical animals.
After giving a brief introduction to the term's syllabus, McGonagall returned to the front of the classroom. She set a teapot down on the desk before her.
"Today," she said, "we'll be learning how to transfigure a teapot into a tortoise. You've already learned how to change the shapes of objects—but today, in addition to altering form, you must also give them life."
Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at the teapot and slowly recited the transfiguration spell. Under the influence of magic, the teapot shifted its form—changing from a lifeless object into a living tortoise.
The tortoise's shell bore beautiful patterns, and it began to crawl slowly across the desk, exploring this brand-new world it had just entered.
After completing her demonstration, McGonagall highlighted the key points students needed to pay attention to, then instructed them to try it for themselves.
On each student's desk sat a fine teapot, and soon the classroom filled with the sound of incantations and the swishing of wands.
Compared to McGonagall's effortless transformation, the students' results were rather disastrous. Some sent their teapots flying into the air, arcing gracefully across the classroom before crashing down on the far side. Others turned their teapots into nothing more than a pile of junk.
Only a few managed to change the teapot's form into something resembling a tortoise—and fewer still could make their tortoise move.
George kept poking at the seemingly lifelike tortoise before him with his wand, but it was in vain. The creature only looked alive; it wasn't a real tortoise and couldn't move at all.
With a sigh, he turned to Eda and said, "Come on, show me. Prove this kind of magic is actually doable for students."
"Don't be discouraged, you've done well. At least it already looks like a tortoise," Eda replied. She then cast a spell at the unmoving tortoise. In an instant, the once-motionless figure sprang to life, stepping forward and beginning to crawl across the desk.
By the end of class, only two people had successfully turned their teapots into tortoises—Eda, and Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff.
It was a discouraging outcome, but entirely normal for Transfiguration lessons. Very few could master the spell in such a short time; most relied on countless hours of practice.
Transfiguration was an exceptionally difficult subject, one that required at least either talent or perseverance.
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