Looking at the word floating in the air, Fred asked, "Twilight House?" The name was somewhat subtle, and he couldn't immediately grasp its meaning.

  Eda first poio herself and then to the twins. The magically formed letter T flew to her hand, while the letter W split into two and floated toward Fred and Gee.

  "Twilight House or Twilight —it doesn't matter. All I wanted was the word Twilight," Eda expio the twins. "The T stands for Twist, and the W stands for Weasley. We are each other's light."

  That was Eda's idea—simple yet profound. Whenever she felt exhausted, it was always the lively and mischievous twins whht her joy and gave her the ce to keep going.

  Eda had tried to win over many people in the past, hoping they could be her allies. Yet the twins had never been part of those efforts, and they were the first source of light iherwise bleak world.

  It might sound exaggerated, but Fred and Gee were now the most important people in her life. To live a life with one or two true friends is worth more than anything else.

  Sweet dreams are often the quickest to end. Even if everything before her was nothing but a dream, Eda knew she would always remember this light that came to her so effortlessly.

  Of course, that light had been quite unruly tely—arguing with her and even making her go hungry.

  All three name suggestions had their merits, but Eda's proposal felt more meaningful and fitting. After some thought, Fred and Gee cast their votes for her choice. From that moment on, Twilight (formerly the Shrieking Shack) became the trio's secret base.

  Sihe beginning of the term, the twins had been w on small iions, but they were stuck doing so in their dormitory, always at risk of beied. Now, they could bring their moneymaking projects to Twilight , where no one would disturb them. They just o make sure they didn't actally set the p fire.

  For Eda, the house held more symbolic value. The things she did couldn't be done here—she couldly have a sparring match with her mannequins in Twilight . She wasn't a husky and had no i in tearing the pce apart.

  However, if Eda ever wao do something against school rules, like brewing potions, Twilight was the perfect pce. Of course, at this stage, the ingredients would have to e from Snape's private stores. And borrowing them wasn't "stealing"—not for a student of learning, right?

  With the storm of emotioled, the trio's bond not only remained intact but grew stronger. With Eda's help, Fred and Gee quickly mastered the teique of hitting the knot on the Whomping Willow with a stohe twins then packed up all their experimental equipment and moved it into Twilight .

  Eda and the house-elf Winnie reinforced the magical protes around Twilight , ensuring that any sounds from inside wouldn't reach the outside. Otherwise, the occasional noises from the would undoubtedly arm the vilgers of Hogsmeade.

  Although sg the vilgers wouldn't be too much of an issue, if rumors of the being hauarted cirg again, it might attrae overly curious and idle wizards. If those people came in to explore, the secret of Twilight would be exposed.

  ...

  By the end of January, Eda had nearly fihe tasks Snape had assigned her.

  Today was the st day to everything up. At 7 p.m., Eda arrived punctually at the small room o Snape's private storeroom, ready to plete the final touches.

  Oable were three cauldrons.

  The one in the middle had a purplish-red hue, primarily taining toxic foxglove and a small amount of uni blood. The cauldron on the left used lionfish spine powder as its main ingredient, while the one on the right ure poison—just a single drop could kill Eda instantly.

  Siurning to school, Eda had been preoccupied with these three cauldrons, occasionally needing to brew additional potions to use as ingredients for them.

  Fortunately, the ordeal was finally over.

  Following Snape's instrus, Eda carefully poured the three potions intss bottles of varying sizes. After finishing that task, she set up a new cauldron, lit a fire beh it, and added wormwood extrad powdered bezoar.

  As the liquid in the cauldron began to bubble, Snape pushed the door open and walked in, his timing impeccable. First, he she tents of the three gss bottles, then waved Eda away from the cauldron.

  "Watch closely, take note, and don't ask questions," Snape said. Though he spoke, his hands didn't pause. He took the smallest gss bottle, taining poison, and added three drops into the cauldron.

  The liquid, which had been bubbling moments before, instantly stilled, as calm as stagnant water. Shaking the bottle slightly, Snape asked, "Do you know what this is?"

  "The River Styx Draught," Eda replied, recalling what she had read in Deadly Potions. "When ed, it causes a severe burniion iomaakes the body feel frozen."

  "A single drop could kill both you and me," Eda added, unsure why Snape was brewing such a co. Even though the powdered bezht ralize some of its toxicity, she suspected that anyone who drank it would still suffer terribly.

  Snape didn't respond, fully focused on the cauldron before him.

  This was the first time in over a year that Eda had seen Shis serious. Though she had frequently observed and learned from Snape's potion-makihods i, she had never seen him wear su intense expression.

  He adjusted the fmes uhe cauldron, making them roar fiercely. The liquid inside quickly came to a boil, and then Snape added the potion made from lionfish spine powder.

  The previously added River Styx Draught was a lethal poison, while the lionfish spiion was meant for healing. Eda had no idea what would happewo potions with such opposite effects were bined.

  Miicked by, and as the liquid in the cauldron darkened from a light color to a deeper shade, Snape added three more drops of the River Styx Draught. Then, he poured the final purple-red potion into the cauldron.

  As he poured, Sirred with a gss rod in a clockwise dire. Once all the potion was in, he reversed dire, stirring terclockwise.

  The fmes beh the cauldron were reduced to a gentle simmer, as if he were making soup—but Eda doubted the co would taste remotely pleasant.

  "What do you think this potion does?" Snape asked, his right index firag terclockwise circles above the cauldron. The gss rod mirrored the motion, stirring the liquid within.

  A lethal poison, a healing potion, and a life-saving potion, bined with wormwood extrad powdered bezoar—this synthesis was incredibly plex, and even tradictory in nature.

  "Is it for saving lives?" Eda guessed hesitantly.

  "Hah! You're irely hopeless," Snape said with a hint of sarcasm. "It save lives, but it also kill. This single cauldron's worth is enough to ensure you spend the rest of your life in Azkaban."

  The potion in the cauldron grew darker and darker, resembling a pot of ink. Its st was familiar to Eda. She had smelled it in Snape's office at the beginning of the term and again by the Bck Lake, from the fsk belonging to Professlover Cecil.

  Eda didn't believe Snape would poison Cecil just to secure the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Cecil had willingly drunk from his own fsk, and the st wasn't something that could be dised from a mere drop or two.

  "Professor Cecil's health... isn't good, is it because..." Eda didn't finish her sentence. She wasirely heartless, ae everything, Professor Cecil had treated her well. Knowing about his dition made her feel a pang of sadness.

  "When a healthy person drinks this potion, they'll die within minutes—iiorn apart, a gruesome death," Snape said, extinguishing the fmes and allowing the potion to cool. "But for someo death's door, it might allow them to keep living."

  "Ohey take the first sip, they'll have to keep drinking it, ging to life in a wretched state until their magic is pletely depleted."

  Srieved a box from a et, filled with small gss bottles. He carefully filled the bottles with the cooled potion, closed the box, and ha to Eda.

  "Since you've already figured it out, take this to Cecil," Snape said curtly.

  _________

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