The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 286: Back to School

In the circular common room, the freshmen had already dispersed, and Ada breathed a sigh of relief. Before becoming the class leader, she had never even been a group leader or a class representative.

"Was my joke awkward?" Ida asked, tilting her head. "Why did they laugh so reluctantly just now?"

"Are you telling the truth?" Seeing Ada nod, Clark continued, "It's really not very funny. But you behaved very well today. At least the freshmen haven't seen through your true face yet."

Having been classmates with Clark Gerard for four years, and with today's cooperation, Ada has become quite familiar with this partner. Clark is a very responsible person, excellent in both character and study, but not boring. In general, he is a good partner.

This was just a little joke from Clark. Ada was not someone who couldn't take a joke, so she naturally wouldn't get angry because of the word "true face". However, she decided to tease this good student.

Ida said in a threatening tone: "Clark, I'll give you a chance to reorganize your words."

Unexpectedly, Clark didn't buy Ada's trick at all. Not only did he not show any panic, but he looked even more relaxed.

Clark said calmly, "If you were saying this with a smile, I would have already run away. Besides, you don't look angry right now."

Ada felt a little strange, and there was a hint of inquiry in her eyes when she looked at Clark.

"Don't look at me like that. Even though we haven't talked as much as we have today in the past four years, I still know you a little bit." Clark explained, "Okay, Fred and George are coming, you should think about how to deal with them!"

Clark smiled and greeted the twins, then returned to the boys' dormitory alone. The twins stood next to Ada, and seeing her absent-minded look, the two brothers understood each other's thoughts without looking at each other.

"Hey, come back to your senses!" the twins shouted in Ada's ear at the same time.

Ada was not frightened by the twins' sudden attack, but she still felt a little uncomfortable when someone shouted at her. She rubbed her ears and complained, "Are you two sick..."

"Curious about Clark Gerald?" Fred raised his eyebrows.

George added: "I can't understand why he looks so familiar with you."

Although the twins' statement was not accurate, it was not wrong. Ida was just a little confused. Why did this person, who she was not familiar with at all, seem to be very familiar with her?
"You're not familiar with Clark, but that doesn't mean he's not familiar with you!" Fred said sarcastically, "Do you think everyone is like you? We've been classmates for four years, and I can't even tell who's who in the class!"

There was nothing to say, no way to refute, because what Fred said was true. Among the classmates of the same grade as her, Ada only had some impression of Cody Avery and Kenny Stoller.

"Clark and you are more than just classmates, so he should be more familiar with you," George said half-hiddenly.

Ada didn't understand what special relationship Clark had with her. There were only three wizarding families in St. Catchpole Village: Weasley, Diggory, and Lovegood, but not Gerald. She didn't remember having such a relative, and her grandmother had never mentioned it.

After thinking for a while, Ada finally figured out what was going on. She said uncertainly, "No way, it can't be what I think..."

Fred and George looked teachable, and the two brothers said in unison: "Yes, that's what you think. You are so chilling, really."

"But Clark won't be disappointed now." Fred took the lead in drawing the knife.

"Because he already has a girlfriend, you don't stand a chance at all." George followed up with the finishing blow.

"Percy has a girlfriend, Clark also has a girlfriend, so girls in Hogwarts all like academic nerds?" Seeing the essence through the phenomenon, Ada, who has been solo for two lifetimes, feels that she has discovered the essence.

"You are a girl yourself, why are you asking us?" Fred and George asked back, "And why don't you mention Cedric? He doesn't have a girlfriend!"

Ada looked at the twins as if they were idiots. She said confidently, "Cedric is different. He just doesn't like the girls around him. Besides, Cedric already has someone he likes and is planning to pursue her." "Who? From Hufflepuff or another house?"

The twins were full of gossip, but Ada had no intention of satisfying their curiosity. Who told them to be crazy today? She said mysteriously, "If you want to know, go ask them tomorrow!"

After saying that, Ada walked directly to the girls' dormitory with her hands behind her back, leaving the twins with gossipy eyes behind. What is this called? This is killing without burying.

===Separating line===
The next morning, the Hogwarts Great Hall was filled with yawns. After two months of relaxing at home, many people's biological clocks had not yet adjusted to the first day of classes, and the students sitting at the four long tables were even more crooked.

Fred and George slumped on Ada's left and right, both brothers looking listless.

Last night, after Ada returned to the dormitory, the two brothers had been speculating about Cedric's ideal partner, but they couldn't think of anything right, so the two brothers ended up like this.

Seeing the twins' horrible looks, Ada, who had successfully taken revenge, did not keep the story a secret any longer and satisfied the twins' curiosity.

"The Chinese girl from Ravenclaw!" Fred was very surprised, and he jumped up quickly after collapsing on the long table. Qiu Zhang was a very unique name in Hogwarts, and he thought of her immediately after hearing Ada say this name.

"Cedric is trying to take advantage of the young girl!" George sighed.

Although Cedric was in the same grade as the twins, he was the same age as Ada, both born in 1977. Because Ada and Cedric's birthdays were both after September, they entered school at the same time as the twins, when they were twelve years old.

Qiu Zhang is now in the fourth grade, one year younger than the twins and two years younger than Cedric. It is a bit exaggerated that an old cow eats young grass, but it must be said that Cedric's aesthetic taste is still very high.

Just as the twins were lamenting the change of human nature, there was a commotion from the direction of Slytherin. Draco Malfoy and his followers pretended to faint suddenly, causing everyone to laugh.

Draco Malfoy was mocking Harry's weakness in this way because Harry fainted when the Dementors raided the train yesterday.

Harry sat down next to George with a sullen look on his face, biting the pie viciously. He was not angry at Malfoy's ridicule, but more at himself.

"That little git," said George calmly, "wasn't so cocky when the Dementors came on the bus last night. He came straight into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"

"Almost wet my pants," said Fred, giving Malfoy a disdainful look.

"I'm not very happy myself," said George. "Those Dementors are terrible creatures..." As he spoke, the twins shuddered together, trying to cheer Harry up in this way.

Harry felt warmed by the concern from his two brothers-in-law, but he was still a little unhappy. Harry whispered, "But you didn't faint, and you drove them away, didn't you?"

"Harry, you are not a weak person, never have been." Ada said softly, "You have experienced real horror, horror that others can't imagine. But this is not weakness."

Ada didn't know why she comforted Harry in such a gentle voice, maybe because she felt the same way. There was a great fear between life and death, and both Ada and Harry had experienced this fear.

"If you need anything, come to me, Harry."

Ada's unprecedented gentleness made the Gryffindor table silent. Fortunately, the twins reacted quickly and eased the awkwardness caused by the silence.

"The best way to eliminate fear is to face it," the twins patted Harry's shoulders together, "Come on, brother, just do it!"

Fortunately, his brothers-in-law Fred and George saved his face, otherwise the intimate big sister that Dumbledore had been looking forward to for many years would have disappeared from the world from then on.

(End of this chapter)