In the days that followed, Scott saw Jacob Kent together with those girls several more times.
To confirm what he thought, Scott still took the initiative to greet him twice.
He was certain that the boy understood why he was greeting him, but each time, Jacob only gave him a perfunctory response.
After that, Scott never greeted him again.
By his count, he had already given the boy three chances to ask for help, but the other party did not seem to want any.
In Scott’s view, this already showed that Jacob was staying with those girls of his own free will.
So Scott naturally stopped thinking about the matter.
But near the end of September, Eddie suddenly announced in the dormitory that he had made more discoveries about “that matter.”
For a moment, Scott did not even realise what “that matter” referred to.
It was only when Eddie walked up to him and said excitedly, “Scott, you were right!
Miss ‘Poison Doll’ is not simple at all,” that Scott finally understood what he meant.
“Mm?”
Scott quickly arranged his expression and calmly asked, “Good, Eddie.
Tell us what you found.”
“You…” Eddie looked at him suspiciously.
“You haven’t already forgotten about this, have you, Scott?
You were the one who gave me this task!”
“Why would you say that?” Scott looked surprised.
“I’ve been waiting for your progress this whole time, Eddie.”
“No, it’s not only you.” Eddie’s voice was full of distrust.
“I’ve suddenly realised that none of you have asked me about my progress during this entire period!”
Standing behind Eddie, Roger guiltily exchanged a glance with Scott.
He quickly walked over and placed an arm around Eddie’s shoulders.
“Of course we wouldn’t keep asking about your progress.
We know you’re undoubtedly a genius when it comes to digging up information, Eddie.
We all trust you.”
“Is that so?” Eddie turned his head and stared at him suspiciously.
“Of course.” Roger nodded without changing his expression.
“Milton.”
Eddie suddenly turned around, wanting to ask the person in the dormitory who was least capable of lying or pretending.
Scott and Roger immediately became nervous and hurriedly looked towards Milton’s bed.
Swish!
Milton, well aware of his own weakness, had already pulled his bed curtains shut.
His slightly unsteady voice came through the blue flannel.
“S-sorry, I seem to be a little sleepy.”
Scott and Roger both felt helpless.
As expected of Milton.
The guilt in his voice had already betrayed them.
“Oh, since Milton is tired, we shouldn’t disturb his rest.”
Roger still tried to save the situation.
He wrapped an arm around Eddie’s neck again, dragged him towards the window, then forced him to sit on the sofa.
The slightly plump Eddie was unable to resist the tall and strongly built Roger, so he could only sit there with a sour expression while staring resentfully at Roger and Scott.
“You forgot,” he said, leaning back against the sofa. This story is hosted at g.com.
“I should have noticed earlier.”
“Milton!” he suddenly cried out in deep sorrow.
“I thought you were the only one I could trust!
I never expected you to turn bad as well!”
“S-sorry…” Milton’s gloomy apology came from behind the curtains.
“Forget it.”
Eddie became a little frightened when he heard Milton’s tone and quickly redirected his anger towards the other two.
“I’m telling you, this is all your fault!”
“It’s not my fault!” Roger immediately shifted the blame.
“You know my spare time has been taken up by Quidditch training, Eddie.
Captain Bruce wants to win this year’s Quidditch Cup before he graduates.”
He pointed at Scott.
“Besides, Scott is the commander of this operation!”
“…”
Scott was leaning against his bedpost.
Hearing this, he put down the small piece of ebony he had been playing with.
“This matter…” he said.
“I have an explanation.”
“Is that so?” Eddie adopted an even more arrogant pose on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other.
“Then please explain, Mr Trollope.”
“I gave the boy two more chances to ask for help…”
Scott explained what had happened.
“…That’s how it was.
Since he gave up the chances himself, I stopped thinking about the matter.
After all, everyone has to take responsibility for every choice they make.”
By this point, Scott already sounded completely justified.
“Have you forgotten something else, Mr Trollope?” Eddie said through clenched teeth.
“You forgot to inform your poor roommate, Eddie Carmichael, that he could abandon the task!”
“Oh, Eddie!
I simply couldn’t bear to interrupt your enjoyment of digging up secrets.
I know how obsessed you’ve always been with it.”
Scott quickly changed the subject.
“Tell us what you found.
What kind of information did you uncover?”
“That’s right.
I remember you saying that you had made more discoveries,” Roger added.
“It must be astonishing news.”
“Hmph.”
At the mention of this, Eddie immediately became proud, almost raising his nose into the air.
“Luckily, you have me, Scott.” He was unbearably pleased with himself.
“This matter has already gone beyond your expectations. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
What would you do without me when the time comes?”
Scott took a deep breath and gave Eddie a friendly smile.
“I see.
Then please tell us quickly.”
“All right.”
Eddie immediately behaved himself.
“I said it before.
You were right, Scott.
Miss Travers has been making some astonishing moves in secret…”
Eddie revealed the information he had gathered.
Jasmine Travers, the Slytherin first-year whom Eddie called “Poison Doll,” had quietly gathered a large number of younger female students around her in less than a month since the start of term.
Most of these girls were first- and second-years.
The majority belonged to Slytherin and Ravenclaw, with a small number from Hufflepuff.
Of course, there were no Gryffindors.
Most of the girls came from old pure-blood families or families where both parents were wizards.
“They secretly formed a hidden society,” Eddie said in a deliberately mysterious low voice.
“It’s called [The Pure-Blood Girls’ Afternoon Tea].”
“That name obviously came from you.” Roger frowned.
“But that isn’t important.
If that girl has already gathered so many students, the disturbance shouldn’t be small.
How has no one noticed?”
“They contact each other secretly in private and never walk around together in a large group,” Eddie said with complete confidence.
“The girls Scott saw staying close to Jacob Kent before are likely the core members of this society!”
“Wait.
Jacob Kent is a boy and Muggle-born.
How did he manage to get involved?” Roger was astonished.
“When you put it that way, that boy is impressive!”
“No.” Scott felt a headache coming on.
“What we need to understand now is what Travers intends to do, assuming Eddie’s information is true.
Does she want to become the next Dark Lord?”
“Don’t say that.”
Roger’s face suddenly turned pale.
“That isn’t funny at all.”
Scott thought that he was the one who most wanted this to be a joke.
His main plan for this school year already involved Voldemort’s diary and the basilisk in Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets.
Who knew why such dangerous hidden currents were also stirring in the parts the original story had never described?
(End of Chapter)
…
T/N :
Feed me Power Stones to keep me motivated.
This translation is pure volunteer work, so every bit of support helps me continue.