The Second Sin

Stephanie's pale face flushed with an unhealthy red, and her voice was filled with a resentful sob.

"I didn't approach you with bad intentions. At first, I... I really wanted to be friends with you."

The girl's sudden emotional outburst caught Sean off guard; he didn't even have time to react.

I haven't said anything yet...

Frankly, even if the Room of Requirement adventure in his first year was orchestrated by Grindelwald and Stephanie, he doesn't really care about it now.

After all, he hadn't been hurt at all; in fact, he'd even managed to pull out Grindelwald and Dumbledore's Golden Set...

However, after spending too much time with these two riddle-solving people, he would unconsciously begin to analyze the hidden meanings behind various events—even though many things didn't have any hidden meaning at all.

However, Stephanie's reaction was unexpected by Sean.

Before her, Stephanie was completely devoid of her usual aloof and unapproachable demeanor.

The hair tie that had been holding her ponytail had come loose at some point, and her long, bright silver hair was draped messily over her waist. Her cute bear pajamas clung wrinkled to her petite body.

Stephanie clenched her fists, her chest heaving, her face flushed, and tears welling in her eyes.

"Because of that incident, I know you hate me, but I don't know how to apologize to you—"

The girl's voice grew louder and louder, and her tears fell to the ground like beads.

Hmm? Sean frowned.

Stephanie cried and shouted at him, "I want to make up for my mistakes! I want to do something to help you!"

"There's no need to get so worked up..." Sean's brows furrowed even more.

The Stephanie in front of me didn't look like a cool and aloof fifth-grader at all; instead, she seemed like a willful and crybaby little girl.

Most importantly, she seemed to be overly excited.

Sean sensed something was wrong.

Before the Monocle incident, he and Stephanie didn't have much interaction—they would greet each other with a smile when they met, and chat for a few words if they were close by during meals.

Or rather, that's how Sean treated all of Ravenclaw's classmates back then.

What makes Sean special about Stephanie is that, because he is not influenced by her Veela bloodline, she wants him to become an assistant at the Wand Club.

Because of this incident, the two interacted more afterward, but their relationship remained that of ordinary friends. Compared to Hermione, Harry, or the Weasley twins, they weren't exactly close friends.

After that came the Monocle incident. At the time, Sean couldn't be sure if Grindelwald had any malicious intent, so he remained cautious.

Stephanie, who had given him her Monocle, suddenly became someone he disliked.

Sean naturally assumed that Stephanie had a very strong ulterior motive from the very beginning when she approached him, which he disliked very much.

With Sean's one-sided disgust and disregard, the relationship between the two deteriorated further—or rather, they had no contact at all after that.

Under these circumstances, Stephanie felt extremely guilty towards herself.

There probably is...

But now it seems, isn't this guilt a little too heavy?

This made Sean feel very uneasy.

A person who could discover the truth about the Room of Requirement in second grade, a Ravenclaw, Stephanie's intelligence is beyond question.

Moreover, as a spy planted in Hogwarts from another school, it's impossible for him to lose control of his emotions.

If she calmly apologizes to herself, telling herself the specific circumstances and her own thought process, Sean will readily accept her apology—after all, to be honest, he and Grindelwald are in cahoots.

This was Sean's initial assumption before entering the room; rather, it was something he believed Stephanie would normally do.

The question is, why was Stephanie so excited?

Not getting a response from Sean, Stephanie burst into tears. She knelt down like an immature child and even tripped over the beanbag chair she had placed there.

"Thump—" A pleasant sound is a good start.

The girl got up from the ground crying, her smooth forehead and delicate nose red from the fall. Stephanie just knelt on the ground, crying and rubbing her sore spots, constantly apologizing to Sean.

"Waaaaah—I really don't want to monitor you—waaaaah—but, but Grindelwald insists I do it—"

"Waaaaah—you're the only friend I've ever had—waaaaaah—this is the first time I've ever received Christmas present from someone else—"

"Waaaaah—" Stephanie cried even harder, "I haven't received any gifts since then—"

"Can you please stop being angry with me... Waaaaah..."

Sean swore that when he stole his sister Ayla's favorite hazelnut chocolate ice cream, Ayla didn't cry as dramatically as Stephanie did in front of him.

This made him feel even more uneasy.

Indeed, many people hide their true selves. The aloof senior might actually be a sensitive young woman underneath. The problem is, the difference is too great...

In the cozy bedroom, the Silver-haired Girl knelt and wailed, while the boy in front of her had a somber expression on his face.

"Alright, I forgive you. Stop crying now," Sean said in a deep voice.

Stephanie only briefly changed her loud crying to sobbing, stared blankly at Sean for a while, and then continued to cry loudly.

"You're lying... This isn't your personality... You haven't forgiven me, you're just making excuses for me... Waaaaaah..."

Something's not right... Sean immediately pulled out his wand.

He began casting Healing Spell and Spell to Calm the Mind.

Stephanie offered no resistance, but Sean's warm spell did nothing to improve the situation.

The girl's inner wall collapsed in an instant; her mental defenses crumbled, leaving only her sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hey, wake up, stop crying. I didn't just brush you off. I accept your apology. Can we still be friends?" Helpless, Sean could only squat down and gently comfort him.

The crying gradually subsided, and the Veela girl stared blankly at Sean with her swollen, red eyes.

It seems to be working... Sean continued, "I'm not lying to you, you don't need to feel guilty towards me anymore, it was just a small matter."

"Really... really..." Stephanie murmured to herself, her eyes vacant.

"Really," Sean emphasized.

Stephanie stared wide-eyed, as if both lucid and surprised, a sickly flush appearing on her delicate face.

The girl finally smiled, "Really... that's great..."

