The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 45 Resignation
Ada walked out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, feeling a wave of fear. One or two seemingly unintentional words, spoken from the haggard mouth of Foley, still gave Ada a strong sense of oppression.

"What does Welfare want you to do?" said Fred, who was standing at the door of the classroom.

"Have you offended another professor after Snape? It's better not to provoke welfare at this time." George took the book from Ada's arms and put it in his schoolbag.

"Uh... no, I'm not Professor Snape, who is so skilled in offending people. Foley just asked me to help him return the book to the library." Ada pointed at the book that George stuffed into her bag.

"Yeah, given his condition, it's better for him to move less." Fred said.

"We're still counting on him to make it to June!" George said. If there were anyone in the school who wanted Foley to stay healthy, it would be the twins.

"I think it's quite risky." Ada said. She now wished that Foley would leave Hogwarts immediately. She might have been exposed to Foley.

"Don't say that. If he really succeeds..."

"…We'll cover all your snacks for the second grade."

The three of them went directly to the library and returned the books that Foley had borrowed. Ada also flipped through the two books. They were both very ordinary books, both about the history of magic.

After returning the books, Ada returned to the dormitory. She wanted to calm down and think about it. She never thought that she was a person who could play with others at will. She was just an ordinary person before. After graduation, she basically spent her days in bed and had never experienced these things.

Moreover, after being tricked by Professor McGonagall, she realized the gap between herself and these old foxes. So she was very careful in monitoring Foley and did not show any special behavior in front of Foley, but this person who came to Hogwarts with a purpose still became suspicious of her.

Ada knew that she needed to be extra careful now. She had to stop all the behaviors that violated the school rules. She must not let Fuli find any suspicious behavior again, and she must not be left alone again.

At first, Ada was a little worried that she would become like Daniel, but she gradually realized that this was actually better.

After knowing that I might become Fuli's target, my vigilance has been raised to a very high level. As long as I don't lose my composure and give Fuli an opportunity to take advantage of me, I will be relatively safe.

It's impossible for Fuli to attack him directly in front of so many people!

From then on, Ada did what she was supposed to do and behaved normally. She went to class when she was supposed to and showed up at the library when it was time. She was just like an ordinary first-grade girl, except that she was a little more curious.

This way, Ada would not be in danger at any time and anywhere. She would be surrounded by classmates wherever she went, and she would not be so different from her previous self that she would arouse suspicion.

A few days later, Foley sent himself to the school clinic again because he broke his ribs when he sneezed. Foley, who kept going back and forth between the office and the school clinic, seemed to be dying at any time due to various accidents.

Although Foley looked like he had no time to care about anything else, Ada still did not let down her guard. She was now racing with Foley, and she had already taken the lead. All that was left was to persevere until the day when Foley was defeated by the curse.

Hold on, persistence is victory!
In mid-April, the position of Minister of Magic was finally settled, and Cornelius Fudge, Director of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, officially took office as Minister.

According to some gossip, Cornelius Fudge was able to stand out and eventually become the minister because of Dumbledore's support.

Cornelius Fudge's appointment as minister did not cause any sensation in the school, as these things were still too far away from the students. However, an incident that happened in the school quickly fermented within an hour and spread to every corner of the school - Benedict Foley, professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, resigned.

This tough and pitiful professor finally couldn't resist the torture of the curse, and the frequent injuries made the poor professor lose the faith to continue teaching. He submitted his resignation to Dumbledore, and Dumbledore agreed to his application.

The corridor in front of the school clinic was crowded with girls holding flowers and gifts to bid farewell to their former dream lovers. Although the teaching level was a bit high at the beginning and low at the end, the welfare was still very popular among girls, and the tragic experience in the second half of the school year further stimulated the maternal instinct of the girls.

Lying on the bed, Fuli did not see the girls. He needed to rest. Madam Pomfrey asked everyone to leave the corridor, but before leaving, the girls left all their gifts in the open space in front of the school infirmary.

