Today, the greatest wizard of the magical world, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, gave Eda a lesson, teaching her what it truly means to be on top of the world, invincible among men.
When Eda was in her third year, she once had the good fortune to receive Dumbledore's personal guidance. At the time, Dumbledore and Eda had an interaction that could best be described as a one-sided beating of a small child.
That's right—Eda was the small child being beaten.
Since she first came into contact with magic, this was one of only two defeats she had ever suffered, and the one in which she lost the most miserably. In two simulated real-combat sessions, Eda lost so badly she couldn't even tell which way was north.
Based on Eda's own traits and her offensive habits, Dumbledore gave her a more optimized direction for growth. This round of personal instruction benefited Eda all the way up to the present day.
Back then, Dumbledore's combat strength left a deep impression on Eda, setting up a benchmark in her heart—an unbeatable goal. As Eda herself grew, and with Grindelwald's words and teachings, she began to feel that this goal called Dumbledore might not be quite so unattainable after all.
But today, Dumbledore's two spells cast casually and effortlessly once again deeply shook Eda's inner world, making her realize her former shallowness.
The greatest wizard truly deserved to be called the greatest wizard. The level at which he stood was only one step away from Eda's—but that single step was like a chasm between heaven and earth.
If she could cross it, there would be nothing more to say: the chasm would become a smooth road, and Eda would naturally soar upward, becoming a true Dark Lord in the fullest sense. If she could not cross this step, then the achievements of her entire life would stop right here.
Even with the powerful assistance of the system as a cheat, Eda could not easily reach Dumbledore's level. This was a transformation of the mind, the soul, and the way of thinking—an alternative kind of rebirth.
To travel a hundred miles is to be only halfway there at ninety. If Grindelwald and Voldemort were somewhere between ninety-five and ninety-nine, then Dumbledore had already completed the full hundred miles.
It seemed that the difference was almost nonexistent, negligible, but in reality this gap was precisely why Dumbledore could continue to serve as the headmaster of Hogwarts and remain active in the wizarding world, while the two Dark Lords could only fade away in disappointment.
As for Eda, she was still stuck at the level of eighty, wavering somewhere between eighty and eighty-nine.
Between eighty-nine and ninety there was only a single number, yet a tiny shortfall could lead to a vast distance. This difference of just one number turned Dumbledore into an existence that Eda could only look up to.
Let alone standing shoulder to shoulder with Dumbledore—at present, Eda did not even possess the qualifications to be his opponent.
Yes, the gap was truly this great. The fact that Eda even possessed the courage to challenge Dumbledore was already extremely rare.
Although wizards in the magical world generally suffered from the problem of high offense and low defense, Eda at her current stage could see not the slightest shred of hope in defeating Dumbledore in a fair, head-on confrontation. This gap was not merely one of strength, but more one of realm and level.
In Dumbledore's eyes, any attempt by Eda would be futile, something he could easily see through, and thus there was no possibility of exploiting the universal weakness of wizards' low defenses.
Unless Eda stole Dumbledore's wand, or caused the headmaster to temporarily lose his magic, victory was practically impossible.
Many astonishingly talented geniuses ultimately stopped at the same height as Eda, unable to take another step forward for their entire lives.
But Eda was more fortunate than those predecessors. She had received guidance from both Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and had already sketched the shape of the summit in her heart. This made her destination far clearer, rather than advancing step by step without knowing where the next step would lead.
Yet Eda was also unfortunate. A gap as vast as the difference between clouds and mud, between the sky and earth, could easily destroy a person's inner resolve, causing them to collapse completely, or even suffer an irreversible regression.
Fortunately, Eda's heart had been tempered by Grindelwald into a thick, tough layer of callus. It was precisely because of this callus that Eda would not be easily crushed, and would have more chances to challenge the highest peak currently known to be attainable by humankind.
Today, the Dementors' sudden attack, and Dumbledore's effortless intervention, was for the other students nothing more than "Holy crap, the headmaster is amazing," but for Eda it was a knock on the door, a stepping stone.
Eda's current strength had already reached—or at least come close to—that of people like Professor McGonagall and Snape. That already placed her among the very top tier of the wizarding world. Yet people at this level were still utterly powerless when facing Dumbledore, Grindelwald, or Voldemort.
At these two tiers, the gap in strength could no longer be made up by accumulating spells or broadening one's magical knowledge.
This year, because she had become a prefect, Eda lost a great deal of time she could freely control. Accordingly, the time she spent on private practice also decreased.
Excessive practice no longer brought Eda the same improvement it had in previous years. What she needed was a breakthrough—a leap beyond fixed notions, and a newer, higher level of understanding of magic.
Today, the Dementors' sudden attack gave Eda precisely such an opportunity. Dumbledore's magic sketched out a new blueprint, marking a vague direction forward, and raised Eda's understanding and application of magical power to a new level.
Although it had not yet reached the stage where words alone could shape reality, the same spell, when cast by Eda and when cast by Dumbledore, produced completely different power and effects.
As for whether Eda could fully comprehend it, and how much she could comprehend, that depended entirely on Eda herself.
Under the professors' escort, all the students returned to the castle one by one, and Harry was sent to the hospital wing as well. The stadium, which had been lively just moments ago, instantly became empty, with only Oliver Wood left behind.
Quidditch captain Oliver Wood stood alone in the wind and rain, letting the cold, icy rain slap chaotically against his face. He probably felt like drowning himself. At the same moment Harry fell from his broom, Cedric caught the Golden Snitch, handing Gryffindor a defeat.
Could Cedric's actions be considered taking advantage of the situation? No, that wouldn't be fair. The situation on the field at the time was extremely chaotic, and Cedric could not accurately judge what had happened to Harry.
Catching the Golden Snitch was his only responsibility, and no matter how one looked at it, this could not be blamed on him.
Then could this matter be blamed on Harry? The answer was also no. The Dementors' appearance came without any warning, catching Harry completely off guard.
Harry had experienced the most extreme terror the human world had to offer, so the Dementors affected him far more than they did ordinary people. That was why he lost consciousness, missed the chance to end the match, and fell from his broom.
No normal person would blame Harry. Every time he played, he caught the Golden Snitch and brought victory to Gryffindor. It was only a single loss—on what grounds could Gryffindor's students blame Harry Potter? What's more, he had fallen from dozens of feet in the air and nearly turned into "Harry pie."
If anyone was to blame, then blame Voldemort—for leaving such a deep psychological scar on Harry's young mind. Blame the Ministry of Magic—if they hadn't let Black escape, the Dementors would have had no reason to be stationed around the school.
Or blame the Dementors themselves—those dark creatures that, for no good reason, ran onto the Quidditch pitch and attacked students without restraint.
Dumbledore was furious. His face was so dark it looked as if water might drip from it. After rescuing Harry, Dumbledore left the school. Someone had touched his bottom line, and he could no longer ignore the darkness that shrouded the school.
Even the greatest wizard could be called a Dark Lord when pushed.
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