In that instant, Sean felt as if the girl in front of him had become the person he loved most, and her dark eyes, as black as the starry night, were imbued with a fatal attraction.

An overwhelming feeling of love and infatuation surged into Sean's mind. He stared at the beautiful girl in front of him, his heart pounding.

To be honest, Stephanie was probably the most exquisite girl he had ever met. Although petite, she had perfect proportions, making her look like an elven doll.

Now, the beautiful girl stares at herself with fascination, her long eyelashes still glistening with tears and trembling slightly, her delicate and lovely nose a little red.

Of course, what attracts the most attention is her slightly parted lips, which are delicate and tempting.

Sean slowly lowered his head; he could even feel the warm breath exhaled by the other person.

It's her... it can only be her... Sean had only one thought left in his mind.

Across from him, Stephanie's lifeless eyes gradually became glazed over, losing their clarity as she gazed at Sean with infatuation, passion, and even longing.

The girl raised her head slightly to get closer so she could feel the boy's heavy breathing.

Sean lowered his head and cupped the other person's cheeks.

He felt a voice roaring passionately in his head.

Just kiss me, just kiss me...

He slowly approached the girl's lips, and Stephanie did not flinch at all, but instead happily came to meet him.

The atmosphere in the bedroom became both eerie and alluring.

Stephanie's skin grew paler and paler. She knelt limply on the ground, trying to turn her face towards the ground, completely unaware of her increasingly weak body.

Sean moved even closer, and he could even feel the girl's slightly cool lips, and feel a warm, gentle, and intimate force surging towards him.

The voice inside him was filled with even greater joy, a joy bordering on madness.

Just kiss him...

Sean gazed at Stephanie with fascination, seeing the delicate face he was holding in his hands, and the white hairs slipping through his fingers.

His pupils suddenly contracted!

I'm bewitched!

He immediately took a step back, dropped his hands instantly, and began to breathe heavily.

At that moment, Sean finally noticed the strange change around him.

Stephanie seemed to become transparent; her skin was bloodless, her bright silver hair had turned completely white, and a misty, pale white magic was emanating from her body.

That magic had already ensnared Sean and was constantly flowing into his body!

Sean instinctively tried to activate his magic to expel the power, but then something even more surprising happened.

The magic originating from Stephanie was not hindered in any way!

That magic seemed to be something Sean could control from birth. He felt no malice, no discomfort, only the satisfaction of the Source of Magic gradually growing larger and an innate sense of intimacy.

No, he had felt that magic before!

Sean looked at Stephanie in shock.

The girl, no longer supported by him, lay limply on the ground, murmuring as she approached Sean, her eyes filled with passion and infatuation.

"Sean ...I'm yours...I've always been yours..."

She was the Sin ... Sean finally understood why he hadn't rejected this power.

That night in Paris, the Sin within him called ' Pride ' was released. Sean regained his clarity at the last moment and also felt the immense power of Sin.

The magic emanating from Stephanie's body is essentially the same as the magic of Sin!

She is also Sin! And the fact that the allure she had just experienced, which she had clearly been immune to, has returned to effect proves her identity.

Stephanie is Lust!

Pride that looks down on everyone will only be influenced by power of the same level.

Now, there was no time for Sean to think about why all this had happened. Even though he had regained his senses, Stephanie was still clearly in a daze, and her magic was still surging towards Sean.

Sean even naturally realized one thing—if he ignored Stephanie and continued what he hadn't finished, then all of Stephanie's magic would become his own.

There will be no rejection, no abnormality. He will gain the power of a second Sin. Moreover, this power of a second Sin will not be like the Pride within him that has already awakened. It will be a vast power that belongs to him and that he can control.

If he does nothing.

However, Sean did not hesitate at all. He took out his usual Mind Purifier from the ring and gave it to Stephanie was already delirious.

Sean's rough handling caused Stephanie to cough violently, but she still clung tightly to Sean's arm, letting the medicine drip from the corner of her mouth and soak her collar.

"Sean ... Sean ..." Stephanie mumbled incoherently.

Sean glanced at Mind Purifier's capacity; the amount swallowed by the other party had already exceeded the normal dosage, yet the leakage of magic continued.

"One more sip—" Sean poured another sip into Stephanie's mouth.

Then he pulled away the girl's soft arms that were clinging to him and cast a spell on her.

"Petrificus Totalus"

Sean had a little experience dealing with Sin and knew that losing consciousness now might lead to more serious consequences, so the Petrification Charm was the best option.

After two doses of Mind Purifier above normal and Petrification Charm to control movement, the overflowing magic around Stephanie finally dissipated.

Sean stepped back to the doorway and began to observe the girl's changes.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that Sean lifted the Petrification Charm from the other person.

The magic stopped spreading.

Sean breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the somewhat dazed girl.

"Want another sip?" He waved the Potions in his hand.

Stephanie's chest heaved rapidly. She looked up at Sean, her voice finally calming down.

"It seems... it's almost done..."

Sean leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "How did you suddenly become like this? What did you do, or what happened to you?"

Stephanie frowned deeply, clutching her collar as she whispered, "I don't know why my emotions are being amplified like this... Thank you, Shaw... Wallerup."

Sean frowned as well. Could this be a sign that his Sin was awakening, and he just happened to be there?

Because he was certain that Stephanie's magic was being transferred to him, probably a sense of Sin and fundamental knowledge. He naturally felt that this was harmless to him and would not even strengthen the power of Pride.

It's all benefits and no harm, at least for me. The only drawback is that if the magic is fully unleashed, Stephanie will most likely disappear from this world.

Thank you, Mr. Mu Shang, for the 5000-point reward.