Ada walked into the lounge humming a song. On her way back from the library, she met the Welfare Support Group and naturally learned the news of Welfare's resignation.

Although Foley had not left Hogwarts yet, the dawn was just around the corner. She was in such a good mood that she felt she could eat two more steaks at noon.

As soon as she entered the lounge, Ada unexpectedly saw Fred and George. The weather was good today, and she thought the twins were out playing. She walked towards the twins' position, but the twins, the spokespersons of happiness, were not happy at all at the moment. Their faces were as long as Mrs. Norris's body.

"What happened to you?" Ida asked doubtfully, "What on earth made you become like this?"

The two people moved in unison. They first covered their faces with their hands with a very sad look, and then raised their heads at a 45-degree angle to look at the sky.

Ada checked carefully and found that there were no tears on either of their faces. They were posing like this, but without a single tear. Weren't the twins deceiving others' feelings?

"What's going on between you two?" Ada sat down opposite the two of them. "Tell me and I'll help you find a solution. It's not a big deal." "Foley resigned." Fred said dejectedly.

"We lost." George was also sad.

"Oh, I thought it was a big deal! There are many losers, not just you two." Ada thought something big had happened.

Fred leaned forward, looked at Ada fiercely, and said, "It's different, completely different!"

George leaned back and slammed down on the back of his armchair. He said, "We've been saving for a year!"

Powerless, unable to help, unable to do what one wants, these words can well describe Ada's current situation. But she still comforted the twins, saying: "Money is something that you can earn again if you lose it, don't take it too seriously."

"Easier said than done!"

"If it were you, you would be even more sad!"

The twins knew Ada very well. To Ada, gold Galleons were never just gold Galleons, they were her life.

"Foley hasn't left yet. He's still in the school infirmary. If you can break through Madam Pomfrey's defense, you can meet him." Poor Ada began to give bad advice to the twins. "You can persuade him to change his mind and withdraw his resignation."

The twins' eyes lit up at the same time, and Fred said, "You really are the smartest witch!"

George grabbed Ada's hand and said devoutly: "From today on, you are Merlin to both of us!"

"No way, I was just joking to comfort you. Do you really think you can persuade him?" Ada pulled her hand back with great effort. "It's not good to persuade him to stay, right?"

"We have to try. This is our last chance." The twins said in unison. The two brothers stood up together and walked out in a hurry.

"I was just joking, don't take it seriously..." Before Ada could finish her words or call them back, the twins had already disappeared from the lounge.

Not to mention that the twins could see Fuli, even if they did, Ada didn't think they could persuade Fuli to change his mind. Fuli must have thought about resigning for a long time before making the decision, so how could he be easily shaken?

Ada adjusted her sitting posture to make herself more comfortable, then took out a book to kill time. After the twins came back empty-handed, the three of them could go out for dinner together.

After a short while, the twins came back dejectedly, both of them leaning on the armchairs, still looking like useless people.

"Why so fast?" Ada didn't look up and was still immersed in the book.

"I didn't go there at all. I didn't even leave the tower and came back." George answered weakly, without any energy at all.

"We can't persuade him to stay and die, can we?" Fred said, sighing.

Everyone has witnessed the power of the curse in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The saying that no one can serve for a full year is not just talk. Persuading Foley to stay may really kill him.

Ada put away the book in her hand and said, "Let's think about what to serve for lunch. Thinking about it will make you feel better."

"It's broken, and the world is dark."

"There is no light at all, and life has no meaning."

"Then I will give you a way to see the light of the world again, do you want to listen?" Ada said.

Fred still looked listless. He said, "Will you compensate us for our losses?"

"Impossible, she would have liked to break every knuckle in two to spend," said George. "Every copper knuckle is tied to her ribs..."

If Ada had an underground vault in Gringotts with a considerable amount of gold galleons, she would not treat money as her life. Did Ada have it? She didn't, so she could only be thrifty.

"So, do you two want to listen or not?"

(End of this chapter)